Hi! I wanted to ask what you would do in the instance where you get a "new" old car. I want this manual Mazda to run for a while longer but I don't know how old the fluid is, I want to change everything. I think I probably shouldn't change the transmission fluid because I don't know if its incredibly old / never changed and still drives pretty good. However, I was wondering if I should be concerned about any other fluid other than the oil, the oil was changed regularly around 7k (owner said, but looks in good condition as of now). Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Car facts that I think are important: 2011 Mazda 3, 2.0L manual engine. Just over 250k kilometers (~155k miles) with regular oil changes (changed between 5-10k). Car runs well with no odd noises that I can hear, no codes on the OBD2 scanner other than a EVAP leak due to a weak valve I haven't replaced yet. Heavily salted roads during winters (eastern Ontario).
I think I probably shouldn't change the transmission fluid because I don't know if its incredibly old
That of course makes no difference for a manual transmission.
However, I was wondering if I should be concerned about any other fluid other than the oil,
A good place to start would be to look over the maintenance section of the FAQ.
That of course makes no difference for a manual transmission.
Ok, I guess my point in this was, I've been told that if you never change the transmission fluid on an old car and change it, it could cause the transmission to slip more or essentially kill the car. Does this still hold true? or is that more for a automatic transmission?
A good place to start would be to look over the maintenance section of the FAQ.
Ok, thank you!
A manual transmission is just a collection of gears and bearings . It has no internal clutches or bands, let alone a complex valve body, solenoids, etc. So of course there is no reason not to change the gear oil in a manual trans no matter how long it's been in there. Of course you'll get the best transmission life with regular changes.
@chucktobias That makes sense! Thank you so much.