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Thread: manual transmission fluid change

  1. #1
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    manual transmission fluid change

    How often do you guys do it?
    A woman goes to the doctor to figure out why she is having breathing problems...The doctor tells her she is overweight. She says she wants a second opinion...the doctor says, "your ugly".

  2. #2
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    once a year iirc.
    Andreas Preuninger, Manager of Porsche High Performance Cars: "Grandmas can use paddles. They aren't challenging."

  3. #3
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    i was just looking in my manual and it says the manual transmission fluid does not require change...this seems crazy to me.
    A woman goes to the doctor to figure out why she is having breathing problems...The doctor tells her she is overweight. She says she wants a second opinion...the doctor says, "your ugly".

  4. #4
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    yeah i seem to recall the current auto in the falcon is a lifetime job, no need to change accordign to the manual. but still, once a year for me, and for the mini, technically every time i do an oil change haha.
    Andreas Preuninger, Manager of Porsche High Performance Cars: "Grandmas can use paddles. They aren't challenging."

  5. #5
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    interesting, nothing bad will happen if i change right?

    i dont get why they would say it doesn't need to be changed.
    A woman goes to the doctor to figure out why she is having breathing problems...The doctor tells her she is overweight. She says she wants a second opinion...the doctor says, "your ugly".

  6. #6
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    I would say every 40k miles is a good interval for changing. Look into adding Lucas Manuel Transmission fluid to it as well. I have changing it twice now in 41k miles. Adding Lucas the first time. While removing the fluid, keep an eye out for metal flakes. If you see an abundance, you may want to have a mechanic check your transmission because you may be grinding.
    "Horsepower sells motor cars, but torque wins motor races."
    -Carrol Shelby

  7. #7
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    Either they reckon they have it down to the point that the oil doesn't dirty up enough to change it, or they reckon it's cheaper to just replace the tranny in 10 years. The biggest issue to face is that if they reckon it doesn't need changing, it'll probably be a massive pain in the arse to do it.
    Life's too short to drive bad cars.

  8. #8
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    I changed it when I bought the car, if I do the clutch or flywheel I might change it again.

  9. #9
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    Some newer atuo transmissions don't even have dipstick/filler tubes or drain plugs. You need to drop the bottom of the transmission to get the fluid out. 0_o

    My VW has lifetime fluid in the trans, and I don't plan on changing it anytime soon.
    "We went to Wnedy's. I had chicken nuggest." ~ Quiggs

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by johnnynumfiv View Post
    My VW has lifetime fluid in the trans, and I don't plan on changing it anytime soon.
    allegedly thats what the camaro has too, or at least 150,000 mile but its not a pain to change it so i think i will go for it.
    A woman goes to the doctor to figure out why she is having breathing problems...The doctor tells her she is overweight. She says she wants a second opinion...the doctor says, "your ugly".

  11. #11
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    How hard you drive and the amount of stress your transmission is taking, should determine how often you change your manual transmission fluid. Auto manufacturers assume you will drive normally, and so stipulate a good service interval for these things. But, such conditions are not always the norm. Also, all transmission fluids are not equal. OEM fluids from the dealership, at least in Nissan's case, works very well. Though they can be slightly expensive.

    For manual transmission fluids, I have found 24 months (every 2 years) to be a good rule of thumb for me---even this rule of thumb maybe considered excessive depending on who you ask. It matters little if i put 40,000 miles or 50, 000 miles in those 2 years. Manual transmission fluids tend to be able to take unbelievable abuse. Frankly, it takes about 5 years or more to actually degrade a manual transmission fluid in most manual transmission cars, under normal driving conditions. When you do change the fluid, take a good look at the drain plug and make sure it does not have too many metal particles sticking to it. The drain plug is a magnet of sorts. It attracts metal particles. Too many particles or a silver-filled fluid, may mean that the transmission is going bad on you

    Now, for automatic transmission fluid, it is another story altogether. First of all, automatic transmission fluids are essentially hydraulic fluids. The same sort of fluid is used in the hydraulic systems in aircrafts. It degrades rather rapidly with heat, moisture, and chemical breakdown. Given my experience with aircrafts where we tirelessly and religiously replaced their hydraulic fluids rather frequently, I can't imagine not doing the same for a car's automatic transmission fluid. In essence, my rule of thumb with automatic transmission fluid is 24,000 - 30,000 mile for replacing, whther this occurs in 6 months or a year or not. Hydraulic fluids lose their hydraulic ability, rather rapidly, with time. Number one enemy of any automatic transmission is a bad or aged automatic transmission fluid and a dirty auto transmission filter. This means, for the life of an automatic transmission, it would require at a minimum, between 6 - 10 auto transmission fluid and filter changes for the life of the car, if you want the auto transmission to work for you, headache free. Change the auto transmission filter with each transmission fluid replacement. You will damage an auto transmission if you fail to change the auto transmission filter with each transmission fluid change. In addition, a dirty or degraded auto transmission fluid will lead to reduced miles per gallon (MPG) in your car. Only use what the manufacturers have specified for the auto transmission of your car. DO NOT mix and match auto transmission fluids---it will lead to either damage of your auto transmission or may eventually lead to faulty ECM codes showing up on your dashboard as a "Check Engine Light".

    Contrary to popular beleif, a well maintained auto transmission with its fluid changed every 24,000 - 30,000 miles will last as long as a manual transmission that has only had its fluids changed once or even twice, in its life time. Routine and timely preventive maintenance is key to auto longevity.
    Last edited by G35COUPE; 02-04-2010 at 09:34 AM.

  12. #12
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    BMW also operates with lifetime fluid on their autoboxes.
    A friend of mine experienced trouble with his auto box in his 525 TDS E39 after some 250.000km's. The shifting got slower and slower, and strange downshifting.
    He had it into a workshop and we both watched when the mechanic drained the oil. It was almost white. Do as you please, I will have mine changed after 100.000km's at least.

  13. #13
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    I change it twice a year or after about 50.000km. It's a fairly simple job on the cars that I have owned so far.

  14. #14
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    thanks

    thanks,

  15. #15
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    Wow, I thought that was John14 for a second there.

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