How to put trans lube back into the gearbox
 

O.K. I order a gallon of Swepco 201 from Pelican, brought a 17mm hex socket, test to see if I could loosen the fill screw before draining the oil out of the trans. I am going to change the oil next week, so I am looking for advice on what's the best way to put Swepco into the trans?

In the past I have use a suction gun to suck the gear oil from the container and squirt it into the trans or rig a line and funnel and pour it back into the trans. On my Lotus or other cars.

Since I can get a line from the top of the engine back to the trans the only alternative I see is the suction gun. How do you put gear oil back into the trans?

They sell hand pumps for a few bucks at parts stores. A good tip is to let the Swepco bottle sit in the sun for a few hours to warm up. It'll save you a lot of pumping effort that way.

I used a cheap $5.00 suction pump I bought at Pep Boys. It takes quite a while and I can assure you you will get a workout but the cheap pump method works pretty well.

I just did mine last week & bought a cheap gear oil pump that screws on the bottle. Problem was the threads were to big so it didn't fit tight on the bottle. It still worked but was a bit of a messy PITA. Next time I'll get a better pump that I know fits on the bottle.

Gravity get the car up on stands, run a clear 2m(5-6')x20mm(3/4") tube into the fill, put a funnel in the end of the tube, hang the funnel fromthe rafters or whatever, pour the swepco into the funnel. A hot day helps.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1059939749.jpg

Papers to absorb any spill also help.

What about a cheap garden sprayer?The type that you can pump up,you may have to take the nozzle off because gear oil is thicker than most bug sprays but other than that it should work fine,pour in the proper amount of gear oil,insert the end of the wand into the fill hole,press the trigger and voila!!! it should fill the tranny,you might have to stop and pump up the pressure once or twice but should be a heck of a lot easier than these pumps that you have to keep pumping!! You might even hold the trigger in the on position with a zip tie so you can sit back and enjoy a cold one while the pump does the work.

If you don't have a pump just put some hose on the nozzle cap of the bottle (assuming that Swepco comes with a nozzle cap) and squeeze it in.

I have filled many a transmission and transaxle this way.

gravity is the cleanest, less agravitating, and simplest method, IMO.

I must be doing something wrong then Ronnie. Every time I try some new method of gravity feeding, I end up with an EPA reportable spill:p .

That's the way I do it. But remind me not to change the tranny fluid in both my car's, and my brother's Giah in the same day again, because my arm was about broke off.

I'm with Verburg. The irresistible force of gravity works just fine.

Stephan

I'm with Verburg. The irresistible force of gravity works just fine.

Stephan

My Swepco didn't come with the nozzle cap, but I had another. So, I transfered the lube into the smaller container and squeezed it thru the clear tube into the tranny. The advatage I see is that you can see when it is full. Some guys already know exactly how much to put into the funnel tied to the rafters. Some guys like me don't. So we need to check. My 901 took all but about an inch in the Swepco container.

Congradulations. I'm glad to see my suggestion won as the easiest to implement.

Its good exercise for the hands too. :D

Follow Bill Verburg's advice, by far the easiest solution.

Jerry M
'78 SC

Gravity plus heat.

Chris.

There's a great suggestion/article in this months European Car magazine (Tool of the Month). Use compressed air (low pressure) from a compressor to force the fluid from the container through a filler tube.

I thought it was an elegant solution (simple yet ingenious). They even give directions and components needed to build your own inexpensive "rig" from Home Depot sourced components.

HTH,

Harbor Freight has a nice hand pump for about $10. One PVC hose goes in the supply bottle; the other into the filler hole. A few suck/pumps and you're done. Minimal waste and wetness on the driveway.

How does one stop gravity flow when the gearbox is full? Is this a one-person operation? I prefer using gravity to bleed my brakes.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

Another way to put the fluid in easily is to use a large 60 cc syringe or a turkey baster. Suck the fluid out from the container with the syringe and transfer it into the transmission. No muss, no fuss.

Those annoying 1 qt. bottles with the mustard spout are no good and I believe that's all Mobil 1 comes in. I borrowed a hand pump, poured four qts. into an old Swepco bottle and it was a very easy job. Of course, when you have a lift, it's really a cinch. I think I was done in under 15 min. from the time I had the car raised.

