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Transmission fluid change - tips or tricks?

3K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  Big Bad John 
#1 ·
About to drain and refill the AX5 with some redline MT90. Figure after +200k it deserves some pampering right? So admittedly I haven't really messed with the tranny except for changing the mount and putting some fluid in it a few months ago (took a quart of 10w30 and was still low...). This time I want to do it right - does anyone have some tips or suggestions to make the job easier? I'm not even sure where the drain plug is on that thing nor do I know if I need to drop the skid plate again etc. Any help is appreciated!
 
#2 · (Edited)
Yep you'll need to remove the tcase skidplate John as your AX-5 transmission's drain plug is on the bottom. Support the transmission with a jack, jack stand, etc. in front of the skidplate before dropping the skid plate.

Make sure to remove the four small nuts (which need a 1/2" socket) near the center of the bottom of the skidplate, those secure the transmission mount to the skidplate.

The fill plug is on the side, be careful you don't pull the bolt out that says 'Do not remove' as that holds a part in place inside and that would just ruin your whole day.
 

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#3 ·
Thank you for the advice. I was hoping not to have to go through that again but at least it will give me a chance to tighten up the linkages on my Novak shifter... So do you recommend filling from the side port? I've heard some people just pour in from the top of the shifter tower? Last time I had to rig some fancy pneumatic (read: lots of blowing) system where I had one tube going into the case from the bottle and one going to my air pump (me) to the bottle. That was the only way I could contort myself enough to get in there. I guess it's easier if you take that 100lb tombstone of a skid plate off though...
 
#5 ·
I bet I could fab something like that up from an old pump bottle and some tubing. Great idea! Not that I'm being cheap, but if I ask my wife for permission to buy one more thing for this project........
 
#7 ·
You can avoid the pump by just using a long rubber or vinyl hose with a funnel in it. So long as the funnel is higher than the fill hole on the transmission, it'll work. Like hanging an IV bottle above the patient's arm.

That said, that method is slow due to the viscosity of the gear lube, and it's also likely messier since you won't know the transmission is full until it starts overflowing... and you'll still have a full tube of gear lube left with nowhere to go. But I've refilled transmissions and tcases like this several times so it works.

A hand pump is definitely an easier way to go but...
 
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