Gearbox oil…

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,

I’ve been poking about on the Almera Owner’s Club Forum, and I’ve seen it written several times that the gearbox is the very weakest part of an Almera. However, they have said that changing the oil in the gearbox will help protect it.

Is there any merit to this? My oil is the stuff that came with the car and has not been changed. It’s not almost 50,000 miles old. The car manual does not cover gearbox oil and I can’t get a Haynes manual for it, so there’s no official advice to be had.

I would like to try to keep my car going as long as possible. However, a change of gearbox oil will cost me £40 (four litres of good synthetic oil). This is a lot of money to me, but I am willing to spend it if it will improve the performance of the car (slicker shifts) and improve the reliability and longevity of my car.

After reading that, I also found out how gearboxes work and how to shift properly to avoid excessive wear. Naturally, I have adapted my style to be more respectful of my gearbox – I used to shift fairly quickly which I believe has a bad effect on synchro.

Any opinions and advice would be gratefully recieved.

Cobra

EDIT – My original thread over at the AOC:

http://www.almeraownersclub.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=4848

Topic

[Anonymous]

50,000 miles is really the time to change the oil on a routine basis, it falls under the “normal high end”. I recommend the change to keep up with simple maintenance. You will notice and immediate difference and if you wait any longer it may start to really take a toll on wear and tear.

[Garibaldi]

Quote:

50,000 miles is really the time to change the oil on a routine basis, it falls under the “normal high end”. I recommend the change to keep up with simple maintenance. You will notice and immediate difference and if you wait any longer it may start to really take a toll on wear and tear.

I agree, I think that it would be a good idea to change, just like Mike said for maintenace. thumbsup.gif

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys – I will pay for a change of oil. Unfortunately, it’s expensive stuff and my car takes a lot of it!

[Garibaldi]

Quote:

Thanks guys – I will pay for a change of oil. Unfortunately, it’s expensive stuff and my car takes a lot of it!

I think its money well spent because otherwise you might end up paying more in the long run.

[Anonymous]

I agree, on average I’m paying $100.00 to change out my transmission oil. If I had the equipment at the house I would do it myself but the way things are configured with these trannys, I have no choice but to take it to a shop or dealership.

[Anonymous]

My father says it is a relatively simple job to change the gearbox oil in my car. Sadly, it takes 3.1 litres of oil, and you can buy gearbox oil in litre bottles… icon_rolleyes.gif

Never mind – it’s expensive (especially to a student) but I suppose I can stretch if it will protect a fragile gearbox.

[Garibaldi]

Quote:

My father says it is a relatively simple job to change the gearbox oil in my car. Sadly, it takes 3.1 litres of oil, and you can buy gearbox oil in litre bottles… icon_rolleyes.gif

Never mind – it’s expensive (especially to a student) but I suppose I can stretch if it will protect a fragile gearbox.

So they make you buy a whole extra .9 liters?? What a ripoff!!! :yikes:

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,

I’ve made a decision – I’m not changing the oil. I’ll wait – the clutches tend to need changing over at about 60,000 miles or so and we tend to lose a lot of gearbox oil when working with the clutch. I’m going to change it for new synthetic oil at that time.

Also, the Nissan manual states that the oil should never need changed.

Aside from anything else, I can’t afford it just now.

Thanks anyway – all the advice hasn’t been wasted on me, and I do appreciate what I’ve learned.

Cobra

[Garibaldi]

Quote:

Hi guys,

I’ve made a decision – I’m not changing the oil. I’ll wait – the clutches tend to need changing over at about 60,000 miles or so and we tend to lose a lot of gearbox oil when working with the clutch. I’m going to change it for new synthetic oil at that time.

Also, the Nissan manual states that the oil should never need changed.

Aside from anything else, I can’t afford it just now.

Thanks anyway – all the advice hasn’t been wasted on me, and I do appreciate what I’ve learned.

Cobra

Well if they recommend 60,000 it makes sense to wait until then. thumbsup.gif

[Author]

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