jbae1221

hmmmm... i use mobile 1 in my car too,,, i changed the first day i got it... now i have about 13000 miles.... i've noticed a little more engine noise but probably just normal wear and tear... who knows... maybe i should switch...

bB384

So I drained the Mobil 1 Synthetic 75W-90 Gear oil from the transmission, and the oil is kinda dirty looking, and I look in the pan and I see a Lot of gold shavings. I found the reason for my 3rd gear grind! Mobil1 Synthetic = Bad!!!! I'm sticking to Motul gear oil and Castrol Synthetic blend motor oil from now on!

Kremtok

So I did the gear oil change two days ago, and I must say that it makes a big difference in the feel of the transmission, especially when it's cold. However, it was damn near impossible to get the oil into the transmission because of the location of the filler plug! So my recommendation to all of you DIY-ers out there is to have a good, narrow funnel, preferably with a flexible hose on the bottom, and do the fill very slowly to prevent the fluid from spilling out as you're adding it. Did anyone else run into any similar problems? And are there any tips for checking the level of the fuild? The service manual says that the fluid should be 5mm below the lowest opening of the filler plug, but how the hell are you supposed to see it?!?! I just used the ol finger gauge, which told me the oil was just below level with the filler plug.

jct

thats not gold, thats brass

bB384

I know, But it looks like gooooooooooooooooold! No seriously Mobil 1 is bad for your syncros!

unlimited77

Well, i just changed mine to redline mt 90, but i put about 2.5 qrts in and i cant tell if i put to much or a little less.

So my question is, can you put too much? Or would it just come out? So should i keep pouring till i spill?

-___-

claybo1708

my xB holds 1.9 quarts......the tC is probably a little more though???

check your owners manual...it will tell you the capacity.

unlimited77

^^^ yes i know, but it seemed i can keep filling it... --__--

claybo1708

when filling mine w/AMSOIL, i was using a pump that goes into the quart bottles. the filling hose was just small enough to go into the fill hole (good 'n tight). with 75w-90 gear oil being so thick, it would barely want to seep out around the edges.

hope you get it knocked out though!!!


www.lubedealer.com/lubetexas

Tamago

i fill the transaxle by removing the "reverse sensor" on the top of the tranny.. then just cut the tip off your bottle of oil, put your finger over the hole, and lower it to the port where the reverse sensor comes out.. then move your finger... easy as pie (this is with the airbox off the car, if you're so inclined to have stock air intake..)

unlimited77

^^ I see, but i used a pump as wel, but i was wondering, i put in 2.5 qrts, but what would happen if it was a little shy of enough fluid?
Any clucking noise, or grinding noises?
I changed it, and drove a couple miles, and i couldnt really tell the differene between the stock stuff compared to the redline mt 90 i put it, and i had 27k miles on my tc, but 86% of the miles are highway miles.
I need some more specific stuff then how many qrts goes in or how to put it in, i figured that stuff out, and thanks for the info.

Kremtok

Where is your temple, so that I may worship you?

Tamago

the book (owners manual) says exactly how much oil you need.. read it..

and to kremtok.. umm ok? what are you talking about? temple what??

Kremtok

My not so obvious point was that the 'filler plug' is not very easy to access and even more difficult to, well, use to fill the transmission. Your tip to fill through the reverse sensor port is what makes you worthy or worship. Get it now? :D

Tamago

oh, ah... i get it now lol..

etarui

Thanks guys...reading this post helped me with changing my MTF fluid. I just hit 32K miles, and this was on my list of items to work on. I too went with Redline MT-90. I purchased this stuff from Autobacs, for roughly $10/ Quart. My 2005 manual states 2 quarts are needed, so a little over $20 should be the damage. Since it is a little difficult to explain what the drain and fill bolts look like, I took the liberty of taking pictures. This was well worth the time, money and effort. I can't remember my xB shifting so well. In addition, I was experiencing issues with my tranny popping out of reverse. This issue seems to have been resolved

The goods: 2 Quarts of Redline MT-90, a funnel that is long and can bend, a 24mm wrench, and something to drain the fluid in (not pictured)





Location of drain: If laying on your back, looking up under the car, with your feet towards the front of the xB, and your head towards the rear, look for this big 24 mm bolt that is facing the front left wheel on the tranny:




Location of fill: In the same position, but closer to the front of the vehicle, this 24 mm bolt is facing the front of the radiator.




The difference in the MTF: Here is a picture of what the Manual Transmission Fluid with 32,000 miles looks like, compared to brand spankin' new MT-90.



Since I was already working on the car, I also changed my oil, and replaced my spark plugs with OEM Densos. Here is a picture of the difference between the old and new plugs.




I hope this helps!

Erik

Kremtok

Very good information! Thanks a bunch for the extra work you did!

jct

also you can fill it up and let it spill out of the fill hole to know you have enough oil in your transmission

Jan06xB

Most manual transmissions never see an oil change in their life and work just fine. Synthetic will shift better in really cold temperatures and there may be synthetic in there already from the factory. There should not be a lot of gunk in there - engines and trannies are assembled very clean - only reason to change the oil would be if you are hearing funny noises or have been grinding gears when shifting. OTHER WISE you are just throwing away perfectly good oil and making the oil companies rich - no - richer.

HeathenBrewing

While your opinion is open to debate, I just want to add the following.

A $10 oil change is pretty cheap insurance to keep your tranny in good shape. I recommend to follow the dealers recommend service intervals, or be nutty like me and do it every 20K miles.