The Chevrolet Lacetti is a Korean car in the golf segment, which was in the same price category as the Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Honda Civic and Citroen C4. The car was produced in sedan, station wagon and hatchback bodies, which stood out for its special front end design and a more youthful silhouette. At the first stage of sales, the Lacetti was sold in Korea and Europe as Daewoo Lacetti, and in 2004 the European model became known as Chevrolet Nubira and Chevrolet Lacetti. Later, only the Chevrolet-badged version remained. In addition, in Australia the car was designated Holden Viva, and in Canada and Asia – Chevrolet Optra.
Since 2006, Lacetti began to be produced at Avtotor for the Russian market, and this model was no different from the European Lacetti. The engine range consisted of gasoline internal combustion engines with a volume of 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 liters (from 95 to 122 hp), as well as a top-end 2.0 (126 hp) and even a 121-horsepower diesel engine of the same volume. However, a diesel version was not offered in Russia. Gearboxes - manual or automatic. In 2008, a new Cruze model was introduced in Korea, replacing the Lacetti. In Russia, the old car continued to be sold until 2012, and then the Daewoo Gentra appeared.
Is it worth changing the oil?
Before you buy oil, you need to decide whether it is worth replacing at all. So, first of all, let’s pay attention to the replacement regulations specified in the user manual for the Chevrolet Lacetti. Usually the manufacturer indicates a fairly large interval, which is only relevant for European countries with favorable climatic and road factors. For Russia, with its harsh climate, it is necessary to change the oil every 15-20 thousand kilometers. This is an unofficial recommendation, which is quite successfully followed by experienced owners of Chevrolet Lacetti with manual transmission.
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Changing the oil in the Lacetti gearbox - do it yourself or contact a service station?
Changing transmission oil at a service station
If you encounter a problem such as changing the oil product in the gearbox, you can contact a car service center. There are professionals working there who will do the work efficiently and in a short time. Moreover, they partially replace the car. This is done by pouring a new product using the necessary equipment. It displaces the oil and new oil is poured in. This procedure occurs in several stages. But there is a minus, because such work is expensive and this procedure will result in a fairly decent amount.
Therefore, if you are looking for a budget option, you can change the oil in the Lacetti manual transmission yourself.
This is not difficult to do, and there should be no problems in the process. Follow the instructions to make sure everything works out. This work has several simple steps.
There are many advantages to changing the oil yourself:
- They save money on it, because you only need to buy oil and some inexpensive tools that will be useful later.
- Not much oil is required.
- When replacing, you can not only change the oil, but also clean the pan and drain plug from accumulated dirt and metal shavings.
Selection of oil by parameters
We will not delve too deeply into the topic of oil parameters, and will consider only the most optimal options. Especially for the Chevrolet Lacetti manual transmission, we can recommend Ravenol 75W90 Getriebeoel TSG GL-4 oil. This is a semi-synthetic product, which will be the best option in terms of price-quality ratio. Of course, this lubricant is much more expensive than pure mineral oil, but it has more stable beneficial properties - both at low and high temperatures. Let us highlight the following advantages of the product from Ravenol:
- Protection of manual transmission components from premature wear
- Effective cooling of all transmission parts
- Stable operation of the box under increased load
- Optimal viscosity level, adapted even to temperatures above 40 degrees
- High thermal stability
- Adaptability to extremely low temperatures
- Good compatibility with elastomers, namely resistance to the spread of corrosion
- Reducing the effect of “dry friction” of parts
- Affordable price
Do-it-yourself tools and materials for changing gearbox oil
Consumables for changing oil in manual transmission Lacetti
To change the oil fluid you will need these tools:
- Gear oil - two liter bottles are enough.
- Gasket for pan cover.
- The key is 13.
- Sealant. Used for gluing the gasket to the transmission pan cover.
- Empty container. The used oil fluid will be drained into it.
Important! Before you start changing the oil in the Chevrolet Lacetti box, you need to turn on the engine and drive several kilometers, constantly changing gears. The fluid will become thinner and flow out faster.
Necessarily! Before work, put on rubberized gloves.
