Gearbox and Diff Fluid Requirements

Started by Polyal, August 05, 2012, 08:10:20 PM

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Polyal

Can anyone please tell me how much oil the gearbox and diff take? Ive got a few books but I cant seem to find it stated anywhere.

Also what weights and brands are people using? Im hoping it sorts my 2nd gear issue a bit, although I doubt it will be the golden bullet.

Lastly, any tips for doing the gearbox? I see the fill plug is higher up (of course)..do I need a little hand pump or something similar?

Cheers

Allan

colcol

Usually you fill up the gearbox and the diff through the filler hole until its level with the bottom of the filler hole or most likely until it runs all over you, you can fill it up by using a little pump you can attach to the top of the oil container, make sure its the right thread, or you can use oil gun, with a bit of hose on the end, it looks like a grease gun, and you dip it into the oil bottle suck up all the oil, by pulling the handle back, then put the hose in the gearbox\diff filler hole and pump the oil in by pushing the handle, i purchsed mine from Repco about 1975, think they still sell them, mineral oil is thicker and harder to pump, synthetic oil is thinner and easier to pump, and the synthetic will help your 2nd gear synchro problem, but won't cure it, Colin.
1974 VW Passat [ist car] 1984 Alfa 33TI [daily driver] 2002 Alfa 156 JTS [daily driver]

Colin Byrne

Gearbox Takes 1.8 L and the diff takes 1.4L,  On Vin Sharps advice I have used Redline light weight shock proof gear oil in my new close ratio gearbox and have found it gives excellent results in all conditions(and as a bonus it doesn't have that horrible smell!), very expensive though at around $100 to fill the box.  On the rear I use a standard Penrite diff oil.

Both are a pain in the ass to fill.  I've attached a pic of my current setup for the diff, using a cheap pump driven by a cordless drill I just pump diff oil into the filler plug until it over flows.

Similarly the gearbox is just as bad.  The same method could be used but now I just pull the shifter off and pour it in though the top.  If your filling it up from empty it's easy to just measure the amount that your putting in, if your just toping the oil up it is a bit trickier.  In tassie during Targa  are service crewman, Damo, crawled under the car and undid the filler plug, I then poured new oil in from the top, when I heard blood curdling screams that could only come from a human being burnt by super heated oil I stopped pouring...
72' 105 2000 GTV Red (tarmac rally/race car)
74' 105 2000 GTV Blue (road car)
68' 105 1600 Giulia Super White (Not sure yet)
01' Nissan Pathfinder (Tow car/Alfa support vehicle)

Polyal

Thanks col and col!

Yes it doesnt look like fun but it has to be done. I might inquire about a hand pump as I dont have the drill-pump thing colin does, but its an ace idea.

Ill be doing a full refill so Ill have a look at taking the lever off, I like the sound of that. Ill go for a 10 minute drive and that should "heat" it enough I think/hope.

Thanks alot, Ill let you know how it goes. I sourced some oil from the alfaholics site but I might need more going by your quantities.


colcol

The first time i filled the gearbox, i didn't know about pumps and oil guns, so i got the required amount of oil in a oil tin, [oil used to be sold in metal tins], soldered a nipple onto the oil cap, a long 3 metre hose, into the gearbox, hung the tin on the open bonnet, let gravity take its time, and 4 hours later the gearbox oil was changed, that was in 1975, Colin.
1974 VW Passat [ist car] 1984 Alfa 33TI [daily driver] 2002 Alfa 156 JTS [daily driver]