i need to change all the fluids in my car... im planing to use Redline fluid in the tranny. is there any other "brand name" fluids i should consider that would be better for my car? whats royal purple?

oh and how long of a job is it from start to finish?

 

Red Line is great-Have used it for years (Trans & rear). Royal Purple is motor oil. Don't know whether they make synthetic gear oil. Time wise, fairly simple, but getting the Red Line in is troublesome. I use a sunction gun. Maybe 1/2 hour.

 

I'm using...

Redline MT-90 in tranny
Redline 75w-90 in diff
Castrol GTX 20w50 in motor
Prestone coolant + distilled water 50/50 mix

Changing fluids is pretty easy, just drain out the old stuff, and put in new stuff. The coolant is a bit harder if you do it right (flush the system) but its pretty doable to the average person.

 

If redline is not avaliable in your area, I use Pennzoil syncromesh in my tranny. It quieted syncros in my SE that redline did not. Get it at any autozone, around $3.99.

It's the same stuff GM dealers have for $10 a quart.

 

im using royal purple in my tranny and diff. trany seems to run a good bit cooler and a little smoother since switching from mineral based lube. i used 2 quarts of the 75-90 and then .6 quarts of thier lightweight gear oil to top it off. shifts are quick with just enough friction to keep it from grinding (well all the time anyway, since my synchros are about shot)

 

Just about all the major brands of synthetic are good. Mobil 1 used to be bad for the transmission synchros, but they supposedly changed the formula. I have been very happy with Red Line for many years.

I have had good results with Royal Purple wheel bearing grease, but I have not used their other products. If you click on a Royal Purple product at the Racing Beat web site, it takes you to a short explanation page, and provides a link to the Royal Purple web site where you can read about rotary engine compatibility of their engine oil.
http://www.racingbeat.com

If you plan ahead, know what you are doing, and have a good garage with proper tools, you can change all the fluids in an hour. If not, then it still shouldn't take longer than a day. I think changing the brake fluid takes the longest. If you are new to this, then it's probably better to just take your time and change one fluid at a time, and simply change other fluids later if you run out of time.

Some tips:
1) Use the procedures in the service manual, especially with the coolant.
2) Always remove the transmission and differential fill plug before you remove the drain plug. It's not fun to drain the fluid, only to find out that the fill plug is frozen or stripped, which means your car is a lawn ornament until you can fix the plug.
3) The crummy plastic coolant breather plug and radiator drain plugs with the phillips head slot always strip. You can replace these with the better wing-type available from your local Mazda dealer or generic auto store. If your car already has the wing-type plugs, then disregard this tip.
4) Always use a Mazda brand thermostat, placing the "jiggle pin" as shown in the manual. Replace every 60K miles or so. Use a torque wrench on the thermostat housing so you do not over-tighten the bolts and break your housing.
5) The cheapest way to get the fluid into the transmission and differential is to use a gravity-feed system consisting of a funnel with about 6 feet of vinyl tubing that fits snug to the funnel.
6) Technically, you are supposed to replace the crush washer on the engine oil drain plug every time you change the oil. I think the whole concept of an oil drain plug is silly, and have replaced them with aircraft-type valves on all my vehicles. I like the Fumoto F106 (non-nipple) valves, but a friend of mine has had good results with the slightly less-expensive Fram valve that is available at most generic auto parts stores.
http://www.fumotovalve.com/

 

huh gravity-feed system?...
my friend used a turkey baister

 

just remember to wash it throughly before thanksgiving

 

That's me and my AE exactly!

 

Gravity feed = BEER BONG METHOD! Big silicone tube that bends down to the tranny fill hole, guy up top with a funnel, pour her down! No foam = you are a pimp.

 

hey thats wht i thought!
thx... anyother fluids or fluid combos i should consider?

 

Project84 and I filled my tranny up about a month ago this method. Worked great. You don't need 6 feet of tubring either, more like 3. Run te tubing up next to the driverside engine bay, and it comes up right next to the 2nd coil pack. Too easy.

The last time I did it myself (tranny leaks a bit at the speedo drive) and I put the hose in the fill port and poured fluid down the tube from the engine bay. I watched for when fluid leaked out the fill port, thats when i stopped. Works fine.

Dif is a pain in the *** though. , you have to stick thehose in the fill port, bend the hose down, then across towarsd the rear passenger tire, then up several inches higher than the fill port of the dif-- so you can still get some gravity feed. I've never been able to fill the dif without squeezing the gear lube bottle to push the fluid through the hose though.

 

Castrol GT LMA brake fluid is good for street use. Most people on this forum have used Castrol GTX engine oil with good results over the last decade or more. For the differential and transmission, you can also look at Amsoil, Neo and Silkolene, but I think most RX-7 owners use the more common Red Line and Royal Purple products.
http://www.oilsandlube.com/index.htm
http://www.neosyntheticoil.com/
http://www.redlineoil.com
http://www.royalpurple.com/
http://www.silkoleneoil.com/raceprod.htm

Yes, that's why you use the longer hose. Gravity feed will work for all of the fluid that is above the level of the fill hole. Some fluid will be left in the tube after filling, but you can drain that back into the bottle. You are going to have some left over anyway because the differential capacity is 1.4-1.5 US qts, and most differential oil is sold in 1 US qt bottles, leaving you with about 1/2 quart after filling.

That can get a bit messy if the tip doesn't seal well, it's tough to get the oil out of most oil bottles, and it's a pain because you can only inject as much fluid as is in the bulb unless you have enough room to tip it up for gravity feed. However, it would work OK just as long as the bulb stays on the tube.

Hehehe, I tried using my suction gun on my F-150 that uses ATF in the manual transmission. The thinner oil leaked out the back of the gun. Not good, lol.

 

ya know.... the pumps that are made for changing tranny/diff fluids only cost like 5 bux at napa or autozone. they screw right onto the bottle. although they don't last as long as the gravity feed obviously.

what's the price people pay for redline MT90? the best deal I could find was 8$ a bottle before shipping from jeggs.

 

Those are also fine, but I haven't seen much luck with the squeeze pump type because most of them are poorly made and leak. The better ones are more expensive.

$8 is about the going rate. It's not that bad when you consider you only need to change the transmission and differential fluid every 30,000 to 60,000 miles. However, $8 bottle for engine oil that is only good for 3,000 miles is another story.

 

can any1 tell me what diameter hose you use?

 

Easiest way to change transmission and diff oil without a pump:
http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/transfluid.htm

 

I think I used 3/8" clear vinyl hose. I would check but I threw it out when I moved, and I haven't bought any more yet. One time I used larger tubing (1/2 or 3/4", I don't remember exactly) with a home-made nipple at the end. Any size will work just as long as the end can somehow fit into the fill holes.

 

Daymmnnn this thread is old.

Heres a tip.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...ord=drill+pump