nka Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Oh cool! My driveway is still in sand and rock for now, so that's ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeper8406 Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Great writeup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustangendsley Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 you will need a washer for the trany plug. go to subaru and get one. they are ~ 50 cents each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzed Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 you will need a washer for the trany plug. go to subaru and get one. they are ~ 50 cents each. $2.50 as of yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzed Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I did this yesterday on my 2006 2.5i w/5MT, with 67,500 miles on the Odo. Here are some notes from my experience. Finding the T70 took three trips to various stores. Both Salvo's and Pep Boys only carried up to T60, at $7.00 each. Advance had the T70, $3.99. I put the car on jack-stands and made sure it was level, and then checked the level in the tranny. It was dead on the full mark. Surprisingly, I actually broke my ratchet trying to get the front drain plug out. I had an 18" piece of metal pipe over the handle for more torque, and the 3/8" nub of the ratchet actually broke off into the 2" extension I was using. Ratchet #2 worked just fine, the plug came out and the fluid drained pretty straight down into the collection pan. The fluid looked pretty darn good as it drained (but stinks). Took about 15 minutes for the drain to slow down to a very slow drip. Cleaned a very minimal amount of metallic sludge from the magnetic drain plug, and installed it with a new washer. Filled through the dipstick hole with Mobil 1 75-90LS. Capacity is supposed to be 3.7 US quarts. Put in 3.5 quarts, checked the level, and (CRAP!) it was a little over the full mark already, by about 3/16". Moved to the rear. Neither of the rear bolts were a problem to get to using just the 3/8" ratchet with a 1/2" converter extension. Removed the top fill-level bolt first. This was a bear to get loose. PB Blaster, then hitting the ratchet with a 7 lb. maul about a dozen times finally unfroze it. A small amount of oil began leaking out already after removing that plug. Next, removed the drain plug using the same method, and that was marginally easier. Again, the draining oil looked pretty clean. This magnetic plug did have a bit more sludge on it though. Replaced the drain bolt and tightened to about 60 lb. ft. (more than recommended because I didn't use any lock-tite) . Tried to squirt the new fluid in with just the bottle, there's no way that's happening - got to use a pump. This capacity is supposed to be .8 quarts and I'd say that's what it took. Hurried to put the top plug in with some still leaking out so it was like it was when I removed it, torqued it like the lower one. Lowered the car and went back and checked the level in the front, still overfull by about 3/16". Cleaned up, went for a ride, didn't notice any difference at all (but I also had no problems). Let the car cool off over night and checked the level in the front again this morning, still 3/16" over the full mark. I've decided not to worry about it. I guess I would expect to maybe see some difference in the very cold winter when the synthetic maybe flows better than the original dino oil, we'll see. Overall, I feel good about having done the job, but I really don't think it needed to be done. I drive my car pretty "normally", so I'm not all that hard on the gearbox. Based on what I saw, I'm thinking I might not need to do this again for another 100K. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I can't decide. Pennzoil or Valvoline? Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeTrout Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I just did this as part of the 60k on the OBXT. This time, I used the Extra-S oil. With the spec.B 6MT, the Extra-S made no difference. With the 5MT, it made a huge difference. Very noticeable, shifts like butter now with better feel. Lovin' it. I also had to deal with a difficult rear diff top bolt. Some WD40 soaking in for a few minuted did the trick. I also noticed a full teaspoon of metal sludge on the magnetic drain bolt for the trans. Makes me wonder if they cleaned it off at the 30k. Ich bin echt viel netter, wenn ich nuechtern bin. Echt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Well, I started digging around on my own for some opinions on diff oils and I came across this test http://www.modernoils.com/g2457GearOilWhitePaper.pdf If you don't care to look at each and every test, then scroll down to page 19 and there will be the ranking and total overall score for each gear oil. It looks like Mobil 1 75w90 scores higher than both Pennzoil and Valvoline. Given that I can't seem to find the full synthetic Valvoline at any Advance or Autozone around this crappy town, I may be going with Mobil 1 instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Ended up going with AMSOIL severe gear 75w90 because I found it at a dealer locally and it was the same price as Valvoline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeper8406 Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I just did this yesterday, I used Extra-S as my fluid of choice for the gearbox and diff. Overall this was a pretty easy job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Oh jeez, after having purchased ALL supplies to do this over the week-end, upon reviewing some past shop receipts, I found one and already changed the diff fluid 40K miles ago with synthetic. No wonder the dipstick looks clean. Oh well, I will be changing it again anyways since I got everything and probably won't touch it for another 40-50K miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeTrout Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 There's certainly no downside to changing it earlier than the base schedule. I change it every 30k because I drive the car hard. Really, if you drive enthusiastically, you should be using the severe duty fluid change intervals. Ich bin echt viel netter, wenn ich nuechtern bin. Echt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I figured since the diffs are seeing an increase in load due to the car being modded, it can't hurt. I forget what the factory interval is, 60K? