u/secretlyadele

Hey all,

I don’t know that my transmission fluid has ever been replaced and I’m just over 130k miles on a 2014. I would like to keep it running as long as possible.

I don’t notice any issues with the transmission but have no idea what shape the fluid is really in. Should I do a partial or full drain and fill? From everything I’ve read, a full flush is a no go, but a fill and drain is recommended… sometimes?

I don’t want to shock it, but do want to keep my system as healthy as I can for as long as I can.

Thanks in advance!

Hello!

TL;DR questions on slow start/extended crank, AC compressor control valve, CVT transmission fluid, general maintenance suggestions

I’ve got a 2014 Altima (SV) that I’ve personally driven for about a decade. I think I got it around 60k miles and have recently broken 130k. It’s no longer my daily driver but I do tend to use it for longer trips as the gas mileage is so much better than my other vehicle. It probably does 150-300 miles per week, depending on the week. That said, it’s also 12 years old and getting to the point where I’m weighing my options of how much I still want to invest in it. I’ve recently done tires and battery, now having to do windshield, and presumably a fuel pump. As you can imagine, the sell value is pretty low, lol. It feels like I should probably keep it for a while to get any payback from these things but idk if there is some disaster looming in the future.

It’s had this issue with slow starting/extended cranking for a couple years now but it happens so infrequently that I really can’t figure out what the source is. No codes are ever thrown. My guess is that it’s something in the fuel pump assembly, but I don’t really want to pay for a diagnostic when you have to buy the whole assembly regardless (and it’s so easy to install yourself). Seems like I can start it faster the second attempt if the first was rough, like the pressure is bleeding back. The battery was replaced less than a year ago so I don’t think it’s anything with that. I will probably do spark plugs soon just to ensure that isn’t a factor, since I can’t recall when they were last replaced. It seems like it hasn’t worsened but it’s just so intermittent that it’s hard to predict.

Anyone else ever have this slow starting or extended crank issue with the 2013-2018 Altima? What did you do?

Also learned recently that my remaining AC issues may be solved by a compressor control valve (cheap part, semi-complicated replacement that I doubt my Nissan shop will do when they could upsell me the whole compressor assembly and I don’t have refrigerant gauges or vacuum). YouTube is convincing me this part is a benefit for basically anyone who has tried it. Anybody done this, and how was it?

I did just figure out that my blend actuator door has probably been stuck for over a year from when my last battery died a slow death. I think I got all the actuators to reset and now I’m actually getting cold air to push through stronger, it’s just not super cold. FYI if you have this issue with low flow or poor mixing through any of your vents:
- turn the car power on
- hold recirculate, AC, and rear defrost buttons until the climate control panel lights flash (~5 secs)
- let actuators reset their limits (you can hear it)
- turn heat all the way to max, let it move to full position, then slowly turn it down to min
- you should get good airflow from vents and better temp mixing. I’ve seen that sometimes it takes a couple tries and sometimes you also have to disconnect the battery for 10-15 mins beforehand if it still didn’t work. Your actuators may not be working if you don’t hear them resetting limits.

Finally, I don’t know that my transmission fluid has ever been changed. Seems like there are very mixed opinions on doing this here and elsewhere on the web, just in general or after it has run with the same fluid for so long. I don’t notice any problems with the transmission but, as we all know, it can be a problem. Mine is still the original transmission too. What’s been your experience with changing or not changing the fluid or what would you do if it were your car?

Also open to any other suggestions on what I really should do now to keep this car running well beyond 130k, in case I should just go ahead and let her go now before anything else goes wrong.

Thanks in advance!

Looking for advice on the best way to route airflow from under existing cabinets out the toe board? Looks like the original installer just vented into open space under the cabinet instead of ducting to the vent cover. This would be fine, but the bottom of the cabinets are particle board and have sagged over time. I am guessing the bottom is completely coated in mildew but can’t get a good visual.

Before I cut these particle board bottoms out to inspect and take measurements of the actual vent size, anyone have any ideas or experience on the next steps? I just don’t want to leave the air free flowing into the rest of the cabinet for longer than necessary to prevent swelling of the actual wood. I’ve seen those toe kick kits but $80 feels a little crazy when I’d be correcting 3 different cabinets (2 baths, kitchen). My concept would be to use flex duct and some sort of fittings for both ends, then install a new cabinet bottom, but not experienced enough in ductwork to know the right terms to find what I need.

Additional complexity: Kitchen is under the corner cabinet, and I know that one has the largest (round) vent because it has no existing toe board interfering with vision.

Thanks in advance for any insights, pics, stories you can provide!