Has anybody done that to their Z?

Getting the old oil out seems easy enough. But filling the gearbox afterward doesn’t look that simple. Is there an special technique to reach the filler hole ? Do I need some kind of pump?

 

Gatorade bottle, 3 ft of rubber hose, drill, and compressed air.

Drill 2 holes in orange bottle top. One near the center just big enough to feed the tube through (must be tight) the other just big enough to put an air nozzle on it. Feed tube through hole so that it almost hits the bottom of the bottle. The excess will feed to the fill hole in tranny. Fill bottle with fluid. Insert hose and screw cap tight. Place other end of hose in fill hole. Shoot compressed air (slowly) into bottle via small hole. The air will force the fluid up the hose and into tranny.

 

Would that work with a PowerAid bottle ? Kidding
I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks !

 

Mityvac Fluid Transfer Hand Pump

-you can find it at Sears.

 

I second this suggestion. This is what I used to change mine. You may have to find an older fluid container to match the threads of the pump.
Also- be certain to loosen the fill plug before you remove the drain plug!!!

 

Unless you are holding your finger over the hose, there is no way for it to explode.

I have never had a problem with this method and it does the job in the matter of seconds, and no pumping required.

Maybe I should take pics and video.

 

what mileage should we do this in? Also whats the best oil?

 

My method is a bit different. Find a piece of hose that will fit the OD of the fill plug hole. Next, find a funnel that fits the ID of the hose. Open hood. Weave a 3-4 ft lingth of the hose behind the engine into fill hole. Pour fluid into funnel till it JUST starts to overflow fill hole. Stop filling. Remove hose. Tighten fill hole plug. Done.

Also works on the diff. Except I use the wheel well to fill the funnel.

 

Never. It should be inspected every 7500 miles. If you're towing a trailler on a regular basis (???) it should be replaced every 30 000 miles.

I want to change mine because I track the car once every month and I want to be sure the metal shavings from the break-in do not travel in the gearbox. They should stay fixed to the magnet in the oil drain plug otherwise.

We need "Genuine Nissan Manual Transmission Fluid
(MTF) HQ Multi 75W-85 or API GL-4,Viscosity
SAE 75W-85 or 75W-90"

 

Why do you recommend this over something synthetic; like Redline MT90?
Just curious b/c i planned on replacing mine with that.
thanks'

 

In service manual I have "API GL-4,Viscosity SAE 75W-85"
nowhere does it state it has to be "genuine nissan"

If I ever change transmission fluid, sure as hell I won't put nissan stuff in it. I'll go with something better, otherwise why change it??? Unless you lost a tooth or something, I wouldn't worry about metal shavings going anywhere.

Redline shockproof seems to be one of the best MT lubricants out there. Bring the right grade to you nissan dealer and have them change it.

 

SAE 75W-85 is pretty damn hard to find. As far as I know, only Valvoline makes this weight. Rumor is that Nissan MTF is repackaged Castrol Syntorq (a synthetic blend).

 

It's the "GL-4" that is important, not the 75W-85. 75W-90 will handle the same temperature range.

 

That was just a copy/paste of from the 2004 Technical manual

 

I have a 5 years/ 75000 miles warranty. I just want to protect myself from Nissan wigling out of it...

 

Best bet is not track the car then

Seriously, you should protect the car, not be paranoid about the warranty...

also note that "Genuine Nissan Manual Transmission Fluid (MTF) HQ Multi 75W-85 or API GL-4,Viscosity SAE 75W-85 or 75W-90"

Means, use either Genuine Nissan MFT 75W85 OR(any) API GL-4 75W-85 75W-90

You know that If you track the car, a 90 weight oil is definitely better... especially in summer. Which rules out the nissan crap. Come on! You know this stuff better than me

beside, they can't void warranty because you are not using their GENUINE STUFF. if the lubricant has the correct specs, it is perfectly fine. No manufacturer can force you to use propriatary wear material or fluids unless he provides them for free for the duration of warranty. He also has the obligation to provide the specs for wear parts and fluids. You can use whatever brand of rotors, brake fluid, motor oil, tranny oil, oil filters, brake pads, wipers, air filters... etc... as long as they have the appropriate specs. (this is basic consumer protection... for obvious reasons the manufacturer can't force you to use his own stuff whenever he wants... a tad too convenient).

Finally, have it put in by dealer and keep the receipt, that will give you warranty also on labor.

 

I'd like to see that !

-Sir, we think you might have taken your car to the race track.
-What car ? My 350Z Track Edition ?


The thing is, I don't know enough about gearbox oil and the Z gearbox to recommand a certain type of oil. It's tricky because you want an oil that will keep the bearing well lubed, protecting them from wear and at the same time it must be "grippy" enough to allow the synchros to mesh (ie. they need some friction).

This is one exemple where putting "race proven stuff" might not be the best thing to do. In a race environnement, bearing wear is irrelevent (to some degree) and you can select an almost abrasive oil that will make the synchros mesh super fast to avoid missed shifts. On the street, it might not be a good idea.

I tried a couple brand in the Impreza (many hundreds of track miles on that car) before I finally got some Royal Purple. The Motyl Gear is a big no no in the Impreza. To much lub, the synchro would not mesh...

 

there is plenty of stuff to chose from, I'm sure there are plenty of "better" transmission fluids out there. Not neccessarily race stuff. I am worried a) the Nissan MTF is not suited to the abuse of the track and b) the 85 viscosity is just too low... (hey! they reccomend "genuine nissan" DOT3 brake fluid... that might be a hint that their reccomendations for tranny oil might not be up to track task).... I still do not track abusively, but I'm doing my research and will come up with better tranny and diff fluids....

right now redline is the one I prefer (I'm also looking into motul, catrol and RP...)

redline
http://www.redlineoil.com/whitePaper/11.pdf
http://www.redlineoil.com/whitePaper/18.pdf

 

This is what I use:
http://www.lrmart.com/adverts/detail...pop=y&ID=51147
http://websites.uk-plc.net/TOOLS_R_U...uction_Gun.htm

They work very well, 6 pumps and the gearbox has the right amount of gear oil in it.

As for me I use Castrol VMX80, it's popular here with the Skyline crowd since it makes their gearbox a lot smoother. It has definitely smoothed out my gearbox, no more nochines.

 

Yeah, RedLine has a good reputation. I’ll read your docs over lunch.

Why would the tranny not suited for track use? We’re talking of road circuit here, not drag strip, I see no reason to doubt the tranny design. It will just wear faster, but it will be “normal” wear.

Many people underestimate the capabilities of their cars in stock trim. Others have an unrealistic perception of how tough materials can be and how much abuse any component can take. Don’t expect any oil will prevent a tranny from failing if you beat the crap out of it! (I know you don’t)

I agree something better can be found. Just need to find it