PAP348 GEARBOX OIL CHANGE

Hello friends. Just another boring day here,so i thought its a good time to change my 348 gearbox oil with fresh Redline oil,that i bought last xmas before my clutch packed it in. Heres a few pics and a simple guide for those who have never done it. Its not brain surgery,well,it may be for some

The 1st pic is what you will need for the job. A few tools to remove the airbox,a set of allen key sockets,and oil drain tray,funnel and of course the new oil.
The 2nd,3rd and 4th pic shows where the filler plug is,with airbox removed. The drain plug under the car and the oil draining into the container.

1-Remove the airbox and disconnect the 2 inner 02 sensor plugs which are under the engine oil filter,so that you can get a long extension and rachet on the filler plug. You will need a 19mm allen key/socket to remove the plug. Also a good idea to make sure you can loosen the filler plug before you drain any oils,incase you cant put oil back into the gearbox.

2-You can jack the car up to get underneath it to drain the oil,but i never did. You will need a 10mm allen key/socket to loosen the drain plug. I removed the plug and let the old oil drain for around 30mins,which was more than enough. The oil was more contaminated (blacker) than i thought. The oil was changed in the major service around 3000km ago,in 2004. The old oil was Shell Synthetic Gearbox oil 80/90W.
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The 1st pic here shows the drain plug and the small amount of metal shavings on the plug. Im happy,as its nothing to worry about. The 2nd pic shows a new copper washer,that goes with the drain plug to seal. Always try and replace these when possible. The 3rd and 4th pic shows me filling the gearbox and the gearbox oil level dipstick location on the Lh side of the gearbox.

3-With all the old oil drained out,i inspected the drain plug and found minimal amount of metal on the plug which is good. I cleaned the plug up and fitted a new copper washer. The washer has an internal diameter of 22mm and an outside diameter of 30mm. Make sure you replace the drain plug washer

4-Once the drain plug and new washer are refitted,it is time to fill the gearbox with new Redline Supershock Proof lightweight oil. 75/90W. The dipstick is on the LH bottom side of the gearbox and it needs to be removed in order to check the correct oil level in the box. You will need an 17mm socket and long extensions to reach that plug/dipstick. My 348 used around 4.5 Litres of oil. Once the level is correct,refit the filler plug(a new washer here is not really needed)and the airbox and then the job is done. Mess and hassle free. Make sure you dispose of the old oil correctly also.
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Thats good Pap... except the dipstick is 17mm (or maybe 19, but definitely not 18.)

It makes a big difference (extra 400-500ml out) to drain it when it's hot too, but it takes 30 minutes of driving to do this, so it's not always practical.

You can also try this if you're moving to new oil.....

Drain the old oil, and put the plug back in finger tight.

Fill the gearbox with parts washer, or even petrol, about 3-4 litres, then turn the road wheels off the ground by hand for as long as you can be bothered, then drain that all away too. THEN, put in your new oil. This way, you get immediate feel on the difference the oil made, not a contaminated batch.

And just a tiny point, a little pet habit I've grown fond of... Use an ally washer instead of copper. It reduces electrolysis around the plug, which protects the threads from seizing and stripping.

 

Sorry mate,it was a 17mm socket.

 

Thanks for your input ferrarifixer. It is always welcomed. Later this afternoon i will take the car for a drive and let you guys know how it all went and make sure there are no silly leaks Oh,and here is a pic of my baby nephew/head mechanic Georgie overlooking the entire oil change,handing me tools,keeping me in line and making sure all bolts and drain plugs were tightend and that the oil was disposed of accordingly.
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Thanks for the thread. It is a great resource to have these step by step pictorial type maintenance / repair threads. I am surprised how dark the old oil was also. Does anyone know if that is normal???
BT

 

What's the record of people using the lightweight shockproof in 348s? I note that they don't recommend it for synchros...
As for changing the oil NEXT TIME, that stuff will never come off your gears, you'll have to put in a fresh batch of lube and drive around for a few hours to get that shockproof out!

