Gearbox Oil

[Guest percy]

I am just about to change the gearbox oil on the Pug, should I replace with synthetic or standard grade. Any suggestions on how to remove the final drive drainage plug, couldn't move it with a spanner and there isn't enough room to get a socket around it - should it be that tight?

Cheers.

[jim21070 2]

Use a good quality 75W-80 gear oil, no thicker or you'll never change gear in the cold! I think most of what is available at this grade is semi-synthetic.

 

The best tool for the drain plug is a 13/16th AF (21mm) ring spanner. Both the Pug and Cit seem to love this odd-ball size for various things. 21mm spanners are like rocking horse poo but the old imperial ones are readily available and a perfect fit!

Edited January 24, 2006 by jim21070

[Ahl 4]

Don't use semi-synthetic gear oil in the gearbox. The correct specification for these old pug boxes is non-synthetic 75w-80. (which is pretty cheap from pug/cit garages incidently)

 

The synchromesh doesn't work properly with semi-synth - its too slippy and you get a more notchy gearchange!

[TEKNOPUG 3]

Stick Redline 70w-90ns in it - liquid gold!

[Guest percy]

Thanks guys, should save me some money - do you know what the capacity of the gearbox is when fully drained and how often should the oil be changed? I've noticed some oil dripping from around the final drive housing - the drain plug is tight, is there a common area where these gearboxes leak?

[jackherer 543]

they take about 1.8 litres. theres a level bolt on the end of the fifth gear housing (the one large bolt).

[Ahl 4]

Thanks guys, should save me some money - do you know what the capacity of the gearbox is when fully drained and how often should the oil be changed? I've noticed some oil dripping from around the final drive housing - the drain plug is tight, is there a common area where these gearboxes leak?

The driveshaft seals could well be gone, quite common.

 

Not sure how often gearbox oil should be changed - it will say in the service book or in haynes manual etc. Its measured in years/10's of thousands of miles though, so not very often.

[jonD6B 0]

Can you over fill the gearbox and what would be the consiquencies?

[mickie 3]

i have synthetic castrol 75w-85 oil, is this ok to use ?

 

and can you fill the gear box up where the reverse cable screws into the gear box ? then make sure its level on that one big bolt

[SPGTi 2]

Recommended gearbox oil is TOTAL BV. Available for £3.50/l at GSF. Running thicker is no good for the synchros.

 

steve

[Grim.Badger 15]

Can you over fill the gearbox and what would be the consiquencies?

 

Not if you're filling it at the right place because it will all just pour out again.

 

I've noticed some oil dripping from around the final drive housing - the drain plug is tight, is there a common area where these gearboxes leak?

 

Does it smell a lot? If not then it's probably engine oil dripping down from the dizzy as my final drive is coated in engine oil from a dizzy leak.

[Ahl 4]

i have synthetic castrol 75w-85 oil, is this ok to use ?

 

and can you fill the gear box up where the reverse cable screws into the gear box ? then make sure its level on that one big bolt

There probably nothing wrong with that, but you will have a better gear shift with a non-synthetic oil.

[rogerrally 0]

whats the best oil to use if you run a quaife diff aswell, something best for syncros, or best for LSDs?.

Isnt the drain, and fill plugs in different places for Be1 and Be3 variants?

[philfingers 5]

Use a std oil with a FWD box and a LSD. In fact you would use std oil with a Quaiffe in a RWD diff anyway, the Quaiffe uses gears not clutch plates. I don't believe there is a fill plug in BE1 boxes. What I do is drain it out into a clean container and put it in a 2ltr pop bottle, top up if eccesary and put it back in. These boxes take 2 ltrs from memory

[V8Pete 0]

I've noticed in the Haynes it specifies a Duckhams Hypoid 75W 80 after August 1987, but over here (NZ) all the 75W 80s I can find say explicitly, 'Not for use with hypoid transaxles' or something to that effect.

 

What did they change in August 1987? Are 1989 BE3s hypoid or not?

[pug_ham 245 3 Cars]

Any gearbox after August 1987 will need 75w80, prior to that they used engine oil.

 

The 205 doesn't have a transaxle design, its a transverse layout.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transaxle

 

Graham.

[James_R 3]

I run 75w-80 valvoline semi-stuff, got a plate diff in there and had no hassle at all from it. all I can say is the synco's might like it less, but the bearings appreciate it more

[Rippthrough 98]

I run 75w-80 valvoline semi-stuff, got a plate diff in there and had no hassle at all from it. all I can say is the synco's might like it less, but the bearings appreciate it more

 

 

Just use a synth without friction modifiers in.

[Beastie 1]

Just use a synth without friction modifiers in.

 

Hmm..... maybe... but does *anybody* have any proper evidence that these gearboxes are suited to synthetic oils? Are the soft metals in the boxes immune to attack by synthetics? Does the syncromeshing work according to it's design specification with a non standard oil or is gearbox wear increased because of the increased lubricity of the modern oil? Will the box last quite as long with an oil which is designed for more modern gearboxes (bearing in mind the conflicting requirements between friction and lubrication in a synchromesh design)? Until I see proper evidence presented in a scientific manner I'm going to stick with the manufacturer's recomendation: The only research which I have been able to conduct is 30,000 miles with synthetic oil followed by 15,000 miles with the correct oil. The gearchange is very noticably better on the correct oil.

[welshpug 1,666]

i just bought some comma stuff in a 5 litre can, said aprooved for peugeot citroen and some renault gearboxes up to 1996 on the back of the can

Edited February 25, 2007 by welshpug

[Beastie 1]

i just bought some comma stuff in a 5 litre can, said aprooved for peugeot citroen and some renault gearboxes up to 1996 on the back of the can

 

Fantastic - I need to buy some of that then. According to that statement it's approved for this too then

 

[Andrwn8304 0]

Back in the days when I was serving my Apprenticeship on cars and the Semi- + Fully-Synthetic oils were coming out the Duckhams Sales Rep Told me never to use a Semi or Fully Synthetic oil in car or gearbox older than 1995 as the mechanics of the Engine/Gearbox were not designed to on those oils.

 

So unless he didnt know what he was talking about I may have stand corrected!!!!