Matic S - Penrite LV ATF?

[sonicii]

I am about to do a TX fluid change in My Q50 which runs a RE7R01H transmission and specifies Nissan Matic S fluid.

I called the dealer the other day to see if can order a 20L drum and they advised they no longer use Matic S as it has been superseded by Castrol Dex VI and they can sell me 4L containers of that instead.

I figure I can get that elsewhere cheaper, but was instead looking at a Penrite product which specifically lists it is compatible with Matic S.  The reason I am looking at this is because it specifies it is a fully synthetic ATF, where the Castrol product doesn't mention if it is synthetic.

Has anyone used this fluid and can comment on its suitability?

https://www.penriteoil.com.au/products/atf-lv-full-syn

https://www.castrol.com/en_au/australia/home/products/car/auto-transmission-fluids.html#tab_transmax-dexron-vi-mercon-lv

 

 

[Rusty Nuts]

Valvoline Max Life.  Matic S was made by Castrol, Nissan do not manufacture oils.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Rusty Nuts
additional information

[sonicii]

I did look at the MaxLife, but I was a bit worried about how broad the 'compatibility' claim is.  I was drawn to the penrite product as they make this specifically to meet the low viscosity needs of their specified compatible fluids and have a 'multivehicle' fluid that is suitable for the higher viscosity requirements.

For example matic J is a higher viscosity oil, Matic S is low, but Valvoline claim 'Maxlife' meet the requirements of both.

The transfer case in the Q50 specifically requires Matic J as it needs the higher viscosity fluid, but Matic S in the transmission due to the LV requirement.

Anyway, I bought 12L of the Penrite LV ATF today, so will be using that tomorrow.  I'll report back on how it goes.

Edited January 29, 2021 by sonicii

[sonicii]

Well, changed the TX fluid last weekend, drained the pan and then dropped the pan to clean it out, was surprised how much fluid sits in the bottom of the pan even after fully draining via the drain plug.  the plug isn't quite at the lowest point, and has a flange around the hole inside the pan.  It gave me a chance to clean off the magnets in the pan which had a little build up.

Also given the RE7R01H does not have a torque converter, just draining and refilling the pan changes a higher percentage of the fluid.

I did 3 drain and refills with running the engine for 3mins in between each as specified in the FSM.

I can't say it made a huge change, it is difficult to separate any actual changes from placebo but it might shift a bit firmer now.  Although I was getting some flaring on the first 4-5th change in the morning, subsequent 4-5th shifts were always fine after that.  This seems to have disappeared now though.

No negatives noticed so far.

I do plan to keep this car for a long time so the main priority was to extend the life of the transmission.

[xDiiThy]

Thanks for your input Sonicii !

I have a 2014 370z with the 7-speed automatic. 6 years and 40,000 kms on the original transmission fluid.

I have also purchased Penrite ATF LV 12 L worth.

Planning on doing the 3x drain and fill.

The Valvoline MaxLife was quite broad about Matic S compatibility specifically therefore I also went for the Penrite ATF LV ($36.40 /4L on sale). It seems the OEM Nissan Matic S is in-fact Castrol Transmax Multi-Vehicle Low Viscosity, which is hard to find...

Anyway,

Did you have your car on level surface during the procedure? I am just concerned thinking about having to get the car jacked up on 4 jack stands instead of only 2 at the front as I usually do such as during a normal engine oil change.

Cheers,

[sonicii]

I tried to get it as level as I could, I had the front on ramps and jacked the rear up and put it on body stands to get it as close to level as possible.  As you probably know the filler/level set plug is toward the front of the transmission, so it needs to be fairly level to get it right, and the engine needs to be running.  A hoist would be ideal, but I don't have one of those.

No issues so far with the Penrite LV.  still occasionally get a 4-5 flare first up in the morning, but never happens again until everything cools down overnight, seems it might be a TCU coding issue more than a mechanical issue.  The hybrid uses quite a bit of electric motor assist for the first couple of minutes while the engine is warming up, so that might have some impact too.  And the lack of a torque converter may also be at play.

