Trans fluid fill through shifter?

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Turdcelbrother
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My tercel:: 1987 tercel 4wd sr5

Trans fluid fill through shifter?

Post by Turdcelbrother »

Having troubles getting those filler plugs off the trans, every single one of my 24mm sockets slide off and proceed to strip the bolts which has made me hold off on trying to get them off(any tips for getting them off appriciated) is it possible to fill the trans through the shifter,m? I've done this on my '86 corolla but I'm unsure how it would go on this?? I am just wanting to play on the side of caution and fill the trans as I believe there is a slow leak.
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rer233
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Re: Trans fluid fill through shifter?

Post by rer233 »

Filling thru the shifter won't work. You pretty much have to get the filler plug on the front diff out. I've had the same problem you're experiencing in the past 'till I bought a 15/16" six point half drive socket- problem solved! Got a Craftsman from Sears. I assume you're using a 12 point socket?

Good Luck- hope this helps.
if it aint there, there's a good chance it won't break!
83 SR5 Silver/Blue (Snowmobile/work beater)-totaled but drivable
85 SR5 Blue
88 SR5 White (the 'good' one)-not anymore-totaled
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Turdcelbrother
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My tercel:: 1987 tercel 4wd sr5

Re: Trans fluid fill through shifter?

Post by Turdcelbrother »

Alrighty, sounds good. I'll have to go pick up one of those!
Thanks a bunch!
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ARCHINSTL
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Re: Trans fluid fill through shifter?

Post by ARCHINSTL »

@ Turdcelbrother - Check out this link on tool modification for the filler/drain plugs:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6976&hilit=socket

Also - props for recognizing that the filler plugs must come out before the drain plugs! Not all do ...

Also note that when filling, the rear drain plug must be unscrewed 7-8 turns from tight to permit lube to flow to the 4WD "chamber" until the 4.1 quarts are installed. That is in the FSM and also in the Stickie in the General Forum.
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Re: Trans fluid fill through shifter?

Post by xirdneh »

try a nail punch with a tip about 3/31" in diameter. a center punch will work too. put punch on side of hex nut and smack with hammer in loosen direction. this works on hex heads that are buggered up. i tap lightly at first to make sure it gets dug in before hitting hard

always use 6 pt sochet or wrench, i grind the socket and wrench so end is flat. those nuts are pretty short sometimes and this will give more gripping surface
Love those Tercell 4x4 wagons but they sure suffer from road noise.
Turdcelbrother
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My tercel:: 1987 tercel 4wd sr5

Re: Trans fluid fill through shifter?

Post by Turdcelbrother »

Thanks all! Another question I've got is, Would running Castrol full synthetic 75-90 cause gear clashing, since owning the car I have only been able to shift into first at a complete stop, and 2nd as well as 3rd grind a little if your not slow enough with the shift.
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Petros
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Re: Trans fluid fill through shifter?

Post by Petros »

I tried full synthetic on mine, and found I get gear clashing and oil leaks. Mine has lots of miles, well over 200k miles (likely over 300k now...not sure because it is the third trans I put in this car, first failure was previous owners fault, second one was my idiot fault...third one has held up well with regular gear oil changes).

I found using a mix of quality gear oil, and synthetic gear oil 50/50, or about one fourth synthetic, seems to work well. I have also started adding a manual trans additive that supposed to improve shifting and reduce wear. Seems to help the shifting on the worn syncros (reduced clashing).
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
Turdcelbrother
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My tercel:: 1987 tercel 4wd sr5

Re: Trans fluid fill through shifter?

Post by Turdcelbrother »

Hey all! Thanks Petros! I'll be giving that a try this weekend, not much in terms of "good Dino gear oil" I have been able to find only 75-90 in synthetic castrol at my local lordco, they didn't have any 75-90 in a decent brand, I've bought some 80-90 Dino oil from Canadian tires own brand "motomaster" hopefully that will do that trick. Also slight topic change, but I'm curious as to when I make a right turn well giving slight throttle the car sort of jumps, and lurches slightly, feels like it could be a carb issues? Or perhaps axle issue?
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Petros
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Re: Trans fluid fill through shifter?

Post by Petros »

could be something loose on the left suspension, better check it out. check out ball joints, bushings, tie rod ends, rack mount, upper strut mount. May not be a safety issue, but it maybe could be, so best to know what it is before you decided you can ignore it for now.

if it does not do that in any other condition, not likely from engine.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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