 

Really?? The only reason i went with the Redline was because it was highly recomended on here by the 348 brotherhood when i looked into it a while ago. Next time the oil is changed,i will just have to put the shockproof back in wont i ?? lol. I would like to hear from the guys that actually have used it for a while now. If they have had any problems using the oil? Not recommended for synchros?? I will re-read the label on the bottle again tomorrow to double check that. I havent driven the car as of yet. Maybe i shouldnt.............

 

Nice write up.

 

Nobody has mentioned how "hairy" Pap's magenetized plug was with little flecks of gear chunks. Mine was bad -- but not nearly that bad. Any thoughts?

 

Hummm... I wonder who that was in the "brotherhood" who recommended it? I'll keep my mouth shut. Go to the Redline site, it says that shockproof might be too slippery for syncros. You really should use redlines 70-90w GL5 gear oil, most who have changed their gear oil have used it. also do a search on gear oil. I have used both types of redlines 70-90w for years in 308s 348s and currently in my 355. Works wonders in the 348, easier shifting. Regards, Vern

 

Probably hasn't been changed in long time. Gear oil seems to get neglected alot. Regards, Vern

 

I bet Erine and I can beat the look of that plug. I had quarter size chunks on mine.

I have used RedLine and Mobile 1 75/90 interchangable in a couple of cars I have and it always works well. I think the RedLine is a smooth oil in the Ferrari cold and for general driving but I like the feel of the Mobile 1 once the heat gets up on the track.

For the RedLine stuff I use a mix of the NS and regular...I dont remember the ratio of the top of my head but its basically what ever one doesnt have the friction modifier is 4 bottles to 1 bottle of the oil with it.

 

Seriously, was it me? I use Redline 75w90 without the NS, and it seems to work fine.

Although.... this does have me thinking about whether I have crunched the gears more since the fluid change.

 

No No. Daniel it wasn't you I was talking about the shock proof stuff. It was recommended by someone else and probably isn't the best for transaxles. The 70-90w gear oil is what I have used and it seems to work about the best. Regards, Vern

 

We call that a "Chiaplug". Grows hair just like a "Chiapet".

 

Thanks vern. So far,so good. Around 2mins into the drive,the oil must have pumped around the gearbox nicely as i know have really silky smooth changes. Seems ok so far. I will see how i go i guess. May switch to Redlines 70-90W GL5 next time. Or.............if i have any problems with this oil. Very nice shift at the moment. Mine is not too bad at operatine temp. Now its great when cold

 

As i mentioned earlier,the gearbox oil was changed at the major service around 3000km ago in 2004. So hasnt really done muc work,as ive done 99% of the 3000km. And i just kinda baby the car around,no track work ect.... Still,the old Shell oil must have broken down over the last 2 years.

 

I dunno mate? It really wasnt that bad. I was happy to clean it up and leave it be. I have no problems with crunching synchros ect... at the moment anyways See how we go.

 

I think that is great if it works. I was a little leary because of Redline web site stated that the stuff might be to slippery for the syncros. Regards, Vern

 

It might be residual junk from past lack of changes, stuff that settled in the bottom of gearbox and is being stirred up now just a thought. Anyway who knows seemed a little dirty compared to what I have seen on my personal cars. I would just watch it for a while. Maybe drain the oil in a few 1000Kms into a clean pan to check the plug and the oil and then reuse the oil. you could do that a few times, reuse the oil, just be careful to keep things clean. This way you wouldn't have to waste the oil and you could monitor things until you felt it was ok. Regards, Vern

 

Thanks vern, I was actually thinking the same thing. Well.......if this oil gives me grief,which i doubt,i was goin to buy some Redline 70-90GL5 as you mentioned before. Then dump the oil and refill using the GL5,i could then also inspect the plug also. From my experience though servicing every other car known to mankind, a little gunk like that never seemed to worry the gearbox. And ive serviced the same cars over and over again for the last 7 years without a problem. So im not totally worried about the crap on the plug

 

I would agree on the junk being somewhat minor. I thought if you were concerned you could use that technique to monitor the problem. Hope things stay well it. Regards, Vern

 

Yeah,that is a great way to keep an eye on things for sure vern.

 

I took the 348 for another spirited drive this afternoon. Still shifting super smooth. I think this Shockproof oil is here to stay