05+ 6SPD Tranny oil fluid change

Okay..
I have never been able to mash into 2nd gear at a high RPM.
I have 11K miles on the truck, and it is supercharged.
I have not gone to the track, because I can not hit 2nd gear without babying it in.... Kinda sucks.

Well, low and behold, I have heard rumors about people changing the fluid to Redline MT-90, and problems going away.
I said What the hell.
I bought 3 quarts of Redline MT-90 from Summit (Local stores near me dont carry it).
My cost was $32.00 with shipping.
Under the truck, there is a drain plug right at the bottom of the tranny. You cant miss it.
It is a 15/16 head on that bad boy:
http://www.bastosdesign.com/hostedimages/923/trannydrain.jpg

Crack it open, and get your oil pan ready to catch it.
Careful, it is easy to make a mess, it does not drain very smoothly... it kinda goes glub glub glub till its empty.

Then look about this on the drivers side of the tranny, you will find the fill plug :
http://www.bastosdesign.com/hostedimages/923/trannyfill.jpg

remove this plug and get ready to fill....
Now...
Filling is the tricky part of this job...
Tom and I did it this way...
We fitted the quart with a rubber hose.
then duct taped a smaller host into that one the smaller hose fits right into the hole in the tranny).
heres a pic:
http://www.bastosdesign.com/hostedimages/923/1.jpg

after we made that one, we took out the small hose and redid it.
Same way, just put a much longer small hose in it.
Tom stood in front of my truck under the hood, and ran the small hose down to me.
I stuck it in the hole (hehe)
and he started pouring.

This tranny holds 1.9 quarts.
We went ahead and dumped 2 whole quarts in.
When I removed the hose, the extra dribbled out, and I put the plug back in.


End Result:

I can get in 2nd gear at redline without a grind at all. The difference was 100% noticeable 2 minutes after I got on the road.

Edit -
I am not sure if its in my mind or not, but my reverse seems a little softer going in now too.

Can you also fill it by dumping it in with your shifter off? I'm fixing to install a short shifter and would be nice if I could do it all at once.

Some people say you can, I dont know... its been a while since I had my shifter out.. I dont remember what it looks like in there.
lol.

interesting that fluid would make that much of a difference.

good write-up :waytogo:

you can dump it right in with the shifter. i did that little over a year ago anyways.......and i can still shift?

Let me add something to that: before you drain the old oil, make sure you take the fill plug off first. Or at least loosen it. You don't want to be caught with an empty transmission and a seized fill plug.

lol
it might also help with the glub glub glub draining too hehe

Excellent write-up XRobber. :waytogo: Thanks for taking the time to do it. Next oil change I'm going to do this too. Should be in the next month or so.

Awesome!
No problem :)

you can dump it right in with the shifter. i did that little over a year ago anyways.......and i can still shift?

Thanks :waytogo:

Hey Rob, wanna do mine? :D

Sure, come on over :)

A follow up :
Michael (wshsbears) was not able to slam 2nd either.

tonight, we changed him over to MT-90 in his tranny, and he is slamming 2nd over and over again....
I wonder why hes not posting...
oh hes probably driving lol.

i think you need to do mine too

doing mines tomorrow will let yall know what it does....thanks for the great instructions rob ...man i love customtacos :headbang:

No problem guys.
6Speed, drive up from New port richey and I will get yours done :)

hmm, my 06 6 speed is hard to shift into second without babying it too. I might just try this. This would all be the same on a TRD Sport right?

If you have a 6 spd manual, I assume it would be the same tranny

If you have a 6 spd manual, I assume it would be the same tranny

When did you guys start having the problem shifting into 2nd? So far my XR is chirping 2nd and third no problem. But I have less that 400 miles on my truck and its only a week old.

I would have to baby it into second gear since i got it from the dealer.
A lot of people dont have the problem at all, and are able to slam all gears with no problem. I had to change my fluid in the tranny before I was able to get into 2nd gear under high RPM

I would have to baby it into second gear since i got it from the dealer.

more so since the blower before the fluid change??? all that massive torque.....some people still wonder what you're putting down @ the wheels.....

I couldn't get into 2nd gear under High RPM for shlt.
now it doesnt matter, it just goes in.

seriously.. i almost pissed my pants when i hit 2nd gear for the first time.. it was like the best waste of rubber and gas ever! this stuff is amazing. even Rob's wife enjoyed watching me slam 2nd and finally chip em.

I would have to baby it into second gear since i got it from the dealer.
A lot of people dont have the problem at all, and are able to slam all gears with no problem. I had to change my fluid in the tranny before I was able to get into 2nd gear under high RPM


Ok man thanks for the heads up I will keep an eye on my tranny and see what happends. :waytogo:

well i just did the swap and its great...i tried my hardest to and everytime i hit second perfectly ...now im gonna want to chirp second everytime i have to stop ...thanks again

Awesome...
It makes you wonder if the problem is the amount of fluid or the type toyo used in some of these trannys.

yeah i wonder what all the people do that dont know about customtacos... i prolly woulda bought some stuff at autozone if u hadnt mentioned the redline

I put MT 90 in mine (03) and at first, maybe a couple of days, it seemed to shift smoother but am back to babying it into second gear. Have even tried adjusting the clutch thinking I just wasn't getting it down far enough.

