Since my trans keeps gettin worse with each day, I decided I'm going to remove it myself and then let a shop rebuild it. I've done my research but I still have a few questions

Is it possible remove drivers side axle, and then the trans should come out without removing the crossmember? Or do I really need to put a jack under the oil pan and then remove the crossmember? Or would nismo3112's way here work best?

Another thing I can't seem to find is how to drain the oil or fill it back up. Since it doesn't say where to drain it, I ASSume that one of the sensors I will take out will drain the oil? Is there a plug on top of the transmission to put new oil in?

In the FSM, there are two different quantities for filling the transmission with oil. It has RS5F50V which is 4.3-4.5L or
RS5F50A which is 4.5-4.8L
I have a VLSD out of a 95-99 I30, so I'm sure how much to put in.

 

i don't think i ever removed the crossmember. not sure though, i think i did nismo's way, except i didn't put a scissor jack under the engine, i used a floor jack w/ wood under the oil pan.

the fill hole is an open drive 1/2" bolt, just use your socket wrench to open it. it's impossible to miss. to drain it you can remove the gear selector sensor CAREFULLY, it's a plastic sensor near the bottom of the tranny held in by one bolt. big round hole, like 2" across, again, you can't miss it.

just buy 5 QUARTS of tranny fluid and fill until it starts running out of the tranny.

good luck man.

 

Head over to the fluids and lubes section to find how to's on draining the oil; it has pics of the bolts that need to be removed.

Get a funnel with a long, flexible hose, that way you can keep the funnel in the engine bay, and loop the hose into the fill hole.

 

I did not remove the crossmember or jack the engine. Some bolt heads facing the engine can be removed with a wratcheting wrench set (ie. GearWrench). You do have to remove the tranny mount to get the tranny to drop down and out the wheel well area though.


Also, I would not drain the tranny by the neutral position switch...it's very easy to crack and you risk leaks from there.

Good luck. It's not hard, but takes time and requires organization.

 

i was replacing my tranny when i did it so it didn't matter. but if you're going to use that to drain on a tranny you care about, you absolutely have to be VERY CAREFUL. as it turns out, mine was still perfect even after i used it to drain the tranny fluid, but it IS easy to crack.