Gearbox Oilchange (manual gearbox)

[aibast]

First of what you need is. Sockets 17mm, 13mm and 1/2" socket wrench.
Next drive your car to get the gearbox oil warm and more flowing.
Get new oil for your gearbox (I used 75W90 semisynt GL5 type gearbox oil)and 2 copper washers.

Drive the car to garage, or lift it up, so you can access the bottom of the engine bay. From there you can see these two polts. Top one is the filling hole and the bottom one is where you let the old oil out.

For this one use 1/2" socket wrench (ed: some models use a 3/8 socket wrench)


For this one use 13mm socket


First remove the top one. If the gearbox is up to the oil level then some oil might seap trough that


Then remove the bottom one. In here get something under it to collect the old oil. The oil coming out might look realy nasty. Mine did, was black in color and didn't look trough. But it should be light blown and should be some what transparent. Look fot metal shawings, if you see them then there is something wrong with your gearbox or you have managed to get something messed up in there. Example from 4 gear to reverse.


Next clean the oilplugs and add new copper washers. If you can't get new washers. Inspect them that there arent any grooves on them. If they are nice and flat just heat them up proper.


After that is the other way around.
First screw in the bottom plug and tighten it up.
Second get the new oil in from the fill hole. It should fit 3,4L of oil.Fill untill the oil starts coming out of this hole.


Then plug this hole with the right bolt and new copper washer and tighten it.

PS. Give your old gearbox oil to a proper treatment place. Dont dump it in to the forrest or your local sewer.

[bbf]

just my note: i prefer not to warm the oil up, neither engine nor trans, as when the oil is cold, it's sediments are all settled down and they go out after undoing the nut. but if warm, the oil and the sediments are splattered arround the sump (or trans) and stay there. it just takes a little longer to drain out, as the oil is colder.

[JohnTurbo]

Also if you're planning on keeping your 480 for a long time, make sure you get the right oil.

Thats either the volvo pre-measured stuff at £44 in the uk, or Millers TRX semi synth @ £35ish/5l in the uk. (Early 480s will take cheap stuff, as there's no bronze components)

Castrol for instance do not make a suitable oil - and thats castrol, so cheap stuff definately would be below spec.

Short term it might not matter.

[shimon340]

hi there!

Are the two crushable washers the same size fo the drain and the fill plug?

I've just ordered the oil and crushable washers from my local volvo dealer but they couldnt find the drain plug (or fill plug - one of them anyway!) on the parts system

I've ended up with two washers the same size. I'm due to collect them later today. I recall someone mentioning the copper washer is the same size as the one used for the sump plug.

anyone know?

cheers

Shimon

[Frazz]

what have you guys used to get the oil in the gearbox, as ive found it pig to get to with a funnel......

[Iroll480]

I used a piece of garden hose with a funnel on the other end. The hose fitted perfectly in the filler hole.

[aibast]

you can always use the old washer. File it level, then heat up the washer so its golden red color. And drop it in a cup of cold water. This makes copper so soft that you can bentit with your hand. Then screw it in place. Then it seals everything up. It takes its strength back in about 1-2 months max.