19 replies to this topic

[Mutt & Jeff]

Here is the guide to changing the gearbox oil on an NA, not sure if it's the same for a VXT:unsure: . If you track your car you should certainly do this more often than the 60K service interval. Before I start, I'd like to thank Muncher & Ricky for their help, and my friend Jon who took the pics & helped on the job. You will need the following... 1/ 1.55 litres of Synthetic gearbox oil 2/ A 6mm allen key socket for the caphead bolts on the undertray 3/ An 8mm socket/spanner for the main undertray bolts 4/ An 8mm allen key socket for the gearbox fill, drain & level plugs......plus a bloody great big extension with a crow bar attached....feels like you're about to spin the car before the plugs release STEP 1 After warming the gearbox with a good drive (30mins), Locate the fill plug (8mm Allen socket) below the expansion bottle. Attach extension and release (but don't remove) the plug. It's very tight and may require some gentle swearing

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•  Locating_Fill_Plug.jpg   98.29KB   8 downloads

[Mutt & Jeff]

STEP 2 Remove the undertray, you will need to remove the rear tray as well if you intend to access the level plug....but I didn't use it due to access problems caused by the engine mount. I wouldn't bother if you're accurate with your measurements.

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•  Undertray_Allen_Bolts.jpg   66.83KB   5 downloads

[Mutt & Jeff]

Dropping the tray

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•  Dropping_the_Tray.jpg   54.57KB   7 downloads

[Mutt & Jeff]

STEP 3 Locate the drain plug on the left hand side of the gearbox below the left driveshaft.

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•  Left_Driveshaft_to_Drain.jpg   57.99KB   7 downloads

[Mutt & Jeff]

STEP 4 Undo the drain......a little more swearing may be required In the photo you can see the arrow pointing to the level plug (the rear tray was off) and the engine mount bracket that meant I couldn't get to it. It's only really critical if you can't measure the oil going in. To assist the drain you will now remove the loosened fill plug.

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•  Level___Drain_Plugs.jpg   115.2KB   7 downloads

[Mutt & Jeff]

STEP 5 Replace the drain plug & fill the box with your 1.55 litres of Synthetic gearbox oil. I used a little clear hose as it's much easier to be accurate & stops a possible mess developing.

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•  Filling_Box_JPG.jpg   91.88KB   6 downloads

[Mutt & Jeff]

STEP 6 Replace the fill plug & check that you've got no leaks from the drain (and level if you've used it). Replace the undertray. Job done Just a few points I let the oil drain for about 15-20 mins....ideal time for a cuppa I slightly overfilled (1.6 litres) and did the gearbox breather mod to allow any excess to safely blow out. I've attached a pic of where I fixed the breather pipe.

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•  Breather_Mod_Pipe_Fix.jpg   83.72KB   6 downloads

[Mutt & Jeff]

Please could some kind mod. add this to the F.A.Q section. I hope this helps....just for the record my car had done 34K, I also added some slick 50 gearbox stuff (some people don't agree with this stuff) and the box is much nicer/slicker from cold. Doug

[Muncher]

The plugs are an absolute bastard to remove aren't they!

[oblomov]

Superb

[JG]

Nice one M&J cheers

[jules_s]

excellent post I just wish more people would read the sticky 'useful threads'

[Matte]

I have a gearbox with a quaiffe differential in it. Do I have to use special oil in that gearbox?

Edited by Matte, 10 April 2007 - 03:05 PM.

[slindborg]

if its a Quaiffe ATB diff then you just use the normal gearbox oil If you had got a proper diff that is a plate type then you need special oil in there.

[Matte]

Hmm, how will I know what kind of diff it is? It´s a Quaiffe but I dont know if it is a ATB?

[Matte]

Now I know what ATB is Felt a little stupid there And got it confirmed that it´s the standard oil I should drive with

[rabidh]

Just a bit of a warning...

When I did this to my NA gearbox I got far more than 2 litres of oil out of it when I drained it. I filled it back up with 1.55 litres of the reccomended castrol stuff though (assuming the previous owner had overfilled it) and carried on using the car.

One week later my gearbox destroyed itself (the little nylon bits on the end of the selector forks melted off).

Now i'm just putting a new gearbox in and i'm filling it up the way the manual says - undo the plug on the side then fill until the oil comes out. I've just used all 2 litres of oil that I bought and the gearbox is nowhere near full, so I think that the figure of 1.55 litres is seriously pessimistic.

disclaimer: I refilled my oil because the gearbox was shifting badly, so maybe the problem was already there. If you feel you can get the level plug out at all then its definitely worth doing just to be sure though.

...and i can't be sure, but i think the proper bright red GM gearbox oil is actually cheaper than buying the castrol SMX-S (or whatever it is) from halfords.

[markiii]

so what spec gearbox oil shoudl the VXT use?

[Porker]

so what spec gearbox oil shoudl the VXT use?

Is there another guide with pictures still working?

My VX spilled some gearbox oil on track yesterday, I should fill it up but not sure how or where...