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Transaxle Oil Change
Transaxle Oil Change
By: Dcpedit and Blitzo
Introduction
Toyota recommends a 30,000 mile interval (or two years) between changing the manual
transaxle oil. It is not a difficult task to change the oil - it is
actually a little easier than changing the engine oil. The only tools
required are a 10mm nut driver and flat blade screwdriver for removing the
plastic under the transmission and engine and a wrench for removing the drain
and fill plugs.
| Gearbox oil | ||
| Grade | API GL-4 or GL-5 | |
| Viscosity | SAE 75W-90 | |
| Capacity |
1.8 L (2.0 qts.) with LSD 1.9 L (2.2 qts.) without LSD (U.S. version) [Editor's Note: My US transaxle fill only required 2.0 US quarts.] |
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Tools Required
 | 10mm socket or nutdriver |
| Flat Bladed screwdriver |
| 24mm socket or box wrench |
| Torque wrench (or calibrated hands) |
| Oil collection pan |
| Small pump (made for pumping gear oil from 1 qt containers) |
Procedure
| The first step is to warn up the oil in the
transaxle. The best way to do this is drive. You want the oil
to be warm so that it will flow freely from the case and remove as much of
the old oil as possible. Free flowing oil will also help remove
particles that might be in the case. Park the car on level ground
when you return.
Next, you'll need to take off the plastic underneath the engine so that you can get to drain plug. There's no need to lift the car unless you have trouble getting the plastic panels off. Before removing the drain plug, loosen the fill plug just to be sure you can get it off. Once you drain the oil, you cannot drive *OR TOW* the car until the oil has been replaced. Remove the drain plug and allow the gear oil to collect in a catch pan. Allow the oil to drain until it stops to drip. If the oil has been warmed up, this should only take 10-15 minutes.
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| Once the oil has drained, put the drain plug back in and
torque it to 29 ft-lbs. Dispose of the used oil in an
environmentally safe manner. All auto parts stores that sell oil
will also collect oil for proper reclamation.
Now remove the fill plug. Put your handy pump into a bottle of fresh oil and pump away. Once both bottles of oil have been put in the transaxle, insert your finger into the hole to feel how close the oil level is to the fill hole. It should be no more than 5 mm below the bottom of the hole. In some cases, the oil might be right at the hole and begin running out. This is fine. Replace the fill plug and torque to 29 ft-lbs. Reinstall the plastic panel and you are now ready for another 30,000 miles. |
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