Hello , on the M6 , how hard is it to replace the Transmission fluid ?

I am thinking about going to Royal Purple , I just dont have a clue how to do it.

Thanks.

 

My dealer says put in anything except Dexron III and they will void my warranty, even though the car does not shift that great.

 

I would wait until the warranty is up. Mine is much better after 8500 miles.

 

There are better DEX IIIs
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...hetic_ATF.aspx

 

That link shows automatic transmission fluid. Is it different fluid for a manual ?

Seriously , I dont know.

Thanks.

 

Automatics and manuals usually use different types of fluid, but the manual tranny in the C6 actually calls for automatic transmission fluid. So that stuff will work. Royal purple's syncromax is intended for manual transmissions that use ATF. That's what I used and am really happy with the results.

I'm not worried about the warranty though. I think they would have an awfully hard time claiming that a good lubricant that is not what the manual specifies to use could be the cause of damage. I'm sure that most dealers do not care, and the ones that do are the a**holes that I don't working on my car anyway.

As for the how-to, it's pretty easy. First lift and support the car at both ends. You want it to be level. For me, driving the rear onto rhino ramps and putting stands under the front sub frame works great. There is a drain plug at the bottom rear of the tranny, it's horizontal and is on the drivers side. Use a 3/4'' drive ratchet on it (without a socket). The fill plug is the same style, and is located at about halfway between the drain plug and the front of the tranny, and higher up (obviously). It's also on the drivers side. I'm pretty sure at least one of these plugs is labeled. Undo them both and drain out the old stuff. Then put in the drain plug and tighten to 20lb-ft.

Since there isn't enough room to simply pour the new oil in, there are a few ways to do it. You can get a hand pump at the auto parts store for a few bucks that will do this. They usually screw onto the bottle and have a hose that goes onto the filler hole. I like to run a hose directly from the fill hole, through the top of the bottle, and all the way to the bottom. Then I put a small hole in the bottle above the oil line, and put the end of my air compressor into that.

However you do it, fill it right up to the hole. You can just keep going untill it spills out and let the excess fall out of the fill hole. Then put that plug in, again at 20lb-ft.

The total oil capacity is 4.1qt but since you won't get it all out you only need to buy 4qt. I think I used about 3.5qt. If you're going to get under there to do this, you may want to do the differential too, since the procedure is exactly the same, and you're already down there with all the tools you need. The only difference is one of those plugs takes an allen key, and you only need 2qt.

One other thing you may want to do is to run the engine for a bit to make sure that the oil gets in all the lines, then check the level again. I didn't know about that, so a couple months later I went back and checked the level just to be sure. It wasn't low, but I'll do the check next time anyway. Might as well, right?

 

Do you have any pics of the drain n change for the auto trans & rear end? I believe the manual says you don't have to change these items unless they leak and it looks very difficult to access because of the muffler and tail pipes

 

I have used RedLine with much success but haven't tried it on the new C-6.
The manual says not to change these items unless there is a leak.

 

Never looked at an auto, but I can check if the service manual has any drawings. I'll take some pics of the diff tomorrow. The exhaust wasn't in my way at all, but then I have B&Bs.

I changed the diff fluid just because I wanted to get rid of any dirty oil from break-in, and it was fairly dark. I had no noises or other problems with mine, so the only difference is peace of mind.

 

I know exactly how you feel and I do the same thing with the oil change but I haven't messed with anything on this Corvete it is factory stock and will remain so but I just hope the rear end and transmission are easily accessible so the same principle applies to these components just like the engine oil. Also for the transmission chevy parts told me they have a magnetic plug for the transmission. Did you use the factory fluids for rear end and your manual trans? Or did you go Redline, Amsoil, or Royal Purple like some others have done. The thing that bothers me is that the manual says there is no need to change any of the above unless you have a leak.

 

Nope same thing

a GOOD Synthtic AFT fluid will do wonders for a MN shifting.

I use M1 ATF in my MN6 and M1 Synthic gear oil in the diff.

 

Royal Purple states Dexron III right on the bottle. I use it in mine and have noticed smoother and easier shifting.

 

Syncromax? or just their ATF?

 

Your dealer is wrong. The owner's manual requirement is for an oil meeting GM Dexron III standards, and many aftermarket transmission fluids meet that specification. In general, the Magnuson-Moss act prohibits a manufacturer from requiring tied in sales provisions (such as requiring you to use their fluid to maintain their warranty):
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/...#Magnuson-Moss

As an FYI, both the manaul and auto tranny's on the C5 both require a fluid meeting GM Dexron III standards. I use AMSOIL ATF which meets Dexron III standards.

Of note, I believe that GM has started requiring a Dexron VI fluid in newer vettes. Not sure where the breakover point is, maybe 2006? Check your owner's manual. To the best of my knowledge, no aftermarket company has a Dexron VI fluid out yet.

 

my 2006 owner's manual states:

Manual - DEXRON III (look for the "approved for the H-Specification")

Automatic - DEXRON VI

 

Shouldn't that be IV not VI?

 

Or use GM part #12345349--Synchromesh Transmission Fluid--I cannot tell the shifting difference between the GM-Red Line or Mobil 1 ATF.Any of its better than Dextron 111

 

Nope, VI is correct:
http://auto.ihs.com/news-05Q2/gm-new...sion-fluid.jsp

Thanks for the info.

 

Here's a shot of the plugs on the differential. The drain is just above the spring, so I held a stack of newspaper under it to direct the oil into the drain pan without making a mess.



I used Royal Purple in both. Even though the manual says you don't need to change it unless there is a leak, it also says to wait until your oil life monitor runs out before the engine oil needs changing. And we know how often that happens on forum member's cars.

I checked my 05 manual for instructions for the A4. It seems that there is only one plug for draining and filling. It says that after letting the fluid out, to drop the pan and let the rest of it out. The thing is, I'n not sure how necessary that is because the procedure includes instructions for changing the filter, which requires taking off the pan. So I guess it depends on how much gets left in the pan after draining. Maybe it's a lot.

Then, after filling back up to the fill hole, it says to install the plug, turn on the engine and let the fluid get up to temp. Move the lever through each gear, pausing for a few seconds in each one. Put it back in park, and with the enging running, undo the fill plug again and top it off.


Torque spec for the plug is 22lb-ft

 

GM switched from Dextron III to VI this past spring. My car was built on 3/20/06 and still had III. There is a good size sticker on the bottom of the tranny to tell which is inside. After changing to Royal Purple Max ATF, shtfting is slightly smoother.