# Manual Transmission Fluid Change



## aeproberts21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Hey, so I was hoping for a little advice. I found this great DIY for changing the manual transmission fluid on our car. (http://www.golfmkv.net/blog/archives/7)
First, thanks to who ever does that blog because I use it ALL the time.
Ok a few questions:
1) How often should this be done?
2) I was under the impression that our clutch uses brake fluid? Am I mistaken?
3) Other than maintenance is there a benefit to changing the fluid?
Thanks


_Modified by aeproberts21 at 3:31 PM 11-4-2008_


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## aeproberts21 (Apr 10, 2007)

*Re: Manual Transmission Fluid Change (aeproberts21)*

^^^^^^


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## aeproberts21 (Apr 10, 2007)

*Re: Manual Transmission Fluid Change (aeproberts21)*

No one?


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## Brigand (Jul 5, 2006)

*Re: Manual Transmission Fluid Change (aeproberts21)*

I don't know about the change interval, but typically the fluid in the MT transmission case doesn't need to be changed all that often because it isn't subjected to the byproducts of combustion, which is the main reason why engine oil is gets changed as often as it does.
Also, don't get confused with MT fluid and the brake fluid that your clutch system uses.
The fluid in the transmission casing is isolated from the brake fluid that actuates your clutch system.
I plan on changing mine soon (I'm at ~28k miles) because it's cheap, it's easy to do, and my past experiences have shown that fresh MT fluid keeps the shifts feeling smooth.


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## aeproberts21 (Apr 10, 2007)

*Re: Manual Transmission Fluid Change (Brigand)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Brigand* »_I don't know about the change interval, but typically the fluid in the MT transmission case doesn't need to be changed all that often because it isn't subjected to the byproducts of combustion, which is the main reason why engine oil is gets changed as often as it does.
Also, don't get confused with MT fluid and the brake fluid that your clutch system uses.
The fluid in the transmission casing is isolated from the brake fluid that actuates your clutch system.
I plan on changing mine soon (I'm at ~28k miles) because it's cheap, it's easy to do, and my past experiences have shown that fresh MT fluid keeps the shifts feeling smooth.

Thanks for the info. Yeah, it looks so easy to change, and I am at 36k so I was thinking about doing it just to keep things shifting nicely. If the scheduled change is 100k or something tough then maybe I would wait a bit. 
THanks


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## bificus99 (Aug 2, 2008)

Most maintenance schedules for trans are for 40 k miles.


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## 2pt0tee (Apr 28, 2008)

*Re: Manual Transmission Fluid Change (aeproberts21)*

That's my site, you're welcome














I need to find some time to finish up the other 8 write-ups I have lined up.

_Quote, originally posted by *aeproberts21* »_1) How often should this be done?
2) I was under the impression that our clutch uses brake fluid? Am I mistaken?
3) Other than maintenance is there a benefit to changing the fluid?


1) VW claims tranny fluid is lifetime... so its a matter of personal preference... I personally like to change it every 40-50k miles.
2) The clutch DOES use brake fluid, it shares a resevoir with the brakes. Good idea to bleed the clutch when you bleed the brakes.
3) You can use a different weight fluid which can affect shifting and noise... but for the most part there's not much difference. Thicker oils can be a problem in colder environments... leading to notchy shifting until the motor warms up. I'm running 75w90, a little thicker than OEM, and don't have any real issues living in New England.


_Modified by 2pt0tee at 10:09 AM 11-6-2008_


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## Liu Kang (Apr 10, 2003)

*Re: Manual Transmission Fluid Change (2pt0tee)*

I was told the manual transmission doesn't take transmission oil, it takes gear oil, and for my 96 Jetta 2.0 Trek, it takes the 75w90, does that sound about right? How do you go about changing that or putting that in?


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## 2pt0tee (Apr 28, 2008)

*Re: Manual Transmission Fluid Change (Liu Kang)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Liu Kang* »_I was told the manual transmission doesn't take transmission oil, it takes gear oil, and for my 96 Jetta 2.0 Trek, it takes the 75w90, does that sound about right? How do you go about changing that or putting that in?


Wrong forum, this is the MkV 2.0T forum, for 2006+ turbo 2L...
Manual transmission oil is gear oil. 75w90 is right for your 96 Jetta. Do a search, you can find instructions for changing your gear oil. It is similar to the DIY for the new cars... but you will need a 17mm allen to remove the drain and fill plugs.


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## shortydub (Oct 13, 2004)

*Re: Manual Transmission Fluid Change (2pt0tee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2pt0tee* »_
1) VW claims tranny fluid is lifetime... so its a matter of personal preference... I personally like to change it every 40-50k miles.

_Modified by 2pt0tee at 10:09 AM 11-6-2008_

really all they did (as with most manufacturers) is just removed the dipstick so when joe "six pack" drops his wife off at church and goes to the auto parts store checks his tranny fluid in the parking lot and thinks it's low when he never actually heated the tranny up enough to get a correct reading, doesn't add a quart and cause it to foam up and probably adds the wrong type of fluid any way.
techs change and top off "lifetime" tranny fluid. usually there is a small dipstick with a reference chart to tell you how many centimeters it should be up the stick at a given temp. 
just make sure you know how much to put in, compensating for whatever doesn't drain out as well. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## corradokidg60 (May 14, 2002)

*Re: Manual Transmission Fluid Change (shortydub)*


_Quote, originally posted by *shortydub* »_
really all they did (as with most manufacturers) is just removed the dipstick so when joe "six pack" drops his wife off at church and goes to the auto parts store checks his tranny fluid in the parking lot and thinks it's low when he never actually heated the tranny up enough to get a correct reading, doesn't add a quart and cause it to foam up and probably adds the wrong type of fluid any way.
techs change and top off "lifetime" tranny fluid. usually there is a small dipstick with a reference chart to tell you how many centimeters it should be up the stick at a given temp. 
just make sure you know how much to put in, compensating for whatever doesn't drain out as well. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

Manual transmission VWs have never had a dipstick, AFAIK.


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