Replacing gear and diff oil

[MartinS]

Hi, I'll be doing an annual service on my k-series 7 tomorrow, and I'm debating if it's worth replacing the oil in the gear box and diff. Gear box is a standard 5 gear type-9, diff is a normal one (not LSD, nothing special I believe)

 

The car was built in 1995 and has had the gear box and diff oil topped up by me with some comma ep90 a while ago (from memory is was the more expensive stuff, bright red). I'm not 100% sure if I put in the right stuff back then (GL4 or GL5?) as it wasn't the Caterham branded oil. As most of the oil would be reasonably old, is it worth getting a pump, pumping the old stuff out and replacing it fresh, or am I just causing myself unnecessary work and just topping it up is fine?

 

Also, would someone be nice enough to confirm if it's GL4 or GL5 I should be using in either or both the gear box and the diff?

 

Many thanks as ever (I'm not sure what I'd do without blatchat! :)

 

M.

 

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Martin Saunders

ohh, is it upgrade time? :)

[Mick Day]

GL4 for the gearbox & diff......well it is on a 6 speed.

 

These items on a Ford are fit & forget, there is no recomendation for changing oil during the service life. There is no contamination from combustion products, as in the engine, either. Also both will have magnetic filler plugs to pick-up any metal bits worn off the teeth. And finally the diff doesn't have a drain plug (not too sure about the 5 speed).

 

So on my car the oil gets changed only when the items are refurbished. About every 4 years for the gearbox & so far 10 years for the diff.

[Dick Whittington]

I changed the oil on both gearbox and diff on my 1999. Both came out black and the magnetic plugs were both stuffed full.

 

Replaced the gearbox oil with Redline MTL which improved the gear change a little.

 

Dick

-----And all I ask is a fast car and a momo to steer her by

[MartinS]

Cool thanks. I'm going to get one of those oil removing things that looks like a big metal hypodermic with a rubber tube, so it shouldn't be too hard to suck out the old stuff and squirt in some nice fresh new oil.

 

So, from the looks of things, 4l of EP90 GL4 should do it?

 

Cheers

 

M.

 

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Martin Saunders

ohh, is it upgrade time? :)

[k80rum]

A fluid extractor is probably a good investment - particularly for draining the diff. The gearbox drains very easily through the drain plug though, particularly if you take a quick run to get it warmed

 

Darren E

 

K80RUM Website and Emerald maps library

 

Superlight R #54

 

 

[Dick Whittington]

You also need the elephant syringe to put the new oil back in both boxes.

 

I recommend buying a longer piece of pipe as the supplied one is too short by half. Also extract and fill from inside the boot with the plank out.

 

Replace the diff oil fixed a slight drone from the diff, but then it was not completely full in the first place.

 

Dick

-----And all I ask is a fast car and a momo to steer her by

[BBL]

Recommended fluids can be found on page 17 of the build manual (the first pdf in the list - the big one): here

 

Sean

[Bricol]

Best mod you will ever do to your Caterham - an inch dia hole in the boot floor, a bit back from the join between ali and wood, in the wood, about 2" to the right (looking from the rear) of the centre fixing screw.

 

You can then get a tube down it into the diff and topping up suddenly becomes easy and fast . .

 

As for box-filling - 12mm ali tubing, carefully bent into a 90 bend at one end so it slips into the diff or box - length of suitable flexi tubing and either shove it on the end of the oil bottle or onto a funnel.

 

My intergrale guru used to swear by microwaving gear oil to make it flow better and easier (you have to fill an integrale box down the dip stick tube - with cold oil it takes forever!) - I wasn't too sure about that, so a container of hot water to stick the oil bottle in to warm it up and make it flow speeds filling.

 

Bri

[Rob Walker]

Sounds like you filled with the red ford lub oil that was available at that time. This wa a very high quality lub , I would not change it as it was a fill for life oil.

[BBL]

If you have your gearbox already out, you can get an O2 bung (or equivalent, but that's what I used) and drill a hole in the 'box cover and weld the bung in place. Like this here. Don't see how it could be done without removing the gearbox first, unfortunately.

 

For proper credit, I was told about this by Doug from California Caterham Club, though I believe he read about it somewhere on here.

 

Sean

[MartinS]

Well I went to replace the gearbox oil, and on taking out the plug a small amount of oil started to drip out I was sure the speedo driver was leaking oil, but obviously not as it's up to full up. So I've left it alone.. 😬

 

Anyone need 5l of EP90 GL4?

 

M.

 

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Martin Saunders

ohh, is it upgrade time? :)