DIY Video Transmission and Differential fill and drain plug location for M6

[overhaulengines]

hello friends, i decided to change my transmission fluid and differential fluid yesterday, i found several helpful post on this and i have linked them below, i also decided to make a couple of quick videos showing the drain and fill plugs locations, hope this helps

lupe

this video is of the differential plugs



transmission plugs, manual 6 speed



here is few pics also, the tall bottle is the differential fluid bottle, i 1st did the diff change, this took all of 15 min. very easy, the bottle fit in there just fine.
once done, i cleaned the bottle out and filled it with the trans fluid and used a clear hose about 6 inches, i was able to squeeze about half the bottle and then i would have to refill. now you can go get a pump for about $5-$10 from autozone but i was lazy. because i was lazy it took a little longer, about 30-40 min. oh, i had a small oil squirt can that i used at the end to make sure the transmission was topped off.

here are some links i found helpful

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76352
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52132
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116059


lupe

[GTAHVIT]

Nice!

Thanks for these

[domano 68]

Good reference, thanks.

[pyledrivr]

How much fluid does it take for the V6 manual trans?

[patrickt]

good info thanks for posting this vid!

[kencam]

What kind of wrench is used to undo these drain plugs? And what size?

[overhaulengines]

Originally Posted by kencam

What kind of wrench is used to undo these drain plugs? And what size?

uhhh, i slept since i did these videos lol, but i think you can use the end of a 1/2 drive ratchet it a square drive

lupe

[kencam]

Square drive? Excellent!

Originally Posted by overhaulengines

uhhh, i slept since i did these videos lol, but i think you can use the end of a 1/2 drive ratchet it a square drive

lupe

[overhaulengines]

Originally Posted by kencam

Square drive? Excellent!

lol square drive, i didn't know what to call it

lupe

[kencam]

I think you're spot on. Anyway I know what you mean.

[ssmike]

Great thread and thanks! I just did my differential fluid change and I'd like to add my comments and tips!

1) The tip on one of the attached threads that says to raise the front right of the car to drain more is spot on! Do it!
2) Be sure to have the car level when filling! If that means raising the car at all 4 corners in order to get under there then do it! I started filling with only the rear raised up and I found out that when I lowered it it needed another 3-4 ounces. I was able to reach under to finish filling even with the car lowered!
3) Not sure about the stock exhaust but with my Solo cat back the rear section was in the way so I had to remove it before I could even get to the drain plug! It only added maybe 15-20 minutes to the job but made it WAY easier to do the job!

The old fluid looked kinda dark but really not as bad as I thought it would be. I have 14,550 miles and there was about the same build-up on the magnets as the OP had. It took about 5 ounces shy of the full quart and I added about 3 ounces of additive.

This thread was very helpfull and again, thanks!

[garcmol]

Just finished changing the rear diff fluid. Easy chore and great write-up! I just hit 20k miles and the rear was moaning a little bit.

One suggestion for folks; I have a bass boat and when changing the lower gear oil, I use a pump that screws onto the bottle. It has a long hose that you put into the lower unit of the motor. Well, the thing works great for this job as well as the pump fits the GM gear oil bottle too. Just insert the hose into the differential and pump it right in there. No squeezing the bottle or trying to turn it upside down.

And I do still have the stock exhaust. All I needed was a 3/8" drive rachet. That's it. It fits right in there with plenty of clearance.

[Marchino]

Hello, I changed my diff.fluid last Saturday (14k miles).

Few questions.

I used a manual pump with a long rubber pipe going into the filling hole. I drained all the fluid and then I mixed 1 quart of GM (AC delco) oil with 2.5 oz of friction modifier.
After squezzing the pump all the way down, I couldnt pump the fluid left in the pipe into the hole so in the end I didn't put in about 2 ounces of fluid. Should I be worried? I checked the level by putting into the hole the tip of a small iron stick and the fluid was there. I didn't see any fluid coming out while filling the oil housing though. The car was on a perfectly flat level.
Do you think I' better buy another quart of oil and put in the missing 2 ounces?


Last question: are the draining plug and the filling plug identical?


Thanks a lot!

[overhaulengines]

Originally Posted by Marchino

Hello, I changed my diff.fluid last Saturday (14k miles).

Few questions.

I used a manual pump with a long rubber pipe going into the filling hole. I drained all the fluid and then I mixed 1 quart of GM (AC delco) oil with 2.5 oz of friction modifier.
After squezzing the pump all the way down, I couldnt pump the fluid left in the pipe into the hole so in the end I didn't put in about 2 ounces of fluid. Should I be worried? I checked the level by putting into the hole the tip of a small iron stick and the fluid was there. I didn't see any fluid coming out while filling the oil housing though. The car was on a perfectly flat level.
Do you think I' better buy another quart of oil and put in the missing 2 ounces?


Last question: are the draining plug and the filling plug identical?


Thanks a lot!

i dont think it would make a difference, but i would top it off just to be safe. also it been a while since i did this but i believe the 2 plugs are identical.

lupe