gearbox oil, among other things

[AlanS]

Further to Jeremy's warnings. A piece of broom handle slipped in after the first drive shaft is pulled is a common trick to stop the whole box and dice ending up on the floor of the transmission.

Oils I don't have access to the identical products that you have over there so can only give you my own experiences.
Here we get the Castrol range of oils and I use the Castrol VMX80 as shown here:

http://www.datateck.com.au/lube/castr_a ... &Model=264

I've found over the years that this used in conjunction with an additive we get here has been a brilliant combination. If you can get it over there (some reckon you can) this is it here.

http://www.nulon.com.au/products.php?productId=g70

The trick to get the ultimate result is to change the fluid and ad the additive, use the car for anything from 1000 - 5000 miles, then dump the lot and refill using the same mix. This really makes the gearshift slick. An ex President of the Citroen Club in NSW, gave his DS this treatment but deliberately didn't tell his wife.
Next time she drove it, she arrived home and promptly asked if he'd done something to the gearbox or had a clutch put in the car as she'd never had it change so smoothly or sound so quiet. That got rid of the panacea effect that some had suggested it was.
The drain plug faces towards the rear of the car and can be removed using a 19mm plug spanner. If you see one pointing downwards and it takes a 16mm spanner, DON'T TOUCH IT!! That is connected to the reverse idler shaft and if removed (I think we've all done it at some time) and the gear lever touched, this can be followed by a dull clunk in the transmission which is the noise heard just before the "%&^^&^%%$%$#" which is usually followed by a call asking someone how much it costs to pull a gearbox to bits or is it cheaper to pick one up from the scrappers.
Fill/level hole is accessed via the removal of the inner guard on the drivers side once the car is jacked up, supported and the wheel removed.
I also understand that the very early 14s had the gearbox in the engine sump which explains the 15W40 oil recommendation but in that case I doubt a BE1 box would be involved.


Alan S

[dumbtime]

Thanks alot guys,
I think I'll just get the oil changed and see how that goes, and I'll think about the clutch change when I've got some money (i'm only a student). Though I would like to do something like that my self but I dont really have the skills or facility.

Many thanks again.

[DavidRutherford]

Fill/level hole is accessed via the removal of the inner guard on the drivers side once the car is jacked up, supported and the wheel removed.

Not on this gearbox. It has a fill hole in the "front" of the gearbox, facing the radiator, and roughly under the air cleaner. It also has NO level plug, so you have to measure the correct amount of oil into it.

I also understand that the very early 14s had the gearbox in the engine sump which explains the 15W40 oil recommendation but in that case I doubt a BE1 box would be involved.

Nope. This was a BE1 gearbox, on an XUD engine. The recommendation is for 2 litres of 15W-40 multigrade engine oil. Anyone who has a "Peugeut/Talbot Diesel engine" haynes manual will see the changeover in 1988. (same time as the change from BE1 to BE3)

I ran my Horizon Diesel with 15W-40 engine oil in the gearbox for about 50k miles... it was fine, and undoubtedly the correct oil the the gearbox. The stuff I drained when I got the car was 80-ish weight gear oil, and after changing to 15w-40 the gearchange improved massively.

[mnde]

You can only go with the information you have from citroen really. If they specify 80-or-thereabouts grade oil, then that's what should be in there. l do wonder if your citroen handbook is wrong though, as the correct capacity for a BE1 gearbox is 2.0 litres, and no BE gearbox should ever have EP in it, as it will knacker the lightweight bearings in there.

Is it possible that 2.0 litres is the dry capacity of the gearbox, and 1.8 (Haynes) or 1.5 (owners manual...) is the refill capacity? I'd imagine you'd never get out absolutely all of the old oil.

Mark.