3rd Gen Differential and Manual Transmission (6MT) Fluid Change

Knowing what you found out at 7k change, would you do the first change earlier?

 

Maybe your left foot is made out of lead

 

It's what my right hand feels.

 

For me, it was needed as the factory stuff was blocking me out of 1st and @Omar RVA got an unfavorable UOA on it.

Redline snicked into gears better and let me get into 1st at stops. I've had similar experience with Redline on other cars when others were of no help.

Just my experience though.

 

Every MT I've used Redline in shifted better. It really helped my gen 2 MT. It was a really notchy shifting trans though. My 3rd gen MT shifts really smooth in comparison but it'll get Redline anyway.

 

When I changed my fluids and used the redline I was amazed at the difference. Not just the ease of first, but the hard downshifts going up a grade became smooth. Butttery. Velvety.

 

Y'all are making me want to get redline again...

 

I had to use the empty valvoline squeezable oil packs leftover from the diffs, and refill them with the redline. My anti gravity fluid exchange apparatus failed miserably. Tools that look like they are going to fail, fail.

 

It's good stuff. There may be better out there but I haven't found it yet.

 

Ain't that the truth. Those plastic POS's anyways.

 

It was a siphon with a bulb, that never held a vacuum. After an hour of pissing myself off I got smart.

 

I still firmly stand by my opinion that manual trans fluid is much easier changed via the shifter cane removed and pouring it in with a funnel. Yeah, little bit of a risk bringing gear oil into the cab but if you’re careful, it’s no big deal. It’s probably not faster but much more relaxed.

 

What?! Is this really a thing? Or are you yanking my crank?

 

It’s the only way I change trans fluid lol. The only reason more people don’t do it this way is because of the risk of spilling fluid on the carpet. Personally I despise cheap transfer pumps that take infinite seeming quantities of pumps, so I skip that method, but I am careful with handling fluid in the cab.

Remove knob & console panel, remove the two clips and screws for the main shift boot, remove main boot, lift up the circular small shift boot, use gloves to press down the locking collar and twist counter clockwise, Pull out shifter, remove drain plug and drain, install drain plug, fill through shifter hole with a funnel until fluid comes out the fill hole, install fill plug, install shifter, install console and knob.

Done

 

You don’t spill a little on overfilling?

 

It spills out of the fill hole when done. You can definitely overfill out of the shifter by overloading the funnel if you pour too quick there but I monitor that and stop as needed.

 

That stuff stinks so bad.

 

1st at a stop is occasionally my issue with Toyota factory fill as well. I did the Amsoil purchase, so no MT90 for me, coming up on the 30k for the change.

Even with removing all the interior stuff, I can't believe it's easier than the squeeze packs? I went out to my truck just to check - that is really easier? :mind_blown:

 

I have to remove skids and the cat protector and I’ve had the console apart a bunch of times. But nah, I’d rather use the fill hole. I bet if you don’t loosen and tighten that thing once in a while it won’t loosen again.

 

No fluids I buy come in squeeze packs, so those aren’t a quicker option for me. I don’t really know about ‘easier’, since again I don’t use squeeze packs. I was comparing easier to using a crappy pump screwed to the top of the bottle or worse, a 2-hose pump where one goes in the bottle and one goes in the trans. I always make a huge slippery mess when I use those.

As for disassembly, I can have the shifter out in about 2 minutes.

as for the being blocked out of 1st at a stop, that is not a Toyota fluid problem. That has happened to me on every different fluid I’ve tried.