When I do mine, pretty soon, I'm going with Amsoil. and here is my plan. If there is a drain plug, I'll warm it up and dump a little out of there. (Just to let any shavings or trash out.) Then I'll bring it back up to near full and using clear hoses and two 5 gallon buckets, one cleaned with brake cleaner, I'll fill it with the required amount of oil plus one qt to allow for lee way. Then I will disconnect the trans cooler hose from the radiator and determine direction of flow, I'll put output hose into empty bucket and have input hose in clean bucket full of Amsoil Trans fluid, Start the X and let the complete change begin! When the fluid in the amsoil bucket is gone, I'm done, I put the cooler lines back on, top it off, drive it, check for leaks and check level again.
What would be the sense of changing half the fluid? Would you drain 2 Quarts of oil and call it an oil change?
This way you change all the fluid.
I add that a GM power train engineer warned me about going to shops to do this, he said the machines pickup junk from other tyranny's and by operator mistake, they can add their junk to your tranny and .......there goes your tranny! He said DIY this way, I have done it about 5 times it works well.
According to Amsoil web site, it takes 11 Qts of
http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=46
Automatic Transmission.....SLF[3]
Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid About $9 a qt. Far better than Nissan J an Amsoil always.
OR 3. Use Genuine NISSAN Matic J TRANS fluid.
OR Continental USA & Alaska use Nissan Matic D. CAN use
Nissan ATF. DEXRON-III/MERCON may be used as alternative.
Automatic Transmission, Total Fill
5 speed RE5R05A..........11.0 quarts.
For any cap questions go here:
http://www.amsoil.com/ click on Red online application guide and walk through that to Xterra Specs. They don't mention a torque spec for the Auto Trans drain plug....not to say there is not one but they normally would have that. If anyone finds out let me know and I'll notify them.
MC
Amsoil Dealer ZO 1447837
I'm buying it!