Gear oil or transmission oil is a lubricant that ensures that the moving parts in the gearbox, such as the gears, shift forks, and synchromesh rings are lubricated. Lubricating with gear oil will prevent wear and tear on these car parts.
When to top up or change gear oil?
Topping up or changing gear oil doesn?t have to be done as frequently as engine oil. Gear oil should be changes once or twice in the lifespan of a vehicle. In the warranty or service booklet of your car, you can read the replacement interval, indicated in kilometres (miles) or elapsed time, within which replacement must take place. Changing gear oil is not only important for cars with a manual transmission, it is also important for automatic transmission to change gear oil on time
Check transmission oil
It is important to check the gear oil level from time to time. To do this, you must leave the car in neutral, in the case of an automatic transmission you can put it in P position with the handbrake on. You should check the gear oil when it is still warm (not extremely hot). To measure accurately, you have to shift through all gears without actually driving. Make sure you are parked on a stable surface.
The transmission oil dipstick is located under the hood. In cars with rear-wheel drive it is often found behind the engine and with front-wheel drive in front of the engine. Wipe the dipstick with a clean cloth to accurately measure the transmission oil. To do this, insert the dipstick back into the gearbox and then remove it. Make sure to watch the "warm" level of the oil. When the level is on the low side, it is advisable to top up or replace the transmission oil immediately.
Top up gear oil
When adding or changing the gearbox oil, keep the car idling. In the technical papers of your car, you can find whether there are certain special instructions for changing the transmission oil. Before topping up the oil, place a long funnel in the reservoir to prevent spillage and waste. Pour the gear oil into the reservoir in a controlled manner. The amount depends on the maintenance. Then again shift through all gears and check the oil level again. Are you still dissatisfied with the level? Then you can add another 0.5 liters.
Which gear oil do I need?
Obtaining information about the correct transmission oil or transmission oil in advance is essential to prevent damage to your transmission. There is in particular a big difference between the type of oil in manual and automatic gearboxes. Gear oil and engine oil are sometimes confused, gear oil can generally be recognized by the denominators GL-3, GL-4 or GL-5. These are most common in the more modern car versions. You can also read in the owner's manual of your car which gearbox oil is suitable for your car.