Other brands
The owner of a Chevrolet Cruze always has the right to choose - purchase an expensive original product, or buy something cheaper, but no worse than the original. There are many analogues on the market, the quality of which cannot be doubted. For example, among them it is worth highlighting such as Shell, Mobile, Castrol, Total, ZIK and Motul. The most important thing is to pay attention to viscosity parameters, tolerances and quality standards. The optimal parameters are indicated as API GL-4, SAE 75W-90/80W-90.
In first place in terms of wear resistance is Motul Gear 300 75W-90. Second place goes to Castrol Syntrans Transaxle 75W90, and third place to Mobil Mobilube 75W90.
All three oils work ideally in temperature ranges from – (minus) 35 to +35 degrees.
An alternative option is Lukoil TM-4 75W-90. This is a good semi-synthetic oil, inferior in parameters to most imported lubricants. And yet, this product is well adapted to low temperatures. This model has the lowest cost among foreign oils for Chevrolet Lacetti manual transmission.
How much oil to fill in manual transmission Chevrolet Lacetti
First generation J200, 2004-2013
The Chevrolet Lacetti is the European version of the Daewoo Lacetti for the Korean market. The most interesting from a design point of view was the five-door hatchback, while the Lacetti sedan and station wagon had a more relaxed design. Thus, the five-door model stood out with narrower and darker headlights, as well as a stylish radiator grille. At the same time, the body shape was identical to the 4- and 5-door versions of the Lacetti, which were also designed in the Italian studio Pininfarina.
Choosing oil before changing
Before proceeding with the replacement, you should first select the optimal product for the Lacetti manual transmission. So, first of all, let's pay attention to the viscosity characteristics - Aveo requires the 75W-90 marking with the GL-4 specification. Please keep in mind that this parameter is valid for any oil, regardless of brand. In other words, no matter what product a car enthusiast chooses - the original or a similar one, it is necessary to proceed from the viscosity of 75W-90. By the way, Chevrolet Lacetti owners prefer to buy such products - Castrol, Shell, Mobil, ZIC, Valvoline, Kixx, Elf, Lukoil and others.
Oil is divided into three types - synthetic, mineral and semi-synthetic. Any of the types will do, but the last two are better used for high mileage. In addition, if finances allow, it is better to buy only synthetic oil.
How much to fill
Let's pay attention to how much oil is required for a Chevrolet Lacetti manual transmission. The manufacturer recommends pouring exactly 1.8 liters of liquid. This volume is considered the maximum, but it is possible that in some cases it will be possible to pour in much less oil - for example, if the box is not sufficiently rinsed of old oil residues. To pour in the entire volume, you will need a complete replacement with flushing. It can also be done at home. After completing this procedure, be sure to use the dipstick and check the level.
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- Frequent driving at high speeds, high engine speeds, and as a result - engine overheating
- Poor and dusty roads, including off-road driving, mud and slush
- Changes in temperatures, and at the same time a rapid transition from frost to thaw, or vice versa
- Driver mistakes made during gear shifting, and as a result - transmission overheating
In such conditions, Chevrolet Lacetti owners prefer to replace it every 30 thousand kilometers, or even earlier. Here everything depends on the volume and condition of the oil.
Stages of replacing fluid in an automatic transmission of a Lacetti car
An oil change can be complete or partial. For an incomplete replacement, one person will be enough - the car owner himself. And to completely replace the lubricant in a Lacetti machine, you will need an assistant.
Partial replacement of ATF Mobil in Lacetti
An incomplete oil change in Lacetti automatic transmissions is carried out as follows:
- Place the car on the pit. Place the selector lever in the “Parking” position.
- Warm up the gearbox to 80 degrees Celsius.
- Turn off the engine.
- Unscrew the drain plug and drain the liquid into a measuring container placed just under the pan.
- Wait until it completely flows into the container.
- Then see how much was drained. The amount of liquid in the container usually does not exceed 4 liters.
- Screw in the drain plug.
- Insert a funnel into the hole for filling oil in the automatic transmission and fill in the same amount of fresh fluid as was poured out.
- Get behind the wheel and start the engine.
