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Tranny fluid change to Extra-S... concerned...


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Around 600-700 miles ago, I changed over to a CCI stage 2 clutch to wrangle the power I'm getting out of my stage 3 tune. I went with a LWFW, and ended up with the predictable noisy gear lash. It's loud, so I'm trying to minimize it a little.

 

I have 39,002 miles on the car. I believe that the dealer changed the tranny fluid to whatever Subaru recommends at my 36k service. When I pulled the tranny drain plug, I found this:

 

http://i.imgur.com/r4yFzuU.jpg

 

Pretty nasty, right? What I'm wondering is... is this nasty because the dealer didn't see/clean it & that's 39k worth of fine particles and a few salt-grain-sized ones, or is all of that from the last 3,000 miles? The dealer is not bad, they've gotten better over the past few years, and I'd expect if they saw something like this, they'd tell me.

 

The car was stock when I bought it at around 28k miles. I was at stage 2 in around December 2012, and I've been at stage 3 for around the last 800 miles, maybe. I'm going to call the dealer, who also did the clutch install, next week.

Tits mcgee
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My guess is that's 39k worth of crud. I'd be surprised if all that is just from the past 3k, but I'd also be surprised if the tech didn't wipe off the drain plug magnet when he changed the oil 3k ago. Wouldn't hurt to call or stop by the dealer to see if the tech remembers your car, and remembers if he wiped off the drain plug or not. Maybe you got a newer tech who didn't know that's a magnetic plug, and didn't know there'd be stuff on the plug to wipe off?
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That's typical break in wear for a manual transmission or differential. You'll see almost this much metal after the first 5k-10k miles, but without the discoloration.

I don't think this comment is applicable, unless you're suggesting the dealer didn't clean the magnetic plug.

Tits mcgee
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Maybe I wasn't clear--the dealer said they did. I'm looking for reasons why they might have changed the gear oil and neglected to clean the drain plug, and particularly anyone else that has had that happen.

 

While I think it's inane to ask the forum something only the dealer could tell me, it's not as if those threads aren't posted daily.

Tits mcgee
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Transmissions and diffs aren't like engines. They don't have high efficiency filters and so larger particles remain in circulation or settle to the bottom of the case. If the dealer drained the fluid @36k miles, but did so after the transaxle had cooled down, there would still be some metallic bits remaining. Even if the plug was cleaned, once you drive the car with the new fluid, these bits of metal would go back into circulation and gradually find their way to the surface of the magnetic plug.

 

If you wanted to see if there is a problem developing, you could fill with a cheap gear lube to flush the unit and drain it (hot, right after shutdown), after a few hundred miles. Then refill with the lube of your choice and examine the drain plug again after several thousand miles. I'd drain this almost new synthetic gear lube into a clean one gallon jug so it can be reused.

 

TS

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Good ideas there. I'm full with Extra-S now, and the improvement in shifting precision is noticeable... but the mess of particles on the drain plug doesn't give me a warm & fuzzy. Even so, I'm not sure I want to try to drain it out then refill.

 

Draining hot is exactly why I like having the Fumoto installed in my oil pan. It's less of a concern in a system with a filter, though, I suppose.

Tits mcgee
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First, did the dealer say they changed it or conducted the 30k service? The 30k service is only a check and most dealers will not actually change it.

 

As others have said the particles could have been stirred up afterward.

 

We like the extraS but have found the Motul gear300 to be superior than even the extraS.

 

If you change it again and there is more chunks I would be concerned.

 

 

-Mike Paisan

 

http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/91072632.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/145749898/original.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/133406601.jpg http://www.whiteline.com.au/images/logos/perf1.jpg

11+ Years Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Subaru Enthusiasts.

Call directly as We carry almost every manufacturer now, so before you buy parts call us.

Like us on Facebook! | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) | T-1 Certified Amsoil Direct Jobber |AIM: AZP Installs

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  • 2 weeks later...
Revisiting this. I confirmed that the dealer changed the tranny fluid & said they would have let me know if they had seen anything out of the ordinary on the drain plug; so it's still a mystery as to how that much crap accumulated over the course of 3k miles (unless they just forgot to do it). I've probably put on 800-1000 miles since changing to Extra-S. This morning I quickly pulled the plug for an inspection, and it hasn't collected any other bits that I could see. Seems OK.
Tits mcgee
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That's a good sign for sure.

 

-Mike Paisan

 

http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/91072632.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/145749898/original.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/133406601.jpg http://www.whiteline.com.au/images/logos/perf1.jpg

11+ Years Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Subaru Enthusiasts.

Call directly as We carry almost every manufacturer now, so before you buy parts call us.

Like us on Facebook! | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) | T-1 Certified Amsoil Direct Jobber |AIM: AZP Installs

"Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!"

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