DIY 2003 GT Transaxle Drain-N-Fill

[Namron]

DIY 2003 GT Transaxle Drain-N-FillI’m not a mechanic, haven’t played one on TV or ever stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. So use this information at your own risk.After reading the service manual (no reference to my 6 speed transaxle???), owners manual, and reading on the forum I decided to tackle a Transaxle Drain-N-Fill on my 2003 GT. The owner’s manual said the GT Transaxle would hold 2.4 quarts of 75W-90 oil. NOTE automatic Transmissions call for a different oil T-IVForum References (subject: DIY trans fluid/filter change) http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=19110Here are the steps I followed:1. Purchased 3 quarts of Mobil1 Synthetic 75W-90 oil. The synthetic is about $8.25 a quart, but I figure like with engine oil I should be able to go a little longer on the next change if needed.2. Removed the Filler check bolt. This is where the green hose is going in the Transaxle.3. Removed the Drain bolt AND QUICKLY collected the old oil. I cut an ‘L’ shaped chuck out of a 16oz bottle to help direct the used oil.In retrospect I might have been better to remove this bolt first and slowly cracked open the Filler Check Bolt. This way it would not drain in a mad rush.4. After the old finished draining I replaces the Drain Bolt.5. I transferred all the used remaining to a 2 liter (2.1 quarts) and will dispose of it at the parts store.6. Insert a ½” diameter hose (24” long would be good) in the Filler Check hole. The ½” fits just enough to not all out and still allow air to escape as oil enters.7. Since I’ve had the Vibe up on car ramps I only added two full quarts.8. Now with the Vibe on a level surface I checked the fluid level. The owner’s manual says it should be even with the threads of the Filler Check Bolt. I removed the Filler Check bolt, reinserted the hose and SLOWLY filled until oil run out. This should get it to the right level.9. Replace the Filler Check bolt.Hopefully someone finds this helpful, I’m attaching Pictures for referenceNamron

[Namron]

Top View filling Transaxle

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[Namron]

Top View filling Transaxle - CloseUp

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[Namron]

Bottom View filling Transaxle

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[Namron]

Bottom View Transaxle Drain Bolt

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[DavidPIL]

Hi Namron,This is an important service for the GT tranny but when it gets cold, you're not going to like that Mobil 1 Oil.I changed out my Tranny oil within 3 months of getting my Vibe in '03. Changed it to the Mobil 1 stuff you can get at Auto Zone. When Winter came in, I found it almost impossible to shift into 1st or 2nd or reverse without a bit of effort. This did go away once the tranny warmed up but it was still a pain, causing me to grind gears a lot.I believe it was the following Spring I replaced the Mobil 1 with Redline MT90. The shifting was MUCH smoother than the Mobil 1. The next Winter, I had very little trouble with shifting in cold and now this Winter (a few days below freezing so far) it's still shifting fine, though I did put in an order for 3 more bottles.If you have any problem with cold shifting, consider the Redline MT90 Oil. I ordered mine locally the first time but this last time was from morethantires.com. It was well worth the change.Dave

[Namron]

Hi DavidPIL,Thanks for the information. At first driving, (when it was warm) I was VERY happy with the shifting, it seemed to slip in to gear 2X as good as before. But when it got cold, down in the teens on Thanksgiving, I noticed I had a problem shifting into 1 and 2. I thought this was due to the cold and not particually to the Mobile1. The Vibe is new to me, and did not drive it in such cold with the orginal oil.Well now I'm disappointed that I've spent $25 and found oil I used is not good at cold temps. Thanks,Namron

[DavidPIL]

Hey Namron,Sorry about that. Ya know, I did the same thing and I got the Mobil 1 stuff despite advice against it from here and the other Toyota websites. I would get the Mobil 1 stuff out of there as soon as possible. I do recommend the Redline MT90 stuff for it's been great in my tranny. Very little difference between sub-freezing and warm weather shifting. Well, a little difference but it's still tons better than the OEM fluid and definitely better than Mobil 1. The MT90 stuff is what you should get from Redline though they have several weights and types. You'll probably have to order it from online. As I believe I had mentioned before, I got my second batch from morethantires.com. Decent price and being that they're in PA and you're closer to there, shipping shouldn't take to long. Dave

[Namron]

I just got off the phone with Valvoline and they suggested pumping the clutch a couple of time when this happens. If double pumping fixes the problem then it might be a problem with the clutch fluid. I'm not holding out much hope in this.I plan on trying their method end of this week when it gets cold, at least to try what they said. But in either case double pumping the clutch seems a little over kill. So I'm thinkiing it will be coming out soon.I wish I did more reading on the Tranny Fluid. I used Mobile1 based on suggestions here for the Engine Oil and just thought it would be a good solution for the Tranny too.Hopefully the pic will still help someone, but at this point the verdict is not looking good for the Mobil1 for Tranny fluid.Namron

[Mase]

Good write up. Since the tranny takes only 2.4 quarts, I usually flush it out with a little less than 0.5 quart of fresh oil after draining it. I found that there's usually a bit of crud that sits on the bottom of the case even after draining it.

[Namron]

Hi Dave,I've been doing some reading the the redline products, and further reading on the forum. Why are you recommending MT-90 over the 75W140NS? The 75W140NS is GL-5 rated and the MT-90 is GL-4. Maybe 75W140NS was not available when you made your decision?See http://www.redlineoil.com/prod...ID=18Thanks again,Namron

[DavidPIL]

Hi Namron,The 75W140NS is the wrong weight. The Vibes need 75W90 weight. The MT 90 is 75W90 weight and is recommended for Nissan and Toyota and other imports. The Vibe is basically a Toyota anyway. I read an early post where people were trying the 75W90NS, not the MT90 stuff. never heard any feedback on it. I don't have the thread and it might have actually been on a celica site but they were commenting that the GL-5 stuff has too much additives that can screw up the synchros. I decided on the MT90 after much research several years ago. I've had no problems with this oil at all. Check out the Matrix websites and even Celica ones and see what they have said.http://www.matrixowners.com/http://www. ... ca.org/P.S. I have an extra quart from my recent change, if ya want it.Dave

[Namron]

Opps I ment 75W90 NS (cut-n-paste error), So does that make my question any different?

[Namron]

Well I call redline, and got an answer.The reason why the Mobile1 did not work and why Dave (at RedLine) would not recommend the Redline 75W90 NS is because of a Friction Modifier additive.He would however recommend 1 qt of the MT-90 and 1.2 (or so) of MTL. This is because the GM part # is actuall calling for 75W85 GL-4. using a mix of MT-90 (75W90) and MTL (70W80) would in his opinion achive the 75W85 ratio.Having said all that, I'm planning on try the straight MT-90. Namron