Has anyone done their own maintenance, besides oil changes(brake fluid, transmission etc)? Just asking because I had the car in for the an oil change (33k) and they brought small samples of my fluids and they were dirty..... very dirty. They wanted a stupid amount of money to change it. So I was going to try to change the trans fluid myself..... any tips would help!
Tranny fluid change
- Thread starter fgafd2007
- Start date
- :
- 13 MX-5
24mm short socket and ratchet. There's a How-To in the How-To section.
not. ull get lsd wine like everyone else. i had MT for 3 days, drained it and tossed it. replaced it with mazda oem fluid and got my peace and quiet back. I also found shifting more difficult with the MT for some reason.
- :
- 06 LS MS6
07 BM GT (shell has been struck from the roll)
30K service include tranny change
but it is stupid easy
do it from underneath, one how to makes it way difficult
short socket +1
don't remove the angled bolt
I heard good things about royal purple, but be aware, some manual trans oils are made real thin for use in other applications
C
cymx5
Interesting...at 37k miles on my factory trans fluid it was crystal clear still. It's a closed system...soo unless you added the dirty during the last change...it shouldn't be dirty...maybe small shavings of metal...but no dirt.
Ah yes do it yourself.
Tools:
10mm socket to pull the splash gaurd off
24mm short socket
Torque wrench (if you want it perfect)
Oil catch pan
Funnel with ~24" tube to reach the fill plug (or a pump to pump the oil up and in...the funnel's easier imo)
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Darth Vader
Member
Trans oil doesn't get brown or black, there's no combustion by-products to do that. 90 weight trans fluid has a pretty easy life, comparatively. The only way it could get burnt is if the fluid is REALLY low or the LSD is severely slipping.
I had lsd whine before changing to MT-90, it still sounds the same, but shifting is easier and smoother. I wouldn't really worry about the lsd noise though, I'm using the TRZ combo.
Mine's always come out pretty tan/brown when i change it. Might be differences in transmissions though.
Darth Vader
Member
It started life tan-brown, it's 80W-90 weight dino oil(spin). Really dark brown or black is another thing altogether and a sign of serious internal injury or really low fluid levels. A sniff will tell the difference, you can always smell it when it's smoked.
I'm not sure who "they" are but it sounds like "they" cannot be trusted.
uh Dealership
I took mine to dealership for a checkup (had smoke coming out of exhaust). Just got the car a few weeks ago, 44k miles on it..... They said I needed to change tranny fluid, looked like it had never been changed. I did some research on this forum and auto part store also said to use a 80w-90 and I hear a lot about mt-90. When I asked dealer what they used, he said it was like a 5 or 10w - 30? Told me that's what's recommended, but he is the ONLY person that has said that. I honestly don't trust the b@$t@rd. He also told me that a 90 is way to thick and the car won't drive right. Thinkin about doing it myself when I install my rear MM, although I'd rather not (kinda lazy and don't mind payin money for it). I don't know to much about fluids, what do you guys think about what the dealer is trying to put in my car? What is the difference between the different tranny fluid/gear fluids? OR, is there already a thread explaining this?
Darth Vader
Member
It's 80W90 and you'll need about 3 qts. The best stuff is the Ford Synthetic MTF. Hit up your local Ford dealer for it. It's expensive but, so is Redline and, the Ford stuff won't make your limited slip diff make noise.
The smoking sounds like it may be tired turbo but, check the PCV system for proper function first. The run some engine cleaner through it and change the oil for 5W40, synthetic or dino. See if that solves it for you.
Find another dealer/service shop, your descriptions sound like trouble.
The smoking sounds like it may be tired turbo but, check the PCV system for proper function first. The run some engine cleaner through it and change the oil for 5W40, synthetic or dino. See if that solves it for you.
Find another dealer/service shop, your descriptions sound like trouble.
C
cymx5
Unless you've got gaskets leaking or metal shavings in your fluid, this fluid will typically never 'look like it needs to be changed.' It's a closed system. I just changed the 128k mile original fluid in my Miata and guess what!? it looks just like it did when it went in!
Either way, at 44k miles you'll want to change it, I'm just not accepting the priniciples behind how they came to that conclusion. I just did mine around 40k miles with MT-90 and it feels great. No problems.
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