Completed gear oil change today with Valvoline 75W-90 Synthetic in hopes that cold shift performance will improve. Thought I would share some observations and pics. This was a very easy DIY project.
Update 1-2-07: 36 degrees this AM in Atlanta - no cold shift problem!
With the rear end on jack stands and rear driver side wheel removed, I was surprised to find that the filler plug was not located higher on the tranny housing. In fact, when I removed the filler plug, approx 1/2 quart of oil came out. Immediately, I realized that the left side of the car would need to be jacked as high as possible on refill.
Working area under the car is very tight and leverage is difficult. I don't have a breaker bar or ratchet extensions for proper leverage, but a couple of taps on my ratchet handle with a rubber mallet worked well. After removing the filler plug (10MM hex) I then removed the magnetic drain plug and was happy to see that it was very clean
. I then lowered the rear of the car and raised the front to drain as much of the old oil. An additional 1/2 quart came out by raising the front end.
To refill, I ran a length of 5/8" clear tubing through the wheel well into the filler hole. After filling with the first quart which went slow due to the lack of airflow, I cut the quart bottle in half and used it as a funnel and things went faster. Refill took a total of 3 and 3/4 quarts.
My service records indicate that the gear oil was changed 30,000 miles ago and I now have 145k on the clock. I've got no idea what was used at the last change, however, the old oil smelled much like the new synthetic.
The car shifted smoothly on test drive, however, the true test will be the next cold morning. I'll report back with an update.
Filler plug location:
Filler on left, drain on right"
10MM Hex plugs - magnetic drain plug on right
Filler set up:
