Apols for a boring question, probably asked many times before!

Yesterday thought would check oil level on dipstick next to turbo, which I believe to be gearbox/front diff (are they same supply??)

Well there was some oil on it after a couple of dips, was very clean and clear but I think a little low!!

Its a '97 STI V3 with 68K.

Should I;
a: get it drained and refilled with what I ask?
b: top up?

Can it all be drained easy enough, ie from bottom of box?

No problems with gear selection etc YET!

It pays to check eh?

What's the full name and spec of this Silkolene oil then?

Many thanks in advance.

 

Glen, I have an Sti v3 too. The oil level on the stick was just the same on mine!
If it is the original oil I think i would drain it off, the 'sump' plug is exposed at the bottom of the box. Quite a lot will come out!
I refilled mine with competition quality oil, but the oil a subaru dealer will use is good too.
The really awkward bit is refilling the box, you have to use the dipstick tube which is hard to get at with the short filler tube provided by the oil can.

Best take it to a decent garage or a scooby dealer.

My oil came from TEG Motorsport, about 4 to 4,5 litres.

911

 

Easy to change, drop from the gearbox plug, when re-filling use a piece of garden hose onto the bottom of a funnel, perfect fit for the dip stick hole. Make sure the car is level when checking oil level.
I used Syntrax from my local dealer, take a container they do it in bulk, I paid around £6 ltr.

 

It should be clean and clear. It's not like the engine where you get carbon turning it black. Plus there's a magnet in the drain plug that should attract any filings/general metallic crud.

When was the last time you had the transmission fluids changed? If more than 15-20,000 miles ago, a drain wouldn't do any harm.

See above. If you've had it changed relatively recently, there's no point chucking perfectly good oil.

Yep. Piece of pee. Drain plug is under front diff.

Yes. Under ideal circumstances, you'd want to keep the gearbox oil level slightly above the upper hole on the dipstick. An eighth of an inch or so above it when the oil is cold would be about spot-on.

The Silkolene stuff is called Syn5, but you'll be happy with any of the good 75w/90 gear oils. Mobilube 1 SHC 75/90, Castrol Syntrax, Redline Shockproof Lightweight are all good.

 

Thanks ever so for the info Chaps, may you be blessed with low running costs and wide smiles!!

GM, do you spend all day bailing us lot out of the doo doo or you hands on? Are you a Specialist or a Scooby Specialist??
Have to say have learned loads from you so thanks.

Glenn(age)

 

Not sure I replied right to everyones help, just trying to see where this ends up for future use!!
Doh!

 

Greasemonkey, in your experience how much gearbox oil is needed to bring the level up from MIN to MAX on a UK MY99 turbo?

Mine's level with the MIN hole, and after reading your good advice i want to top it up a bit. I'm off on a long trip/holiday to the Isle of Man tomorrow and i want to make sure it's properly protected, just in case it gets the odd bit of stick.

Cheers,

Iwan

 

Anyone???

 

Can't remember for certain, but think it's somewhere around half a litre. Either way, under ideal circumstances you want it a little bit above the full mark. I normally top to about an eighth of an inch above the hole when the box is cold.

Buy a litre bottle and take the remainder with you to the IoM, just in case.

No Glenn, I don't spend all day bailing you lot out. Theoretically at least, I do have a job.

 

Nice one, cheers mate! Will get some oil from the dealers in the morning, need to find out what they put in at the last service...

 

Lol GM!!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!
Glennage