Gearbox Oil Change

[billwill]

Is it possible (on an S3 Elan) to refill the gearbox to the correct level while the whole car is tilted backwards by having the front wheel up on ramps.?

I can't remember how I did it last time, but I don't recall jacking up both front and back of the Elan and of course I cannot get at the drain plug and refill plug while the car is on level ground.

[Spyder fan]

Drive it to Tunbridge Wells and stick it on my 2 post lift Bill.... simples

FWIW, I would jack up and support the front, then drain the box, lower the car again to do this properly before raising again and refilling with the required amount using a syringe style oil filler. No doubt a small amount will dribble out of the fill hole before you can get the plug back in, but it won't be significant.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-AK54-55 ... 8892&psc=1



PS: you will be very welcome to come to my garage workshop to do this

[billwill]

I'll think of doing that Alan, if no simpler solution exists. Thanks.

Thanks too for the tip about ensuring the gearbox is level to drain the last dregs.

[billwill]

I'll think of doing that Alan, if no simpler solution exists. Thanks.

Thanks too for the tip about ensuring the gearbox is level to drain the last dregs.

The Halford oil bottle has got a long spout like the syringe, though no precise capacity measurement

[Spyder fan]

Hello again Bill,
I frankly don't think that it's an exact science regarding gearbox oil. So long as the correct type and roughly the correct amount with quite a wide margin of error (20% or so) is in the box it's unlikely to be an issue for a lightly used road car. Gearbox oil doesn't get contaminated like engine oil does, I don't think it really has a shelf life. When did you change it last? 20 years ago, maybe needs a change, but maybe just top it off?

The last time I changed gearbox oil was on my +2 and that was 1000 miles after a gearbox rebuild, totally unecessary according to my gearbox man, but hey, I'm doing it for myself so I just did it. The syringe was really useful and is part of my toolkit now

[TBG]

Interesting stuff this. I thought you might like to learn of my experience with gear box oil or the lack of it. Back in the late 90's we were pootling up from Lago Trasimeno northwards and whipped up into the mountains to the south west of Bolsano - Castelfondo and all that. Anyway I thought I saw a faint oil smoke shortly after leaving Tavernelle but thought nothing of it - as one doesn't. Anyway near the top of the mountains I suddenly was left with first and top gears only and some very strange noises so quick as a sloth I decided to retreat back down the mountains free wheeling for mile after mile. The nearest big town was Bolsano and could we find a garage? After much pootling about we came across a Ferrari dealership and pulled in up the ramp - all white tiles - very smart. It was around lunchtime and I went in and found the only soul in the place asleep in a chair dressed in a very smart white boiler suit. Having roused him he was most impressed with our car and having explained the problem in extravagant arm waving he popped the car up on to a ramp having first removed an Italian poseur machine and checked the oil level in the gearbox. Nothing there so he got his filling rig out and pumped lots of litres of oil into it and it all poured out of the back of the gearbox all over the shiny - no longer - white tiles. A bolt at the back of the gearbox had fallen out and that was the smoke I had seen about 400 miles earlier! We popped a bolt into the hole, topped it up again at no cost to us and drove off. So the moral of this story is that an Elan gearbox can do 400 miles with no oil and no damage. It is still perfect today many tens of thousands of miles later. Great cars are they not!! D

[h20hamelan]

I am able to fit a hose to the filler, then up towards the engine at bonnet. I use a funnel connected to the hose, add the amount. Go back under the car, remove hose. Fit filler bolt.

[StressCraxx]

Or you could fill it the way us lazy Yanks do it.

Remove gaiter on gear lever from around the console tray.
Unscrew plastic cap around bottom of gear lever.
Remove gear lever.
Pour in the specified quantity of gear oil.

Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.

[elans3]

I am able to fit a hose to the filler, then up towards the engine at bonnet. I use a funnel connected to the hose, add the amount. Go back under the car, remove hose. Fit filler bolt.

That's exactly the way I have done it 3 or 4 times in the past, same with the diff. small cooking plastic funnel. Wife didn't find out for ages !

[ericbushby]

I`m with StressCraxxs,
Pour it in through the gear lever hole until it comes out of the filler/level hole. Of course the car has to be raised and level.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC

[billwill]

Hello again Bill,
I frankly don't think that it's an exact science regarding gearbox oil. So long as the correct type and roughly the correct amount with quite a wide margin of error (20% or so) is in the box it's unlikely to be an issue for a lightly used road car. Gearbox oil doesn't get contaminated like engine oil does, I don't think it really has a shelf life. When did you change it last? 20 years ago, maybe needs a change, but maybe just top it off?

The last time I changed gearbox oil was on my +2 and that was 1000 miles after a gearbox rebuild, totally unnecessary according to my gearbox man, but hey, I'm doing it for myself so I just did it. The syringe was really useful and is part of my toolkit now

It's so long ago that I changed gearbox & diff oil that I honestly cant remember when it was done and (for instance) whether Vegantune of Finchley changed then way back in 2001 ish. So all in all while doing the engine oil change (described in Low OIl Pressure topic) I thought I might as well be certain and change out the oil in the gearbox & diff & so establish a new base point.

The Lotus Workshop Manual suggests those oils be changed at what I think are ridiculously short mileages.

[elancoupe]

Or you could fill it the way us lazy Yanks do it.

Remove gaiter on gear lever from around the console tray.
Unscrew plastic cap around bottom of gear lever.
Remove gear lever.
Pour in the specified quantity of gear oil.
h
Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.

This

[billwill]

Or you could fill it the way us lazy Yanks do it.

Remove gaiter on gear lever from around the console tray.
Unscrew plastic cap around bottom of gear lever.
Remove gear lever.
Pour in the specified quantity of gear oil.

Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.

I had thought of doing it that way too , bit messy in the cabin if one isn't very careful.

[hamm61]

Morning , Last summer i changed gearbox and diff oil i used a small 12v pump to refill both , no spill or guessing as the bottle were of a known quantity
Peter

[rgh0]

I use a 1 litre hand pump bottle per the link below, equivalent must be available in Europe ? About the cost of 1L of the oil your pumping so easy to buy a few

https://www.automegastore.com.au/stm-1- ... ecQAvD_BwE

I have 5 of them with oil for all of my cars diffs, gearboxes and transfer cases different oils so I dont have to clean them out. marked on the side in 100ml increments so i know how much has been pumped in. The pump off the bottle fits into the 1 qt Redline bottle neck and reaches the bottom so if pumping more than 1L I just pump direct from the Redline bottle

cheers
Rohan