Change 5-speed Tranny Fluid?

SN95Oh

New Member
Oct 7, 2003
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Oklahoma
I have a question, lately I have been noticing my transmission howling a bit... Kind of freaks me out... What does this sound like to you?
And should you ever change/add fluid to a standard tranny? If so, how do you go about doing this? :shrug:
 
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Can't help you with the howling noise sorry. But I can tell you how to changer your fluid get under the car and find the tranny there will be a plug that says drain( I think ) remove the plug and let it drain then reinstall and above that plug you will see the fill plug you will need a suction gun to well suck out the tranny fluid from the bottle and put it in the tranny.
 
i will add that it is a good idea to first remove the "fill" plug - if you drain the fluid and cant get the top plug out, you gotta jump through some hoops.

you can check the fluid level. remove the filler, and stick your finger in the hole and down a little. if your finger goes into a pool of oil, you are probably alright.

i highly recommend a good synthetic ATF. i use Redline D4, but Amsoil, RP, etc are all very good (ill probably go with Amsoil next time, but i can get D4 in town, so i used it last time).

DO NOT USE GEAR OIL.

sorry 'bout that, but it's important. good luck.
 
Yep, very important. Gear oil is nasty/smelly anyway. Who needs it?

Might as well change it and see what happens. I put regular dextron/mercon V in mine.

You might want to get the synthetic. Hopefully it helps. But if the whining persists, you will need a rebuild.

The drain/fill plugs are on the passenger side of the transmission. Stick a 1/2" ratchet w/ extension in the plug to turn it (i.e. the plug doesn't have a standard hex head, it's a female square). The top bolt is the fill plug, and the bottom is the drain plug.

Buy one of the funnels with a plastic hose attached to it. Then get a 1-2 ft length hose that will squeeze inside the plastic hose (Both at autozone & cheap). Now you have a means of filling the transmission without a pump. It's also handy for any other fluid fill-ups needed (oil, rear end, etc).

Get inside the car. Remove the shift knob & shift bezel. Then run the hose from inside the car, down towards the transmission. Fill the transmission until it starts to come out the fill plug. Now it's full.
Scott
 
Or, since you already took the console out of the way, skip the tube, and just pull the shifter base and handle off, and pour the fluid right in the top of the tranny 'till it runs out of the "fill" hole... fast and fiddle free...
 
or you can get several feet of clear tubing and snake it down the pass engine compartment and put the end in the fill hole. then pour from up top. im too big and old to lay under the car, and too lazy to pump or remove the shifter base. :)
 
oh yeah, other T5's (with non fiber synchros, like bronco T5's) do use gear oil. i think the older non WC T5's also use gear oil (again, no fiber, different bearings, etc). so i always say something, cuz i dont trust a shop or anyone other than a mustang owner to know what to use when (in case you dont do the work yourself).
 
hate to bring up an old thread again, but would like to make some corrections...

Stick a 1/2" ratchet w/ extension in the plug to turn it
I'm pretty sure it's a 3/8" ratchet. and you shouldn't need an extension.

only 2.3quarts (btw) and it should only take you an hour all said-and-done for your first time...

It almost took a full 3 quarts. Took a bit longer than an hour too, but I was doing some other stuff also.
 
jwater7 said:
hate to bring up an old thread again, but would like to make some corrections...


I'm pretty sure it's a 3/8" ratchet. and you shouldn't need an extension.



It almost took a full 3 quarts. Took a bit longer than an hour too, but I was doing some other stuff also.
yep, 3/8".

spec is ~2.6 quarts.