Problems with the manual gearboxes in the VE Commodores

[Johnjoe]

Alright grabbed a tube of that stuff, $11 for the 125ml tube. Pretty good price.

Can I just try it without having to put in fresh transmission fluid?

And the manual recommends Sae 75w-90 gl5, so now you know ha ha.

 

[Johnjoe]

Ok well tried doing it but couldn't ha ha, got home put the car up on stands, don't know if I found the filler hole but I found a grease nipple with a rubber cap on it, but it's facing down, and once you crack it, oil started leaking out so I closed it. I need like a grease gun or something pressurized to push the ptfe treatment in. Unless thats not the filler hole and there is a bung somewhere else

 

[Brett_jjj]

Mate that "grease nipple with a rubber cap", actually sounds a lot like a clutch fluid bleeder nipple, and if youve loosened it, then the clutch system will probably need bleeding, as air will have entered the clutch slave cylinder once the bleeder nipple has been cracked open.

 

[TraidMarc]

I think it's just the way it's made, Mine is like that, if your at the right speed it goes into second alot easier, same as when your changing back down. It's worse trying to stick it into first if your going too fast, like if it's a safety feature for people accidentally putting it into first at high speeds.

For example if I'm 50 meters from my driveway and in 3rd I just put the clutch in but it's near impossible to put into first until you get down to a low speed. Even though I'm not going to let the clutch out and rev the crap out of it

Ok so maybe his gearbox(ands yours) is stuffed from going to first at any other point than being at stand still? I may have been driving an Auto for the last year but I did 17 years in manuals before that and can't think of a time I went to first while moving........was I missing something?

 

[Johnjoe]

Mate that "grease nipple with a rubber cap", actually sounds a lot like a clutch fluid bleeder nipple, and if youve loosened it, then the clutch system will probably need bleeding, as air will have entered the clutch slave cylinder once the bleeder nipple has been cracked open.

Where is the master cylinder ? Can't do it through the clutch fluid reservoir, need another nipple where you can put the fluid in and bleed the air through the other nipple once cracked.

Or can I just do the easy way and depress clutch while opening slave and close it once fully depressed?

 

[Johnjoe]

Ok so maybe his gearbox(ands yours) is stuffed from going to first at any other point than being at stand still? I may have been driving an Auto for the last year but I did 17 years in manuals before that and can't think of a time I went to first while moving........was I missing something?

I don't let the clutch out lol if I am coming to my driveway I just put the clutch in and roll to it and put it in first once I have actually reached my driveway and doing about 2 ready to go up it.

So I think you must be missing more than just something??

 

[Brett_jjj]

Where is the master cylinder ? Can't do it through the clutch fluid reservoir, need another nipple where you can put the fluid in and bleed the air through the other nipple once cracked.

Or can I just do the easy way and depress clutch while opening slave and close it once fully depressed?

The clutch master cylinder is near the brake master cylinder under the bonnet. From reading you posts in this thread, I guess you are trying to add gearbox additive to the gearbox oil. First up, you need to find the filler plug on the side of the gearbox or whereever its located, and pour the treatment into the actual gearbox so it mixes with the gearbox oil. . . You dont put it in the clutch fluid. You should only use the brake/clutch fluid thats recommended for your cars clutch system in the cars clutch master cylinder.
You will probably have to bleed the clutch seeing as how youve opened the bleeder nipple. Heres how..
Start by buying a bottle or two of the recommended brake/clutch fluid for your cars clutch.
Check the clutch fluid level in the clutch master cylinder, make sure its full.
Get someone to push the clutch pedal in and hold it there. Whilst the clutch pedal is held in, loosen the bleeder nipple slightly, air and fluid should come out. As soon as the air/fluid comes out, close the bleeder nipple again.
Then release the clutch pedal again, repeat this process until theres only straight fluid coming from the bleeder with no air bubbles.
Get someone to constantly check the clutch fluid level and keep it topped up whilst you are doing the bleeding, because if the fluid level gets too low, it can suck more air back into the clutch system and the bleeding process will have to be restarted.

 

[Johnjoe]

Thanks for that, that's pretty much what I was going to do, Ohwell you live and learn I guess ha ha. Atleast now I know not to touch that again. Have to learn somehow.

I couldn't find the filler bolt for the gear box wasn't sure what it looked like, whether it was a nipple or a bolt with a gasket washer.

 

[HoldenMan7]

Hey mate

Filler bolt for the gear box should be located about half way up the gear box

 

[Johnjoe]

Ok well bled the clutch, had a bleeding tube lying around which was good, has a one way valve on one end, didn't take long to get air bubbles out but I kept draining it a bit because I had a better quality brake/clutch fluid that I was topping it up with. Now clutch feels better than ever ha ha, better than it used to before I f****d it.

In regards to the filler bolt, there are 2 out of place bolts on the gear box which I guess is them, they are 24mm instead of all the others being 14 or 15.

So I guess the bottom one is sump bolt for draining and top one for filling, except it's too tight to undo without stripping the bolt, was using adjustable wrench. Need a dedicated 24mm ring spanner so it gets grip from the whole bolt, unfortunately biggest I had was 22mm so will have to get a bigger one.