dhays

iTrader: (10)

OK, for some unknown reason I decided to change the MT oil in my car. It only has 32k miles on it. There were no problem with the transmission, no reason to think it needed to be done other than there is 32k on the odo.

After having done it, I can honestly say "I'm an idiot". The transmission fluid that came out of the tranny was pristine. The job was a real pain in the backside to do and total cost for materials was probably around $50.

FWIW, if anyone is stupid enough to do this hear are some tips.
1) Read the DIY thread by Monsta.
2) I found it easier to unscrew the end of the suction pump and poor the fluid in than to try and suck it up into the pump. You'll have to do this 8 times since the pump will hold about 1 pint.
3) I used 2 qts of Redline MT90 and 1.5 qts of Redline MTL
4) Make sure you use only a GL-4 spec fluid. Don't use anything that says it is also GL-5 spec.
5) I have a 3/8" drive 10mm allen socket. I have a 1/2" drive torque wrench with a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter. That combination was too long (or wide depending on how you look at it) to fit between the exhaust and the tranny to get it into the fill plug. Fortunately, a friend loaned me his 3/8 drive torque wrench.

Other than learning a few lessons, it was a waste of time. The car didn't need it and I'm just out a few hours and $50. The only good thing is that I'm going to be changing the diff fluid shortly and some of the lessons learned will be applied there.

FWIW

RedLineZ_05

+100000000000 on that suction gun lol i tried filling it up and made a mess when i was on my back trying to get the end of the hose into the fill hole. i did the same thing i filled up the tube in the gun and that made it a thousand times easier i changed my fluids at 35k and they still looked new.

dhays

iTrader: (10)

How did your diff fluid look? I'll be changing that as soon as I have a spare couple hours.

Dave

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

BTW- tranny fluid will always look golden, unless there's some severe wear going on inside the case itself. But tranny fluid does take a beating and eventually shears from the stress, so your work remained worthwhile.

VO...

iTrader: (25)

I did it at the same time I did my diffy fluid. Didn't seem like too bad of a deal.
Not sure about the suction gun, but I bought this pump that has a long tube at the end of the nozzle, so you can put it in the tranny. The pump portion screws into the tranny fluid bottle. You just have to push down on the pump and let her rip. No spills. Pretty painless.

I dunno, I guess having the right tools can make or break you...

EDIT: Here's my write-up. Starting with post #183:
https://my350z.com/forum/engine-driv...on-oil-10.html

VQdriver

iTrader: (1)

Where did you get that pump? I used a handpump with a bulb last time and it was sort of a pita. That dude should have changed all the fluids while the car was on stands. Kill 3 or 4 birds with one stone.

Sharif@Forged

iTrader: (92)

You can't make too much of an assessment based on trans fluid color. Depending on how the car is driven, I like to change rear diff and trans fluids at 30K-40K miles. The fluid is cheap, and under average driving conditions it would be changed every 2-3 years. Not bad.

If the car is heavily tracked, we change fluids very regularly. Roughly after 6 hrs of track aggressive track time.

dhays

iTrader: (10)

Thanks for the information. I was going by color but it sounds like that was a mistake.

The right kind of pump would make a big difference. I'll check it out.

I saw the same type of transfer pump with the bulb at Harbor Freight the other day. I didn't buy it because it said for it was only for non-viscous liquids. I didn't think it would work well for the tranny and diff fluids.

I didn't do the diff at the same time because I hadn't received the gear oil yet. I'll do the diff when I get a free afternoon. My driveway is sloped and my set of ramps just about raises the end of the car level. The diff will be actually a lot easier than the tranny simply because it is easier to get to.


Thanks for the information. I guess I don't fee too bad about doing it then.

Dave

VO...

iTrader: (25)

I wanna say I picked it up at Autozone...