VAZ 2108: changing the gearbox oil, checking the level and topping up

Manual transmissions of domestic cars, unlike some other components and mechanisms, turned out to be quite reliable. In particular, on a VAZ 2109 car, the gearbox has a large margin of safety, and if you do not violate the operating mode and maintain it in a timely manner, it can easily cover runs amounting to hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

You can read more about what kind of oil to pour into the gearbox here.

One of the important points in servicing a manual transmission on the car in question is changing the transmission oil. It is worth paying tribute to the AvtoVAZ designers: they designed the gearbox in such a way that changing the oil in it with your own hands is quite possible.

This does not require any special devices or specific knowledge. Read about how to fill new oil into a VAZ 2109 gearbox in our material.

What you need to change the oil

To replace it yourself, you will need at least the following:

• jack, inspection hole or lift;
• wheel bolt wrench;
• open-end or socket wrench 17;
• empty waste container;
• a syringe or other device for pouring oil;

• clean rags.

When preparing for a replacement, there are a few things to consider.

1. It is necessary to take into account how much oil is in the VAZ 2109 gearbox. That is, the container for the old lubricant must be selected appropriately, so as not to subsequently collect spilled waste. If you are the only owner of the car, are replacing it for the first time and are sure that there have been no unqualified interventions before, then the maximum volume of oil in the box will not exceed 3.3 liters. Accordingly, a 4-5 liter canister is quite suitable for this purpose. If the box has a dipstick, you can first check the lubricant level. Often a plastic 5-liter bottle of technical liquids is used as a waste container.
2. It is necessary to take care of safety. Changing the oil in a manual transmission requires a person to partially remain under the front wheel arch. Therefore, it is important to follow at least two basic rules: securely stop the car and install a safety stand in case the jack falls.

Synthetics

When choosing synthetic gearbox oil, the motorist needs to pay attention to the temperature conditions for which the purchased product is designed. These are the last two digits in the encoding

The main advantages of synthetic oil are that it prevents the formation of toxins, reduces power loss when the engine warms up, and ensures efficient operation of the car in the long term. Buy synthetic lubricants only from trusted sellers, since by saving a few hundred rubles you can run into a fake and spend much more money on eliminating the damage caused. The best synthetic oil for the VAZ-2114 is Castrol Edge Titanium FST.

How often should you change the oil?

According to technical regulations, the oil in the VAZ 2109 gearbox must be changed every 75 thousand kilometers or once every 5 years. The parameter that occurs first is taken into account.

Mineral gear oil is poured into the gearbox from the factory. This means that its service life is relatively short . And excessive loads on the manual transmission and other negative factors can significantly reduce the scheduled operating period.

Let's consider several situations when the lubricant needs to be changed, regardless of how much time or mileage is left before the next replacement:

1. The gear shift lever becomes stiff or slurred. Often the cause of this is degraded lubricant. The switching mechanism on a VAZ 2109 car is located in the box itself and is washed with transmission oil.

2. In winter, when starting the engine in neutral, the car jerks a little. Mineral oil, in addition to its natural tendency to thicken in winter, after a certain period of time becomes even more sensitive to low temperatures.
3. The appearance of extraneous sounds from the manual transmission. This factor indicates that the process of destruction of manual transmission parts has already begun. But often a prompt oil change eliminates noise and extends the life of gears and bearings for quite a long time.
4. Oil leak. There could be many reasons for this. Faulty manual transmission ventilation system, damage after hitting an obstacle, poorly tightened drain or control plug, axle flange seals, etc. If there is not much time left before the replacement period, it is better to change the transmission lubricant completely instead of topping up.

Oil for manual transmission VAZ-2108

VAZ-2108 is the first Soviet front-wheel drive car manufactured in collaboration with Porsche. It is a three-door hatchback, produced in Russia from 1984 to 2004, and also from 2004 to 2014 in Ukraine. A sedan and a station wagon were produced on the basis of this model. The Eight became the founder of the Sputnik family, and its successor is the modernized three-door hatchback VAZ-2113 model 2004. In 1991, an updated version 2108 was released, which was produced with gasoline engines of 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5 liters (54-79 hp. With.). Improved 1.5 (93 hp) and 1.6 liter (93 hp) engines were also available. Gearboxes: five-speed manual.

DIY oil change process

To change the oil in a VAZ 2109 manual transmission, lubricants of the GL-3 or GL-4 class are suitable. Viscosity is selected depending on climatic operating conditions.

For example, for northern regions you will need a thinner lubricant with a viscosity of 75W-80, 75W-85 or 75W-90. For warmer climates, you can fill in 80W-85 or 80W-90.

It is not advisable to use thick transmission oils with a winter viscosity index of 85W, since in winter this will create an additional load on the manual transmission and cause excessive fuel consumption.

It is also recommended to use semi-synthetic oil. It is rightfully considered the most rational option if we consider the price-quality ratio.

Advice.

There is no point in experimenting with other classes or viscosities. Today the market is replete with lubricants of all types and types. And even in remote areas you can easily find the necessary option.

How much oil should I put in the box? Based on the fact that a little more than three liters should be drained, you need to purchase at least this volume. Today, many manufacturers produce gear oil in 4-liter containers. This amount is just enough. And a little more will remain in reserve in case of topping up or another unforeseen situation.

We drain the old little

Before changing the oil in the box, it is advisable to warm it up. To do this, in summer it will be enough to drive 5-10 km, in winter a little more. After this, we put the car in a pit or raise the left front part on a jack and remove the wheel.

There are two bolts on the lower left side of the manual transmission. One covers the drain hole. The second is control-filling. Place an empty container under the box.

First, the top bolt is unscrewed. You need to remove it carefully, as there is a spring valve installed underneath it. Sometimes the ball gets stuck in the hole. In this case, you need to pick it up with a screwdriver or any other suitable object. Some oil may drain from the top hole.

After this, the bottom bolt is unscrewed. The main volume of used lubricant exits through the drain hole. If there is a probe on the box, then the control bolt does not need to be unscrewed. It is enough to remove the dipstick so that a vacuum of air is not created and the draining process is not delayed.

Filling with new oil

Before changing the lubricant, shake the canister thoroughly. Some additives may partially settle to the bottom.

On a VAZ 2109 manual transmission, transmission oil can be filled in two ways, depending on the design features. If a probe is provided, it is more convenient to fill through it. If there is no dipstick, filling is carried out through the control hole on the box.

For this operation you will need a syringe or a special watering can with a hose. It can be made from a plastic bottle and a tube with a diameter of up to 10 mm.

Feel free to add 3 liters of oil. After this, we check its level using a dipstick or by removing the filler tube from the control hole on the manual transmission.

There are marks on the dipstick. It’s not worth exceeding the level, contrary to the advice of “experienced” people. If you accidentally fill in 1-2 mm more, it’s not a big deal. But if the level is significantly higher than permissible, this will negatively affect the effectiveness of the lubrication and the service life of the oil.

In the case of a control hole, it is necessary to fill until the lubricant begins to flow out through it.

Dipstick Yes or not?

VAZ 2109 cars were produced from 1987 to 2011. During this time, certain adjustments were made to the design of the car, including gearboxes.

That’s why now nines are found both with and without a probe. Because of this, the procedure for changing the lubricant in the gearbox may differ slightly.

Earlier versions of the VAZ 2109 do not have a dipstick, but received a filler hole closed with a plug. To get to it, you have to crawl under the car. Later versions of the VAZ 2109 received a dipstick and filler hole located on top. To fill the lubricant, you just need to lift the hood.

What tools will we use?

Changing the lubricant in the VAZ 2109 gearbox is carried out using tools such as:

• a syringe for pouring liquid or a funnel;
• capacity from 4 liters;
• a set of keys;
• jack.

Level control and required volume

While operating the vehicle, it is necessary to constantly monitor the oil level in the gearbox using a dipstick. There are two control marks (dashes) on the dipstick, indicating the minimum and maximum oil levels in the gearbox. The minimum mark indicates the need for topping up (usually the operation is performed every 4 - 5 thousand km), and the maximum mark indicates that there is no reason for concern.

Control is carried out as follows:

1. At the gearbox, the dipstick is unscrewed or removed (the hole from it is usually used as a filler neck).
2. Wipe the metal part with a dry, clean cloth.
3. Insert the dipstick back and take it out again - you see the actual oil level in the gearbox.

The standard is considered to be the volume of lubricating fluid in the range between minimum and maximum, i.e. approximately in the middle of the marks.

Topping up oil

Oil is added to the “21099” gearbox only after checking the level and taking into account its tendency to a minimum. As a rule, from 0.5 to 0.8 liters are added to a 5-mortar, and up to 0.6 liters to a 4-mortar. It is important to use for topping up oil of the same manufacturer and the same viscosity that is currently used in the gearbox of your car; mixing is unacceptable and can lead to complete failure of the gearbox or its individual parts. Add oil using an oil syringe or funnel, then measure the level using a dipstick. Typically, topping up is done in stages, periodically checking the level, since a volume in excess of the maximum will lead to squeezing out of the gearbox through gaskets, seals and drives, which will necessarily lead to their replacement.

