how easy is it to change transmission oil.

1blue5 · Postby **1blue5** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:33 am

Having read alot of posts about people with notchy transmissions (mine too) and changing to a synthetic? oil, wondering how hard or easy for a novice it would be to change the oil and hopefully get a smoother transmission out of it. Any advice, tips, pics, tricks would be appreciated-cheers

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:13 am

How easy?
Very

:mrgreen:

All you have to do is locate the filller plug which is on the passenger side. It's a square shaped head.
Be careful not to round it as it's much easier to do that conventional hex heads.

The drain plug is that big, flat-ish hex at the very bottom of the box, somewhere in the middle of it.

Best way to fill it is:
- get a hose, a little over a metre long, with an inside diameter of at least 5mm (any smaller and it will take you half a day to fill it),
- thread the hose through the left-front wheel arch (no need to take the wheel off), -
- put one end into the filler,
- get a large funnel and start filling with oil

You can do it by yourself, but it's a whole lot easier with another; one to watch the fill plug, one to pour the oil into the funnel/hose.

Oil, or should we call it lubricant, is up to you.
Without opening another COW on this, just pick something decent and go with it, adhering to the viscosity specs in the manual. 85w90?
I used Castrol. Sorry I forget the actual name of it (Syntrax?), and I put in some Nulon G70 (?).

1blue5 · Postby **1blue5** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:17 am

Thanks heaps! that sounds like something I could have a shot at, cheers

de Bounce · Postby **de Bounce** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:34 am

Have a read here and here which provide step by step instructions with pictures

Make sure you are removing the filling plug before removing the drain plug.
Recommend you go for a drive first to warm the gearbox case before trying to undo the drain plugs

For a 5 Speed you also need to do the turret oil
Not needed for the 6 speed

While your there, check the gearbox and tunnel boots, they last about 50 to 80k Km

1blue5 · Postby **1blue5** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:01 pm

Pictures always help-thanks alot.

Old Dude · Postby **Old Dude** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:16 pm

So with the six speed it gets its turret oil from the box??
Cheers
Old Dude

Guran · Postby **Guran** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:12 pm

I bought a small 1L pump from Autobahn for $30. You fill it with the new transmission oil, hook the filler tube onto the hole and pump away until the oil starts to overflow. Very easy one person job, no mess.

1blue5 · Postby **1blue5** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:52 am

I attempted yesterday, say one plug not the other, just couldn't get car high enough off the ground. I tried driving onto bricks to raise it up, I think I will have to get some ramps or something!

Szemen · Postby **Szemen** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:17 pm

1blue5 wrote:I tried driving onto bricks to raise it up, I think I will have to get some ramps or something!

WOOD! Never ever ONLY bricks. If they shatter whilst under the car.....Wood doesnt shatter, nor ramps or carstands ;)

wun911 · Postby **wun911** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 11:12 pm

you probably want to be flat so you probably want to have ramps and jack stands...

1blue5 · Postby **1blue5** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:20 pm

Wo, didnt think of the bricks shattering-damn!. so if i get some ramps, and drive the front of the car on them, wouldnt the car be at an angle that the fluid wouldnt drain out, or do I do something with the stands?-sorry this is all new to me. I went out last saturday (b4 realising I couldnt get under the car) and got the fluid, and a new drip tray thing, so I am really wanting to do this. I am hoping one day I can do this!. I guess also I would be able to change the oil to. The ramps Im looking at say they hold a weight of 750kg-is that per ramp or in total, is that strong enough for a 5 or not? Cheers and thanks for the past advice.

wun911 · Postby **wun911** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:27 pm

yeah you get a set of ramps any will do the car is lite as.

you get a set of jack and jack stands

you drive up the ramps

you jack up and place the jack stands under the car dont work under the car with jack alone

it should be off the ground kinda even and flat like etc.

all the oil will come out regardless; weather or not its on a slant, its just when you fill it back up with oil you want to make sure it flat so its filled up properly to the correct volume.

good luck

Juffa · Postby **Juffa** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:53 pm

I tend to raise the car onto car stands, remove the drain plug, lower the car to allow fluid to drain, raise car enough to re-install drain plug, lower car again to keep it level when filling...re-install top plug and Bob's your mothers brother.

As for how much lubricant....once it starts to come out of the fill hole its full.

J