May i add a question to this topic?
I have a 2001 Nissan Altima (automatic) and i am hesitating if i should change the transmission fluid myself or not. That car has about 107K Miles and i am not sure if it got a change before (used).
This Nissan has only a bold to let the oil out and no filter (at least the manual does not talk about a filter).
I have talked to the nissan part guy and he told me, regarding the fluid, to just get either dextron 2 or 3 and to fill about 5 quarts in it, since the 10 are not needed. I assume some stays in the transmission.
Now i heard that sometimes the transmission could be ruff to drive after a change and now i am just really confused.
It look really easy to do, but since it is a major part of the car i really want to make sure that i’ll do it right.
Part of the fluid does stay inside the transmission, mainly in the torque converter. It seems very odd to me that it does not have a filter inside. i am a mechanic and i service transmissions all the time and i have never seen one that doesn’t have a filter. to get to most filters you just have to unbolt the pan and drop it down. just be sure to clean the pan well and also get all the metal flakes off the magnet inside.
When your first starting the car up after initial service, shift back and forth between drive and reverse several times to get the fluid pumping through, if you do not feel it shift into gear at all after several times switching between forward and reverse then check your fluid.
Other than that they are really pretty straight forward to do. Good luck
Thank you for the input.
I checked with the Haynes Guide and if i am not mistaken (there is always a chance that i am mistaken) it did not talk about a filter.
I will check the guide again. Mmm… i do have a mechanic who does it for less. Its a good mechanic. I might let him do it. From what you described it looks easy to do.
Thanks again 
Most Front-wheel drive cars have a transaxle, and these almost never have pans in the same way that transmissions on rear-wheel drive cars do. I believe they do have rudimentary filters, but they’re not designed to be replaced periodically. The only way to get to them is to dismantle the transaxle.
Usually, all you do is drain the old fluid out and refill with fresh fluid. The problem is whether this is still the original fluid. If that’s the case and it’s never been changed, it is WAY past due and has essentially been neglected in that area.
Be sure to consult your owner’s manual for the proper amount (and type) to add when the fluid is changed. You want to get both right; using the wrong type of fluid can cause big problems.
mm… i’ll guess that comes close to the guide.
Since the car is used and i do not know if it got changed at one point, i really want to have it changed.
As far as the manual goes the transmission on the Altima has a capacity of 10 Quarts, but i got told 5-6 should be suffice for a change. And it should be DexronII or DexronIII.
So, if i idle the car to work temprature and unbolt the drainplug and let everything run out, that should be it.
Then just fill it up with 5 Quarts and have the machine running again and shifting through all the grears to release any air.
If thats all i’ll do, then i can do it myself.
Thanks again for the input. Even if i have a guide, i just want to make sure that i’ll do it right in real. If you know what i mean
Thanks
If,as you say,the car doesn’t have a fill plug,how do you put in new tranny fluid?
through the dipstick with a special filler. as far as i know thats the only way to fill fluid.