manual gearbox oil

[saabfan9]

just a feeler to see what brand/type of manual trans fluid anyone recomends..do to change fluid before winter

[John Z Williams]

You should try and figure out which saab fluid or what you have in there now and try to use the same thing. You don't want to flush them all the time. You should flush it out 3-4 times or so when you switch to another type of oil. I like the new oe saab fluid. Some like some of the redline manal transmission fluid.

Good Luck,

John

[Thirsty9000]

My aftermarket transmission cooler has started leaving a puddle under my car. So I have been looking at getting the stock trans cooler and putting it on. I will have to add fluid. It's an automatic. What ATF is highly reccommended by the SAAB gurus. I'm not averse to doing a triple flush. I paid more to replace the trans than I did for the car, so I'll do what it takes to make it last as long as possible. Although the "SAAB" ATF at $16-$18 a quart can leave a grown man shaking in his boots.

[saabfan9]

thirsty... i used ford type f fluid on my 95 cse auto and have nothing but good things to say...never any trans problems even though saabs seem to have a bad rep. when it comes to auto boxes

[yaofeng]

Originally Posted by saabfan9

just a feeler to see what brand/type of manual trans fluid anyone recomends..do to change fluid before winter

10w40 dino. Or you can spend up to $30 a qt for the SAAB specific synthetic gear box oil. It takes almost two quarts (1.8l), more for 93 and prior models.

[saabfan9]

just a good 10-30 winter (10-40 summer) i change trans fluid at every oil change (it is just oil and breaks down)

[Jim Mesthene]

Originally Posted by saabfan9

...i change trans fluid at every oil change (it is just oil and breaks down)

Oil changes are not required for manual transmissions...ever.
Not just my 2 cents, SAAB has never required transmission oil changes for manual gearboxes, except at the 1000 mile service on 900s and 99s.
I worked at dealers that changed transmission oil at 30k intervals, and at dealers that followed SAAB's recommendations. There was no difference in the number of transmission failures observed in the many hundreds of new cars I watched grow old.

[justin.graeff]

yeah, he's right. You don't ever need to change your oil on the manual gearbox. The autobox is a different story, but not on your manual transmission.

[Thirsty9000]

What is the recommended change interval for the auto?

[saabfan9]

sorry just anal about maint (oil changes every 1000.tune ups every 15000.just silly i guess)..it is just oil and goes through just as much abuse besides i work at a dealer so it doesn't cost me

[michaLcoughliN]

Are you people stunned? your telling me you dont have to ever change your gearbox oil? ROFL!. thats the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

Then why do they sell it? Why does "saab" differ then any other manual tranny service?

Think of it logically. The oil lubricates your tranny, heat breaks down oil inside tranny, breaks down to a point of no more lubrication properties. Then Wear and tear on tranny starts.

All fluids break down in time. Hense "oil change" . And all fluids should be changed on a vehicle. I change my transmission oil on all my past cars every 40k . And for $50 for tranny oil to service, I think ill change my oil and prevent blowing up a tranny and save my wallet $2000.

My 2 cents

[yaofeng]

I do change the gear box oil occasionally, maybe around 60k miles. Sooner if I happen to remove the drive train to do whatever. Nothing is life time. I don't like the fact the old oil in the 9k gear box becomes black even after 10k miles. Whereas that in my BMW and the Honda I had was clear as honey even after 100k miles. I heard the SAAB synthetic maintain the same consistency and color after use. But I am not ready to shell out $60 to do an oil change when I can do $3.

[Jim Mesthene]

There's no rule that says you can't change tha oil; as I mentioned, some dealers do it routinely. I'm just saying that SAAB says it's not necessary and my observations over decades agree that there's no advantage to it.
I might change the oil on a newly aquired one just to make sure it had the right stuff (10w-30 motor oil) in it. Regular transmission oil changes however, are a waste of money and petro-chemicals.
Transmission oil does not "break down" like motor oil because it does not face the heat stresses and acid buildup that are products of combustion; there is no comparison between the two.

[saabfan9]

thanks guys i thought i was the only person servicing my trans...hey when the time comes to move on rest assured i've done all maint.....10 minutes for a piece of mind

[Superaero]

Dirt is the number one enemy of transmissions. Every time you change the oil you risk contaminating the gearbox.

Engine oil is very durable stuff and a transverse transmission does not require oil changes. Even the older transmissions and final drives with hypoind gear oil often did not specify oil changes. Manual transmissions are not hard on oil unless you are ard on the transmission and grind the synchros or dogs.

[abusot]

Originally Posted by saabfan9

thanks guys i thought i was the only person servicing my trans...hey when the time comes to move on rest assured i've done all maint.....10 minutes for a piece of mind

Anecdotal evidence- Before I replaced the clutch, I had unmistakeable gear whine in 1st and 2nd. When I replaced the clutch, I turned the tranny upside down and drained all the oil out of it. The oil that came out was near the viscosity of water. I refilled it with 10-40W and afterwards there was absolutely no gear whine.

Now you can argue that the tranny works well when it whines and with oil as thin as water, but I'm going to change mine regularly.

[ylee coyote]

sorry but ...
The 9000 box is pretty good but the aero stresses it somewhat,modify it and it stresses it even more
I put dyno oil in after one re-build
after 2,000 miles it starts to whine at 4 k I changed to a Royal Purple racing oil
the dino oil that came out was as black as the ace of spades ..
only thing that will do that is excessive heat
Ok I am at the extreme but I think it is quite prudent to change the oil at regular intervals on a standard car and pretty regularly if running more boost

[boxman]

Originally Posted by Jim Mesthene

Oil changes are not required for manual transmissions...ever.

sorry but i dont agree with this at all, yes saab say you dont need to change the gearbox oil as do many other manufacturers, but just imagine the stresses the gearbox puts the oil under, there isnt an oil anywhere capable of that kind of stress over 100000 miles, i say change it, if nothing else it will make the gear changes smoother.


ps i use dexron 3 transmission fluid in my manual box

[bosruten]

Originally Posted by boxman

sorry but i dont agree with this at all, yes saab say you dont need to change the gearbox oil as do many other manufacturers, but just imagine the stresses the gearbox puts the oil under, there isnt an oil anywhere capable of that kind of stress over 100000 miles, i say change it, if nothing else it will make the gear changes smoother.


ps i use dexron 3 transmission fluid in my manual box

How does one change fluid on a '97 aero manual? I'm all set to attempt this feat!

[Superaero]

"just imagine the stresses a gearbox puts the oil under". You can't.

The engineers actually test these things and write the servicing spec accordingly.

Engine oil is good stuff. You cannot lubricate an engine with transmission oil. You can lubricate a transmission with engine oil. The abuse the engine oil gets inside the running engine in no way compares to the easy life that same oil lives inside a transverse gearbox.