R154 tranny oil change

[sparkplug619]

I searched with little luck. this is a very noob question so sorry in advance!

Ok scenario: just finished my auto to manual swap perfectly without any complictaions besides locating parts.

I was unsure of how much fluid was in there so I opened up the drain and some poured on me so I figured I was good.

I took my moms boyfriend to school, made it there good but before entering the freeway I got this high pitched whining noise. parked it at a friends house, got it towed home.

I checked the oil 1 more time and realized that the little bit of oil that poured on me earlier was all that was in there. jacked my driver side up to get the little amount of oil left in there.

Now I am, trying to find out where to fill it up from but cant seem to find a spot. I read a thread that said to fill it up through the shifter but it wasnt too clear and I really dont want to chance it without good confirmation

Thanks alot!

 

[YoungGunSupra]

Honestly i dont know THAT much so dont take my word for it, but im having my car worked on right now at Driftmotion woth odom and Aaron, and first off they recommended to me that i use redline MT90 tranny oil, its what they use, and well its what im going to be using in a couple days :icon_bigg

and yes ive seen mechanics pour the transmission oil through the shifter. first time i saw it i was bewildered.

but yea anyways find out whats wrong with the leak! and add that redline MT90 stuff!

Hope i helped a little bit

John

 

[Boosted516]

theres a spot on the side of the tranny but the easiest is through the shifter.

 

[sparkplug619]

Honestly i dont know THAT much so dont take my word for it, but im having my car worked on right now at Driftmotion woth odom and Aaron, and first off they recommended to me that i use redline MT90 tranny oil, its what they use, and well its what im going to be using in a couple days :icon_bigg

and yes ive seen mechanics pour the transmission oil through the shifter. first time i saw it i was bewildered.

but yea anyways find out whats wrong with the leak! and add that redline MT90 stuff!

Hope i helped a little bit

John

No its actually not leaking, I unbolted the drain plug and thats when it spilled on me. I have honestly been looking all over san diego for redline mt90 and cant find it. I was going to go with some basic 75-90 until I can find the good stuff. Thanks alot for the info though

theres a spot on the side of the tranny but the easiest is through the shifter.

Thanks alot for the info, being that I still have my dashboard somewhat disassembled itll be pretty easy!

 

[YoungGunSupra]

if you live local to driftmotion i would just stop by and talk to aaron, hes gettin the tranny fluid for me. you could buy it off him? doesnt hurt to give him a calle

EDIT: sorry i just saw you live in SD. maybe he could ship it to you..but i dunno if you can ship coolant..i was reading somehwere that you cant..

Check your local car quest. they sell a gallon for like 22 bucks, it shows up on their website but alot of local dealers dont carry it anymore..so try given em a call too!

John

 

[Poodles]

Hopefully you didn't kill the tranny...

Summit Racing carries Red Line and it's where I've gotten it.

To properly fill (I'm assuming it's empty), you'll have to park on a level surface, jack it up and remove the fill plug, put the car back on the ground, and then pour oil through the shifter housing until it comes out the fill plug. Jack it up (jack it up on the same side as the fill plug and it won't pour more out) and replace the fill plug.

Not all trannies are like ours, good example is my mom's miata where the oil in the "turret" below the shifter has to be sucked out and replaced and you can't fill the tranny from there.

 

[sparkplug619]

Hopefully you didn't kill the tranny...

Summit Racing carries Red Line and it's where I've gotten it.

To properly fill (I'm assuming it's empty), you'll have to park on a level surface, jack it up and remove the fill plug, put the car back on the ground, and then pour oil through the shifter housing until it comes out the fill plug. Jack it up (jack it up on the same side as the fill plug and it won't pour more out) and replace the fill plug.

Not all trannies are like ours, good example is my mom's miata where the oil in the "turret" below the shifter has to be sucked out and replaced and you can't fill the tranny from there.

My car was still shifting fine, I only drove 3 block as soon as I heard the whining noise, I dont know how much damage I couldve caused but even when the tow truck driver asked me if I can back it up a little, I did and there was no problem shifting or grinding or any noises, I then parked it and noticed the whining noise was even gone.

So going by the tsrm and just filling up 3.2 quarts isnt the proper way? I measured out exactly 3.2 qt and poured it through the shifter just now

 

[sparkplug619]

just ran it around the block. It shifts alot smoother, feels alot smoother, no sounds at at all, I had the rubber piece that reduces noise and couldnt here any irregular sound except for the nasty sound of my open elbow (saving up for exhaust)

 

[ben1984j]

That's good to hear, in the future you might wanna do it the way Poodles suggested though; I've read at least one story of someone putting in the full 3.2 quarts and it was too much...in their case it blew it out the rear seal if I remember right...

 

[alexscof]

I was just about to log on to ask this exact question. I have a good feeling I am low but not empty. Should I follow the same steps poodles described?
And is the general consensus to use redline MT90 tranny oil or does it really make a difference?

 

[sparkplug619]

I was just about to log on to ask this exact question. I have a good feeling I am low but not empty. Should I follow the same steps poodles described?
And is the general consensus to use redline MT90 tranny oil or does it really make a difference?

Im pretty sure with all the great feedback on this site, it will make a difference However, I did not use redline this time because I have been searching all day for it and decided to go with the basic because of my lack of patience.

 

[steve1479]

It makes a huge difference, you'll feel that the shifting is 10x smoother and it just feels better overall. Not as mechanical is the word I'm looking for.

 

[Poodles]

Take it from someone who's tried a lot of em. Most of the synthetic gear oils on the market have friction modifiers in them for limited slip diffs (they won't harm a normal diff) but can have a bad effect on syncros.

I had a second gear grind with normal 75w-90 dino oil. Switched to Royal Purple Max Gear (friction modifiers) and it helped at first, but the tranny got a bit noisy and then second gear was the same as before. Switched to Royal Purple Syncromax, tranny was noisier and gear shifts got worse (too thin) and was thinking I'd have to do a tranny rebuild or swap very soon.

Tried the Red Line MT-90 because it was cheaper than a rebuild and it couldn't hurt. The difference is amazing, second gear grind is just barely there at times, most of the time it's completely normal.

It's money well spent IMHO.

 

[YoungGunSupra]

agree with everyone up here. Aaron from driftmotion said hes been using it for the last 3 years..best stuff. down shit should be smoother. everything. my gears dont grind but sometimes i have to push it into first and to downshift into second..and its not very smooth at all in the other gears other than getting into 4th..so hopefully when i get my car back it is SMOOOTHHH. :love: ill let you know

 

[alexscof]

Redline mt90 it is, thanks for the input