I've recently bought a Stilo 2.4 Abarth (manual gearbox, not selespeed) and I want to change the gearbox oil but I'm struggling to find the gear oil dipstick. I think its on top the gearbox somewhere (i.e. towards the rear right of the engine bay, as you look from the front of the car) - but does anyone know exactly where? I'm probably staring right at it...

Any clues/photos/ideas much appreciated, as I obviously don't want to drain the gear oil out if I can't refill and check the level!

are you sure its got one? manual gearboxes dont normally have one

dave said:

are you sure its got one? manual gearboxes dont normally have one

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Thanks Dave. No, I'm not at all sure!

So do you think there are just the usual two plugs screwed into the gearbox casing: a drain on the bottom of the box (which I can see), and a fill/level plug higher up on the casing somewhere?

That's what I was expecting, but other posts on this forum talk about a (hard-to-find} gear oil dipstick - or is that only on the Selespeed/semi-auto versions...?

i don't know the car well enough to say for sure, but if the manual did have one it would be first one ive ever heard of, i would have though an owner or ex owner would have helped as out by now

Yes, the 2.4 manual 'box does have a dip stick! TBH it's only really accessible from underneath the car. And you use the dip stick hole to fill it...

just had a look on eper for you and it looks almost identicle to the jtd 16v picture showing cases and dipstick

if it is the same id say the dipstick is more on the diff casing than the gearbox and as said above only really accessible from below, and also I refilled my gearbox oil via it also.
I cant find any pics but my dipstick did not look like the one on eper , it was more a short stubby black plastic handle.
found it just feeling around the area it should have been , just a snug fit with an oring .

ok found an oldpic of gadge's 20v hope he doesn't mind, marked the dipstick in place

take the wheel of on gearbox side, remove inside panel and skid plate. Look through the gap at gearbox, you will be able to see the dip stick. I ddrained oil and filled it through dip stick hole, I made a filling pipe, it took me about 40 minutes to do an oil change.

dave said:

i don't know the car well enough to say for sure, but if the manual did have one it would be first one ive ever heard of, i would have though an owner or ex owner would have helped as out by now

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Sorry I didn't see this earlier Lancia Beta, FIAT Croma, Lancia Thema, Alfa 164, Alfa 156 V6, Alfa 147 GTA Selespeed, Stilo Selespeed are the models I've had that have the dipstick on the diff housing - probably because all those models 1978-2005 have a very similar, heavy-duty gearbox.

However, the dipstick hole isn't the easiest way to get the gear oil in - the diameter of the tube you'd need is rather small and in cold temperatures it will take a long time - look for a 10mm or possibly 12mm hex plug on top of the gearbox near the bell housing - on the Stilo Selespeed, removing the reverse light switch is another possibility.

-Alex