If you are using a high quality synthetic ATF, doing drains that often is likely excessive. The M1 fluid I used said its good to go for 50K miles under severe driving conditions so you can bet I am not going to crawl under that ATF drain bolt any time soon.
20K miles on RP is nothing. Go double that, at least.

cluthless, the Nissan/Infiniti engine oil drain hole is really that small? Wow!
That same V6 was used in everything V6 from Nissan. Altima, Maxima, Quest, G35, M35, FX35.

 

Unfortunately for me, my trans has permanent damage.... We did the fluid change and no help, it is still shifting badly.

 

That is what frustrates me so much. If Mini had been honest with the need for these fluid changes, alot of us would still have fine running machines.

 

You should try a second fluid change and driving a few days afterward. Each change only removes 2 of the 6.5 quarts. It may make a difference.

If you do need a tranny, search junkyards or have your mechanic do the search. My cousin blew the engine in her 05 due to missing an oil change ( she thought they had done it when the clutch was replace - moral - trust but verify ). She found a used one at Brandywine in Maryland (they are huge) and they installed it for far less than a rebuild.

That is why VW advised those with this transmission (cars with 2.5 engine) to get the fluid changed every 40,000 miles. They were getting too many failures right at the end of the warranty period.

 

There is also a "filter kit" which is actually more of a strainer for the fluid. It may be that replacing that out will help. I did that initially with some success. That and a combination of fluid swaps to get all the remaining junk out may help.

 

Great thread, thanks for all the info pix and effort. You guys rock! I have had my 06 MCSa 46K on him, since Christmas eve and have been doing all the filters and fluids on the weekends. This is next and the fuel filter.

I do have a question, the Mobile One Universal Syn ATF is no longer compatible or is it the dino version that is not compatible?
thanks
Tracy

 

guys i need to do this change, bad

i have nearly 90k miles on my 06 MCS and unless my dealer changed it without me knowing its gotta get changed and soon. i have the gear slippage in 2-3-4 gears

got noticeably worse over the last 8 thousand miles. the car is definitely drivable but i dont want to do irreversible damage to a car i plan on keeping for years

now i have a bentley book, a garage full of tools but little to no idea wtf I am doing. im 23 years old but i need things explained to me like i am 5 unless i have it "right in front of me" ive only done oil changes and small modifications but mostly aesthetic, commence laughter. i love this car like a favorite pair of jeans and i hope the damage isn't already "done" although at the end of the day its a lot easier to trade in a car which is nothing but a monkey of troubles on your back to a brand spanking new one but as much trouble the car has given me i do not want a new car and i dont know where id begin to search for one.. i am gonna attempt to do this tomorrow since were finally getting a warm day but if this is something i can drive to MINI to have them do for under 100 bucks with my provided ATF then i'd rather be safe than sorry.............

it just seems the thread is a little disorganized i have no idea if i need a filter or not and i dont even know where to get such a thing, assuming i could acquire one "same day" that is...

im planning on doing my cars oil tomorrow and im gonna take a look for the plugs that some of the pictures shown halfway back through this thread but im deftly afraid of making a mess all over my street/sidewalk/driveway. luckily i do have ramps though.. just lacking the knowledge :( :(

 

Use Fishbone's directions posted on 07-26-2010 on page 3 of this thread post #66-70. Read from there forward so you can pick up on all the tweaks other's have added. The real nitty gritty stuff is those 4 posts (66-70) though. I recommend using Royal Purple. It's compatible, and easily found although a bit pricey...

 

Regarding Mobil 1 "not meeting" the 3309 spec "anymore", see this thread
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18521

I wholeheartedly agree. Even if they don't say 3309 on the bottle anymore, the fluid was not formulated and it still works a lot better than stock in my transmission.
Thus, if you want to use Mobil 1 syn ATF, it is just fine.
There is nothing magical about JWS-3309. It is a Dexron III-like fluid with friction modifiers, something that can be achieved with DexIII and an additive package off the shelf.
There is no need to worry. Just about any synthetic universal ATF is going to be worlds better than the dino OEM stuff. It will have much better stability in a wide range of temps, it will run cooler, last longer, protect better, etc.
Since the ATF change process is so involved, I see absolutely NO reason to stick with dino OEM stuff and have to change it every 30-40K miles, when just about any synthetic ATF should last you at least 50-60K miles in severe driving (weekend racing etc) and 100K for everybody else.

 

Thanks Fishbone,
Bit the bullet and went with the Royal Purple, printed your instructions and am set to do this Friday

Tracy

 

I would not use the reformulated Mobil 1 in my MINI. There are plenty of other synthetic ATFs that meet JWS3309/T-IV, such as Royal Purple, Redline D4, Amsoil, and a new one from Lubromoly. Given the difficulty in doing the change I would never put the original fluid back in. Mine has been running great on the JWS3309 approved Mobil 1 for 2 years, 2 cycles of 2 fluid drain and fills and 41,000 miles. I stockpiled when I learned the new stuff was no longer approved.