Edited May 10, 2021 by sonicii

[xDiiThy]

43 minutes ago, sonicii said:

I tried to get it as level as I could, I had the front on ramps and jacked the rear up and put it on body stands to get it as close to level as possible.  As you probably know the filler/level set plug is toward the front of the transmission, so it needs to be fairly level to get it right, and the engine needs to be running.  A hoist would be ideal, but I don't have one of those.

No issues so far with the Penrite LV.  still occasionally get a 4-5 flare first up in the morning, but never happens again until everything cools down overnight, seems it might be a TCU coding issue more than a mechanical issue.  The hybrid uses quite a bit of electric motor assist for the first couple of minutes while the engine is warming up, so that might have some impact too.  And the lack of a torque converter may also be at play.

Yeah potentially the hybrid will have some slight ill effect. Great to hear its working fine overall. Obviously mine is straight Natural Aspiration so will be interesting to see how smoothly it goes 😌, I've recently acquired it and doubt the fluid has been changed in the 6 years so might as well do it. I will be dropping the pan as well and giving the magnets a clean + following the Factory Service Manual.

Just need to figure out how I am going to pump the fluid into that tiny hole...

Also did you buy any chance lube the gasket with some ATF or just slap it on?

Thank You !!

[sonicii]

I cleaned up the gasket and did put a bit of fluid on it, but it was still quite soft, so would probably have been fine either way.  Yes, I did risk it and refit the old gasket rather than replace, against the FSMs direction.

I bought the genuine filler adaptor from Nissan to connect a hand pump (which I bought from supercheap), but was about $70, so no doubt you could get a generic adaptor cheaper elsewhere.

Some advice I found online, make sure you can remove the filler plug before you open the drain plug, nothing worse than draining the fluid then stripping the filler plug..  Apparently some people have had issues with the filler plug, but mine was fine.

[xDiiThy]

Cheers Sonicii, yeah I bought a new OEM gasket $50 shipped. I'll hopefully report back if I remember 😉

This thread will definitely help someone in the future

11 minutes ago, sonicii said:

I cleaned up the gasket and did put a bit of fluid on it, but it was still quite soft, so would probably have been fine either way.  Yes, I did risk it and refit the old gasket rather than replace, against the FSMs direction.

I bought the genuine filler adaptor from Nissan to connect a hand pump (which I bought from supercheap), but was about $70, so no doubt you could get a generic adaptor cheaper elsewhere.

Some advice I found online, make sure you can remove the filler plug before you open the drain plug, nothing worse than draining the fluid then stripping the filler plug..  Apparently some people have had issues with the filler plug, but mine was fine.

 

[xDiiThy]

Thought I'd just write an update.

 

Transmission Fluid change is all done used 11L of fluid at the end.

Dropped the pan first round = 4.8L

Second drain and fill = 3L

Final drain and fill = 3.3L (300Ml overfill for proper level)

My filler adapter didn't arrive in time from the USA (CTA Tools 7425) So I just got a pen and chopped it in half with some tape to secure it. Worked beautifully

Just a note, at the very end I panicked a bit when the overflow didn't start dripping but instead started to flow at a slower rate. I was staring at it for about a minute waiting for it to drip but just plugged it up.

This is normal it will not always be a drip once the overfill is done, as long as it gushes out for a bit at the beginning then slows it is all good.

Drives fine and M mode shifts are lightning now.

Will do 40,000km 3-4 years drain and fill 1x in future to maintain tranny health. Will never need to drop the pan again I reckon.

Thanks all, and all information to do this yourself is in the FSM. I did it on 4 jackstands 😊 after some contemplation and prayers 🤣

Thanks Sonicii !!

 

Edited June 12, 2021 by xDiiThy

[sonicii]

Nice work.. thanks for coming back with the results

It is surprising how much fluid is left behind in the pan when you have drained through the plug hey?

For anyone else doing this in the future, it is worth the reminder you need to set the fluid level with the engine running, but a relatively cold transmission.