Setting it out in the sun is an ok idea if it's really, really hot outside. I fill up my sink with the hottest water I can and just float the bottle in it for awhile. This makes it flowwwwwww... Good luck :)

Found this on the harbor freight website.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=40819

This is within the budget for new new tools/accessories that I only use once every 3 years.

That pump looks fine, but if the car is not high enough, filling the gearbox looks like a remote operation. In addition, in my space-deprived work area, less is more.

This is what I had in mind:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37739

Sherwood

Believe me guys, I have tried many ways over the past few decades
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1060089289.jpg
Without any doubt at all,
The method on the right beats the method on the left

I see a gearbox lube "fill-up" competition brewing.

Sherwood

Long hose, funnel, sawhorse with oil filter wrench attached to support funnel (hey, it worked!), lawn chair, hot day, ice cold beer in one hand, Mobil 1 geal oil container in other hand, reggae music, a pleasant hour to contemplate your good fortune and empty both containers ..... *sigh*

Gravity is your friend.

Argo
88 Targa

Actually if I was going to use the gravity method with the funnel and hose, I was gonna get a sheppard hook, stick it in a planter pot and hang the funnel from the sheppard hook sort of like an IV.

Mobil One you got to be kidding, everyone on this board said to use Swepco.

Geez guys, I know that it's a Porsche, but aren't these methods a touch "over-engineered"? I just use a standard 1 liter gear lube container like you get at any auto-parts store. I kept one after experimenting with Mobil 1 gear lube in my transaxle. Since that didn't work as well as Swepco, I've gone back to Swepco in the gallon container. I pour a liter into the Mobil 1 container and squirt it right into my 901 transaxle. It fits fine without taking anything off of the car. It takes about a minute per liter if I take my time.

Piece of cake!

Board consensus, which I agree with as far as my '88 goes, is Mobil 1 for G 50 trans, Swepco for earlier. I don't know what the PO had in there before, but when I replaced it with the Mobil 1 the 1st to 2nd shift was definitely smoother. YMMV.

Argo
88 Targa

Want to avoid jacking up the car and having a mess on your hands?

Here is the solution..............
Buy the cheap Pep Boys/Auto Zone, etc. transfer pump, Swepco and the 17mm allen.

Head on over to Jiffy lube, Valvoline, or any oil change shop that has the deep pit man ways to get under the car. Go late in the afternoon when business is slowing down and try a weekend when you have a bunch of teenage guys thristy for something besides Min-vans, Sebrings and Hondas. The key is to visit first and get a good time to come and permission to, "look around under the car" to get you in the well.

Everytime I have had my tranny changed with Swepco (since 1990 beginning with my 944), I have had it done as aforementioned. The key is they let you in the well and you can direct and observe. Caution! Do not wear flip flops! After draining
I can run 90 weight fluid (big squeeze bottle with a hose) through the tranny to get out any residual junk and then fill with Swepco with the transfer pump. In the meantime your bragging about how famous Porsche is and the great attributes of the 911. I get to look around abit and its nice not being on your back. Your on your way. Wanna stay really cool? Do not stall the car heading out!!!!!!!!!!!

How much? Since you are bringing everything they only charge labor ($11 to $15) for the time.

Works for me.....

Regards
Bob
73.5T

I just did this today with the el cheapo (2.95) auto store hand pump mentioned before. Consists of a plastic hose with an inline plastic hand squeeze "bulb".

Worked very well! No spills or oil running down my arm. Takes quite a few squeezes but goes faster than you think.

The oil I emptied was blue, does that mean it was Swepco, or could it be any fluid? Just wondering what the PO had in there.

I pump it in. I first put the jug of Swepco in some really warm water for about 45 mins. prior to filling. The 201 runs like 5W30 if it's good and warm. I guess you could set the jug in the sun or sunny window on your work bench.

I just did mine with the $10.00 spring loaded piston pump method. Worked very well the pump screws to the gallon jug. The pump came with a clip to hold the fill tube in the hole. I cheated and had my 16 year old do the pumping. (he needs the practice anway he..he..) worked very well. I kept the drain pan under the car and when full it starts to trickle out the side. Take out tube and put in plug. Be sure you remember to clean the magnetic pickup on the bottom plug. After filling the clip mounts to the pump to keep everything all nice and neat. The gravity method just sounded like a big mess, when full the rest of the tube still has to drain. I think it would have pumped much easier if I would have heated the gallon before starting.