[lawrencedesigns]

I am feeling a little sheepish asking this one, but here goes:
What is the proper/easiest way to re-fill the gearbox on a spyder?
Now that I have decided on Redline MTL, is there an easy way to fill it?
...Guess I really need to find a service/owners manual on this car..

Thanks,
Keeth Lawrence
84 Spyder

 

[Paradiso]

Keeth:
This may be a bit tricky without a picture, but here goes:
First get the tranny hot (I tried talkin dirty, but found that a good 10 mile drive worked better)
Get the car up on 4 jack stands ( I know its pain in the ***, but its really the right way, unless you have a lift) You want the car as close to level as you can get it.
Find and open the drain plug. As I recall its toward the back of the tranny at the very bottom. (you do have a drain pan under there with you, don't you?) Just like an engine oil change, give it time to really drip out.
The filler plug is on the driver's side about half way back and halfway up the side of the tranny. (It might help the draining if you opened the fill plug before opening the drain plug)

Now comes the fun part, getting 2 qts of really thick oil to flow into the filler hole. ( Oh yeah, put the drain plug back in!!) I did it from above (through the engine compartment) using a length of plastic tubing and a funnel. I had the benefit of my 14 yr old under the car holding the end of the tubing in the filler hole. Not too bad, a bit booooorrrrring waiting for it to drain.
This month's Alfa Owner had a short article by someone who made a pump gizmo to pump the oil in using a small air pump, a juice bottle and some tubing. I wouldn't begin to try to describe it.

When oil starts dribbling back out the fill hole, you're done. Screw the filler plug back in and get the car back on the ground.

If the car was leaning backwards when you did the filling, you will have overfilled the tranny and will now spend the next month smelling the excess burning off as it drips out onto a hot transmission. Ask me how I know!!! ( get it up in the air level)

Lastly, I don't think that MTL is the right choice. I used redline 75/90NS after asking around a lot ( including emailing redline). I am very happy with it in my gear box.

Good luck

John

 

[lawrencedesigns]

Thanks John.
Sounds like what I expected. I was hoping there was an easy way to fill...(like thru the top/gear lever)
I have researched the Red Line issue. Yhought mtl was the way to go... Caribou seems to think so also..
But...I am open to suggestions..

..Keeth
84 spyder veloce

 

[magista]

I just went through this proceedure on Sunday w/ my Berlina.

When I opened the drain about one 1/3rd of a quart of grey sludge came out. This was not good.

Anyhoo...you can spray some brake cleaner up there to wash out the left over gritty goo oil. Getting the oil in is annoying to say the least. Stick with it because you'll eventually get there.

Be sure to clean of the metal filings off the drain plug (it's magnetic).

I would highly recommend using Spirax HD 80/90W gear oil.

The whole process if fairly easy but getting the oil in is a chore.

Have fun...

 

[papajam]

Just a little tip I learned the hard, expensive way. Make sure you can loosen the fill plug BEFORE draining the oil. Had to R&R the trans to drill out the fill plug after all the flats had rounded off.

 

[144]

A GREAT reason to put anti-sieze compound on any steel fastener going into aluminum.

Papajam - Why didn't you just add the correct amount through the shift lever tower and save the fill plug repair for the next overhaul or engine extraction?

 

[papajam]

It was a customers car. Ouch!

 

[il_formaggio]

Gear Oil

I've used Vick Auto's own branded gear oil in the gearbox and differential. Had great success with it's performance so far. Although, the Spirax would be my first choice if I could get it.

I used a large plastic syringe with a 6 inch hose to fill the gearbox and differential.

Gary Cerasoli
'86 Veloce
'01 Dakota
Jackson, GA

 

[Paradiso]

Recently posted on the Alfa Digest: Shell Distributor lookup
Find a Spirax distributor near you!

 

[Favali]

A trip to the local auto parts store to buy a $25 canister pump designed with this process in mind. Has a 24" length of 1/2" clear tube and holds about 1/2 quart. Suck it up ... pump it in.
You can do from under if the car is on a rack or from above with a longer length of tube. Like a big metal syringe .... no runs drips or errors ... provided the tube stays in the filler hole!

 

[rbitzer]

Adding Gearbox Oil

I have a small hand-pump that I got from Pep Boys years ago and it works great for pumping the gear oil into that hard-to-reach filler hole. Just put one hose in your gear oil, one hose in the filler hole and pump it in there!

The pump is small, basically all plastic and dissasembles for easy cleaning. It's a red-orange color and I think you can get it at auto parts stores for about $10-15.

-Rob Bitzer
91 Spider AbNormale
Freehold, NJ

 

[67GTV]

A pump like this?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37739

 

[artart]

outboard motor lower end pump?

Could you use a small pump designed for use in adding lower unit oil to an outboard? Same viscosity fluid (I think) I have one of these and would probably just have to add the required tubing to get to the add port... About a $5 purchase at Wally World

 

[rbitzer]

Thats it!

That's the one...good little pump. Pumps air, oil, water, whatever you want. You probably don't want to use it for fluids that aren't forgiving to contamination or are corrosive like brake fluid though.

-Rob

 

[CarPoor]

I bought a gallon of generic lube oil from Schuck's or Al's or something...it came with a nice pump in the bottle. I threw away the junky 90 wt., bought a fiver of Spirax, now it's a breeze to fill a tranny or diff. The pump nozzle even has a plastic barb on it to keep it in the hole until you're finished. (Minds out of the gutter, kids.)

 

[pgcooldad]

I need to change my gear oil soon so while under the Spider in order to work on the speedo cable, I saw that the drain plugs are Allen wrench type.

Does anyone know what size Allen wrench these are?

Thanks
Paul

 

[Paradiso]

Paul:
99% sure its 12MM

John

 

[rbitzer]

Paradiso is right, but I think thats for the fill plug....the drain plug requires a regular 20-something MM socket I think. Anyway, just remember the one with the magnet is the drain plug!

 

[67GTV]

Actually I believe the fill plug takes a 14mm hex-key (allen). At least on my GTV's tranny.

 

[144]

Both my transmissions have hex plugs - 17mm. CAUTION, if you have hex plugs, DO NOT use a 12 point socket, use a 6 point socket. That way you won't round the edges off the plug if it's hard to get out. In fact, never use a 12 point socket on anything thats really tight or made of soft steel.

On the fill plugs on the differential, it's a 12mm, although a 1/2" hex wrench fits nearly perfectly also, and may be easier to find.