drudoggab

i was wondering what the consensus was on changind gear oil in manual trans? i have only done it once on a mazda pickup, but is there a interval for changing it or any reason to do so??

i know that pretty much every other fliud has a change interval, just curious.

if so what would be recommende to put in afterwards??

maximus_pr

iTrader: (3)

redline MT-90

buzpuck11

iTrader: (3)

Amsoil or Redline. Whatever you do though, use GL-4 and NOT GL-5. GL-4 is hard to find in retail stores so you might need to order it online.

99se5speed

iTrader: (8)

check your current oil before you replace it. If it smells burned don't touch it, chances are there are metal shavings from your tranny and it might go out on you if you change the oil.
If the oil is fine and isn't to dark change it for the oils stated above. I prefer Amsoil. There's a groupdeal going on in the GD section, he's a very nice dealer of the oil.
I believe the interval is like 60k or so.

Fork

iTrader: (2)

Like Maximus_pr said - Redline MT-90 all the way baby! Takes 20 minutes. Remove the reverse gear sensor (carefully) - all the oil will drain in about 1 minute. Filling it back up is the PITA. Get a funnel with a long flex line. If it hasn't been changed before, you'll need a breaker-bar to open the fill hole. BTW - the breaker-bar (assuming it's a 1/2 inch) is the perfect size to remove it...

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Dunno about the 'burned' smell. Manual gear oil smells like crap always. The burned smell is usually an auto tranny thing.

If there are metal flakes DO change the oil. This is an indication of advanced bearing wear - and while the new oil won't solve the problem, clean oil will slow down the wear a little bit. If you see metal flakes it's time to see a transmission shop for diagnosis.

Dave

magic_max

IMHO, 60k is too long. Not sure on the manual trannies as I have an auto, but i'd change it no more than 30k.

As for filling, I used to remove the stick shift and pour it down there, but this was on a older truck (early 90's). Might be a pain to remove the shifter?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

You might not want to do it that way. You'll pour oil all over your catalytic converter and the floor, and not in the tranny, which is why I don't recommend it. Even on the RWD trannys that can be filled this way it's a very slow way to fill it.

The drain and fill plugs are on the tranny itself and have been described many times. The details are linked in the stickies.

Dave

99BlackMaxMS

iTrader: (85)

So after getting a tranny flush...you want to replace/fill the gear oil as well. Im a bit confused I think...

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

don't take the advice of those who told you not to change the oil, take dgeeseman's advice instead. Change the oil.

Redline MT-90, Pennzoil Synchromesh, GM Synchromesh, BG Synchroshift II, Neo Synthetic, Royal Purple (can't remember the name they give the specific MT oil) are all good oils. Of those, Pennzoil Synchromesh is the cheapest and is available at normal places like Autozone and Pep-boys.

buzpuck11

iTrader: (3)

Personally, I wouldn't use any of the above oils other than Redline, since they are all GL-5. Just my .02

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

Not a single one of the oils I just listed has an API GL-5 rating to my knowledge, otherwise there is no way I would be recommending it for use in a GL-4 spec transmission. I work in a transmission shop that builds manual transmissions for 8 second drag cars, 800whp road race/ time attack cars, rally cars and high powered street cars, ALL of which specify GL-4 oil (just like ours does) and those are the oils we recommend. They will all work great. I've used some of them in my own maxima as well (Royal Purple, Pennzoil and GM Synchromesh, BG Sync II) . I stand by my recommendations.

buzpuck11

iTrader: (3)

Well I guess I stand corrected then. I was in Pep-Boys today and all they had were oils safe for GL-5 AND GL-4. I also checked Autozone, Advanced Auto, and NAPA. I guess these oils are technically okay for our transmissions, but just to give me peace of mind I am going to get a oil specifically for GL-4 ONLY and order Redline online. Might just be me but I don't want to see "GL-5" anywhere on the bottle.