Please help ASAP Transmission/Radiator question

[XiBowhunter]

I know this has been covered before, but there is so much information that I am a little overwhelmed.

I was gathering info on doing the bypass on my 2005, which I planned on doing this weekend. I just went out and took the radiator cap off and found that my coolant is a light gray, milky color.

I am assuming that the transmission cooler has failed, but what do I do now?

Can I flush my transmission and radiator myself after I do the bypass?

Should I take it to a mechanic?

Is my transmission doomed?

Any help will really save me! Please advise!

[JAHBLESSINGS]

flush the fluid and do the bypass. you can only hope for the best.

[Tzvier]

flush the fluid and do the bypass. you can only hope for the best.

Pretty much this in reverse order

If the trans fails, you'll know...

Also, when did you buy it? If it's been fairly recent, take it back to the dealer and make the fix it or buy it back under the lemon law.

[nutbar78]

I just had my tranny and radiator replaced by my dealer and my tranny hadn't even technically failed yet. They said it was failing. I didn't really notice anything......my thoughts.....maybe they needed the work. The radiator and tranny are covered by the Nissan warranty until 80K miles. It's been extended from the original 60K.

[XiBowhunter]

My Pathfinder had 104,000 miles on it when I bought it, so I'm guessing I have no chance at warranty work?

So last night I went ahead and did the "bypass". I noticed that my transmission fluid did not look contaminated. It was a dark red color, but didn't look "milky" at all to me. It was also full, and not low at all.

My radiator fluid was a whole different story. It is a milky gray color, but the fluid in the over-flow was still green.

What would cause that?

I just dropped it off at a transmission shop this morning, and I'm getting a complete transmission flush, new AT filter, and a bottle of Lucas AT stabilizer added in. I am also going to ask them about flusing the radiator while they are doing the tranny work.

Hopefully I caught the problem in time and I didn't have any perminate damage done.

[smj999smj]

The NHTSA is currentyly investigation the problem and asking for information from people who have experienced trans failure due to the radiator. Hopefully a recall will be coming down he pipe!

[dawgn86]

Xibox

hope all is good with the tranny...let us know how it goes...I have heard not to flush a trans with that many miles and sludge particles could dislodge and cause issues...and does the AT have a replaceable screen or filter?..also heard about adding stabilizing additives can cause issues?

Dude, not trying to be negative.. let us know how it drives..hope you avoided any problems....

going to to a drain and fill on mine..but its supposed to be 110 degrees in Georgia today!

[Oly 22]

Good luck Xibox, keep us posted.

I had all my fluids checked today and am now a little nervous. Maybe because of everything I have been reading. I only have 30000km (19000miles) on my 2011 and the technician said "I don't know what is up with your transmission fluid, it should be red" it appeared to be clear on the dip stick and the drops were a clear pink colour, not milkly. I got home and checked the radiator fluid and it is perfect.

I phoned the dealer and he was very forthcoming in regards to the radiator failures and mentioned that he hasn't seen many issues with 2011's. He also mentioned that the tranny fluid should be red.

What colour should the transmission fluid be? Do I now have an issue?

[smj999smj]

It should be red, but such a thin layer stays on the dipstick, it's more of a transparent pink color. 2011's are not involved in the range of 05-10 MY Nissans, so I wouldn't be that concerned about it. I've only heard of a couple of 08 models having the radiator fail and nothing later than that, so far.

[Oly 22]

Phew, thanks SMJ. It's great having guys like you on the forum to provide advice and expertise. I will keeping reading and learning and hopefully Nissan made the necessary changes to late model Pathfinders.

Oly

[XiBowhunter]

Since I bought my Pathfinder used, but only had it a little over 2 months, the dealer agreed to pay 50% of the repair.

My transmission hadn't failed, so they put in a new radiator, fully flushed the cooling system and transmission, and put in all new fluids and a new transmission filter.

I kept the bypass just to make sure there were no future problems out of the radiator.

I put around 100 miles on my Pathfinder this weekend, and so far, so good.

[smj999smj]

If you replaced the radiator, I wouldn't leave the bypass. The cooler tube failure was only on a limited run of Calsonic radiators used between 05-10. Up until then, cooler tube failure was extremely rare in Nissan products (I worked for Nissan for 16 years and never encountered one or heard of one until the R51's come out). The radiator's integral cooler has advantages over just the auxilary cooler in that it helps maintain the ATF at approx. 175 degrees F. Using just the auxilary cooler has no way of doing that and the only way you can tell if the fluid is in proper range is to install a temp gauge for the ATF. This is especially important if you live in an area with cold winters.