(Shifting between 2 & 3 rpms) Coming out of first, going into second it seems to want to hesitate or "notch" into second gear. All other gears are fine... Well down shifting into first @ around 15 mph it does not seem to want to "slip" in but rather "notch" in.

Is this normal or should I take it in and have them check out the tranny? I know the first owner towed with it.

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks, John

I'm not sure, I cant help you..
I know I have had it done in mine for some time now, and I am still doing great!

yeah i wonder what all the people do that dont know about customtacos... i prolly woulda bought some stuff at autozone if u hadnt mentioned the redline

Morcheez, where did you find some MT-90?

Awesome...
It makes you wonder if the problem is the amount of fluid or the type toyo used in some of these trannys.

Neither. Your transmission (as well as mine) just has crappy synchros. Go drive a Scion on the factory fluid (same as yours), and you will see what I mean. Or go drive a Mazda 3 and see how a transmission should perform.

Morcheez, where did you find some MT-90?

NAPA has it.

I'm not sure, I cant help you..
I know I have had it done in mine for some time now, and I am still doing great!

I do not know if the reply was to me....

If so, you mean the "notchyness"?

Pretty much it solved the problem I was having - the inability to slam into my 2nd gear..... it has been in for weeks now, and still working great!

I put some in mine today. Much smoother, was well worth it.
Napa and Pep Boys did not have it and neither one would help me try to get it. I found it at a performance shop.

I just put some MT-90 in mine and I gotta say it works great, getting it into 2nd is alot better

Anyone use Redline (maker of MT90) motor oil? If so what do ya think?

Thanks! Xrobber

No prob

Ok, just got 3 qts. of MT90 from Worldwide Auto.. it's supposed to be $9.95 a bottle locally, but I got it for $22.39 for the 3 bottles. (thank god for resale license numbers.)... I would have gone online, but I need this stuff before Friday, for RaceLegal. Now have we determined if it's ok to just plop it from the top in the shifter opening?? And if so, do you pour it right over the gears? or inside where the shifter ball goes into? I'm lookin' at taking my shifter apart tomorrow again, just cuz I'm paranoid that I didn't tighten my set screws enough.. so what's up y'all??

Ok, just got 3 qts. of MT90 from Worldwide Auto.. it's supposed to be $9.95 a bottle locally, but I got it for $22.39 for the 3 bottles. (thank god for resale license numbers.)... I would have gone online, but I need this stuff before Friday, for RaceLegal. Now have we determined if it's ok to just plop it from the top in the shifter opening?? And if so, do you pour it right over the gears? or inside where the shifter ball goes into? I'm lookin' at taking my shifter apart tomorrow again, just cuz I'm paranoid that I didn't tighten my set screws enough.. so what's up y'all??

Do it right and fill from the fill hole. That way you are sure that you will not overfill it.

Do it right and fill from the fill hole. That way you are sure that you will not overfill it.

yeah, I just don't wanna buy a TF pump, just for this thing.. lol.. I'm already a lil' strapped.. and I'm planning to take apart my URD SS, so I thought just do it at the same time.. possibly maybe?

yeah, I just don't wanna buy a TF pump, just for this thing.. lol.. I'm already a lil' strapped.. and I'm planning to take apart my URD SS, so I thought just do it at the same time.. possibly maybe?You can fill it from there, but still take out the fill plug, if it gets over filled the extra fluid will pour out. once it stops your done.

Do it like I did... all it takes is a hose. oh , and by the way our tranny takes 1.9 bottles of redline, so you will have one extra.

You can fill it from there, but still take out the fill plug, if it gets over filled the extra fluid will pour out. once it stops your done.

that's exactly what my plan is :D. good lookin' out.. Now hopefully it's slow today too, so I can have time to do it.. lol.. which is kinda sad since I get paid by commission.. heheh.. oh well.. can't have it all I guess=)

ok, just finished..I just poured it over the top.. It already feels smoother when I shift while the truck is off.. We'll see in a lil' bit how it feels

Excellent write up I have had the same problem since about 1,000 miles now close to 7,000. I am going to perform the swap this weekend and will post the news.

Thanks!
Let us know how it works out!

For all those looking I found the redline-mt90 for 7.95 a bottle at summit racing. Unless your lucky enough to have a dealer close to you.

just got my first drive, and yes definite improvement! still not perfect, still a little hard to get into second gear, but still much better now than before.. And at least now you're DEFINITE that it is in 2nd gear before you engage clutch, but that might also be the URD SS.. but yup, overall, worth the $30, and hour it took to put in=).

