ATF change *DON'T DELETE*

[missfixit70]

I'd been noticing my gear changes seemed a bit more jerky than they were & it's about 2 years since the bongo was imported & the ATF was changed, so I thought it was time to get it done - even though it looked a nice reddish colour on the dipstick & smelt as it should.
Stuck it up on the ramps & sucked out about 4.5 litres with the pela from a warm gearbox, then turned the engine for a couple of seconds (not necessarily recommended, but I was experimenting to see how much more I could get out from the torque converter etc) & got another half a litreish, about 5 litres in all horrible black stuff






Dropped the sump (10mm head in a cordless driver, tap gently with a nylon mallet to free it, only takes a couple of minutes), waxy crud on the magnet & thick black goo on the bottom,

Before cleaning


After cleaning


Innards & filter before


After


Top view of cleaned filter


Disconnected the pipes to the oil cooler, both ends of both in turn allowing the fluid to drain, reconnected the cooler end & blew through from the gearbox end so it blew through all the pipes & cooler, collected about another half a litre (not as much as I expected) & reconnected the pipes.

Cleaned the sump carefully with petrol/diesel mix, carefully wiped dry (lint free rags) then filter flushed with petrol/diesel mix, then with fresh ATF, bolted in (4 long bolts), gasket wiped over with a smear of ATF & carefully bolted back in place, making sure magnet put back in (nearly stayed in my pocket ).
Filled back up with Dexron III via the dipstick using a funnel with approx 5.5litres, allowed it to settle for 5 minutes, checked it was over the full mark on the dipstick before starting, then started it, let it run for about 10 minutes, ranging through the gears to get the fluid pumping around, checking the level every few minutes, ended up a bit high, so sucked out about quarter of a litre ( about 5.25 litres left in), took it for a spin, what a difference Smooth gear changes & felt much more eager.
I'll monitor the level over the next couple of weeks, I left it slightly over the Full mark, be interesting to see if it drops after a few miles have been put on it as some people have noted.
I don't reckon it took more than an hour or 2 including the test drive, well worth doing

[dvisor]

Strewth! Wish I had the guts to do this sort of thing! Guarantee I'd make a pig's ear of it if I tried.

[missfixit70]

It's reasonably idiotproof, I just went a bit further than is probably necessary, as long as you clean the filter out & check the cooler pipes are clear, don't knacker the gasket, (but don't stress if you do, I'm sure "Instant gasket" would do the job fine) & put back in the same amount you take out.

[lizard]

Wow very brave, I used the jolly old pump and sucked out as much as I could. I then filled with new fluid. I never removed the sump (chicken). I will do a proper job at some time. I noticed an improved drivability (nice to use three syllable words). May be unconnected, but It seemed that the mason alarm could then be set lower when climbing similar gradients.

[missfixit70]

It's really not difficult, as long as it's all kept clean (wind free day - a rare occurence on my driveway), the pela makes it simple though.

[lizard]

Yes, I will give it a full flush through later.

[helen&tony]

Hi Kirsty
Now that IS interesting...the job was done 2 years ago, fluid looked O.K. and it still needed a spruce-up to enable the gears to change properly....mmmm...methinks I'll don my supervisory hat, and give Tony a treat...he loves dirty jobs under the car ....is this one dirty enough for him?
Cheers
Helen

[northerntaff]

Well I have to be honest Kirst and say I haven't really got a scooby doo about what you've done...but it looks and sounds great! Good work.

You make me want to do something techie/mechanical to my Bongo...think I'll go and check the lights work, that's about as good as I can do

Brill piccies too by the way...interesting to see what's under the Bongo skin.

[Trouble at t'Mill]

Nice job, Kirsty! Good feeling to know it's thoroughly clean?

Peeps, this is well within amateur DIYing abilities. If you can, say, change brake pads, or swap and adjust an alternator belt, you can do this.

If you remove most of the fluid with a pump beforehand, then the worst part of the job - removing the pan whilst full of fluid - is taken care of. (If you don't, it will start to seep out around the rim when it's slackened, so have something wide ready to collect it...!)

Also, slacken off ALL the sump bolts a good 5mm, and then gently tap the top rim of the sump - from all sides repeatedly - with a soft mallet until the gasket seal breaks away and the pan drops a few mm. This way you shouldn't risk damaging the gasket by 'prising' the sump open.

Even just changing the oil alone should be on everyone's agenda every few years, and will pay dividends - most of the gunk Kirsty pointed out will hopefully stay put in the bottom of the sump - but if you only remove the sump ONCE for a good clean, it's worth doing. For most of us, that 'gunk' has been produced over around 10+ years of lack of attention and the initial bedding-in wear of the 'box before the car even came in to this country. Your Bongo DESERVES a good clean out, and 'regular' fluid changes from then on will keep it sparkly!

(There's a thread on here where someone got a quote for a thorough Bongo service including sump removal and clean, cam belt change, the usual oil and filter changes and an MOT for around £300+vat! Obviously a 'knowledgeable' garage knows it's an easy job so should be happy to quote to do it, should you not wish to take on the job yourselves. Really, really recommended - along with axle oil changes.)

("Bongo - because it's worth it...")

[missfixit70]

Hi Kirsty
Now that IS interesting...the job was done 2 years ago, fluid looked O.K. and it still needed a spruce-up to enable the gears to change properly....mmmm...methinks I'll don my supervisory hat, and give Tony a treat...he loves dirty jobs under the car ....is this one dirty enough for him?
Cheers
Helen

Not actually a very dirty job Helen sorry If you haven't got an extraction pump, I suppose it could be , but slacken one corner first should direct the oil in one direction.

[helen&tony]

Hi Kirsty
Buy him a pump to suck the fluid out ...that'll be spoiling him.....i'll just have the barn cat handy to mop up any spills
Cheers
Helen

[mikeonb4c]

Excellent thread - thanks Kirsty and Tat'M. I'm gathering the resolve to do mine. Lack of time is what gets in my way most

[bigdaddycain]

What a great post Kirsty! Well done! Was you a bit low on "old fluid"? I managed to "pela" out a fraction over 5 litres of Brown gravy out of my box.

I only did a quick interim oil change on mine, and negated the sump drop,i'll give it the whole hog treatment next time.

I still saw a significant improvement in smoothness of changes,and as you say, the bongo seemed more eager post fluid change.

I used 5 litres of Castrol TQ D3 ATF.

[missfixit70]

Level was just below the full mark before pumping out the old stuff Ste, the filter was reasonably clean in that it wasn't holding any residue above as some others have found.

[bigdaddycain]

Here's hoping my filter is ok till i can get round to doing a proper "full-on" change and clean

You raise an interesting and valid point about judging the condition of the fluid via the dipstick...It's quite misleading, the fluid appeared fine on the dipstick, i was quite astonished at the state of the sludge that my pela pumped out!