Hi people. I need help. My 2K2 Max with manual tranny was running good until I decided to replace the tranny fluid. I measured the fluid that I drained and I replaced it with exactly the same amount. I used Redline MT-90. Now for some reason the shifting got hard in first and when I shift into second it kind of kicks my hand out of first gear but does not shift into second until the car is fully warmed up. Then it runs like nothing happened. Plese help and thank you.

 

How much fluid did you put in? Should have been close to 3 quarts. And you don't need to measure, you can just put it in the fill hole until it overflows. I would pull the fill plug out and top up the fluid and see if that makes any difference.

 

topping it off would most likely fix the problem...tranny fluid is thicker when cold (like almost everything else) and if theres not enough fluid, it would be more evident when its cold and thick and can't flow as well.

 

Well, I measured about 2 qts. and 11 oz. when it drained out. If I try to put more than that it will start dripping out of the fill hole with the car flat on the ground. The only way for me to put some more is if I raise the car on that side. But before I drained the old fluid it was working just fine. What about using Royal Purple 75w90. The bottle says that it's good for GL-4 and GL-5. Thanks.

 

I thought that since it's a 75w90 it was the opposite to your post. When it's cold it acts like a 75 weight and when it's hot it acts like a 90 weight which is thicker.

 

Realtor, I am experiencing the same situation with my car as well. After looking in the "Fluids" section, I think I may try the manual trans fluid from Amsoil and see if that is any better. If that doesn't work I'm going back to Nissan fluid because the MT-90 I believe is just too thin and doesn't provide the same "gear cushining" as the factory fluid. I also have the short throw shifter and the poly bushings which probably doesn't help the situation any.

 

Did you change the fluid yourself? And if you did, what amount did you put in? Did you leave the car on the ground or did you raise it?

 

Yes I did it myself and used just about 3 quarts. I probably put in a little over because my car is lowered and I had the car jacked up to access the plugs. I am really noticing it now with the cold snap we are having up here now. It hit a high of 24 on Friday with a 20mph wind. It became very reluctant to shift at those temps. I can't wait to get this stuff out of there!

 

Sounds to me like your fluid level is fine then, you shouldn't have to raise your car.

I don't know much about Royal Purple. It is widely accepted here that Redline and Amsoil are the two best gear oils for our cars. If Redline is not working for you I would try Amsoil MTG and see if it's any better. If it's not then I think your problem stems deeper than tranny fluid.

 

Not quite.

You are right in that when it's cold the fluid flows like a 75W and like a 90 when it's hot. However, what you're forgetting is that a 75W is only thinner than a 90 when they're at the SAME temperature. So if you look at the attached link, you'll see that at 100C (hot), a 90 rated oil has a viscosity of between about 14 cSt and 24 cSt, but at 40C (cool), a 75W rated oil has a viscosity of somewhere between about 25 cSt to 50 cSt. So at 40C, the oil will still be thicker than it will at 100C. Make sense?

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/visc.html

 

I hope you don't have H-LSD. if you have H-LSD and used regular 75w-90 you have to change that fluid immediately and put in new fluid that is rated for use in LSD transmissions. Other than how many miles on the car? when was the last time you changed the fluid? changing transmission fluid on an older car with a lot of mileage is like putting a new heart in a 90 year old lady.

 

^? i don't follow