Changing oil help. I have 4l of GL4 now what.

[garry247]

I have ordered 4 x Comma SXGL41L 1L SX75W-90 GL-4 Semi-Synthetic Gear Oil

But have never changed gearbox oil before. I have a hex bolt and have heard that it's a good idea to do the following:

Open filler bolt
Place container under drain hole and open with hex bolt

Heat up oil bottles in a container with hot water (don't get any in the oil)

When gearbox empty what do I do?

How do I know I have enough in

Is it possible to fill too much?

Thanks.

[fairwynds]

If your van is standard height this can be done on level ground. That said it's sometimes easier to do the initial loosening of drain and fill plugs with the rear of van safely on axle stands. Best to drain the oil after a decent run out, as the gearbox oil will the be warmer and thinner and contaminants will be in suspension.
The filling is best done on level ground. Some people advocate using a length of clear syphon hose connected to the bottle, so you can fill from above, in the engine bay. I've done this both ways and the tube certainly helps but is not compulsory.
As for amounts, depends on the gearbox, but general rule of thumb is to fill till oil dribbles from filler hole.
If you include what engine you have on future posts, or ideally in your signature, that will help people respond accordingly (gearboxes have been changed on some vans so are not necessarily matched with engine as per originality).
Oh, and finally, when tightening the plugs, they are tapered, and do not need winding in mega tight!

[Theclash]

Last year I changed gearbox oil on my mk2 golf , bought carlube 80/90 gl4 to gl5 oil from gsf result was very very stiff gear changes warm and cold. Dropped that out and bought some semi synthetic gl 4/5 from just kampers £24 result same as the carlube stuff if not worse. Dropped that out went to Vw dealers and bought 2 ltrs of the correct oil £13 and was as good as new.
What I'm trying to say is these gearboxes weather it be my golf or t25 are over 20years old and need to be run with the original spec oil not the more modern semi synths or equivalent .....as I found out the hard and expensive way.
I have had to drop the oil on the golf once more to do the gearbox seals and yesterday ordered the correct gl4 from Vw and it is £13 for 2 litres and will be correct oil for the job
If you can get a refund on yours I would get the correct oil from Vw

Gearbox oil change anyone

[ghost123uk]

Interesting stuff there Mr/Ms theclash I wonder what's going on there with spec then.

I used the same stuff as the OP (Garry) = Comma GL4 75/90 in both my vans, as per recommended in our wiki and HERE. Seems ok, but then again I have not been able to do a comparison with using VW oil in the the box.

[ghost123uk]

I have ordered 4 x Comma SXGL41L 1L SX75W-90 GL-4 Semi-Synthetic Gear Oil - As far as I can tell, this is what is recommended (and what I used)

But have never changed gearbox oil before. I have a hex bolt and have heard that it's a good idea to do the following:

Open filler bolt - Yep, always do that first, if you drain first and then cannot get the filler plug out you are "stuffed" for the moment
Place container under drain hole and open with hex bolt
Heat up oil bottles in a container with hot water (don't get any in the oil)

When gearbox empty what do I do? - Fill it up E D I T = Put the drain plug back in first

How do I know I have enough in - It starts to dribble out of the hole you are filling it with.

Is it possible to fill too much? - No, as long as you just have drips coming from the filler, not a "flow" when you put the plug back in it will be fine

I do personally recommend the "bit of hose pipe from filler up to inside the engine bay, with funnel" approach (wash the wife's kitchen funnel well after use ). It makes the job a lot easier imho, especially compared to doing it on your back in the semi darkness under the van with it dripping out of the hole onto you !

[Theclash]

Hello mr ghost ... The comparison between the Vw oil and the others was very very noticeable I was worried about ruining the gearbox especially the 2nd gear synchro which is a common problem on mk2 golfs hence why I went to Vw for the correct stuff. I have noticed on my t25 that when cold you have to be very gentle with the gear changes but once warm there's no problems maybe it is or is not original oil in there.
Iam going to Vw dealers this morning to collect my latest batch of gear oil and I will ask the question :what is the correct gear oil for t25 : and will report back this evening

[ghost123uk]

Hello mr ghost ... The comparison between the Vw oil and the others was very very noticeable I was worried about ruining the gearbox especially the 2nd gear synchro which is a common problem on mk2 golfs hence why I went to Vw for the correct stuff.

We have a totally minty MKII Scircco with uprated brakes n suspension which we will never sell, fast as a fast thing ! - this is why your comments interest me. I am aware of the VW 020 box "Self Machining Syndrome" as I had it happen to my last Rocco Wondering if VW oil might protect my current box any better than say Comma Oils

I am going to Vw dealers this morning to collect my latest batch of gear oil and I will ask the question :what is the correct gear oil for t25 : and will report back this evening

[irishkeet]

https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Ge ... drain_plug

[Theclash]

Ok been down to local Vw dealers and collected 2 ltrs of gearbox oil for my 1992 mk2 golf
As promised I asked the parts guy to check what gear oil should be in my 1991 t25 and after a few frantic minutes on the computer he couldn't tell me
On his suggestion I rang Vw van centre in Manchester and asked the same question. Parts guy tapped away at his computer and said Vw does not list a spec for the oil only a part number. What is the part number I asked and the reply was G060726A2 exactly the same part number as the oil I've just purchased for my golf.
There is no spec on the bottles I've just purchased only a part number but this will be the stuff I will be using in my van when I get round to changing the oil
I can tell you it is GL4 and it cost £5.52 a litre from Vw
Like I previously said I tried various so called GL4 oils in my golf and only the Vw stuff made the gear change nice and smooth with no crunching .... .....

[ghost123uk]

Thanks for letting us know. That price is cheaper than the Comma stuff

[Theclash]

Thanks for letting us know. That price is cheaper than the Comma stuff

No problems mr ghost you and others have helped me on here , this is a great forum love all the info and banter with all the other Vw nutters

[garry247]

Have added my Van details to signature 1983 1.9DG (4Speed). Will 4L be enough.

I read one post that said 3.5l and just read Hacksawbob saying its 4.5l

Also he says not to overfill.

If you use a tube how do you check for over filling? I think i get it that i take hose out and when it stops coming out its at the right level.

Sorry for all the questions. Ill take pictures and add them when i do the job.

Thanks,

Garry

[pirate-pete]

From what I understand the different gearboxes have different capacities so you will see different posts showing different amounts. From the German forums here is a table listing the capacities under the "fullmenge" column. You will need your gearbox code though.

http://t3-infos.de/images/T3-Getriebe.pdf

The following is the same link put through google translate but it may not work on all browsers...
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... triebe.pdf

On top of all that here is another thread from the 80-90 archives suggesting later advice is to fill to 15mm below the level opening for better gear change
http://archive.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic ... 37&t=93749

The German forums I had been looking at (with Google translate) also mention this. How easy it is to fill to such a level I have no idea as this is one of the jobs I hope to be doing myself soon. Don't worry too much about it as I'm sure a refill to where the oil is just trickling out of the filler hole as opposed to 15mm below should be much better for your van than not changing the oil at all.

[garry247]

Wow,

Thanks for finding that. Looks like either 3, 3.5 or 4.01

G.

[Evokiola]

Hi, I'm in pretty much the same position, I even have my m10 bolt and 2 nuts.
Sorry for the thread jack. I have just been for oil and the only 75w90 they had was fully synthetic. Should I return my 4 litres £44 comma mvmtf 75w90 fully synthetic gear oil? It does say gl4 on the back, and vw, and get mineral or semi synthetic? Thanks for any help