Club 80-90 Forums

Just for anyone who doesn't know when theirs was last changed. My advice is do it. I can't believe how much better the change feels. Smoother into all gears no synchro mesh click even on quick changes its like a different car. Now to be fair what came out looked pretty nasty so I suppose the difference you will notice will depend on how bad and old your current oil is but I am amazed by the difference new oil makes.

Word of warning make sure you can undo the filler plug before you undo the drain plug. Mine was a real struggle to get out.

Thanks for that. I have never checked my gearbox oil in the ten years I have owned the van so I guess it is well overdue. I will put it on the Urgent to Do list.
 What oil did you use?
 

Did mine last month, need to dispose of the old stuff at the local council recycling centre, as my garage smells like, well like a garage.

Comma EP80/90 GL4

From halfords. Sure you can get it cheaper but I had to replace a drive seal so needed it quick. Make sure you get GL4, not GL5 as apparently GL5 isn't good for old boxes designed for GL4.

TONYT25T25 wrote: ↑17 Aug 2020, 20:27 Did mine last month, need to dispose of the old stuff at the local council recycling centre, as my garage smells like, well like a garage.

It really stinks doesn't it. Mines in the garage too and the other half isn't happy. Council tip at the weekend for me too

Something I need to do on mine , how much did it take to fill it up ?
Thanks

I believe it depends on the gearbox fitted, mine is a 4 speed and according to the Haynes manual 3.5L.  When emptying my box I poured the remains into an old oil container and it measure about the same. However when removing the gearbox oil filler plug before renewing the oil, some dripped out, but I was not on perfectly flat ground, so hope I put the same amount back in, I also used some of the new oil to flush out any debris, ie left the drain plug off then added a bit of the new stuff, then replaced the drain plug and poured new stuff in.

Good idea

I tried to do this, but for the life of me couldnt get the filler plug off. Nightmare. Any ideas??

If memory serves me right it's an Allen key screw , could you get the key into the hole? Tried using a long breaker bar? Do when the gearbox is warm, use plus gas for a few days prior to trying.

Mine was a pain also, I used a normal ratchet wrench with a small extension, because of the difficulty in getting a purchase on it I used my trolley jack and gently raised the wrench at the same time keeping the ratchet in line with the socket and plug if I remember correctly.  Correction to my last I used the trolley jack method to undo the drain plug, to remove the filler plug I turned it as if tightening it up which moved it a bit and then the opposite direction doing this to and fro a few times and the plug eventually was completely undone.

cheers guys, have the key, but like you say no room as the gear selector is in the way, can i undo that??

Mine is a four speed and although tight you can get the filler plug socket in with a small extension bar without having to remove any gear linkages. As an after thought maybe selecting a particular gear may give better access but unsure how much this moves the rod in order to do so.

TONYT25T25 wrote: ↑21 Aug 2020, 08:21 Mine is a four speed and although tight you can get the filler plug socket in with a small extension bar without having to remove any gear linkages. As an after thought maybe selecting a particular gear may give better access but unsure how much this moves the rod in order to do so.

Good idea, will give it a go...

 

Rather than having the socket ratchet hanging below the gearbox I did mine from above with the arm of the breaker bar pointing upwards and to the rear. This gave me enough space to put a small bar over the end to give me a bit of extra torque. As it's high you're pulling down on it too which is always easier.