Transmission Oil Change RESOLVED sorta

[4uall]

sooooooooo took 20 min and did my transmission oil. Thanks to this forum I was able to have all tools & supplies on hand



and remove the correct fill plug first (bottom right 17mm)



I swear the oil that came out was elephant grey



this pump made it sooooo easy



now she shifts super smoothly

[FiatBen]

Yep, one of them cheap little hand pumps is the ONLY way to go!

Good job. Reminds me ........

[donerehart]

How often should you change the tranny oil??
Thanks,
Don

[4uall]

The gearbox has no combustion to contaminate the oil so it stays
its natural color. You change gearbox oil (and differential
oil) because the oil molecule chains break down as they are
sheared by the meshing of the gears and bearings, thus losing
some of their lubricating properties. There is some degree of
contamination from the various components inside the
transmission that do wear, and moisture from condensation, but
this does not require regular oil changes.

A prudent transmission oil change interval would be once a year
or every 25K miles, whichever came first. And the type of oil
(motor oil, gear oil, synthetic) does not change this.

[MrWampus]

I'm taking my car to have the tranmission oil replaced tomorrow. I'm paying someone else to do it because I don't have the time or place. I'm going to use Redline MTL, I read that others had used it to great satisfaction.

I want to give the mechanic as much info as he needs to perform the work. I read in a post that the transmission actually has two drain holes because there are two chambers. Is that correct or am I confusing facts from a different transmission? I'm also a bit confused as to which is the correct fill plug. Is it the one removed by an allen wrench or the one with a bolt head a little lower? And I read that I should tell him to remove the fill plug first in case he has trouble getting it loose.

Am I missing anything?

[Exit98]

The fill hole bolt is the one sticking out in the picture above. It's a 15 or 17 mm, from memory.

Yes there is another little drain plug. It is behind the main one. It is a little 7 mm bolt head. I was surprised how much came out of it, almost a pint I'd say. Apparently there is a little chamber back there with a baffle that dams it up so it can't get out the main hole.

[4uall]

There are two chambers, I believe the second is a sort of overflow chamber (there is a post somewhere) Mine had a square bolt that I could not budge so rather than strip/damage I left it alone.

As mentioned in my photo above it is the bottom right 17mm bolt head



Only thing missing will be your $ and some pride of doing it yourself.


All I did was put the front wheels on ramps, secure the vehicle and shimmy underneath etc. Took all of 20 min. Sounds like your mechanic will be very well prepared

[MrWampus]

Thanks for the responses! The mechanic I use has been very good so far, but I never want to assume he knows everything he needs to know about a 30 year old car. Incidently, I have been actively searching for a new house and I have found one I like very much with a large 2-car garage and good workspace. It might even have enough headroom for a lift. I'll keep you posted if I buy it because my next post will be asking for a list of essential personal shop tools.

[RRoller123]

Good luck on your home search! I would love to have a lift. In fact a garage would be nice!

Can someone elaborate on this "dual-chamber" concept regarding the manual transmissions? I have heard of this before here but don't know if there is anything we can do to drain the lube that is apparently trapped in there, or does it just get thinned by the new fluid added? I don't see anything in the various manuals about this, nor any separate drain plug? Thanks.

Pete

[4uall]

I was tempted to use an air compressor however, I did not want to cause any damage to the insides

[Exit98]

Pete,

There is a 7 mm plug, behind the main drain plug, that empties the chamber. You'll see it. I got about a pint out.

If you really need a picture I can crawl under this weekend and take one.

[4uall]

Ditto (if I get my Fiona back in time)

[baltobernie]

I have heard of this before here but don't know if there is anything we can do to drain the lube that is apparently trapped in there, or does it just get thinned by the new fluid added?

SOP is to drain the main portion of the tranny, and the amount remaining in the tail gets diluted with the new oil. If you drain the tail section as described above, you will need to check and add oil after running the car a little. Makes for two trips under the car, and most are unwilling to do that for a marginal improvement to the oil quality. An exception would be if you're changing to a different type of oil, e.g. GL-1 to Redline.

Also, when installing a "dry" transmission that's back from a rebuild, add one quart, replace the plug, then tip the tranny up, hold for a little bit, than return to level. You can then fill to overflow and install.

[RRoller123]

Hmmmm... I think I may drain the whole thing this Fall, since I changed from whatever the PO was using to Redline MT-90, last Spring. 1 pint is a significant amount to get left behind on a car that has unknown level of prior service of the lube! Now I am worried that it may have not have had the proper fluid in there all year, mixed in with the new Redline MT-90. I am sure I can find the 7mm plug. No problem doing a couple of treks under there! It is always something.
Thanks for the info, much appreciated!

[81SPIDERMATT]

I MAY HAVE TO TAKE MINE TO SOMEONE.... i have tried twice to the point of hulk like rage and can not get that fill plug to move..... very very frustrating