Fishbone how do you know Mobil 1 was not reformulated and that it was just a labeling change?

The Bentley manual is completelly worthless regarding servicing the automatic transmission. They do not even know where the drain plug is located. Someone should send them a PDF of this thread so they can supplement their overpriced repair manual.

 

Because the Exxon Mobil rep said the following
Even if it did go through a formulation change, I don't see what would deem it incompatible when a) it covers such a wide range of ATF specs and b) again, there is nothing special about JWS3309. In fact if I see Dex III and IV quoted anywhere on the bottle, I'd be fully comfortable it'd work just fine with a tranny calling for JWS3309.

 

After three drain/fills with JW3309 compliant ATF, my tranny is worse than ever. I've driven about 1,000 miles since the last fill hoping the computer will re-map & make shifting smoother. But, not such luck. I just sprang for Royal Purple ATF hoping that one last drain/fill with the good stuff, will help the harsh shifting. Maybe......? I'll post again once I've done it & put some miles on her (again!). I've talked to multiple techs & 3 different tranny shops: nobody can offer any where near the info I've found in these posts. Thanks to all of you who are posting great info & saving (some people) a whole bunch of $ that would otherwise be wasted on a whole new transmission. Not sure if mines gone too far but, I'm going to keep on reading and keep on trying.
Thanx!!

 

How many miles are on your transmission? What ATF have you used prior to Royal Purple? I remember reading somebody using Amsoil and reported the transmission shifting funny.
It should only take a few driving cycles for the transmission to re-adapt.

 

quick question to anyone who has done this. Do you think it might work to extract the fluid from the fill hole?I mean with a oil extractor with a tube that fits inside a dipstick tube... I was just wondering maybe i could make it a little easier.
My transmission is getting bad with the shifts when it gets warm sometimes slightly slipping 3-4 , time to get the fluid changed out.

 

kb30 - That is almost impossible on this transmission. It does not have a dipstick. The fill hole is only a bolt that is very difficult to find and access, the hole is very small and certainly does not reach down far enough to extract fluid. The drain bolt is easy to access. Read the posts on the procedure. Draining is easy, filling is a PITA.

 

First time I changed my oil, I unbolted the wrong drain bolt...yes it's super easy to drain the auto tranny fluid, lol.

 

Filling is made simpler if you buy the Flotool Super Multi-Purpose Funnel™ Part # 10715 at Advance Auto Parts for $3.49. The opening is the EXACT size as the fill plug. You just screw/mash the funnel in tight, and pour.

 

ok thank you very much im gonna try this next week and see how it goes!

 

Just make sure you're not too brutal twisting/jamming the funnel in the fill hole. First time I did it, mine got chewed up but I was lucky enough no plastic pieces actually broke off. You do NOT want any of those getting into the tranny.

 

Agree with fishbone. Just some firm downward pressure and twist back and forth. It'll seal perfectly and not spill a drop. Fishbone's directions are the ones to follow. Follow those and it'll go perfectly. It's really actually quite easy given the instructions.

 

just wanted to mention to if you do this be careful with the valve that is right by the fill plug above it. I snapped a end off of mine (Maybe due to the cold) and i can't drive my car now due my brakes having no pressure. i gotta wait till thurs for mini to get one for me. UGH!! My Bad luck streak continues!!!

 

did mine today and ran if for about 30 min. Fluid was a dark brown (around 2 quarts)with a red tinge to it. Did not notice much improvment. Slipped once and still harsh shifting. I am going to try to do another next week..Hope i get some improvment after a few of these. Im not really getting a positive feeling from this trans

 

Dark brown with a tinge of red is pretty much what mine looked like at 65k or so miles when it was drained for the first time. You should do 3 drain/fills to get the most out of the old stuff out. Give your transmission a few drive cycles in traffic to readjust and make sure the ATF is at the correct level.

 

yeah, thanks i'm gonna try to get my 2nd drain and fill done early next week and probably the third thereafter. My observation so far is after driving it today was that the issues where still there but slightly better.it The trans seems to get sluggish when it's hot for my car it feels great when its colder.Just wondering from people that done this, how long before everyone noted a improvement?
Just done my second change a week later. I used a 2 quart mix of maxlife and lubeguard red. Dramatic improvments in shift quality and no slips. the second change really showed a difference in my car. I drove it about 45 minutes and i could feel it start to act up and it just kept improving. Im going to have to wait about a month to do my third but i feel alot better knowing a good bit of the old it out. I think im gonna stick with a bottle of lubeguard with every change.
just with two fluid drain a and fills i am impressed!
thanks to everyone in this thread!