How to change trans oil in a miata.

"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes) 01/30/2014 at 22:53 • Filed to: None

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If you own a auto. punch yourself in the nuts. Put the car up on stands and make sure its level or you wont have the right amount of oil in trans. take off battery ground. Or not I just think its funny every step in a repair manual wants you to do this.

if you follow this as an actual guide rather than some tips I learned and quickly typed up and are thinking of suing me cuz your transmission is nuked have this nice looking miata that is way too low.

1. Look at that stupid square steel plug that is overly tightened rusted into the aluminum trans

2. Curse

3. try to remove it with a crescent wrench despite your hesitation of using a crescent wreench on such a thing.

4. dont think about draining the oil out before you can get the plug out to put the oil back in.

5. buy synth 75w90 gear oil. Ignore all the forum nerds who say you need to buy redline or this or that. ITS OIL FOR A TRANSMISSION.

6. keep trying to remove the plug and give up and try using vice grips after rounding off that plug of satan.

7. round it off more but stop before it is totally destroyed.

8.lay under car thinking about what you are going to do next curse yourself and every decision the mazda nerds made to put that stupid thing in there and overtighten it.

9. in a bit of a epihany whilst laying under the car dodging the dripping lube you sprayed on the fill plug you think about using heat.

10. bust out the heat gun and heat up the metal around the plug on the trans for a few minutes. PRAY TO YOUR GOD WEAK LITTLE MISERABLE HUMAN BOY!!!

11. Attack bolt again with apprehension and ever delicate feelings of optimism but mostly vise grips and a big pipe for leverage.

11. HOLY CRAP ITS ACTUALLY TURNING I THINK.

12. I think I just saw the bolt turn. NO IT TURNED IT DEFINITLEY TURNED!!!!

13. Success remove fill plug. Take a deep breath let the stress and tension in your neck and behind you eyeballs flow out and fall away.

14. Take off drain plug drain oil into pan

15. clean off magnets. put drain plug back int CRUCIAL STEP.

16. put the end of the pump you bought BUY ONE! into the fill hole. pump 2 quarts of oil into trans or until it starts streaming out the hole.

17. put in fill plug. and maybe put antizeize on it before putting it in there and dont overtighten.

18. do the obvious to get car back on ground and test drive your slick shifting trans with fresh oil.

Bad Idea Hat > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 22:56

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Frank, are you okay?

vdub_nut: scooter snob > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 22:59

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The real steps to drain and replace engine fluid on anything ever always:

Step one: buy fluid

Step two: remove FILL PLUG

Step three: now remove drain plug

Step four: when you realize how much of a pain in the ass it was to remove the port where new fluid goes back in, thank me for recommending you do this first

Step five: Praise (entity) that you didn't drain the trans/diff/engine oil/what-fucking-ever without an appropriate hole through which to refill it

Step six: replace drain plug, fill through fill hole, replace fill-hole-cover

Singhjr96 > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:00

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Or get a cvt that requires a change every 100,000 miles, and have to deal with this less often. Most people sell a car way before that 100,000 mile mark anyways.

Frank Grimes > vdub_nut: scooter snob 01/30/2014 at 23:01

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yes this is truth. I thought I made this clear.

Frank Grimes > Singhjr96 01/30/2014 at 23:01

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Whats a CVT? I know what it is but refuse to believe it and that they exist.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:03

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Sometimes I go full retard.

100% of those times, I'm posting on oppo simultaneously.

I mean... Just reiterating it for the plebs.

Singhjr96 > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:06

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Continuously variable transmissions are pretty good for your average person who wants a good daily driver car, and does't want or know how to drive a stick.

RotaryLover > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:09

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But...Redline oil makes it shift so effortlessly...so smooth...so sexy...

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:09

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Actually you should try redline synthetic. I run it in my 03 and it makes a huge difference. Way better than anything else.

Birddog > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:15

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"5. buy synth 75w90 gear oil."

I haven't seen a trans that requires that since I was a kid!

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:19

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Frank Grimes > vdub_nut: scooter snob 01/30/2014 at 23:23

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Good because this was an important tip that maybe I didnt really emphasize enough and I am glad you got my back on getting this out there.

Frank Grimes > Bad Idea Hat 01/30/2014 at 23:24

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no. and its okay. girls like me and I have a miata so I have fun driving.

PlayerWAN > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:29

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You actually DO NOT need the pump. In fact the pump is actually fucking useless for that. It's much easier (and highly recommended) to get 5-6ft of clear small hose that fits in the fill gap, then snake it around the engine and just use a funnel right from the comfort of the engine bay. Gravity baby!!

I bought a pump and ended up throwing it the fuck away because of how useless it was. Yes, I'm still mad at it.

Frank Grimes > PlayerWAN 01/30/2014 at 23:33

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Mine worked brilliantly! It had this clip thing that held it into the transmission fill hole so I just laid there and pumped the gear oil into the trans. I have done it before where I had to get a bottle up and sideways awkwardly filling the transmission.

Snacktastic Part III: the Return of the Spatula > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:40

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Can you share a comment here from groupthink? I think you guys might be more helpful answering this than I am.

http://groupthink.jezebel.com/does-anybody-h…

Frank Grimes > Snacktastic Part III: the Return of the Spatula 01/30/2014 at 23:46

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So you want me to respond with how much I think it would cost to fix that guys car?

