I am currently changing my clutch, so i pulled my trans out. Since it was out i decided to drain it and change the fluid. The fluid that was in there looked like gear oil, but when i checked the GM service manual it called for dexron II! I also looked in a chilton manual and it said the same thing, Dexron II Automatic Tranny Fluid! If you guys ever get your clutch done at a shop, make sure if they change your fluid in your trans, they put the right stuff in it!! Am i the only one who didn't know to put ATF in my manual trans?

 

I'm kind of confused. But why would you put AUTOMATIC trans fluid in a manual.

 

The newer T-5's (World Class) use different materials inside on some parts which create the extra strength. These materials are the ones that need the ATF. They're kind of similar to the materials used in an auto. tranny I believe. But this is the reason why you use ATF. I don't think gear oil will necessarily hurt it, but it may just not last as long as with ATF (Don't trust me 100% on this statement though). It calls for ATF so just go with that. Hope this helps a little.

 

Because the T5 was designed for ATF

 

Well i actually ended up putting gear oil back in it. I did this because it had gear oil in it when i took it out, plus there is no dip stick like an auto should have, and it has a plug just like a rear end which takes gear oil. And i figured that if it had gear oil in it for two years and it didn't break anything, i guess it cant hurt!

 

in a 83 t5 you use 80-90,in a 84-up you use dexron 3

 

My 85 IROC called for Dextron as well, which is what I used; however, I always experienced some hang up shifting into reverse. After swapping to Mobile 1 AFT Dextron III, the problem disappeared. Shifting now is much more fluid (no pun intended) than before. Highly recommended.

JamesC

 

If I remember right, the T-5 uses ATF because some of the passages the fluid must flow through are very small, gear lube will not flow properly. If you do not use the ATF in the T-5 you will definetly scrap your tranny!