Doubts about the oil level in the gearbox of a 2004 Mr2 6-speed manual.

[alexcap]

I have read the previous discussions on the subject, including "How To's" videos and repair manual, but I still have some doubts due to conflicting opinions.

Car is on level with rear ramps and front stands.
I first opened the filler hole on the right (17 mm spanner) and a few sporadic drops came out.
Then I opened the more central filler hole (10 mm Allen key) and 0.45 litres came out.
Then I opened the drain hole (24 mm spanner) and 1.6 litres came out.
Total oil removed: 2.05 litres.

The car has 30,000 km, and the oil is quite dirty, so I assume it is the original oil. I bought the car a couple of years ago with 25,000 km from a Toyota dealer, and considering the condition of the oil with only 5,000 km travelled, I don't think they changed it. Maybe they just topped it up to the wrong level?

In the repair manual I looked at, which I believe refers to the 5-speed gearbox, it seems that refilling should be done through the central hole, but the bolt with the 17 mm spanner is not even shown.

I'm thinking of filling it with 1.8 litres halfway between the two caps 

[frogger]

Stick with the 10mm hole, and be reassured by how much you get in, rather than how much you got out

https://www.mr2roc.org/index.php?topic=62272.0

I've followed similar to the above on 6 speeds, and so long as oil is coming out the 10mm hole - the job is done.  And it is very easy to overfill, as there isn't much space for oil to flow out the hole until you remove the filler pipe.

I would not consider how much to add by volume. Just add it as per procedure and then see how much you used for reassurance.

Last time I added a little over 2l, but some flowed back out. Give time for it to settle and flow around the box too.

[Ardent]

+1

When the volume is at the point it runs out the filler hole. Your done.

[frogger]

https://quotefancy.com/quote/932326/Wayne-W-Dyer-The-measure-of-your-life-will-not-be-in-what-you-accumulate-but-in-what-you

[Ardent]

@alexcap

This may be of use for future reference.
You cannot view this attachment.

[alexcap]

@frogger

I read the how to by shnazzle and the hole he indicates for the fill level of the 6-speed gearbox is the same as the one indicated for the 5-speed gearbox in the repair manual I looked at.
I only have the repair manual for the 5-speed gearbox, and the hole that shnazzle indicates for filling the 5-speed gearbox is not even shown in the manual.
So I'm still unsure.

The numbers don't lie.
If I removed 2.05 litres of oil from the gearbox and that gearbox was filled at the factory by Toyota or topped up by the Toyota dealer, I wonder why I should now only put in 1.6 litres of oil.

[alexcap]

@Ardent

The document is very useful, thank you.
For the six-speed gearbox, it says 2.1 litres, which is very close to the 2.05 litres that drained from the gearbox in two days.
To completely clear up my doubts, I would like to find the repair manual for my car with a six-speed gearbox.
If I proceed with filling it up to the cap with the 10 mm Allen key, I am almost certain that I will only put in 1.6 litres instead of the 2.05 litres that were there before.

[Ardent]

Not sure if this image helps or not.
You cannot view this attachment.

[alexcap]

If that image comes from a repair manual referring to a 6-speed gearbox, something doesn't make sense because it is the exact same image found in the repair manual for a car with a 5-speed gearbox.

[Ardent]

I've been here a while and the references to repair manuals all seem to be from one source. I'm not sure if the original was updated or not to reflect any changes.

That said, you can go on the toyota site and pay a fee to access/download what you need.

With a bit luck you can find the link in here somewhere or hopefully someone will pop along with it.

[Ardent]

Quick search gives
https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/appmanager/t3/ti?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=ti_home_page&SMENC=ISO-8859-1&SMLOCALE=US-EN&SMAUTHREASON=0&SMAGENTNAME=%24SM%24mT%252bGLraBu9CwUVnZg4mEDzB2kysT90hgbwsWgdZzNOc%253d&TARGET=%24SM%24https%3A%2F%2Ftechinfo.toyota.com%2F

A more eu based may exist

[Joesson]

@alexcap
From what I remember that illustration in post #5  is nothing like the gearbox on my 2002 MR2 with a 5 speed box.
Some members will recall the discussions about the port at the top of the gear box, blanked off, used on other cars to connect the speedo drive. That was sometimes suggested, incorrectly as an alternative filler hole.
From my recollection on my 5 speed box the drain plug is obvious, the lowest point of access.
For the filler hole there was a choice of two " openings"  on the front vertical face of the box, which one became obvious as the other went nowhere.

