Do you have any idea on checking the gearbox oil level, how to drain and refilling of gear oil in your car! In order to ensure the smooth operation of your car’s transmission, gear oil is a lubricant that is used to protect the transmissions and to ensure they are protected from wear and tear. The gearbox seal protects not only the internal components within the gearbox of the car but also prevents them from becoming damaged by wear and tear as well as by heat. The oil level in your gearbox plays an important role in maintaining the proper lubrication of all moving parts during the gearbox operation, so a low level may result in damage that is serious and expensive.
Oil for gears is different from oil for engines, and they cannot be interchanged, as they are different substances. An oil used in a gearbox has a strong odor that resembles sulfur and has a higher viscosity than oil used in a motor engine. A viscosity of the oil is critical as this will ensure a smooth transition between the gears as well as protect the gears from wear.
Checking the Gearbox Oil & Uses
Your car or truck uses gear oil as a lubricant to prevent corrosion in the transmission, manual gearbox, differential, transaxle, and transfer case, which is located within the transmission. It is important to keep your transmission lubricated in order to keep it running smoothly. Then, more importantly, the aspect of gear oil is that it helps reduce the wear and tear on critical components of your vehicle’s gearbox from heat and wear.
When the drivetrain components are not adequately lubricated, it can cause them to scour, corrode, scratch, and pit due to insufficient lubrication. Your car’s performance can be compromised as a result of this deterioration, which eventually leads to costly repairs that have to be made. It is important to remember that motor oil and gear oil are two separate things, and they cannot be interchanged.
How to Drain the Gear Oil?
In order to make sure the gear oil has settled to the bottom of the engine, let the car sit for a few hours before you make this change. The car should be placed on level ground, so make sure it is level. You will need to raise the car up and place axle stands at the front and the back of the vehicle as a means of support. The gearbox oil will be drained through a screw that is located underneath the gearbox when you lie underneath it.
There will be a number of tools required to unscrew the drain, depending on the type of vehicles, such as an open spanner, an Allen key, or a square-ended key. The front tire of your car may also have to be removed as part of the process. In order to avoid spilling gear oil when you unscrew the drain, make sure a container is placed underneath before you unscrew the drain.
How to Refill the Gear Oil?
You will be able to see the oil draining as soon as you loosen the drain nut completely. In order to allow air to pass through and drain the oil properly, you will need to unscrew the filler plug or tighten the nut on the filler plug. Recent cars come with a filler/level plug underneath the car that can be unscrewed to gain access to the gearbox. Oil level can also be determined by checking the oil filler plug in some cars that have oil filler plugs. It is necessary to remove two drain plugs to drain some gearboxes due to the fact that they have baffle plates.
- It is important to ensure that the drain nut is tightened after the oil has been drained. In order to ensure your new gear oil does not spill out, you can place a funnel under the gearbox to ensure it won’t leak out.
- Fill the filler plug area of the gearbox with the new transmission oil, and gently pour it into the gearbox.
- It is important to tighten the filler plug back into place and clean the area afterward. If you are unsure of what grade of gearbox oil to use, make sure you consult your owner’s manual.
- Gaskets that are damaged, oil seals that are damaged, or sealing washers that are damaged are the most common sources of leaks. It is very likely that a leak is caused by a damaged sealing washer at either the filler plug or drain plug. By replacing the old one with a new one, the leak should be resolved.
- The vehicle should be jacked down gently after you have made sure there are no leaks in the system and tightened the drain nut and filler plug. The gearbox should go soft after a while of driving around, so you should be able to feel it.
How to Check Your Car’s Gearbox Oil Level? Methods
Here are a few methods to check your car’s gear oil level:-
- If you are going to park your car on a level surface, the parking brake should be engaged and the car should be in neutral or parking mode. Let the engine idle for a while after starting the engine, in order to get a good dipstick reading, you need to wait until the oil is warm.
- Open the bonnet of the vehicle and locate the oil dipstick in the engine compartment and continue to run the engine. In most cases, the engine compartment is found at the rear of the vehicle. A few cars still have a separate gearbox dipstick that is attached to the bottom of the filler plug on the side of the gearbox, but most cars use the dipstick on the side of the filler plug to measure the oil level.
- If the oil is hot, pull the dipstick carefully and wipe it clean with a cloth. If it has been inserted fully, make sure it is withdrawn again and then reinserted fully. If you look closely at the dipstick at the end, you will see that it has some markings on it.
- It is common for gearbox dipsticks to have markings that indicate the recommended upper and lower limits for the oil level, but they tend to vary from car to car.
- The gearbox oil should make a slight reddish tint when rubbed between fingers, and it should not exude any strange burning smell. If the gear oil turns out to be dark and dusty that means it is time to change your gear oil.
- Add gear oil to the dipstick hole if it is low by inserting a long-neck funnel into the hole. Do not overfill the oil container with oil – rather add the oil in small increments, check the level at each stage, and make sure that it reaches the hotline before you overfill the container.
- Afterward, make sure that the dipstick has been fully inserted and close the bonnet.
How to Change Your Gearbox Oil? Few Methods
In order to change gearbox oil, it is best if you consult with a professional, but if you prefer doing it on your own, follow these steps:-
- If you have a drain hole in your mechanical equipment or vehicle, locate it and place a catch pan beneath it in order to collect the fluids. As an alternative, if the gearbox assembly is not covered by a catch pan, you should place one underneath it.
- Let all the fluid drain into the catch pan once you have removed the gearbox pan or unscrewed the drain bolt.
- Be sure to have replacement gaskets and filters available when you remove the old ones.
- Cleaning the magnet in the gearbox pan should be done after inspecting the gearbox pan. It may be necessary to replace your gears if large fragments are present.
- The pan needs to be bolted back onto the machinery or vehicle after the new gasket and filter have been installed.
- Ensure that your vehicle is using the right gear oil.
- You can find the amount of fluid you need in your gearbox’s owner’s manual.
- If you are using an oil pump, pump the fluid into the gearbox or pour it in after measuring it out, and the correct amount should go into your gearbox.
- Start the engine and run the vehicle for a short period of time after letting the oil settle for a few minutes.
What are the Indications that Your Car Needs to Replace Gearbox Oil?
Below mentioned a few symptoms that your car needs to replace the gear oil:-
Frequent lurking of car
Having problems with your vehicle can happen for a variety of reasons. However, if you are unable to identify a clear cause for the sudden movements you are experiencing – you may want to check the amount of transmission oil that is in the gearbox as a possible cause.
When your car experiences frequent vibrations:
You may need to change the oil in your gearbox if you feel vibrations within the shifter when changing gears, and this may indicate that the gearbox fluid is in need of changing.
The gearbox oil gets darker:
As a general rule, gearbox specialists agree that it is normal for gear lubricants to have a color that is pinkish or pinkish-red. Therefore, if you notice that your transmission fluid
is turning brown or blackish in color, then probably it is time for you to change the gearbox oil as well.
When you hear a grinding noise while shifting the gear:
It is important that the gearbox liquid lubricates the gearbox, but without enough fluid, the transmission will overheat due to friction, and as a result, the transmission may make grinding sounds due to the friction caused by overheating. In order to avoid future problems with your gearbox, you should consider having it serviced as soon as possible.
Ending thoughts
Whenever you are having transmission problems in your car, it is important to know that not all of it has to do with you. Water damage usually causes a need to replace a gearbox after a period of time, and this is obviously out of your control when it comes to water damage.
Make sure to check your car’s transmission fluid regularly. Remember to always do it when the vehicle is in operating temperature since liquids tend to expand when hot and contract when cold.
