I'd like to replace my oil with synth, but I've been told that my g'box has no drain plug. Can anyone confirm or deny this, please?
Any views on the desirability of doing it, anyway?
(Nothing in the handbook about it)
Thanks
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(1.0 litre 12v) and there is no transmission oil change scheduled for the life of the vehicle (only the Agila needs a manual tranmission oil change, and that only once at 20000 miles). I haven't looked yet to see if there is a gearbox drain plug.
Service intervals are annually or 20000 miles, with an oil change at 10000 miles if the car is regularly used for trips of less than 6 miles (the requirement for the extra oil change is cancelled if you use fully synthetic).
Specified oil is 0W-30, 5W-30 or 10W-30/ACEA-A3 which seems to me to rule out completely the use of mineral oil.
The car will mainly be used for short trips, so I plan to change the oil every 4 months (roughly 3500 miles) - should I ignore the rules and use mineral oil (GTX 10W-40) for the first few changes, or should I use GTX Magnatec semi-synthetic from the very start?
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Roger - I shouldn't bother even looking for a drain plug - I doubt that there is one as there is no specified oil change interval. Even if you do eventaully find it you would probably invalidate the vehicle warranty by tampering with the bits you really shouldn't do. Very few gearboxes (except some 4X4 vehicles) have a specified lubricant change interval, this is due to the low contamination rate of the oil compared to the engine oil.
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David
main reason for posting here is so I DON't have to"go looking" for a probably non-existent object!
Main reason for considering the change was HJ's advice to do so after 10k+miles!!
As I'm out of mfr's warranty (but into a 3yr one from Motor Warranty Direct) I don't have to worry about that, but I would like to have 'all my bits' bathed in the best possible lubricant, as I will have to keep this vehicle for a LONG time!
Roger
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rogerb wrote:
>
> I'd like to replace my oil with synth, but I've been told
> that my g'box has no drain plug. Can anyone confirm or deny
> this, please?
> Any views on the desirability of doing it, anyway?
> (Nothing in the handbook about it)
IIRC the gearbox used on the 1.3 Mk4 Escort didn't have a drain or filler plug
either - I think that filling & draining were done through an opening in
the gearbox case which concealed a detent spring. (it was a long time ago...)
I don't suppose its worth having a dedicated filler/drain hole if you don't need
to do it very often - after all many with many vehicles you have to remove
a hose to drain the coolant!
/John
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Simple answer. Ask your Ford dealer to change the oil and hope that he does change it and not simply say he has changed it then rip you off for the cost. The reason for changing gearbox oil once early in a car's life is to get rid of all the shards of metal thrown off as the box beds in. If you don't, these shards will eventually be grounbd down into minute particles which find their way into the gearbox bearings.
HJ
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