Just checked the gearbox oil level on my Felicia and apart from being a pig to get at the speedo cable connection, I noticed that the oil is up over the actual drive gear. Nice clean oil though. According to haynes it should be about 4mm from the bottom of the drivegear spindle.

Mine is about 14mm from the bottom of the drivegear spindle, so my question is whether this is OK?

In addition, i have read about a plastic ring that can sometimes fall into the gearbox. I was very careful to watch what I did when i took the drive out of the gearbox, but when i inspected it there was no plastic ring that I could see apart from an o ring towards the knurled end. Is that the piece that falls off?

does the oil look clean not milky or anything? i wouldn't worry too much about the level being up a bit as we always run above with the rally cars as it alloys for cooler running oil, it can make the gearchange a bit baulky in the cold for a mile or 2..

its the plastic cog that falls in and works it way around to the bottom of the box and jams the linkage up just for fun

That's OK then, the cog was there. As far as the oil looking milky, well it was clean but maybe a slightly greyish tinge if that makes sense?

Edited 24 February, 201016 yr by myjalopy

Although often gearbox oil isn't specified as being something that should be replaced, I've had several cars whose gearboxes' behaviour has improved markedly by changing the oil, and seeing the colour of the muck that has come out of them, it's not surprising really. Good spend of a tenner in those cases (only if it needs doing, mind!)

they take about 2.5 litres to fill up, but to be honest i normally just fill them to it spills out the top

It's too much if the breather is clean and free to move, and it starts going up the speedo cable and dripping from behind the instrument panel into driver's footwell

It's too much if the breather is clean and free to move, and it starts going up the speedo cable and dripping from behind the instrument panel into driver's footwell

Ha, Ha, yeah right.

Edited 24 February, 201016 yr by myjalopy

Ha, Ha, yeah right.

no, that is true, i've seen it happen :yes:

no, that is true, i've seen it happen :yes:

What? Oil travel UP a cable? :think:

What? Oil travel UP a cable? :think:

oh you would be amazed where oil will travel mate, it will go up the cable as the cable acts as a screw when its turning and the older favorits used to exactly that and drip out the dash. i have seen oil run along inside the wiring conduits and run uphill and drip out inside the ecu and all sorts of stuff.

if you look at the plastic speedo cog it has a spiral in the shaft this is to "wind" the oil back down away from the cable

I see, up the INSIDE of the cable !

Edited 25 February, 201016 yr by myjalopy