Transmission/radiator Cross Contamination on '05-'10 Models means BYPASS NOW!
Have not made it to the dealer yet as today is Sunday. I most likely have transmission cooler/radiator failure. As I learn more, I will update the thread.
Plan for the day was to change oil/trans/front dif/rear dif/and transfer case fluids. Did oil first, then moved on to transmission.
Didn't like the color, it just seemed "off" to me. Had the "Oh chit!" moment as the thought of radiator to transmission cross contamination came to mind. Went to the radiator overfill and didn't notice anything to scare me. Went to radiator cap, and there it was, a strawberry shake in the cap.
Through this, I learned a couple of things that would be helpful to others:
Noticed a vibration around 30mph on Thursday of last week (4 days ago). Seemed like turning OD off solved the issue. Felt like very worn rumble strip. Find similar vibrations on concrete highways also.
Autozone has a part that would work if the Nissan part was not readily available.
No parts are actually needed to do this beyond the vacuum caps mentioned in post #1. Reason being if you follow the passenger side hose up the side of the radiator, there is a splice (shown in post #1) already there. Remove from the splice to where it was originally attached, and the driver's side hose will reach to that location. Here is the section of hose that I removed that went from splice to passenger's side radiator. Here is the location of the splice on the passenger's side of the radiator.
Specs on my truck = '05 Nismo w/ 77951 miles March build date. So, for those with '05 frontiers, it might be worth it to do this as others have had issues.
....Specs on my truck = '05 Nismo w/ 77951 miles March build date....
I have done drain/fill per spec prior to this.
So, went to the dealer bright and early. Waiting on extended warranty to approve/deny claim. They are sending an adjuster out because someone has an open claim on my policy in Florida (truck has never touched Florida soil). Should know by 10am tomorrow if it is approved or denied.
Now, here's the rough run down of what dealer is asking for due to this:
radiator
transmission
heater hose(s)
radiator cap(s)
front drive shaft/propeller (Dealer figures this is what causes the vibration. They test drove and trouble shot it as such. Second one to be put in the truck.) -- so vibration is thought to be non related to the transmission at this time
They desire to replace the transmission as the fear is that seals etc. inside touched by the antifreeze are probably toast. Want to replace radiator as that is the core of the issue. Hoses are swelling due to transmission fluid.
Rough total so far is $6k.
Last edited by ffips; 03-22-2010 at 10:37 PM.
Reason: forgot about the front drive shaft
I know I already gave you a "Thanks" but I also wanted to give you props for your very informative post. You not only provided a great explaination but you also included pics so that people that have not heard of the issue can follow along and then to finish it all off, you included some links to others who have had the issues. Your post is one of the most compreshensive ones I have seen and I hope others follow to start and make things a lot easier for others when they are searching.
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07 SE CC Auto
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to dubie2003 For This Useful Post:
Good news:
Extended warranty through CarMax is going to cover the repairs plus rental car (if I Scion can be called a car -- it's a box on wheels) for two days. Meaning $75 out of my pocket since I took it to the dealer instead of $50 at a CarMax location. Should get the truck by the end of the day tomorrow.
Bad news:
Dealer is going to replace front drive shaft (again, thought to be cause of vibration by dealer), replace radiator, flush cooling system, and flush transmission.
I have not spoken with warranty company. Dealer expressed concern about not replacing transmission and hoses. The inspector said if the transmission is going to fail, it will fail prior to the warranty being up (within the next 20K miles). I don't know what was said about hoses. Will have to find out about that.
So, the dealer went into it asking for the moon from the warranty company, and came out with less. Now, I am going to have to figure out how to pursue the warranty company to get something in writing that says transmission failure will be covered due to previous condition.
All in all, fairly painless as long as transmission doesn't fail at 20,001 miles.
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Here is the location of the splice on the passenger's side of the radiator. 
05 nismo 4x4 radiant silver CC v6.... I even got the invisible bra!
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