133,000 miles and 19 years without a turret oil change

[Beeby]

I bought a mark one back in July 2009 and have finally got round to checking the boots and oil in the turret. I had noticed that the gaitor on the gear lever was getting very hot. This is what I found:



No oil was in the turret at all! It was bone dry. I haven't driven the car since I have changed the boots and filled the turret with oil. I guess it is going to make a massive difference. The upper and lower boots were torn to shreds. The whole job took about 45 minutes and is dead easy to do. I would definitely recommend doing it yourself.

[Mr MXT]

What is this turret oil you speak of? Is it only mk1's?

[Beeby]

It's the pool of oil that the gearlever sits in. I don't know if other marks have this or not - perhaps a mark 2 owner may be able to advise?

[Mr MXT]

Beeby said:

It's the pool of oil that the gearlever sits in. I don't know if other marks have this or not - perhaps a mark 2 owner may be able to advise?

I am a mk2 owner!

[fuzzyyo]

I did this recently. The oil I took out had the consistency of part melted ice cream.

[Richyvrlimited]

Mr MXT said:

I am a mk2 owner!

Still applicable to you unless you have a 6 speed box...

having oil in the turret smooths the gearshift up a bit, but there's no rotating parts in there, it's just the linkage so don't expect miracles.

[Mr MXT]

Richyvrlimited said:

Still applicable to you unless you have a 6 speed box...

having oil in the turret smooths the gearshift up a bit, but there's no rotating parts in there, it's just the linkage so don't expect miracles.

6 speed. That explains it

[snotrag]

Oh no, it's well, well worth doing - changing both boots, the oil, and the nylon bushing made a huge difference on mine - as did the actual box oil a while later.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Mr MXT said:

Richyvrlimited said:

Still applicable to you unless you have a 6 speed box...

having oil in the turret smooths the gearshift up a bit, but there's no rotating parts in there, it's just the linkage so don't expect miracles.

6 speed. That explains it

The 6-speed still has the same boots though and making sure they are in good condition does make a difference, mostly to keep noise & heat out but it also helps the gear change a little too.

[mozmajor]

I did mine a few weeks back and it made changes much smoother. I used this link for instructions http://www.miata.net/garage/trans/everything.html

[appletonn]

Did mine last weekend and the oil that was in there was a horrible grey congealed sludge!

Along with changing the gearbox oil to Castrol fully synth, this has transformed the gearchange on my car.

The new boots have reduced the heat and noise from beneath the car too

Edited by appletonn on Monday 28th February 09:12

[Riknos]

I did this on the weekend, but had a bit more oil in mine than you did (about 50/60 ml). After replacing it, I really haven't noticed a difference at all? I guess the gearbox oil change next weekend should get rid of the notchy feel on my gearbox...

[tuttle]

Interesting! lots of folk swapping fluids at the mo

I changed out the; box, diff & engine oil at the weekend (did the turret seals last summer). I was pleased the the old box & diff oil seemed to be pretty clean & only a very reasonable amount of iron filings on the magnetic stopper bolts- 108k miles Mk1. Gear box feels a touch smoother when cold, but the peace of mind factor is priceless!

[Andy Maxwell]

Erm, can anyone help. I have put nearly 3/4 ltr into my 'turret' with no level change. Now I read that I am filling the gearbox not the turret!!!!

I have a '98 R-Reg Jap 1.8 RS

So I wondered, what is the turret? The images I see online do not represent mine!
What I *think* is the turrent looks like a worn scrap of metal...is it?

[MX-5 Lazza]

You have a 6 speed so you don't have to fill the turret. You will now have an over-filled gearbox though so you should drain off the excess - assuming you were putting in gearbox oil.

[NRS]

On the 6-speeds the gear shift is lubricated by splashed oil from the gearbox, so as Lazza says you have just been pouring oil into the gear box. Once the excess is drained you don't need to worry about the turret and lubricating it.

[MX-5 Lazza]

6 speed does still need the same boots & nylon bush though and it's important to keep these in good condition, perhaps more so than on 5 speed as dust & dirt can get into the gearbox from the turret.