- Move the speed selector through all gears as follows: “Parking” - “Move forward”, again “Parking” - “Move backward”. And do this with all selector positions.
- Turn off the engine.
- Check oil level.
- If everything is normal, then you can start the car and drive out of the pit. If it’s not enough, then you should add a little more and repeat step number 10 again.
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Reviews on the operation and repair of an automatic transmission on a Chevrolet Lacetti
A partial oil change can only be carried out if the quality of the Lacetti automatic transmission fluid meets the standard: light and viscous. But it happens that wear products rise and pass into the filter, clogging it and changing the quality of the liquid. In this case, it is recommended to carry out a complete replacement.
Completely drain and fill with new oil
A complete gearbox oil change involves removing the pan, cleaning the elements and replacing the Lacetti automatic transmission gaskets. An assistant should be nearby.
- Start the engine and drive the car into the pit.
- Place the box slide in the “P” position.
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the drain plug.
- Place the container for drainage and wait until the liquid has completely drained from the pan.
- Then, using wrenches, remove the bolts holding the pan cover.
Attention! The tray can contain up to 500 grams of liquid. Therefore, it must be removed carefully.
- Clean the pan from burning and black deposits. Remove any shavings from the magnets.
- Replace the rubber gasket.
- If necessary, you will also need to replace the oil filter.
- Put the cleaned pan with a new gasket back.
- Tighten it with bolts and tighten the drain plug.
- Measure how much has drained. Fill in only three liters from the drained ones.
- After this, the car owner needs to take the return hose from the radiator.
- Place it on the tube and insert the end into a two-liter plastic bottle.
- Now you need action from an assistant. He must get behind the wheel and start the engine.
- The Lacetti machine will start working and the liquid will flow into the bottle. Wait until the latter is filled and stop the motor.
- Add the same amount of new oil to the Lacetti automatic transmission. The amount of liquid poured will be 9 liters.
- After this, install the tube in place and put on the clamp.
- Start the engine again and warm it up.
- Check the transmission fluid level.
- If there is a slight overflow, then drain this amount.
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Thus, the car owner can make a replacement in the Lacetti gearbox with his own hands.
How to check the volume and condition of the oil
To check the level of the remaining fluid that was added on the factory conveyor, you need to use a dipstick. There are two marks on the dipstick - Min and Max. If the oil is between them, then the volume can be considered quite sufficient. If the oil print does not exceed the Min level, or is below it, then the volume is insufficient. In this case, add oil until it reaches the norm. Overfilling is extremely undesirable, otherwise you will have to crawl under the car and drain the oil.
Please note that this procedure is only relevant for low mileage, or when the oil has not yet expired. However, with a sufficiently high mileage, suspicions may arise that the oil has actually become unusable. This can be understood by three signs - the oil began to stink, deposits in the form of soot and dirt appeared in it, or the oil darkened and became cloudy. In such a situation, it is highly recommended to change the oil.
Mechanical Features
When changing the oil in a Chevrolet Lacetti manual transmission, you need to take into account the characteristics of the selected lubricant. Each fluid has its own characteristics in anti-wear and extreme pressure additives. According to API standards, transmission oils used in cars with a manual transmission are indexed with numbers from 1 to 5 and the letters GL, as we wrote above. For a longer period of operation, we pour only synthetic fluid into the mechanics, which will ensure good, uninterrupted operation of the transmission.
Checking the oil level
While the machine is operating, periodically (every 15,000 km) you need to check the condition of the transmission fluid. Since the design of the unit does not include a dipstick, the lubricant level in the Lacetti gearbox is monitored using a control hole.
To complete the work, a certain algorithm of actions is required.
- Place the vehicle on a flat horizontal surface.
- Using a socket “13”, unscrew the hole bolt for checking the lubricant level. This bolt is located on the right side of the crankcase along the direction of the car in the area of the CV joints.
- At a normal level, the lubricant will be at the edge of the hole or at its lower edge.
If the lubricant level cannot be monitored, topping up is necessary. You need to pour oil into the Lacetti gearbox the same way you did when replacing it.
Important. You need to add oil that has the same technical characteristics as the oil in the gearbox.
