Any point changing gearbox oil if it's light and golden?
Discussion
I was going to.... to try and diagnose a strange noise but then checked the oil this evening and found that it looks like new. I've only had the car a week or so so it's possible it has already been done, probably by somebody also trying to diagnose the noise and then selling up as the oil change didn't fix it!
So is it worth me changing it, or would I be wasting my time and money?
So is it worth me changing it, or would I be wasting my time and money?
In my experience, (manual) gearbox oil doesn't really change colour, engine oil takes more stick and the blackness is particles of soot, it also gets much hotter and gets contaminated with water, the gearbox is a comparatively civilised environment, but the oil does get hot and it does get used, but will look very similar to when it went in, my explanation is it is a bit like a piece of chewing gum that you have chewed for ages and its gone all weird, it looks the same but at a molecular level, its knackered and my understanding is that is what happens to gearbox oil, looks ok but is actually worn out.
kambites said:
In my experience gearbox oil always looks perfectly clean, regardless of how old it is. I don't think that necessarily means it hasn't started to lose its lubrication properties, though. That's one of the problems with gearbox oil. It's nigh on impossible to tell.
IME, old gearbox oil always looks like crap and smells horrid. I work as a 'Mechanic'
If it is new and golden it has been changed 'recently', the car has done low mileage or it is a new ish car....
What flavour of vehicle is it ?
Edited by Jimmyarm on Wednesday 14th May 20:17
53 plate Impreza WRX Wagon. Had it just over a week. Very happy with it besides a strange "hissing" noise when the gearbox is in 1st, 3rd, or 5th, so the shifter pushed forward.
It's very strange. Doesn't matter if the clutch is depressed or not etc. Definitely not turbo noise as it's coming from under the centre console and it goes away instantly in 2nd or 4th....
It's very strange. Doesn't matter if the clutch is depressed or not etc. Definitely not turbo noise as it's coming from under the centre console and it goes away instantly in 2nd or 4th....
When i changed the F/R diff oils in my car, it also came out light and golden.
I changed it anyway. There was no record in the service books of the diffs being done and with 117k done i changed it.
Curiously, we did my mates identical car's oil at the same time. Even with 15k less miles and 2 years newer, the oil came out looking like Cola, it was so black..
If the issue is internal in the box, you'll be putting new oil in it once it's rebuilt anyway.
I changed it anyway. There was no record in the service books of the diffs being done and with 117k done i changed it.
Curiously, we did my mates identical car's oil at the same time. Even with 15k less miles and 2 years newer, the oil came out looking like Cola, it was so black..
If the issue is internal in the box, you'll be putting new oil in it once it's rebuilt anyway.
kambites said:
In my experience gearbox oil always looks perfectly clean, regardless of how old it is. I don't think that necessarily means it hasn't started to lose its lubrication properties, though. That's one of the problems with gearbox oil. It's nigh on impossible to tell.
At the other end of the spectrum I have changed the fluid on an old Volvo 850 and V70 (automatics) and found it to be dark brown in colour and on one of the occasions it smelled like it had been burning - it should have been a cherry red and obviously not "burny", both cars had dubious shifting properties and a good flush through of decent fluid solved any issues the cars were having.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff