What oil should I purchase for the shifter assembly? Can I purchase water wetter at pep boys typically or is it an online thing? What kind of fluid should I put in to the gear box? I think that I read that redline is good...if so can I purchase that somewhere around town or do I have to order that online as well? Thanx in advance for all replies guys.

 

Redline for the tranny its a must and youll feel a difference for the better
your in tampa so someone local should have it...-Gabe

 

You have a s4 na. Use Redline's MT-90...

 

I'm lazy, so I just order Red Line from online vendors when I order other parts. Examples:
https://secure.vbcomm.net/store/index.asp
http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/catalog.htm

Transmission Box: 3 qts Red Line MT-90 (you will have nearly a qt left over)

Differential: 2 qts Red Line 75w90 (you will have about 1/2 qt left over)

Transmission Shifter: 80-95cc (2.7-3.2 US fluid oz) 75w90 (you can use the left-over differential or transmission oil)

Oil Hints:
1) Figure out how you will get the oil into the transmission and differential before you drain the oil. Options for this include a pump, gravity-feed tube, squeeze tube, etc.
2) Drive the car to warm up the oil before changing.
3) Keep the car as level as possible when changing the oil (use 4 jack stands or a lift) so that your fill level is accurate.
4) Remove the fill plug before the drain plug, just in case.
5) Use sealant when reinstalling the plugs.

Tightening torque:
Transmission Drain Plug 29-43 ft-lbs
Transmission Fill Plug 18-29 ft-lbs
Differential Plugs 29-40 ft-lbs

Coolant Hints:
1) Follow the instructions in the Factory Service Manual.
2) Buy a Mazda brand thermostat. The aftermarket thermostats are junk, and may blow your engine. Be sure to install the thermostat with the jiggle pin in the correct position. If you refuse to use a torque wrench to tighten the thermostat cover bolts to the correct torque, then don't post a thread on this forum crying about how you ruined it.
3) Fill only with distilled water, which you can get at most grocery stores for less than $1/gallon.
4) The "phillips screwdriver-type" bleeder screw strips easily. You can replace it with the better "wingnut-type" bleeder screw, which you can find at the Mazda dealership or at some generic auto parts stores. Note that the radiator drain plug and bleeder screw are interchangeable.

 

damn i didnt know they made a wing nut type screw some good info no doubt...

 

hmm how much does that redline junk run??

 

Oh yes, it is MUCH better.

 

oh thats a beautiful fan shroud im gonna get one of them if i ever strip the one i got...

 

Thanks alot Evil Aviator, lots of great info there.

 

Heh...last time I orderd from mazdatrix I got like 8 of those phillips head plugs, cuz I was alwasys stripping them. Wish I wouldve known about this.....

 

would it work to cut the stock fan shroud down if you put in an electric fan so you have at least some sort of shroud

 

LOL, I still have two of them stashed somewhere.

For those who like the "little" things like this that make working on your car easier, be sure to check out the Fumoto Oil Drain Valve. I love these things!
http://www.fumotovalve.com/
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=23575
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=43906

Yes, you should have a shroud, but I don't think that the original is going to work well, even when cut down. Some fans, such as the Black Magic, come with a universal shroud which would be better than nothing. I'm making a custom low-profile composite fan shroud to mount twin 13" Spal fans on my 20B car, but the process is taking a very long time, and isn't very cheap.