Horrible gearchange

[DaiRees]

Oh crap, sorry to hear there's yet another problem mate.....

[mjb]

Hmm this makes me feel a bit better:

Someone on the coupe club with a manual ES9J4S had trouble getting gears with very similar symptoms to what I'm feeling (especially 3rd+4th). His trouble started after driving through some "very deep standing water" (in a 406? FOOL!). He greased the linkages, no change. Had a new gearstick+cables fitted, no change. He tried changing the gearbox oil and fixed it!

This also ties in with how mine started after ejecting a large amount of brake fluid from the reservoir (the gearbox is right below it!)

This has picked my mood up a LOT!

So does anyone know what type/brand/etc of gearbox oil should I be putting in, and can someone offer a better set of pictures and/or instructions than the Book of Lies? This book is completely useless!

How much oil should I be putting in? I seem to recall you need the car level and it's a case of putting it in the side mounted (if memory serves?) filler hole until it's full? How level exactly does it need to be? I'll be using 2 axle stands and 2 jacks to raise it on an uneven surface, so do I need to buy a spirit level or is a few inches from level ok? Do I need a special socket/tool to open the thing too?

[steve_earwig]

Put that spirit level away! Jack the front as far up as you can to drain all the oil out, then refill it with 1.9 litres of finest 75w80 gear oil via the reverse light switch on top of the box. I had to grind a 3/8ths adaptor down to fit in the square hole in the drain plug so you might have to get a tool.

It could also be worth flushing it:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6123&p=60127&hilit= ... ide#p60127

Earlier post:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5863&p=57761&hilit=+75w80#p57761

[mjb]

Thanks a lot Steve. It seems gearboxes really are very sensitive to oil, especially the ML5T with 3rd...

That molynaypronouncible stuff seems to be interesting. One of the first google hits is an M5 forum saying loads of them seem to like adding it, so it can't be bad, eh? It appears to be (chemically, and commercially available as) a powder, but you mentioned it in a tube? I'm (possibly rightly) concerned about any effects of the other ingredients needed to make it a paste...

I agree with the flush, and was thinking about it when I made the post... What sort of cheap oil do you mean? Tesco Value 10W40? or an inferior brand of 75W80? I think I'll go with dealer-supplied £12/litre stuff for the final filling, just to be sure...

Reminds me, think I need some rubber seals for the plugs?

The BoL says the undertray needs to come off. Is it right? (I'm running short on cable ties!)

[steve_earwig]

I don't know what the additives were, I binned the tube but I could go have look if you want. I suppose if you get it as a powder you could add it to one of your bottles of 75W80 and give it a good shake.

What rubber seals??

I just used the cheapest engine oil he had in the shop I did make a right mess getting it in a gear oil bottle tho so maybe some cheap anygrade gear oil would be easier.

Umm, I have no undershields

[mjb]

Didn't flush it, but I emptied it out and I think I've got about 1.5 litres in there now

Getting the oil out is easy once the power steering pipe is shoved out of the way. Getting it in is another matter altogether.

The filler's on the rear side, about 4-5" above the drain plug. Unfortunately there's the subframe and the steering rack in the way. Access from above is impossible, so I had to drop a bit of tubing down from above and squeeze my hand up from underneath and try to shuffle the tube into the gearbox. So I discover my syringes don't fit in the pipe... Out with the big funnel from Halfrauds I was hoping I could use straight, and I hot glued the tube in. MISTAKE! Oil p*ssing everywhere
At least I managed to put a jubilee clip on which minimised the leakage.

6 HOURS LATER the oil had finished pouring into the gearbox...

Moral of the story: don't use 3/16 tubing for oil. It's too small

Think I'll get a garage to re-do it as soon as I can. There's GOT to be a better way of doing it. Gearchange feels a bit better at least

[steve_earwig]

Moral #2 don't bother with the filler/level plug, it's in such a stupid place you need to be a double-jointed midget to get to it. On early ML5Ts the reversing light switch is conveniently located on the top of the 'box (remove air filter box), I think it's about a 20mm and removed there's an nice, easy to get to hole. On later ones there's a big (and I mean BIG) breather on the top and NO filler/level plug, take cap off, dump oil in.

[mjb]

Much easier through the sensor hole So now I have 1.85 litres of Castrol 75W80 diff oil and about 50ml of Molyslip gearbox stuff in there. I also greased up the linkage ball joints... and it's made no difference

I'd also like to mention for the record that gearbox oil is NASTY smelling stuff. I seriously regret not putting my car work clothes in the washe3r last night - put them on this morning and nearly hurled

[DaiRees]

Ah yes, the smell of used gear oil.... I remember it well!

(PS: gear oil is also carcenogenic, so you really don't wanna bathe in it fella )

[mjb]

No I was pretty careful with the old stuff (except when the gusts of wind blew it clear of the drain tray/bottle thing ). It's just the new stuff I managed to get everywhere yesterday when the funnel/pipe arrangement broke

[steve_earwig]

...and it's made no difference

Bugger I'd suggest doing the flushy thing but that feels too much like clutching at straws.

(smells like cat's pi$$ to me )

[mjb]

...and it's made no difference

Bugger I'd suggest doing the flushy thing but that feels too much like clutching at straws.

(smells like cat's pi$$ to me )

I have done the flushing thing! Except instead of cheap motor oil, I used proper stuff from the dealers because I cocked up and didn't intend to flush...

[muffindell]

Thing is, you've now found the problem, so it'll be cheaper to fix it than to buy a new car, the car is also a known quantity (that may be a good or bad thing!).

[mjb]

Thing is, you've now found the problem, so it'll be cheaper to fix it than to buy a new car

Barely. New gearboxes ain't cheap

[muffindell]

I thought it was a linkage problem and not a gearbox problem?