1999 V70T5M56 manual transmission drain DIY , Mobil 1 SYN oil review

[DePonce]

I performed a manual transmission oil change replacing the 16 year old oil with Mobil one synthetic

Why Mobil 1 Synthetic and not Volvo recommendation? How does Mobil 1 compare to OEM stuff?

Thanks!

[Ozark Lee]

You actually need to be a bit careful on the lube. The OEM lube is a GL-4 and most synthetic lubes on the market are GL-5. I used Royal Purple synthetic that said it was GL-4 "compatible" but it is actually GL-5. The GL-5 is actually too slick, the synchros need a bit of drag to work correctly and the shifting will be a bit "notchy" with GL-5, especially when it is cold.

The Volvo lube is stupid expensive but so are the other synthetic gear lubes. The next time I have some time to do maintenance on my '94 I am going to go a head and replace the lube with the OEM stuff.

...Lee

[DePonce]

Lee, thanks!

[abscate]

I'll report back on the shifting performance in today's frigid -5F temperatures with the Mobil synthetic.

[E Showell]

When my dead engine was replaced, I asked my mechanic to drain and replace the transmission oil. I used the stupid expensive Volvo stuff. Mechanic said if it were his car, he wouldn't have replaced the oil since it looked pristine on draining. My original clutch lasted to 229,500 (I had it replaced while the engine was out) and one side of the friction material had come loose so it was slipping ever so slightly on one particular hill that was part of my daily commute, but no teenage drivers or boat launches. Still, the clutch was not worn down to the rivets and my mechanic said it still had some life in it -- I threatened his if he put it back in.

[abscate]

I'll report back on the shifting performance in today's frigid -5F temperatures with the Mobil synthetic.

Im going to report this as no noticeable difference in shifting between -5F and 50F since Ive changed this oil, using Mobil 1 synthetic.

[abscate]

Did the 2005 P2 car today, same report
15/16 inch wrench fit both bolts (couldn't find my 24mm)

a 5/8 inch OD hose is too fat to slip into the fill hole, it needs to be 1/2 inch OD or less

I heated the 1/2 inch Tygon tube I had, and forced my funnel end onto the soft end to make a nice fill method. At 70F, it took about 15 minutes to drain 2 liters of oil into the transmission.

I ran the hose down from the engine compartment so that I didn't have to sit there looking stupid holding a funnel in my hand. A pizza box from dinner the night before is great for catching any oil drips from oil/gearbox changes.

[RantingRobbo]

Hi, Just read all these posts - thanks. Now then, has anyone ever taken the plastic protector from inside the wing to access the plugs please?? If so, is it held with Cross Head / Slotted / Allen screws OR simply push clipped on? There again, I might just cut some of the plastic away to get at the filler / drain plugs haha!!

[abscate]

Bump to answer question and note capacity for Clemens

2 liters into the M56 needed

The plastic plates are held on my M6 screws, 10 mm head size on both my volvos

24 mm or 15/16 wrench size

[abscate]

Npw have 90k miles on this fluid and transmission (240k) with nothing of note to report - all good.