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Thread: How to flush a manual transmission

  1. #1
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power BoBo's Avatar
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    How to flush a manual transmission

    This is a quick and simple instruction on how to flush a manual transmission on a miata. First warm up the gear oil in your transmission, so all that crud build up will come out with the oil when you flush it. I went out and drove the car for a little bit on the freeway,got something at the store and came right back to my garage.

    To get started:
    1. Jack up your front driver side and locate the two main plugs to get the job done. The plug to pump the oil in will be on the driver side, its a square bolt and you can use an open end wrench to remove it.It is facing sideways before the bell housing. The second plug to drain the gear oil is located at the bottom of the transmission, if I remember you use a 24mm socket.However, I had every tool but a 24mm socket,so I used an open end wrench. Here is a couple of pictures that will give you the exact location.

    I left the wrench hanging so you can see the location of the side plug in conjunction with the 24mm drain plug:


    This is another picture without the wrench:



    This is the 24mm drain plug:


    This is a picture of the oil draining:


    I used a universal hand pump that you can buy at the local parts store. I used walmart super tech 75w90 synthetic blend. I paid about $12 for 2 quarts. Just pump the oil in after you drain the old one.


    After everything was done, I drove the car right away. My miata already shifted nice even before the flush. My miata actually shifted smoother than any of my Mr2's that I had in the past,even after my mr2's had their trannies flushed. But this time my miata now shifts even smoother and lighter. Now I know what they mean when they say "it shifts like hot knife through a butter". I bought my car with 128k, now it has 160k and I don't know when the last time the gear oil was replaced. The way my transmission shifts, I definitely got a deal out of that walmart oil. Thank you for reading.
    Last edited by Agent☣Orange; 09-20-2013 at 04:16 PM. Reason: Edited title to list better in abbreviated view
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    Agent☣Orange (09-13-2013),atank (09-13-2013),BlitzWing (09-20-2013),Dmn2258 (12-15-2013),Ihatecars (12-15-2013),psulja (09-25-2013),SM16RMSM (09-20-2013),The Driver (12-15-2013),theothersawyer (12-15-2013)

  3. #2
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift Demon I Am's Avatar
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    good, how-to. Thanks!

  4. #3
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power BlitzWing's Avatar
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    this has been something thats been on my to-do list for the last year as its rather notchie on cold starts

  5. #4
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! iKhanh's Avatar
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    forgive my ignorance, but just for clarification, this is entirely different than the "shifter turret" oil that you can siphon out once you remove the shift lever in the car right?

  6. #5
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone wannafbody's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by iKhanh View Post
    forgive my ignorance, but just for clarification, this is entirely different than the "shifter turret" oil that you can siphon out once you remove the shift lever in the car right?
    This replaces the 2 quarts in the transmission. The turret only holds a couple ounces.

  7. #6
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift theothersawyer's Avatar
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    Great how-to! Thank you for sharing!

  8. #7
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    Nice.

    For novices, PLEASE make certain you can remove the fill plug before you drain the fluid.

    Opinions vary, but I found the transmission in my '92 didn't really like synthetic fluid like my '99 does. I cannot find information to back this up, but the materials used in the earlier transmissions don't respond to the modern synthetics like the later versions.

  9. #8
    Idling - Listen to it purr... clutch dust's Avatar
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    Remove the fill plug on top of the transmission, then drain the fluid. As it's draining, pull the shifter and siphon the turret fluid if it's still there. replace the drain plug. Get a hand pump and fill the trans.

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