Maintenance fluid changes

[shakalaka]

What do you guys normally do with all your diff fluids? How often do you change them? So far I've only gotten my oil changed a couple times and it's near the time of getting it changed again. I checked on dip stick and it's even lower then 'L', so i need to get it changed right away.

But i was wondering about rest of the fluids such as transmission fluid, power steering and all that? How often does all that need to be changed. I haven't changed those since I've owned the car (over a year) and i doubt the previous owner did either. And its got about 43000 miles on it now.

Should i be looking at getting rest of the fluids changed as well? I was just thinking of going to MinitLube or something like that for the oil change. Can i do that for the rest of things as well? Any other places I should rather go to? How much does something like this cost approximately?

Thanks guys.

[A2VR6]

I can only really speak of the diff and my MTF fluids (since the S2K doesnt have power steering fluid ) but I replace my diff fluid every 2 years.

The MTF i use however recommends it to be changed every 50,000 miles (although they say it's good till 150,000 miles).

Cant really say how much it'll cost at a shop to change the fluids as I usually do it myself (really easy).

[shakalaka]

I am most likely going to get tranny/steering/oil/brake all that get done once this time.

But my immediate question is since the dip stick shows the level sitting jut under the L mark. Can i just go to co-op and grab a liter of oil and top it off? I am not 100% sure what was used last time, 5w30 or 10w30. Would it matter if i top it off with either of these? Just need to bring the level up a bit since its at low. Wong have time to get all the fluids changed for at least a week.

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by shakalaka
I am most likely going to get tranny/steering/oil/brake all that get done once this time.

But my immediate question is since the dip stick shows the level sitting jut under the L mark. Can i just go to co-op and grab a liter of oil and top it off? I am not 100% sure what was used last time, 5w30 or 10w30. Would it matter if i top it off with either of these? Just need to bring the level up a bit since its at low. Wong have time to get all the fluids changed for at least a week.


Shouldnt be a problem to top it off at all. I'd use whatever the manufacture says to use for oil weight... should say on your oil filler cap.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

My intervals:

Oil-5000km
Diff-2 years
Manual Trans-2 years
Power Steering-2 years
Clutch-2 years
Brakes-1 year

[know1edge]

most gear casings are about 2 years/48000 km

mixing different oil brands isnt completely recommended, but it's not a huge deal, especially for only a short period of time.

is this for your 350?

[shakalaka]

Yea for my 350.

Just went to co-op and put a quart of 10w-30 in. The level was still below L so I put another. This should be good for a couple of weeks until I can get it changed with rest of the stuff. The car is at 43K miles, I think it can use all the fluid changes. Although, I am only thinking oil change and tranny fluid change at this point. The rest I guess will depend on the cost of it all. I had been running regular oil but I think am gonna start synthetic now for that so that'll end up costing more as well.

In the manual it said 5w-30 is preferred for all temperatures. But if the temperature is above -18 celcius, 10w-30 may be used. I figured won't be going that low now so just used that. Haven't thought about what I'll get when I get it changed properly.

[know1edge]

.

[shakalaka]

I honestly don't think it matters, unless you are picky on a brand and stuff. I personally have no clue about brands. As far as i know these places carry a decent selection for you to pick from? I am just a little confused since whole bunch of people say not to go to such places, when I dont see what's wrong with them. Are you gonna hook me up with a deal if I don't mind coming go one of these places? In which cause I've already been persuaded. Haha :D

[know1edge]

edit

[heavyfuel]

Ya dude find a good shop by word of mouth, those guys at lube places aren't always overly sharp, i've had drain plugs and oil filters on finger tight a few years back, I normally DIY but a power steering and complete tranny flush requires equipment I don't have. I do oil every 5000, (auto)tranny 30000, t-case when it needs it, (rarely use 4wd in summer) and diffs every 2 years or so.

As far as brands go, as long as you're not using super tech wal mart crap and fram filters, you should be fine.