Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Engines, Transmissions & Final Drive questions and answers

Moderators: timk, Stu, zombie, Andrew, The American, Lokiel, -alex, miata, StanTheMan, greenMachine, ManiacLachy, Daffy

spikes
Fast Driver
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:12 pm
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Sydney

Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby spikes » Tue May 24, 2011 11:18 am

I'm about to do a manual transmission oil change, just picked up some Nulon 75W90 Fully synthetic gear oil.
I've heard different methods ranging from using a pump to filling up the gearbox with a long hose up through the exhaust headers..

Filling up using a hose, funnel and threading it down through the exhaust headers and into the gearbox filler sounds like the easiest, has anybody used this method and if so.. what size hose approx. do I need? I haven't looked at the underside of my gearbox so I have no idea how big the filler how is..

User avatar
aviper4u
Fast Driver
Posts: 258
Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:36 pm
Vehicle: NB8B
Location: Sydney
Contact:

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby aviper4u » Tue May 24, 2011 12:02 pm

i use the hose way though its easier with a helper.

i cut an ordinary garden hose fits snug in the NB8B diff and gearbox filler hole.

u also will need four car stands and a good jack if jack cant slide underneathfit drive a wheel onto piece of wood or something similar.

never get underneath with only a jack...... even though heaps of people have done it, its just not worth it.
Can you remember your first drive?

spikes
Fast Driver
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:12 pm
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Sydney

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby spikes » Tue May 24, 2011 12:10 pm

I never get underneath my MX5 without a safety stands. I've got a trolley jack that just fits underneath my car so its all good, been changing my oil and working on the car like this..


anyways, is the filler hole to the NB tranmission the same size as a NA? I've used garden hoses and a funnel to fill up automatic tranmissions before and it works quite well.

User avatar
Steampunk
Speed Racer
Posts: 4670
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 9:16 am
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Southside of Breeze-bane

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby Steampunk » Tue May 24, 2011 12:13 pm

spikes wrote:...threading it down through the exhaust headers ...,

Through the wheel well is easiest.
Image

93_Clubman
Speed Racer
Posts: 11856
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 11:35 pm
Vehicle: Clubman
Location: Melbourne

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby 93_Clubman » Tue May 24, 2011 12:17 pm

Also gear lever turrett needs filling separately on the 5 speed.

spikes
Fast Driver
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:12 pm
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Sydney

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby spikes » Tue May 24, 2011 12:20 pm

93_Clubman wrote:Also gear lever turrett needs filling separately on the 5 speed.


Gear lever turret?

User avatar
NitroDann
Forum sponsor
Posts: 10280
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:10 pm
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Newcastle NSW
Contact:

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby NitroDann » Tue May 24, 2011 12:26 pm

This is when you take out the gearstick (super easy, just look yourself youll work it out) and fill straight from inside the cockpit, this is how I fill my 6 speed.

Dann
http://www.NitroDann.com

speed wrote:If I was to do it again, I wouldn't even consider the supercharger.

spikes
Fast Driver
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:12 pm
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Sydney

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby spikes » Tue May 24, 2011 12:29 pm

NitroDann wrote:This is when you take out the gearstick (super easy, just look yourself youll work it out) and fill straight from inside the cockpit, this is how I fill my 6 speed.

Dann


Yeah just did some googling and found this neat photo article

User avatar
hks_kansei
Speed Racer
Posts: 6154
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:43 am
Vehicle: NB8A
Location: Victoria

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby hks_kansei » Tue May 24, 2011 5:57 pm

93_Clubman wrote:Also gear lever turrett needs filling separately on the 5 speed.


not according to Mazda it doesnt?

I've got the Mazda workshop manual and it makes no mention of touching the gearstick, simply drain the oil from the gearbox, and then refill it.

although mine is an NB, maybe the NA was slightly different?
1999 Mazda MX5 - 1989 Honda CT110 (for sale) - 1994 Mazda 626 wagon (GF's)

93_Clubman
Speed Racer
Posts: 11856
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 11:35 pm
Vehicle: Clubman
Location: Melbourne

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby 93_Clubman » Tue May 24, 2011 6:27 pm

hks_kansei wrote:
93_Clubman wrote:Also gear lever turrett needs filling separately on the 5 speed.


not according to Mazda it doesnt?

