Attention: TDR Forum Junkies This style of transmission does not have the 4 bolts underneath the rubber boot that allow one to easily "pour from the top". [more later]
Purchased 5qts of the oil from Summit Racing using the GM part #12346190. It's an AC-Delco labeled bottle. There was another online vendor who had a lower price, but overcharged for s&h.
Drove unloaded truck 20mi. I/R thermometer reads 126*F. Using GAmes' technique, I place both pass. side wheels on ramps, tilting truck. Remove bottom PTO bolt [14mm socket fits well, despite the markings on the bolt head which suggest it's SAE]. Drain fluid. It's filthy, stinky, & nasty. Remove other PTO bolts. PTO cover remains firmly in place. Use putty knife & light hammer taps to pry off PTO cover. Use hand to scoop out what I can of the old undrained fluid. Examine exposed gears [They look alright, but I'm no specialist]. The square magnet on cover has about 1/4" of crud stuck to it. [BTW, the pass. side PTO cover does not have a magnet on it ('96)]. Scrape off most of the old gasket. Wire wheel remaining. Finish with brake cleaner. Wire wheel the bolts. RTV new gasket. 30 ft-lbs reinstall. And here comes the un-fun part...
I've never taken the shifter off any manual transmission. Supposedly all you need for this one is two screwdrivers pressing down & turning CCW. It's the installation that has been described as a 'pia' in previous posts here. I need to use the truck as soon as I'm done. Gonna go for the side pour after using a 3/8" hex key to remove the fill plug. Have a small 3" diameter funnel. For a dollar I purchased a flexible vinyl hose which I trimmed to 5" length. **** <-- This method sucks. I can't see how much I'm pouring into the funnel, and my 'liquid gold' overflows onto myself [at least it's clean (thick & clear)] & the driveway. Two thirds of the way through the first bottle I stop to rethink this process. I watch money dripping away from me in the form of a sizable GL-4 puddle on the driveway.
These 1qt bottles are tall & skinny. They have a pointed spout that requires a utility knife to cut open, much like a tube of RTV/caulk. They are also flexible.
New Technique: Squeeze that liquid gold right on in there! This works well for about 3/4 of the oil in the bottle [Bottle is too tall; exhaust pipe interferes with getting a downward angle]. It makes lots & lots of farting noises that your kids will laugh at if they happen to be nearby, yet it does not spill! I am pleased. Take another bottle and squeeze it in there. Combine the leftovers into a bottle & keep squeezing! Works like a charm, and fairly quick too. 30 ft-lbs on the fill plug. Done.
For those of us with older NV4500's who are also without special tool 6783 and special tool 6870, Remover/Installer Gear Shift Lever and Remover/Installer Shift Lever Stub Shaft (respectively), the bottle-squeeze method allowed me to put about 4 1/4 qts of fresh OEM transmission fluid with relative ease. I'll work on "pouring from the top" another day, and then I'll add my extra gear oil.
Purchased 5qts of the oil from Summit Racing using the GM part #12346190. It's an AC-Delco labeled bottle. There was another online vendor who had a lower price, but overcharged for s&h.
Drove unloaded truck 20mi. I/R thermometer reads 126*F. Using GAmes' technique, I place both pass. side wheels on ramps, tilting truck. Remove bottom PTO bolt [14mm socket fits well, despite the markings on the bolt head which suggest it's SAE]. Drain fluid. It's filthy, stinky, & nasty. Remove other PTO bolts. PTO cover remains firmly in place. Use putty knife & light hammer taps to pry off PTO cover. Use hand to scoop out what I can of the old undrained fluid. Examine exposed gears [They look alright, but I'm no specialist]. The square magnet on cover has about 1/4" of crud stuck to it. [BTW, the pass. side PTO cover does not have a magnet on it ('96)]. Scrape off most of the old gasket. Wire wheel remaining. Finish with brake cleaner. Wire wheel the bolts. RTV new gasket. 30 ft-lbs reinstall. And here comes the un-fun part...
I've never taken the shifter off any manual transmission. Supposedly all you need for this one is two screwdrivers pressing down & turning CCW. It's the installation that has been described as a 'pia' in previous posts here. I need to use the truck as soon as I'm done. Gonna go for the side pour after using a 3/8" hex key to remove the fill plug. Have a small 3" diameter funnel. For a dollar I purchased a flexible vinyl hose which I trimmed to 5" length. **** <-- This method sucks. I can't see how much I'm pouring into the funnel, and my 'liquid gold' overflows onto myself [at least it's clean (thick & clear)] & the driveway. Two thirds of the way through the first bottle I stop to rethink this process. I watch money dripping away from me in the form of a sizable GL-4 puddle on the driveway.
These 1qt bottles are tall & skinny. They have a pointed spout that requires a utility knife to cut open, much like a tube of RTV/caulk. They are also flexible.
New Technique: Squeeze that liquid gold right on in there! This works well for about 3/4 of the oil in the bottle [Bottle is too tall; exhaust pipe interferes with getting a downward angle]. It makes lots & lots of farting noises that your kids will laugh at if they happen to be nearby, yet it does not spill! I am pleased. Take another bottle and squeeze it in there. Combine the leftovers into a bottle & keep squeezing! Works like a charm, and fairly quick too. 30 ft-lbs on the fill plug. Done.
For those of us with older NV4500's who are also without special tool 6783 and special tool 6870, Remover/Installer Gear Shift Lever and Remover/Installer Shift Lever Stub Shaft (respectively), the bottle-squeeze method allowed me to put about 4 1/4 qts of fresh OEM transmission fluid with relative ease. I'll work on "pouring from the top" another day, and then I'll add my extra gear oil.
