Change Manual gearbox fluid?

kaneelschep · Post by **kaneelschep** » 16 Jan 2017, 10:21

I have been searching around a bit and find a lot of different answers.

When its cold outside and the engine is cold, my gearbox does not really shift into the first gears very easy.
Reverse and to 1 and to 2. You feel a slight hesitation.
When the engine gets just a little bit warmer it's no problem and shifts perfect.
Its basicly just the first few shifts.

One sais never change the gearbox oil unless there is a problem. The other sais it can save you from future issues.
The car did 315000kms.

Should I change the oil? And will it 'fix' these first harsh shifts?

Post by **abscate** » 16 Jan 2017, 10:46

I would try new gearbox oil, it is pretty cheap. You do need a big wrench (21 or 22 mm) to get the plugs out.

kaneelschep · Post by **kaneelschep** » 16 Jan 2017, 11:46

But will it make my gear shifts great again?

Post by **850 LPT** » 16 Jan 2017, 12:00

Not sure, but it's super easy to change, so why not try?

I have had the same problem with my 05' V70 since the day I bought it about a year ago, same symptoms as yours.
I changed the trans oil and it made no difference.

Surprising to me, my 97' 850 shifts perfectly even when it's really cold. And that car has 405000 kms on it now.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 16 Jan 2017, 17:42

There is no reason not to change manual gear oil. On an automatic sometimes there can be issues afterwards but in a manual gear box the oil simply lubricates, it doesn't do anything else.

If the gear oil hasn't been done in a long time I would recommend replacing it. I believe the drain and fill plugs are 24mm.

Post by **abscate** » 16 Jan 2017, 19:53

This idiot reports its a 24mm or 15/16 SAE wrench...

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=66079&hilit=Manual+ ... ion+change

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 16 Jan 2017, 20:06

abscate wrote:This idiot reports its a 24mm or 15/16 SAE wrench...

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=66079&hilit=Manual+ ... ion+change

And this idiot spent hours researching all available gearbox oils suitable for use in our Manual Transmissions...

viewtopic.php?t=72329

I sure hope you try out something new and report back to us!

Post by **j-dawg** » 16 Jan 2017, 20:40

The manual gearboxes on these cars are unusually stiff when it's cold. During the polar vortex of 2013/2014, the coldest winter of my short life, my gearbox felt very stiff on pretty fresh (<15k) Volvo transmission fluid. I just started in second gear to minimize gear changes until the fluid had warmed up a bit.

I'd definitely change the fluid on regular intervals, but if you know it's been done recently, it probably won't help you with stiff shifting on cold days.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 16 Jan 2017, 20:57

Jimmy57 had a great tip - remove the top plug first. If for some reason you can't get the bottom plug out you haven't drained all of the lube with no way to fill it back up.

I used Royal Purple synthetic that claimed it was GL4 compatible but it was actually GL5. When my box is cold it shifts "notchy". The plausible explanation that I have heard is that the GL5 is actually too slick and that the synchronizers actually need a bit of drag to work properly.

...Lee

PeteB · Post by **PeteB** » 17 Jan 2017, 15:23

I've driven a stick for most of my life and many of my cars did this, just let it warm
up a minute or two more.
If there is a factory recommended gear oil that has better viscosity at low temps, I'd try that.