HowTo: Changing Transmission Fluid [ZL1/SS M6 Tremec TR-6060]
4 Attachment(s)
This post is to describe how & why I changed the manual transmission fluid in my 2017 Camaro ZL1 M6 to Royal Purple Synchromax. I did this at 2000 miles, about a week after my last engine/diff oil change.
Why? 1. The "clunky" shifts. One of the few gripes I had with the 6th Gen ZL1 was that shifting between gears was not as smooth as I had expected. I felt like it was having a negative effect on my 1/4 mile ET's. The 4-speed Muncie on my '70 Nova SS 396 had buttery smooth synchros back in 1975 and nothing I've driven since has measured up. In fact, it felt a lot like my 5th Gen SS 1LE. Come to find out it is the same tranny. 2. Good reviews for RP Synchromax. Most Camaro/Corvette owners who use RP Synchromax experience noticeable improvement. Forum searches turned up several positive reviews on replacing stock oil with RP Synchromax. $18.25 on Amazon 3. Just to be on the safe side. After changing the engine oil and differential gear oil 3 times, I felt like I should change the tranny fluid too. Even though there's no mention of accelerating the change interval for competitive driving events, I reasoned that the transmission must be experiencing some of the same torque and stresses as other drive train components. Can't hurt to err on the safe side... How? You'll need 4 qts oil, a suction gun or siphon pump, rags, 3/8" ratchet, 3/8" drive 1" extention, and 3/8" drive swivel. The suction gun is so much faster and easier. See bottom for the one I use. Attachment 868117 1. Put the car up on a lift (you can do this on jack stands too). 2. Loosen and remove fill plug. It's located about mid-way on the left side near the top. See the red thread-lock coating in the photo? It uses plugs similar to the differential. You'll need a 3/8" drive ratchet and a short (1-3") extension. Attachment 868115 3. Loosen drain plug. This is on the right side near the rear of the transmission, just above the mount cross-member. See the same red thread-lock compound? You'll need a 3/8" drive ratchet and swivel for this one. Attachment 868114 4. Position a large drain pan just below and centered on the transmission mount cross-member. 5. Remove the plug and stand back. This will be messy - no way around it without jacking the tranny and removing the cross-member. Position a Mason jar under the main flow if you want to catch a sample. 6. Reposition drain pan as necessary Attachment 868116 7. Examine magnetic drain plug for metal filings/chips. Check the sample for suspended or settled debris. - A small amount of fine particles is normal. - First fluid change may have more fine particles but no flakes or chunks. - Color should be clear, bright red, not much darker than new fluid. 8. Allow to fully drain until there's a slow drip. Thoroughly clean the plug - especially the threads. 9. Wipe out the drain hole with a lint-free cloth. Then place thread-lock compound on the first half of threads of the drain plug. Finally, replace and tighten. - Not sure of torque. I try to match what I felt coming off - 15-25 ft lbs should do it. 10. Fill a suction gun with new oil and position the tube inside the fill hole. 11. Refill until fluid starts coming back out. - You'll have to fill the gun several times. Capacity is 3.5L (3.65 qts) so should take under 4 qts if your gun doesn't leak. [Edit 20170813] - Transmission is full when oil level is 1/8" below fill plug hole. (Thanks to vtirocz in Post #49) - Use a bent piece of coat hanger or bailing wire marked 1/8" from bend as a makeshift dip-stick. - May need to suck some fluid out after filling or slowly add 'til fluid level is correct. 12. Wipe out the fill hole with a lint-free cloth. Then place thread-lock compound on the first half of threads of the fill plug. Finally, replace and tighten - same as drain plug. 13. Thoroughly clean and wipe-down the transmission and mount. There's going to be oil in hard-to-reach places. I stuffed a rag underneath and pulled it through the tight spots several times. Suction Gun: I bought one of these. It works great and doesn't leak. I use it mostly for differential gear oil but it works great for transmission fluid changes too. I like it because it's body is clear so I can see how much fluid is in there. wipe it clean inside and out with a lint-free cloth after each use. Plews 30-740 UltraView Suction Gun with Red Tube Ends $24.62 --Cal |
Nice work! Thanks for the tips! :thumb:
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With my Swiss cheese brain, I'll probably come back to review it on a future oil change myself. ;) |
Great write up, man. Thank you. I want to do this same deal myself.
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Great post and instructions. One thing I would highly recommend is to take that extra step and remove the brace/use a tranny jack - for me the amount of mess/amount of fluid coming out of there it was much cleaner just to remove the brace.
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Thanks for all this great info. Are you running with the stock shifter and if not do you think if MGW had one out yet it would help?
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--Cal |
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One of the first "mods" I did on my 1LE. I went ahead and removed the cross member, made it a lot easier and no mess.
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Nice write up. Zl1 "how to" section a possibility?
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Thanks Cal for the in depth write up. I agree with you on the Muncie. My M-21 I rebuilt for my Chevelle is still really smooth 7yrs later. Looking fwd to trying the RP fluids out.
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