Ok, gotcha, don't overfill it.

The fun will commence Sunday afternoon, weather permitting.

Well I think I have found the drain plug, but I can't see how I would reach it. Especially seeing as the car must be kept level, I could barely fit my arm and the camera underneath to take this photo, and I only spotted the drain plug with the picture displayed on the PC screen.

Is this it? (Red ring)



I think this is going to be impossible without jacking it up...

Plus I'm getting confused again - Pep0:

"When I drain I start with (a warm gear box) the car nose down a slope trolly jack and axle stand back to level pull the drain plus leave for 30 mins, drop the car back down, leave for 30 mins, jack it back level and fill, leave to dribble for 30 mins, lots of new oil seems to come out."

So you start with the car pointing downwards not level, but you jack it up so it's level, then drain with the car level, but then jack down (so it's not level anymore) and leave for 30 mins, why?

Then jack back up so it's level and then fill then leave for 30 mins to dribble out.

Is that right?

Assuming this IS the drain plug I've found, does anyone have any idea what tool to use to get it undone? The only hex adaptor I can find is for 10/12mm, which does fine for the sump plug and seems to fit the gearbox fill plug too. What size is the drain plug?

Halfords do a (big) set of drain/sump keys for about 7-8 £, one of them fits.

From you photo I cannot tell what you have ringed, bit it looks like the engine sump to me.

I'm fussy about getting all the old oil out you dont have to bother necessarily. The car only needs to be level for filling.

But you will have to get under to allow you to loosen the plug cause they can be tight and need good access, - you need a trolly and two axle stands or ramps. I would use ramps but my front (bumper) does not clear ramps.

Noel

Nah that plug I've ringed is definitely attached to the rear end of the gearbox. It may look like the engine side because the photo is so dark but couldn't get a better one.

The shiny metal clamp to the right of the gearbox is the exhaust flexi pipe, in the middle of the car.

Looks like a trip to halfords in the morning then.

This photo any better?

Should be a plain old 12mm allen key.

The 12mm didn't fit, even the 10 was too big, unless there's so much crud in there it won't go in... Will have another look in the morning.

Plus gas wont do it any harm either

When I drained the gearbox, just over 1 litre came out of the drain plug.
When I filled the gearbox, it took just under 1.2 litres. It is currently coming back out the fill plug so I am leaving it to dribble for 30 mins as suggested.

What is wrong? If it is supposed to take over 2 litres? Are you sure this is a sporting gearbox? Do sporting gearboxes take the same amount as SX gearboxes?

I am now too worried to even move the car.

P.S. It was an 8mm drain plug. Does that mean it may be a different gearbox to the one you thought fingers99?

I just want to know if 1.2 litres is right?!?

Well I left it till it stopped running out of the fill hole, then took it on a drive.

The problem is exactly 50% better.

It is no longer possible to feel the gears coming together when changing from 3rd to 4th at 30mph. Or when changing any gears at the correct speed. However staying in 2nd until nearly 30mph then trying changing up to 3rd results in a block, i.e. you have to wait until the gearbox is ready then try pushing it in again. It never used to be like this a few weeks ago. It was like this before the gearbox oil change however.

It feels a lot smoother, however the problems like not going into first sometimes even at a standstill and not going into 3rd and 4th unless you wait a while is still there. But you can't feel the gears coming together most of the time under normal driving conditions, which you could before the oil change.

Well you now see why I am picky about draining.

The box may not have had sythetic before, this makes a difference as the viscosity of the synthetic doos not vary as much as the mineral oils.

It may be even better when the box warms up.

But it would look like your clutch is dragging consequent on an impaired thrust bearing. In the mean time you will have to sympathese with the gear box and give it time to synchronise the gears. Or crunch the dog (clutches).

The thrust bearing may not last too long and you will then get back to the previous box performance.

Did you have a magnetic drain plug and was there much swarf?

Noel

it is normal, that it takes around 1.4-1.5 L

Ming

The S, SX gearbox has wet inners, so it can't be that: driveshafts simply won't fit from one box to the other.

Pep0 said:

Did you have a magnetic drain plug and was there much swarf?

Click to expand...

No, I made a point of checking and it wasn't magnetic; it wouldn't pick up anything steel, there was nothing attached to it at all.

fingers99 said:

The S, SX gearbox has wet inners, so it can't be that: driveshafts simply won't fit from one box to the other.

Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean here?

So long as 1.2 litres is correct, I'm relieved!

On another note: would this (in Classifieds) be the correct clutch kit for a Sei 1108 as well as a cinq 1108? The Sachs online parts catalogue seems to suggest two different clutches for a cinq 1108, and the same 2 kits for a sei 1108?

However other websites list the same clutch kit for all 1108s (cinq or sei, spi or mpi)

gp3000000 said:

Not sure what you mean here?

Click to expand...

Were you not asking if the diffeences in S,SX and Sporting boxes accounted for the fill difference?

gp3000000 said:

On another note: would this (in Classifieds) be the correct clutch kit for a Sei 1108 as well as a cinq 1108? The Sachs online parts catalogue seems to suggest two different clutches for a cinq 1108, and the same 2 kits for a sei 1108?

However other websites list the same clutch kit for all 1108s (cinq or sei, spi or mpi)

Click to expand...

AFAIK, they're all the same.

gp3000000 said:

The oil I've got came in a plastic bottle like the 1l bottles of engine oil do.

So they used to come in metal cans?!

I've got a few pics here:

Underside of gearbox - If the thing with a red ring around it is the filler, where is the drain?

Inner driveshaft gaitor - N/S

Inner driveshaft gaitor - O/S

Both look dry and fine to me.

Rallycinq - how do you check the clutch without actually visibly seeing it by taking it apart?

Click to expand...

I'm hijacking here, sorry. I have the same gearbag and shafts. Mines a Seicento SX. No history of accidents that would involve any engine parts needing to be changed.

Thanks

Todger182 said:

I have the same gearbag and shafts. Mines a Seicento SX. No history of accidents that would involve any engine parts needing to be changed.

Thanks

Click to expand...

Looks like dual sourcing confirmed, then!

Perhaps some of the Sx are 'sportings' in disguise, i.e. have the sporting gear ratios and finals, even if they run around on 'stilts'.

My box (Sporting) was on the 3rd 1l pack.

Noel

Would explain why on my insurance it listed both sporting and SX for my reg.

Thanks

When I got quotes last year some companies had it listed as a Sporting, and others as an SX.

Off topic, but I reckon there's another subtle difference between the non-sporting MPI cars.

Mine had 165/55R13 tyres from new (Goodyear Eagle Tourings). Most MPI SXs I see have 155/65R13 tyres,

I bet fingers99's 1108 S had 155/65R13s on. Just a little theory