Checking Gear Box Oil
Posted By : Michael Charlton, 28-Jul-2006, 11:50am
Whether this be right or wrong for some people , this is what I do, and have done since the seventies.
Find an old 1 ltr oil bottle the one you can squeeze with a short tube on the top.Remove short tube.
Then attach a length of clear plastic tubing to the bottle , enogh length to do either of the following.
DIFF
Remove filler plug insert tube and whilst underneath get someone to squeeze bottle whilst at a height higher than the diff until it fills and starts to dribble out .If on your own just do the same whilst continually looking for the dribble.
You have to have the bottle so you can squeeze, and keep topping up bottle at a height that it will flow easily(slightly warm oil helps)
GEAR BOX
Now here is the controversy and wincing.
As the filler is damned hard to get at from underneath , some do it using the above method and some do it from underneath with a struggle.
I decided that as on gong maintenance of these cars is a must , invent something!
So out came the Dremel and I cut a small 4 x 4 trap door in the side of the gear box tunneladjacent to the filler plug( just measure distance to where the plug is ).
Did the necessary with the topping up with the tube on the bottle.
Then created a water tight trap door and screwed it over the cut hole.
This way you can check and top up to your hearts desire by only lifting the carpet and undoing a trap door !!
Easy!
Mike
Find an old 1 ltr oil bottle the one you can squeeze with a short tube on the top.Remove short tube.
Then attach a length of clear plastic tubing to the bottle , enogh length to do either of the following.
DIFF
Remove filler plug insert tube and whilst underneath get someone to squeeze bottle whilst at a height higher than the diff until it fills and starts to dribble out .If on your own just do the same whilst continually looking for the dribble.
You have to have the bottle so you can squeeze, and keep topping up bottle at a height that it will flow easily(slightly warm oil helps)
GEAR BOX
Now here is the controversy and wincing.
As the filler is damned hard to get at from underneath , some do it using the above method and some do it from underneath with a struggle.
I decided that as on gong maintenance of these cars is a must , invent something!
So out came the Dremel and I cut a small 4 x 4 trap door in the side of the gear box tunneladjacent to the filler plug( just measure distance to where the plug is ).
Did the necessary with the topping up with the tube on the bottle.
Then created a water tight trap door and screwed it over the cut hole.
This way you can check and top up to your hearts desire by only lifting the carpet and undoing a trap door !!
Easy!
Mike
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Checking Gear Box Oil
Posted By : Nicholas Anson, 28-Jul-2006, 12:08pm
Hi Mike,
thanks for your e-mail, much appreciated. I will give the gear box a go from underneath, but if it drives me mad, I like your trap door idea - sounds like a much better alternative for routine maintenance. Thanks for your diff advice as well. That's me all set for a morning of tinkering.
and yeah GT6 rule, I have never been happier, wish I had got one years ago.
cheers
nic
Checking Gear Box Oil
Posted By : Jon Morton, 28-Jul-2006, 12:05pm
The Diff and gearbox levels should be checked on a level surface.
But if the car is new to you then an oil change might be in order. Then you can get the fluid amounts from the manual and fill it on a slant.
If you jack the front of the car up and lower the wheels on to blocks (I use a few breeze blocks), then axel stands at the back to keep it level, you can do it from below.
Remove the diff filler plug, which is square bolt. Then with a piece of pipe attached to standard oil can pump the new EP90 oil into the diff. If the car is level do it until the oil just starts to leak out.
The gear box can be done in the same way but is a lot more difficult chassis exhaust pipes and tunnel get in the way. It's easy with the tunnel out and you don't need to jack up the car.
Some people seem allergic to removing the tunnel and see it as a major job, over the years I must have done it 100s of times and it's never been a problem for me, in fact it only takes a few mins. Remember for the gear box oil don't take the tunnel right out of the car just lift it up at on side so you don't get muck all over the rest of the car.
Good luck
Jon
But if the car is new to you then an oil change might be in order. Then you can get the fluid amounts from the manual and fill it on a slant.
If you jack the front of the car up and lower the wheels on to blocks (I use a few breeze blocks), then axel stands at the back to keep it level, you can do it from below.
Remove the diff filler plug, which is square bolt. Then with a piece of pipe attached to standard oil can pump the new EP90 oil into the diff. If the car is level do it until the oil just starts to leak out.
The gear box can be done in the same way but is a lot more difficult chassis exhaust pipes and tunnel get in the way. It's easy with the tunnel out and you don't need to jack up the car.
Some people seem allergic to removing the tunnel and see it as a major job, over the years I must have done it 100s of times and it's never been a problem for me, in fact it only takes a few mins. Remember for the gear box oil don't take the tunnel right out of the car just lift it up at on side so you don't get muck all over the rest of the car.
Good luck
Jon
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Checking Gear Box Oil
Posted By : Jon Morton, 28-Jul-2006, 12:10pm
I also cut the hole in the tunnel, works well.
good tip Mike-
Checking Gear Box Oil
Posted By : Van Hamlin, 28-Jul-2006, 12:53pm
Machine Mart sell a syringey thing for filling up gearbox oil from below. For some reason not avaialble by mail order though.
Van
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Checking Gear Box Oil
Posted By : Mark Stradling, 28-Jul-2006, 02:23pm
* EP90 to GL4, and explicityly NOT GL5 spec.
Normally this is the budget range stuff, but given how fast is escapes from a lot of Triumph gearboxes that's no bad thing!
http://www.triumphspitfire.com/Fluids.html-
Checking Gear Box Oil
Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 28-Jul-2006, 03:57pm
I use Castrol Syntrax semi synthetic gear oil in the racer ... had no problems whetever with it...
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