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Finally changed my diff fluids today. Here's my experience and how I did it. First off, I screwed up on the type of rear diff. I thought it was a VA1, but it was a VA2 which, incidentally, is a LOT easier to work on. Both VA2 diff bolts are on the same side, the right side (if you were sitting in the car). Both bolts use a 10mm Hex key and they have crush washers that are a wee bit narrower than your typical oil drain washers. I had to reuse mine and they still gave to me twisting them so I'm sure they won't drip. As most of you know, the front diff on the 5EAT does not share the fluid with the tranny. It's listed as taking 1.5-1.6 quarts. Mine took exactly 1.4 to bring it dead on to the full line. I will recheck tomorrow, the level may have gone down a bit after operation. The drain bolt on the front diff for the 5EAT is actually facing the right side (if you were sitting in the car). It takes the same T70 tool as the manual diff. I lifted the left side of the car and actually lifted the rear left side of the car higher. That way I figured I'd facilitate draining the very last drop. After I drained the fluid and installed the bolt, I dropped the car and refilled up to level For the rear diff, I actually did not lift the car up at all I managed to squeeze in there, unbolted the fill bolt first, followed by the drain bolt. The diff took just about 0.8quarts, just like indicated in the manual. A note on my magnetic plugs ... they were caked with crap that was as thick as toothpaste I HOPE they were not cleaned when the fluid was drained back 3 years ago at 34K miles (I am now at 73K miles) so the crap that was on there, I am hoping, built up since day one. How much crap was on the bolts? Well, between the two of them, probably half the amount of toothpaste you'd put on your brush, so a decent amount. I didn't like seeing that at all. Thick as toothpaste, a dark silver color. Any thoughts on this? That's about it. It definitely helps having a good pump for the rear diff and a funnel for the front. Later edit: how does a failing rear diff sound? I ask because I've been having what I thought a noisy rear left wheel bearing, but after draining the fluid it seems to have quieted down a bit. I don't assume the diff fluid is shared with the bearings, right? The noise is most prevalent between 38 and 42mph. It comes on at 34mph and above 45mph it almost completely goes away. It does not change in pitch or sound if I put weight on the car left or right (turning) and best I can describe the type of noise is basically a cyclical vooo-vooo-vooo. I think it's just me, placebo. A failing diff should grind, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Fish - The noise you describe sounds, to me, alot more like a tire specific noise. Try rotating and see if the noise moves or changes. Also, I wouldn't worry much about the toothpaste. The diffs shed a bit of metal over time....unless they break, it's extremely unlikely that they are shedding enough material to fail when you are running the correct fluid. So basically, metal build up is not much to worry about with the diffs (which are by no means relying upon ultra-thin tolerances to catch each other). Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeTrout Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 fish - I'll second Joe on the metal sludge. Don't worry about it. I had more than that on mine, and I had more than a teaspoon of it on the OBXT when I changed the tranny oil. It's a normal part of the wear process. Ich bin echt viel netter, wenn ich nuechtern bin. Echt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 What should I use to rinse out the fluid pump and funnel? I'd like to use them for other fluids, such as ATF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzed Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 What should I use to rinse out the fluid pump and funnel? I'd like to use them for other fluids, such as ATF. I just wiped my pump out clean with shop towels, and then pulled the hose off and let it drain for a few minutes. Then I put the whole thing back in the box so it wouldn't collect any dust, with the hose in a vertical position and a towel under it so it could continue to drain indefinitely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeper8406 Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I bought a cheap one...so I disposed of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 Hey Fish, I wouldn't worry about contaminated pumps/hoses when you are staying within the same "class" of fluids. ATF/GearLube/MTF/Motor Oil. I just wouldn't want to swap with brake fluid or coolant Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spect2k Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Has anyone figured out exactly what size those rear diff bolts are. I see that a 1/2" ratchet CAN work, but Id really rather use the exact tool....Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nka Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 It CAN work and it fit just exactly in, So I guess it would be a 1/2 square thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black318i Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Not sure why there is so much confusion on this. It's a 1/2" drive. Many manufacturers have been using this on diffs and MT's for decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spect2k Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 ^^ Sounds good. I've always been taught to always use the right tools, or stop the job until you get the right tool. Since it sounds like it is, I'm feeling good. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Hey Fish, I wouldn't worry about contaminated pumps/hoses when you are staying within the same "class" of fluids. ATF/GearLube/MTF/Motor Oil. I just wouldn't want to swap with brake fluid or coolant Joe Good to know, awesome I guess I'll just do my best at wiping everything down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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