If you fill from the shifter hole, you don't need to level the car while it's high enough to fill the tranny, and you don't need a fluid pump. In fact, you can do the whole thing without jacking the car at all, which is probably faster and cleaner overall.

You still use the hole on the side to determine when it's full. Take the fill plug out. Fill the tranny from inside the car until it's coming out the fill plug on the side. Stop filling, put the fill plug back in. Exactly as Mazda wanted you to, and the car is level for sure when you do this.

 

Just completed this myself and thought I'd chime in. I had done the Redline MT fluid swap in my old 6, and I thought it helped a tiny bit. But after I did it in my 8, I think it makes much more difference. I'm usually fairly pessimistic about 'mod' results, but this actually was worth the $40 in fluids/parts. The car screams for a short(er) shifter now.

 

I Want To Change My Auto. Trans. Filter And Fluid. How Difficult Is This Project And Can I Find A Filter Anywhere Other Than The Dealer?

 

How about a DIY explaining how to get to the shifter hole?

 

Try SEARCH. Here is one example of the results: https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...hlight=console

 

does anyone know the sizes of the drain/fill plugs of the tranny and diff? Just want to know what size to use to get them undone. Thanks

 

Crazy idea, but you could actually read this thread to get those sizes.

 

I used a 22mm socket...

 

Did mine two weeks ago. Noticed oil spots on drive. Started to notice the gears were not meshing good. I had all bolts on tight with new crush washers. Dropped the oil again, because bottom bolt was leaking. I put the original washer back on this go around. No leaks yet. Not sure why it was leaking.

I found the best way to fill it was with a long clear tube. I just popped the hood and ran it down beside the oil filter. From underneath, grab it and put it into the top hole. From the engine bay, fill the oil. On the differential, just loop it over the coilovers down to the fill hole. You can fill it above the tire.

This last time I put 1.8 in the trany. Last time it I filled it up till it ran out the top hole. Too much fluid may have caused it to leak. Getting the car level is very important.

 

Quick question for you guys. I've been procrastinating on this project for awhile. Now that it's winter, I feel like I'm shifting in molasses at times ... so I really want to get this done. What do you guys think the minimum ambient temperature should be to drain the fluids properly (it gets COLD here ... -20to-30C or -4to-22F)? Should I drive around a bit to warm up the fluid before draining? Thanks!

 

Definitely! Get the fluid good and warm before draining it or it could take 4ever to drain and too much may be left in the cases. I hope you have a warm place to do the work.

 

Like Go48 said the fluid runs a lot quicker when it is room temp or so. When that cold it almost looks like warm molasses.

For those that go the route of filling from the shifter hole. The manual states the shifter is a grease point. Add grease to it around the cup at the bottom and around the plastic surround piece that goes around the shifter at the pivot point. This will smooth the shifts especially noticeable with a short shifter.

 

Just did it yesterday; whoever tightened those bolts on at the factory must've put them on really tight as my right hand was not in the best of conditions at the end.

 

I know exactly what you mean.

A good technique is to make sure it is secure on the plug and hit on the end of the wrench with your hand or a rubber hammer. It is better to do quick pressure on a bolt than consistent to break a bolt loose. Has to do with the stress on the bolt.

 

Whats a good grease to put in that area?

 

White lithium is what I used and works well so far, it doesn't state a particular kind in the shop manual.

Molybdaenium (MoS) should also work.

 

Trying to picture this... You mean putting ramps under the rear wheels with the front of the car facing up the driveway, so as to level the car?

I have rhino ramps but I would be a little worried of the weight of the car causing the ramps to slip down the driveway. Would chocks under the front wheels be enough to hold the car in place? Would rubber mats under the ramps help at all?

How many people have used this method to change diff fluid and lived? (Also, are the transmission drain/fill plugs reachable by doing this?)

 

I will be doing this tonight, and i am concerned that the ramps might slip on the driveway.. i am going to just use ramps for the front and jack stands on the rear.. i got RP max gear 75w-90 for both...

 

Sounds like you are trying to do this on a slanted drive? Jack / stands on a slant =

 

nah... i meant, i was thinking of doing jus tthe ramps on the slanted drive, but i am afraid if it slips... i am going to use the ramp and jack stands on the garage floor.

 

My car took about 2.1 quarts in the tranny? Is this normal? I had the car level.

 

did this last weekend (diff and tranny) with redline.

found a pump that fit into the top of the redline bottle.

trans took all the 2 quarts i had- maybe 1.9 quarts. car was level.

nice amount of metal dust on the magnetic plugs.

reused crush washers, no leaking.

2004 model year, built aug 03, 31K now.

 

I started tonight, no problem jacking the car on four jack stands, no problem removing the gear oil, but when I was to put in the first bottle of RP Max gear, the f****ing pump I bought at a carrefour for 2 euros didn't work, except for a few drops sometines. With much effort I put in the first bottle, closed (not too tight) the filler screw and unjacked the car. Today I've bought at Noauto a giant metal siringue for oil transfers with 0.5 liters (0.52 quarts) capacity, I hope I don't have space problems down there tonight because it's really big.

To be continued (and I'll put a photo of the very retro-looking giant siringue.)

 

I finished it, no photos of the siringue yet but it worked perfectly, it doesn't really take 0.5 liters because it takes some air every time so I had to do the rechargue-inject cicle more times than I expected (maybe 6 or 7 instead or 3/4.)

I noted a slightly improvement on the gear change, not the great improvement some of you talk about, only a very slight thing (it's less manly now hehehe) BUT my change from third to four on high revs was pretty crappy before (you had to do it just perfectly or it would grind a little) and now that problem is definitively gone (I took the car for a hard-test-drive), so I'm very happy for the change.

 

Give it some time juanjux it gets better.