What oil is recommended?

When choosing oil for the VAZ 2109 gearbox, you can use the car’s operating manual or turn to the experience of numerous owners of this car. The manufacturer recommends using mineral all-season lubricants, including:

• Reksol T - SAE 80W-85 class GL-4;
• Omskoil Trans P - SAE 80W-85 universal classification GL-4/5;
• Volnez TM4 - SAE 80W-90 class GL-4.

In addition, you can select gear oil from other imported and Russian brands. The key criterion when choosing is the class of the liquid.

The VAZ 2109 car is front-wheel drive, so GL-3 and GL-4 oils according to foreign classification, as well as TM-3 and TM-4 according to Russian classification, are suitable for its gearbox. Accordingly, despite the advice of some motorists, under no circumstances should GL-5TM-5 transmissions be poured into the gearbox, otherwise the box synchronizers will suffer.

Popular oil TAD-17I

A common brand of transmission oil for the VAZ 2109, TAD-17I, was created for spur, hypoid and helical, highly loaded gears that operated with contact loads between the teeth of more than 3,000 MPa, but it was not suitable for VAZ 2109 transmissions.

The high viscosity of the lubricant and special additives in the composition, which make the oil film more durable, contributed to the abundant lubrication of the synchronizers, but the oil was not completely squeezed out. Because of this, the angular velocity of the gears and sliding clutch was not equalized, and the gears were engaged with difficulty and with an extraneous sound. At the same time, accelerated wear of the transmission occurred.

The choice of oil for each car is different

This applies not only to different car brands. Even for different VAZ 2109 vehicles, completely different transmission oil options may be suitable. Let's figure out which oil is best to use in which case.

Engine oil

M6z12G1 is used for the VAZ 2109 gearbox

• What are the benefits of using motor oil in transmissions? The first thing that comes to mind is its price, which is within acceptable limits.
• Analyzing reviews from owners of 2109, you can notice some features. For example, there are a number of cases when a car drove 300-400 thousand kilometers on motor oil poured into the gearbox without the slightest claim for repairs.
• On the other hand, other cases show that the use of engine oil is undesirable, since it leads to rapid wear of gearbox parts, such as synchronizers or gears.
• So how can you determine whether the engine oil is suitable for the gearbox of a VAZ 2109? Again, analyzing the overall picture of the use of such oil, we draw a simple and very important conclusion.

Conclusion! Motor oil can be poured into the VAZ 2109 gearbox only if the car was manufactured before 1993-1995. For cars produced in later years, the use of engine oil in the transmission is highly discouraged.

Transmission oil

There are a great variety of such oils and there is not enough time and patience to consider all specific oils. Therefore, we will consider only categories of oils, and in some cases we will give examples. Go:

• Let us mention the TAD-17 in a little more detail. If anyone doubts that it cannot be used in the VAZ 2109, read below the reasons for this.

Extremely undesirable oil for the VAZ 2109 gearbox

• The viscosity or thickness of TAD-17 oil is very high, which leads to the following problems: the car will not start in winter; extreme pressure additives (which in themselves give a good effect) are contained in very large quantities in the oil.
• A large amount of extreme pressure additives contributes to intensive wear of synchronizers.
• Synthetic oil, it would seem, should be better than others. It is better in thickness, has positive qualities, and has additives. But there is one thing! The use of synthetic gear oil (designated GL-5 or TM-5) is encouraged in sports gearboxes, where the quality of the parts is better, the temperature is higher, and (in some cases) there are no synchronizers.

By the way! By carefully reading the instructions for the transmission oil, you can determine whether it is suitable for your car or not.

• So, in the instructions for GL-5 class synthetic oil it is directly written: “used for unsynchronized manual transmissions.”
• And one more point not in favor of synthetics is its price. The cost of such oil is high, and practicality is not very good - therefore, the use of synthetic oil in VAZ 2109 gearboxes does not make sense.
• And the last option is semi-synthetic gear oil. It is perfectly suited for use in this car.
• The designation of this oil is GL-4.

By the way! The service book for the car indicates the type of oil recommended by the manufacturer. This is exactly GL-4 or TM-4.

• In terms of density, it is better to take the designation 75 or 85. The composition of this oil and its properties are optimal for both gearbox gears and its synchronizers.
• As for the winter period, semi-synthetics will not freeze as much as mineral water, for example. In frosty weather of -25 degrees the car will start, just like in summer.