How to Check the Quality of Manual Transmission Fluid?
2 Answers
Manual transmission fluid quality can be checked by: 1. Loosening the drain hole and collecting some fluid in a container to observe its condition, checking for any unusual odor or turbidity; 2. Touching the fluid with your hand to detect any fine metal particles. The methods for changing manual transmission fluid are: 1. Gravity drain: Loosen the oil pan bolt and let the transmission fluid drain out by gravity; 2. Machine flush: Store new transmission fluid in a flushing machine, connect the transmission to the machine via pipes, and use the machine to push out the old fluid with the new one.
Last time I helped my friend check his old Focus, the manual transmission fluid inspection was actually quite particular. The car needs to be parked perfectly level, and you should wait five minutes after turning off the warm engine before starting. Locate the inspection hole on the side of the transmission, which requires a professional hex key to open. Dip your finger in to check the oil level—if it comes out with oil, it's normal. Pay attention to the color of the oil: light yellow and transparent is good, but if it's black with metal shavings, it needs to be changed. If it smells burnt, there's definitely a problem. I once encountered a case where the oil level was sufficient but shifting was rough—that was due to oxidized and degraded fluid, with incorrect viscosity. After inspection, don’t forget to replace the copper gasket and tighten the bolt properly, or oil leaks could become a headache.