It'll probably still gradually improve some. Mine took about 1000 miles. Its not a major improvement, but an improvement nevertheless. But as I always say, don't expect miracles from it. The notchyness is a flaw in our synchros, and no fluid will completely fix that.

Should you change the filter when you do this?

what filter?

transmission... or is it ok just to drain and fill it up?

transmission... or is it ok just to drain and fill it up?


manual transmissions have no filter.

Okay..
I have never been able to mash into 2nd gear at a high RPM.
I have 11K miles on the truck, and it is supercharged.
I have not gone to the track, because I can not hit 2nd gear without babying it in.... Kinda sucks.

Well, low and behold, I have heard rumors about people changing the fluid to Redline MT-90, and problems going away.
I said What the hell.
I bought 3 quarts of Redline MT-90 from Summit (Local stores near me dont carry it).
My cost was $32.00 with shipping.
Under the truck, there is a drain plug right at the bottom of the tranny. You cant miss it.
It is a 15/16 head on that bad boy:
http://www.bastosdesign.com/hostedimages/923/trannydrain.jpg

Crack it open, and get your oil pan ready to catch it.
Careful, it is easy to make a mess, it does not drain very smoothly... it kinda goes glub glub glub till its empty.

Then look about this on the drivers side of the tranny, you will find the fill plug :
http://www.bastosdesign.com/hostedimages/923/trannyfill.jpg

remove this plug and get ready to fill....
Now...
Filling is the tricky part of this job...
Tom and I did it this way...
We fitted the quart with a rubber hose.
then duct taped a smaller host into that one the smaller hose fits right into the hole in the tranny).
heres a pic:
http://www.bastosdesign.com/hostedimages/923/1.jpg

after we made that one, we took out the small hose and redid it.
Same way, just put a much longer small hose in it.
Tom stood in front of my truck under the hood, and ran the small hose down to me.
I stuck it in the hole (hehe)
and he started pouring.

This tranny holds 1.9 quarts.
We went ahead and dumped 2 whole quarts in.
When I removed the hose, the extra dribbled out, and I put the plug back in.


End Result:

I can get in 2nd gear at redline without a grind at all. The difference was 100% noticeable 2 minutes after I got on the road.

Edit -
I am not sure if its in my mind or not, but my reverse seems a little softer going in now too.

Thanks so much for this, I just changed mine and it is 100 % better right away. I can get 2 gear ruber now!:drinking: :clapping: I got my
MT-90 from lordco for $13 / L. Worth every Penny.

My wife thought the notchy shifting was all in my head.

Dude... im telling you..
the people who say "Fluid cant make such a difference" are 100% WRONG...
Glad it worked for ya!

I put in AMSOIL gear lube it it still feels notchy as hell, it hasnt grind on me yet, but when I race my truck next month, something tells me it will. Im on my 2nd transmission as well.

Dude... im telling you..
the people who say "Fluid cant make such a difference" are 100% WRONG...
Glad it worked for ya!

This is true :waytogo:

It made a HELL of a difference in mine

2nd Transmission grinded today :cry: but only once, its still a lot better than before, but it still grinded.

I am almost about to try the Redline...but how much better can you get when you already have AMSOIL?

2nd Transmission grinded today :cry: but only once, its still a lot better than before, but it still grinded.

I am almost about to try the Redline...but how much better can you get when you already have AMSOIL?

No idea man, all i know is i grinded when trying to get into 2nd gear at high rpm's ALL the time, Switched to Redline and it's smooth.

Before i switched to redline though I added the LSD Additive into the stock gear oil, that also took care of the problem 100%

You could always mix that additive in with the amsoil and see if it helps...

No idea man, all i know is i grinded when trying to get into 2nd gear at high rpm's ALL the time, Switched to Redline and it's smooth.

Before i switched to redline though I added the LSD Additive into the stock gear oil, that also took care of the problem 100%

You could always mix that additive in with the amsoil and see if it helps...

Yeah but the additive is for people not running synthetics already, the AMSOIL lube itself should be better than just adding the LSD additive.

Yeah but the additive is for people not running synthetics already, the AMSOIL lube itself should be better than just adding the LSD additive.

yea it SHOULD be better, but apparently not in yours anyway...

Redline has seemed to work wonders for a lot of people on here, maybe its worth a shot for you.

yea it SHOULD be better, but apparently not in yours anyway...

Redline has seemed to work wonders for a lot of people on here, maybe its worth a shot for you.

I just did a little research and the additive just might work. The GL-5 might be a little much for it even though its allowed. Ill try the additve and if that doesnt work its redline time.

I just did a little research and the additive just might work. The GL-5 might be a little much for it even though its allowed. Ill try the additve and if that doesnt work its redline time.

Yea the additive is only like $9 from the dealer :waytogo:

Only problem is that I have a race on Friday, June 1st. If I can't get this put in on time I'm screwed.

+1 For Redline, I can't seem to get it to grind anymore. Feels the same as AMSOIL though.