DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

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silverGPX
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DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by silverGPX »

MANUAL GEARBOX OIL CHANGE
By SilverGPX
8)
Okay heres a guide on how to change your FTO Manual gearbox oil, im not going into oil specifics and what you should run, but youll need a bottle thats going to fill around 2.1 Litres.

Tools and equipment you will need:
1. Jack of some sort
2. 17mm & 24mm Sockets
3. Socket Wrench or Breaker Bar
4. Container that is able to hold at least 3L of drained oil
5. New Bottle of Gearbox Oil
6. GLOVES!! this stuff stinks
7. Funnel, Short Piece of Hose & Stickytape.


What needs to be done:
Step 1. Find some stable ground, handbrake on, jack it up so you can get underneath.
Image
Step 2. Find the Oil Filler Bolt, its on the passenger side, down under past the airbox, it has "OIL" written on it, its the left bolt in this icture, its a 17mm.
Image

Step 3. Pop down under the car with your ratchet or breaker bar equipped with 17mm socket, undo the Oil Filler Bolt, make sure youve got a container underneath incase some comes out.
Put the bolt in a safe place so it wont get dirty.
Image
Step 4. A Bit further down towards the driveshaft is the Oil Drain Bolt, its a 24mm
Image
I needed a breakerbar to crack this one, have a container underneath,
it comes out pretty quick to begin with when you take it off and ends up as a dribble like this.
I left mine for around twenty minutes.
Image



Heres what mine came out, pretty disgusting i reckon its been in there about 80000kms :P It STINKS!!
Image



Step 5. Replace the Oil Drain Bolt, making sure its tight and wipe around the edges so you can tell if its leaking later.


My Gearbox oil wasnt a squirt type one so if your unlucky like me, i made up a nice little contraption with a funnel and sticky taping on some pipe like this.
Image


Step 6. Lower the car so that its level for filling,
Push the hose into the oil filler hole like this and FILL! or Squirt!
(If you have a bottle that squirts)
Place a container under the filler hole

Image
FILL FILL FILL :twisted:
Image
I used basically the whole bottle before taking the hose out, when the gearbox oil is full it will start to come back out of the filler hole.
Don't be worried about overfilling just let all the excess drain out like the following.
It does take between 2.1 to 2.4Litres.
Image
Step 7. Pop the Oil Filler Bolt Back in and your good to go! Dispose of your oil properly too :P
Last edited by silverGPX on Thu Nov 04, 2010 2:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Bennoz
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Bennoz »

Cracking write up. Straight to DIY 8)
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Kustom
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Kustom »

Nice write up matt :thumleft:
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Gholdwayne »

I knew it!! Even manuals had trans oil.. I've been led to believe that there only is coolant and no oil in a manual transmission!
97 GPX Icelle Blue

I cant stop driving her!
...and when im not, im looking at her!
... ...and when im not, im freakin thinking about her!

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Bennoz
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Bennoz »

Gholdwayne wrote:I knew it!! Even manuals had trans oil.. I've been led to believe that there only is coolant and no oil in a manual transmission!
You've been spending faaaar too much time with the v.tec gang at Mt Druitt Starbucks mate :lol:
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aza013
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by aza013 »

Sweet DIY, well done :D
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Gholdwayne
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Gholdwayne »

Bennoz wrote:
Gholdwayne wrote:I knew it!! Even manuals had trans oil.. I've been led to believe that there only is coolant and no oil in a manual transmission!
You've been spending faaaar too much time with the v.tec gang at Mt Druitt Starbucks mate :lol:

LOL NO!! v-tec :lol:


Actually Olly told me that, and him having apprentice mechanic experience and me having lacked technical knowledge, I did not argue with him :| .

Its true, there is quite a v-tec gang presence in MTD Starbucks
97 GPX Icelle Blue

I cant stop driving her!
...and when im not, im looking at her!
... ...and when im not, im freakin thinking about her!

FTO[For The Orgasm]
like For The Win!, but more hardcore...
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Kustom
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Kustom »

:facepalm2: Ofcorse theres gearbox oil!!!!!! Even I knew that :lol:
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silverGPX
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by silverGPX »

Thanks guys :)

Oh and is that an ok oil to use? pm me :)
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Grue
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Grue »

Yeah, very nice DIY! Notice much difference?

Will be doing this soon after seeing this, cheers.
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silverGPX
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by silverGPX »

holy sh*t yes, i used to grind sorta into third after 2nd 50% of the time and downshifting into 2nd was a nightmare, its fixed all that.
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zuihoujueding
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by zuihoujueding »

nice write up!
some cars, which i know from my friend who drives a 180sx, the gearbox uses the same oil as the engine. wonder why.
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Bennoz
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Bennoz »

Different metallurgy used in the box design. Same as my old mini, motor sits ontop of the box, all one common area.
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Taz »

silverGPX wrote:Dispose of your oil properly too
:cheeky: - you know what im talking about :lol:
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silverGPX
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by silverGPX »

Just dumped another 5L of WRX on same area, that bush is thriving now

:lol:
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Bennoz
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Bennoz »

I've got a spot like that. Couple litres of brake fluid stopped some pesky grass regrowth the other day :lol:
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Technikhaus
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Technikhaus »

Changed mine on Sunday, massive difference in the feel of the box!!
smelled like off cheezels :lol:
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silverGPX
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by silverGPX »

FYI: Penrite has a new fully synthetic oil out which meets all the requirements. Comes in at around $35 which is excellent and has an API-GL4 rating.

Wish i knew about this before I bought my $30/litre Nulon bottles.

Just to recap a manual Fto Gearbox holds 2.2L and this bottle is 2.5

:cheers:

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Bennoz
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Bennoz »

That's not bad that stuff, I've used it before. Perfect size bottle too :)
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Daniel2019
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Re: DIY: Change Manual Gearbox Oil

Post by Daniel2019 »

Digging up threads here but anyone got recommendations on oil to use? Local SCA doesn't have Penrite.
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