Gearbox Oil

[shooie811]

i have jst fitted my 5 speed an the gearbox is empty with oil how an wer do i top it up ?

cheers chris.

[mantadoc]

With about a 17mm allen key

[Kevin Abbott]

It's a club secret, join and we will tell ya

[mantadoc]

It's a club secret, join and we will tell ya

Lol I bought a chevette in 1991 with some of those long chrome wheel nuts, used to grind three sides of one end of one. 16 wheel nuts kept me going for a very long time, although I kept misplacing them..........................

I would remove the drain plug and clean any filings out / drain any dregs first.

I seem to remember the standard oil listed is EP80 or 90 but check. I knoe there was a fancy synthetic or semi-synthetic oil for them GM did a mate tracked down like 12 or so years ago.

So if you have the bottles with the bendy tube end you hook it in the hole and squash the bottle to get as much in as poss, then do the same with the second bottle. As working up hill they will still be very full. Then poor one into the other, squash again, then shove the bottle up between the box and tunnel so it drains in while squashing it. Lather rinse repeart until oil comes out of the hole, and assuming the car is on the level as it should be wait till oil stops flowing out and put the plug in.

That's how I have done it. Not recommending it. Does save needing anything complex or getting in the car while dirty and smelling of hypoid.

[mickappy]

17mm hex key at the drivers side of box. 1.1 litres of oil or till it runs out of the plug hole.

simples............

[shooie811]

cheers

[Exclusive Opel]

I use a 17mm one of these with a ratchet to undo the filler plug, works a treat. Think it fits the drain plug as well.

Used to join studding together.

[Kevin Abbott]

That's the 17 mm hex you need to put the oil in, some people have taken the hex out and filled the box up by removing the centre console and gear gaiter and feeding a tube down into it

[Brown Job]

I would remove the drain plug and clean any filings out / drain any dregs first.

I seem to remember the standard oil listed is EP80 or 90 but check. I knoe there was a fancy synthetic or semi-synthetic oil for them GM did a mate tracked down like 12 or so years ago.

Noooo! Please, no! No use EP90! Or EP80! He no like!

I can't remember the number of it but there is a good, inexpensive replacement for the original GM stuff available from Comma, it is a semi-synthetic.

EP90/80 are too thick for these boxes and can cause premature failure. Can get the number of the Comma stuff for you by Monday, with luck. Don't have it with me where I am writing from.

BJ

[MANTAMAN]

You must really only use the genuine GM Getrag oil. should still be available through your Friendly (and probably clueless about the oil) Vauxhall dealer.

I got some ordered a couple of years ago,when they had just changed the part number of it, i've still got a bottle of it up the workshop and i'll get the part nmumber if i remember!

[Rick-Manta]

That's odd, I've even heard of people using ATF in manta manual boxes without problems. I've used a castrol gearbox oil in whatever EP equivalent it is, also with no problems.

[cam.in.head]

yeah ive read somewhere auto fluid is fine.it is a good quality gearbox oil after all.its also thinner than ep90 or 80 .have had it in my 4speed for years.

[Brown Job]

OOps! Sorry I forgot the Comma oil number. Will bring it soon. That special GM oil costs about £50/litre and I have used the Comma stuff for 11 years hard running in my Getrag box. Transmission specialist recommended it.

BJ

[lamchop77]

OOps! Sorry I forgot the Comma oil number. Will bring it soon. That special GM oil costs about £50/litre and I have used the Comma stuff for 11 years hard running in my Getrag box. Transmission specialist recommended it.

BJ

ATF is fine in the Getrag boxes, get the highest spec Dexron type you can. The gearbox guy i use told me that it is actually a higher spec than the original oil. I used it in the grasser box for 6/7 years with no probs at all.

Whatever you do don't put EP type oil in as it will bugger the box.

HTH

Chris

[Brown Job]

Got it at last.

The Comma oil is COMMA SX 75W-90.

I meant to say before that the Kluber oil that was OE spec is about £50/5 litres, I know it used to cost over £12/litre but have no idea what it costs now.

When I bought the Comma oil for my car, it was about £17/5 litres.

No experience of using red piddle (otherwise known as ATF) in these boxes. It was recommended for the Cav 2 we owned. Box was like a bag of spanners until we drained it off and replaced it with normal Hypoid for manual boxes. Box was never good on that car but was much improved by using the Hypoid.

BJ

[mantadoc]

No experience of using red piddle (otherwise known as ATF) in these boxes. It was recommended for the Cav 2 we owned. Box was like a bag of spanners until we drained it off and replaced it with normal Hypoid for manual boxes. Box was never good on that car but was much improved by using the Hypoid.

BJ

Kinda undermined your own argument for using the proper oil in the Getrag there haven't you?

I've always used 80/90 in mine in spite of knwiing there is a proper oil. never had changing issues or problems. I have stripped synchro off a second gear or two, but that's to be expected on red line valve bounce limited gear shifts, especially if you miss one

[lamchop77]

Kinda undermined your own argument for using the proper oil in the Getrag there haven't you?