[alexcap]

Since the hole and the 17 mm bolt  is not shown anywhere in the repair manual for the 5-speed gearbox model, I am inclined to believe that this is the right hole for filling and adjusting the level in my 6-speed gearbox.
I also checked the service receipts for all the services carried out on the car, all at Toyota dealerships, and it seems that no one has touched the gearbox oil. I am reasonably confident that the oil level I found in the car was the same as when it left the Toyota factory in 2003.

@Ardent
I found a European website (https://www.toyota-tech.eu/) but I don't know if it's the right one/reliable.

@Joesson
I do not intend to fill the gearbox through the hole provided for the speedometer.
I am sure that the photo I posted is taken from the workshop manual for the car with a 5-speed gearbox.

[alexcap]

I've been here a while and the references to repair manuals all seem to be from one source. I'm not sure if the original was updated or not to reflect any changes.

That said, you can go on the toyota site and pay a fee to access/download what you need.

With a bit luck you can find the link in here somewhere or hopefully someone will pop along with it.

Thanks Ardent, following your suggestions I went to the European website, created an account, paid to consult the repair manual, and now I can confirm that my intuition was correct and for my 6-speed transmission c65 or c66, the fill and level hole is the one on the right with the bolt that unscrews with a 17mm spanner.
I think someone here will need to add a bit of oil.

[Ardent]

I'm not surprised no receipt for a gear oil change. I think they were a filled for life type thing.

Don't think Mr T, (toyota) were expecting these to be running around in 20 years time. 

[Beachbum957]

The fill plugs for the 5 speed and 6 speed are in the same location.  The only difference seems to be the 5 speed used an external hex, and the 6 speed has an internal 10 mm hex.  When we change fluid in a 6 speed with LSD, it took just over 2 US quart, but we didn't measure exactly, just filled until the oil dripped out the fill plug. Here is a link to a picture, probably of a 5 speed.

Transmission Fill Plug

[alexcap]

The fill plugs for the 5 speed and 6 speed are in the same location.

Transmission Fill Plug

You're wrong, unless you know more than Mr. "T," and in that case, I raise my hands and apologize.

[alexcap]

In my opinion, anyone who has set the oil level of a 6-speed gearbox like mine using the hole with the 10 mm Allen bolt is driving with 0.4 - 0.45 litres of oil less than required.

[paulj]

@Ardent
I found a European website (https://www.toyota-tech.eu/) but I don't know if it's the right one/reliable.

The Toyota Tech website is the right one.  You can pay for access hourly and all of their workshop manuals are available to download for personal use.  Navigate to the MR2 section and download like crazy until you have the full set.  It took a couple of hours when I did it a while ago.

Happy hunting

[Beachbum957]

You're wrong, unless you know more than Mr. "T," and in that case, I raise my hands and apologize.

It appears you are correct as I found the same fill plug information for the Celica C60 transmission as shown by the right plug in your picture (not the 5 speed plug). 

However, it also seems people have been using the same plug as used on the 5 speed for many years with no issues. We have been running over 10 years with our 6 speed filled to the plug used with the 5 speed. Other people fill from the speedo plug and somewhat guess on the quantity, also will no apparent ill effects.  Our car is in winter storage, so a spring check will be to check the level at both plugs and see if they are different, and by how much.

[alexcap]

check the level at both plugs and see if they are different, and by how much.

I took my time to do everything properly and measure carefully.
I drained 2.05 litres of oil, letting it drain for a long time.
I started filling from the bolt hole with the 17mm spanner, leaving the 10mm Allen key hole open. After adding about 1.6 litres, oil started to come out of the 10mm Allen key hole, so I closed the cap. I added another 0.45 litres and it started to drip from the 17mm bolt filling hole.
 
Total oil added: 2.05 litres.

The difference in quantity between the two holes was 0.45 litres.

If the gearbox container is more or less the same between 5-speed and 6-speed, in the 6-speed there are extra gears that take up space, so a higher oil level is needed just to have the same amount of oil as in the 5-speed gearbox.
The 6-speed gearbox probably works fine even with 0.45 litres less oil, but it is definitely better to use the prescribed amount of oil.

[Ardent]

I do like a bit of due diligence.

For a new member to be adding useful info for future reference. Well played.

[Beachbum957]

Further research confirms alexcap is right, the 6 speed fill plug is NOT the same as the 5 speed.  You can learn stuff everyday.  Thanks for finding this!

[alexcap]

Thanks to everyone's comments on the forum , I am learning a lots of new things. I am glad if I have done something useful for the community.

[Ardent]

We are here to help and love new owners getting hands on.