PlayerWAN > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:46

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Yeah, that pisses me off so much. Especially since there's not much space underneath the miata, even when jacked up a bunch. Diff oil change comes to mind...

Frank Grimes > PlayerWAN 01/30/2014 at 23:47

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hmmm after the shift oil the diff is next.

The Transporter > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:48

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I doubt that anyone with an auto Miata has any testicles worth speaking of.

Snacktastic Part III: the Return of the Spatula > Frank Grimes 01/30/2014 at 23:50

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Yeah, I think she needs some advice. I think she's not sure if she'll get ripped off but doesn't know how much it would really cost.

Stef Schrader > Singhjr96 01/31/2014 at 00:51

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Mine requires servicing every 30K, IIRC. I think that's on the "severe" maintenance schedule, but that's the one I follow since I drive the snot out of that poor car.

One of the many, many reasons why I want a cheapo manual beater is because that CVT service sucks. It's a very complicated, breakable thing in a daily driver. I can't use a hammer of enormous size to deal with it. Not touchin' it.

It's a stupid expensive thing to have serviced, too. Like $180 every time, and it's about time for another one, ugh. That's enough for a trackday weekend or a month of track dues, bro. I could replace my flat-spotted tire for more trackdays, bro. Bro. Bro. BROOOOOO.

(Sorry, it's a Miata post and I have to...even though I'm talking about the Lulzcer.)

Stef Schrader > The Transporter 01/31/2014 at 00:53

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Some things just shouldn't be automatic: toilets and Miatas.

Singhjr96 > Stef Schrader 01/31/2014 at 00:58

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Wait need background. What do you drive?

Stef Schrader > Singhjr96 01/31/2014 at 01:34

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'10 Lancer GTS.

Singhjr96 > Stef Schrader 01/31/2014 at 01:49

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IIRC, for "normal" driving, they recommend changing it at 60K for the lancer. So yeah 30k seems about right for severe driving. But that is quite low, and I'm surprised by that. Subarus, recommend at 100k for standard driving. Nissan is at 60,000Kish I think but that is way under estimated as far as I know because many mechanics won't even recommend touching it till 100k for normal driving(my friend has an nissan). it's around $500 dollars for my accord every time though, which is at 60k for severe driving I believe. I think cvt's just have gotten better over time. but I will admit they are very had to maintain.

Stef Schrader > Singhjr96 01/31/2014 at 01:59

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Yep. All of that, agreed 10000%.

I need a transmission I can hit with a hammer.

Singhjr96 > Stef Schrader 01/31/2014 at 02:09

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Personally I like trannys that you can hit with hammers.<- lol But there are some tradeoffs for cvts. They'll NEVER match manuals in terms of fun.

Squid > Frank Grimes 01/31/2014 at 02:10

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Did you at least put GL-4 fluid in? There are quite a few people that report dificult shifts when they used the GL-5 stuff. The friction modifiers used in the GL-5 fluid make it too slippery for the syncros to grab each other. Your Miata, so you can do what ever you damn well please but don't act surprised if you get shitty shifts. Your next project should be to rebuild the shifter turret and refresh the fluid in there as well.

DarrenMR > Frank Grimes 01/31/2014 at 09:04

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8.lay under car thinking about what you are going to do next curse yourself and every decision the mazda nerds made to put that stupid thing in there and overtighten it.

This is also an important step in changing the starter motor, putting on coilovers, removing the diff, changing any bushing. Plus I disagree with your oil choice. Redline or nothing for me.

DarrenMR > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 01/31/2014 at 09:10

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Its what I use in my 90 as well.

Frank Grimes > DarrenMR 01/31/2014 at 12:20

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Why do you disagree? is redline better than mobil 1 synth?

Frank Grimes > Squid 01/31/2014 at 12:23

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yeah thats next. It seems to shift better but it has only been a day. I used GL5 Mobil 1 synth stuff. There are so many people saying to use motorcraft use redline use this use that but how the heck are you supposed to believe anyone when it is all anecdotal?

Squid > Frank Grimes 01/31/2014 at 13:04

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I understand that it is all anecdotal evidence, but I looked at it like this; I'd rather not have to flush my tranny twice and learn first hand the issues of GL-5 fluid when GL-4 presents no risk to the yellow metal of the syncros. For the diff it really doesn't matter what brand you use but I figured it was worth it to source out the GL-4 fluid for the tranny.

Report back after you get about 500-1000 miles on that fluid with some good heat cycles, I'm curious of your findings. I do think it is probably a waste to use the motorcraft stuff unless you don't want to have to change your tranny fluid again.

Frank Grimes > Squid 01/31/2014 at 20:14

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well hear is a extensive test which I dont totally understand but I paid attention to the copper test they do which is supposed to replicate the oil effect on the wearing or whatever of the metals I guess mobil 1 75w90 took second best.

http://www.oilteksolutions.com/GearLubeWhiteP…

DarrenMR > Frank Grimes 01/31/2014 at 22:11

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Maybe disagree was the wrong word. I cant tell you if its "better" I have no science to back up what I said. But I can tell you that Redline is very good. It made my shifts feel much nicer and it quited some of the noise my transmission makes.