I've always used 80/90 in mine in spite of knwiing there is a proper oil. never had changing issues or problems. I have stripped synchro off a second gear or two, but that's to be expected on red line valve bounce limited gear shifts, especially if you miss one

Right had a bit of a dig around for info on oils. Basically it looks as though you can get away with using ATF BUT it will not give the correct protection (GL5 additive) for the gears and over time can cause pitting on the box internals. It will however have reduced drive train losses!! Using a hypoid will tend to cause gear shifts to be harder, less slick (stipping syncros??????) and will also not have the right protective additives and will have greater drive train losses.

Both of the above will not give the gears the heat protection from the extreme pressures on the gears thats needed. Redline do higher specs and so will alot of others but i have used redline stuff and it is GOOOOOD. Lucas produce heavy duty gear/engine oils so they'll have something thats race spec.

BAsically it looks like its the same old thing......you gets what you pays for. I will cetainly now switch to something better and will be checking the grasser box for signs of wear.

Got my info from redline and OPIE oils online if your interested.

HTH

Chris

[mantadoc]

It's the rules and guidelines thing isn't it really.

The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long...........

Good, quick and cheap, you can only have two out of three (one out of three sometimes)

You use one oil, you get more power but it wears quicker, you use another and it lasts forever but you're slower to the end of the road.

My current box has 150k - 200k miles on it, there's 4 more on the shelf, one of which is a 1.8, really how long do I need each one to last? I haven't destroyed one in the last eleven years (notchey isn't broken it's tactile )

But as always, follow manufacturers instructions or you may invalidate your warranty......................

..............warranty LOL

[manta400john]

Last time I got gear oil for the Manta I got stuff for a 3-series BMW of about 1990 vintage which has a Getrag box. The stuff listed for this was ATF. Nice smooth change using this stuff. It was Valvoline- don't know the spec.

john.

[gt/e paul]

Hi,all i remember many (non manta experienced years ago) i asked a garage mate of mine to check/top up the oil on my first manta gearbox. he just presumed it was ep90 . .. after that the gearchange was notchy and horrible and i looked into it and sure enough was advised to only use the gm stuff that mantaman advises ( i wonder if you can still get it?)

Ive just nipped out to a very cold garage ,to check at the back of the cupboard ive got a very old tin of the stuff the gm part number on it is 90509856 followed by gr 04 581 1940704 not sure what these last lot of numbers mean but thought id include them as may be of use to someone.

I also used to use one of them studding 17mm nut thingys and even now still have it in the toolbox. ( shame i dont use it or the oil anymore since ive got auto.)

regards paul

[bendy]

I cut the threaded part of a 17mm wheel bolt, flatted the end of a peice of 25mm stell conduit pipe and welded the nut to it at a slight angle, great for them box plugs

so what grade etc is this GM oil? Im pretty sure i would just aim for something Getrag recomend when i come to fill mine up

[lamchop77]

I cut the threaded part of a 17mm wheel bolt, flatted the end of a peice of 25mm stell conduit pipe and welded the nut to it at a slight angle, great for them box plugs

so what grade etc is this GM oil? Im pretty sure i would just aim for something Getrag recomend when i come to fill mine up

The GM grade is the SX75w-90 synthetic as mentioned previously (you can tell what it is, red and smells of cat p****!!!!), its the GL5 spec thats important as thats the protective agent.

The tool i use is almost the same 10mm hex headed bolt head welded to a piece of conduit, works a treat.

Cheers

Chris

[Brown Job]

No-one else tried the Comma oil, then? Had mine in for 50,000 miles. Don't do red line gearshifts, though. Will have a look at the contanier label and see if it is to GL5 spec.

And speaking of "good, quick, cheap" in relation to tools for gearbox plug - I found a hexagonal cold chisel and sawed a lump off the end, use it in a ratchet drive 17 mm socket.

No, did not undermine my own argument about the Getrag box when talking about the old Cav 2 'box being refilled with Hypoy. That was one 'orrible cruncy notchy box and short of internal disintegration, not much would have made it worse. Getrag box for I fitted to Cav 1 came out of a Carlton and was of unknown previous fill. Some Molyslip added to the oil also improved it.

Of course, the Getrag fitted to the BMW 3-series (Manta400john) was "the same" as the Getrag used for the Manta/Carlton. I like Valovoline, it's damn' good stuff and much cheaper than the much-hyped "Classic" oils.

BJ

[Exclusive Opel]

I'm using the Comma oil. It is GL5 spec. Not had any problems with gear changes even at 6:30 AM yesterday morning with the car outside all night in the freezing cold to the hottest summer day. I think the 'box has done around 190k now. It's got to be better than original oil I drained out of it which was like treacle.

[Brown Job]

Hi,

Exclusive Opel beat me to it. COMMA SX 75W-90 is GL5 spec as he said, and is marked as "Synthetic Base" on the container.

BJ