I've got the Mazda workshop manual and it makes no mention of touching the gearstick, simply drain the oil from the gearbox, and then refill it.

although mine is an NB, maybe the NA was slightly different?

Nic, NA6 & NA8 5 speed requires turrett to be emptied & filled separately. My understanding is same applied to NB8A 5 speed, however NB8B 6 speed was different, & so didn't require filling separately. Also my understanding that NB8A 10AE & Heritage 6 speed GB differs in some minor respects to NB8B 6 speed GB, so not sure how the rule applies with them. Doesn't really surprise me Mazda don't mention it as it's something that seems to get overlooked.

User avatar
gslender
Speed Racer
Posts: 2330
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:49 pm
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Brisbane, QLD

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby gslender » Tue May 24, 2011 7:18 pm

hks_kansei wrote: I've got the Mazda workshop manual and it makes no mention of touching the gearstick, simply drain the oil from the gearbox, and then refill it.


If your goal was to simply replace the oil that relates to the gears, then yes, you don't have to change the turret oil. The oil in the turret (under the gearknob/stick) only relates the shifter arms and doesn't impact the quality of the oil on gears themselves. So technically speaking, the Mazda workshop manual is correct - it isn't related or required. :?

I'd bet that if you think you need to change the gearbox oil, then chances are the gear turret boots are worn/broken and if you are replacing them, you'd may as well replace the turret oil too :)

G
MX5 91 NA6 LE completely stock and loving it!
MX5 92 NA8/ITBs Silver "aka Track Beeotch"

User avatar
Matty
Racing Driver
Posts: 1652
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NB8A
Location: Melbourne
Contact:

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby Matty » Wed May 25, 2011 1:04 pm

spikes wrote:Filling up using a hose, funnel and threading it down through the exhaust headers and into the gearbox filler sounds like the easiest, has anybody used this method and if so.. what size hose approx. do I need? I haven't looked at the underside of my gearbox so I have no idea how big the filler how is..

This. Hose size - whatever fits in the hole, and you can stick a funnel in to, I can't recall.

PS getting off the square head filler bolt is a right c....... well let's just say it makes me swear more than my mother in law who has Tourettes.

deviant
Racing Driver
Posts: 1717
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:23 pm
Vehicle: NB8B
Location: Rockingham - Western Australia

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby deviant » Wed May 25, 2011 2:04 pm

make life easy on yourself and buy something like this: http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online ... escription

They also have one you can buy without the bottle that will screw on to the bottle the oil comes in, I have one of those.

I jack the car up, undo the filler plug and then under the drain plug...They should not be silly tight. I then lower the car as you will not get all the oil out with only the front jacked up.

I then get the car back in the air, drain plug in and use the handy transfer pump to get the oil in with no mess, no funnels and no lengths of hose.

spikes
Fast Driver
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:12 pm
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Sydney

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby spikes » Thu May 26, 2011 11:49 am

I jacked both the front and rear end up so it'd sit level and changed the diff oil as well.

Filler plug was pretty easy, you just gotta wait for the car to cool down so the exhaust headers and pipe won't burn you. Undo with a 15mm open ended spanner and threaded a 9/16" clear nylon hose into there through the engine bay with a funnel at the other end and tipped in the oil. Was really easy and no mess at all..

Diff oil change was so easy to do, dead set about 5 minutes to get done.

ave
Fast Driver
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:14 pm
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Melbourne

Re: Whats the best way to fill up tranmission oil

Postby ave » Fri May 27, 2011 2:20 pm

Change my transmission oil a few weeks ago. I tried both putting the pipe next through the engine bay next to the exhaust and through the passenger side wheel well. Found going through the wheel well was easier for me. Funnel into hose and end of hose into fill hole. Clear hose is better if you have it.

Even when cold I found that filler plug hard to remove, I cleaned the threads before putting it back on. Oh and always remove it before you remove the drain plug.


Return to “MX5 Engines, Transmission & Final Drive”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 168 guests