What is the best thing to use in a Manual Festiva Transaxle?

[fezzy]

Manufacturers build things to die

But if they made things to last, there may then just be less environment issues.
Less coal used to re-melt the metals so to re-manufacture again the same ol same ol set of wheels just to get from point A to B and back, and that to will last even less cos be stuck in the middle between A n B with a jammed up gearbox !

All that does is leave a bigger hole in the ground cos it's gonna be melted for the 3rd time cos no parts available, and they call it progress !

[harpon]

Yes ryanprinis can laugh out loud all he wants- but he does miss the point- or maybe like the child of the media-disease age he exhibits by mach-ing someone's troubles. The point s THE HOLY PRODUCT didn't perform as well as the gallon of Peak gear oil I paid half for- a lack of Consumer Reporting is also a curious facet of the new Millenial Media sickness!- I'm simply out almost $30 for something that I personally wouldn't TRUST in my car- and I'm a distant cousin of Janet Guthrie and spiritual daughter of Woody. AND after being treated rudely by Hitler's Olympic troops, fer gosh sakes afire!.

And have to rest and recoup before I schlepp out there and go through the change again in a Paul Ryan orgasmic fantasy situation at a honeybunch of a Bob Hope road no-show! AND I can't personally see how it might be of better value in a normal operating transaxle- I can feel that it doesn't lubricate- I thought that it might have Super Duper Penetrating Powers as it's marketed to- and I was stuck between old gear differential hypoid choice and the questionable ATF recommendations of people here and on the Metro forum, who obviously-like most men- like to play the authority (or is it Marketeer, Den Thieves) even when they, often don't know what they are talking about.

The landscape was there- heavier tradition! gear oil material or slick Millenial progressive Advance! toward Marvel Mystery Oil Auto tranny fluid and/or Beyond with "SYNCRO-MESH" which sounds like it might be a genuine improvement from our Big Oil Driven Corporate Champagne baton Guy and his Sister Too!

New stuff loses. millennial advice either typically ignorant or intentionally willfully misleading by usual powers who want your older car off the road and new product to appear more of an Advance! when they've forced you to buy a bigger Pinto that uses more gasoline, and whoever defends .said practice is probably reesepornsible for the hanging Gardens of Babylawn. By the laws of Physics, the new stuff would probably drip out sooner too, but I knew that- but why would that be and how can all these hot cars blah blah blah.....? ? ?

:director:

II'm not laughing- Hey that sounds like a beat you, beat me song!

Call it the Luca His Pizza oil.

[fezzy]

Re-read this entire thread,

I think after all is said and done, post 13 by blake4591 is really the answer I was looking for at the engineering level, in lay persons's terminology. Thanks.

Where

the ATF has become an interesting fluid

, it has.

I personally don't agree with the OEM's marketing strategies, to develop an oil for both manual and auto.
But it is what it is. I'm happy with current oil as mentioned in my car except the slower gear changes at "pissed off" mode driving.
Then again I don't race the car or WOT just to go around the corner.
My requirement is long range cruise and not wear out prematurely cos the manufacturers decide, I suspect, to implement built in "use-by-dates".
If one wants a car to last, then buy a Rolls Royce !

[harpon]

Today's developments- Pennzoil SyncroMesh- NOT SO "FAIL"

Haynes manual or whatever origin of specs that say 2.6 quart/ 2.5 liter capacity- FAIL.

First thing I did this afternoon when I woke up- because the damn train kept me awake ALL NIGHT LONG again- (droning very personal messages I might add)-

was to check the level of the fluid. Yes I have a small leak- but its a drip in nature - not any significant one night loss-

The fluid was not NEAR the indicator mark but on the other hand very clear also

The Penzoil plastic bottles have a see through measured line so the fluid amount is very easy to see and read- I was right at 25 liters and it was waaay short- so if my 13 hasn't got some kind of anomaly- something's wrong with the capa city.

I had this feeling the first time I changed it- not as adept or sure, and I spilled some with the two funnel system I'm using- but I had a feling that maybe the level was not correct in the specs as I added a little more a couple of times. I didn't think I was that far off of 2.6 quarts

If I sound like a putz- let me defend saying I had not done this procedure before, and when I did it-
it was the very peak of summer heat- and I was very feeling it and stressed out in a couple of other ways physically

It's ten degrees cooler now and I've gotten more rest at great boring bed rest self-enforcement.

So anyway- I put the other part of the third quart of Syncromesh in- I need to get another reading, but I don't think it will be overfull by much if any-

The trip today started about the same, but by the time I got about two miles the shifting had improved quite a bit and on the way Id all but forgotten I had problems and it didn't fuss to call my attention to it.

So its at least functioning as well at this point as it did on the heavier stuff- if it stays this way I'm not sure when I'll change it again

The leak at this point appears to be maybe 1-3 months I'll even have to add anything to stay full, but I'll be having a regular back ache to keep checking the level- I have over 3 quarts of fresh thicker stuff to add or change so I'll see how it goes.

On another note- I removed the speedo cable plastic tie assemblage and the metal bracket that just kept the cable annoyingly in the way. Ive also found t easier to replace the cable into the sending unit/dipstick (I hate this design!) while the unit is not in place and then put it back in with the cable already attached.

plus now theres a few less ounces of heat trapping metal around the block- it will make it all easier and I'll be keeping it all very clean as ever. Dad was in the car wash biz.

[harpon]

In fact, I don't even take the cable off the sending unit now and it helps me pull it out to check, and I leave the ten mm bolt finger tight or barely wrench snug now- as Ill have to monitor it a little more.

[harpon]

Almost two weeks later now- Pennzoil syncromesh seems to have performed a small miracle I had to Baster some back out again, because when the car was driven miles in the heat I was getting some problems. The fluid is so clear, it's all but impossible to get a reading.

The past few days especially the trannys almost completely back to normal now still a hard upshift sometines in second, and I just go to third then, and after 20 miles on the Interstate, first has been hard just a little bit, But in slightly cooler temps the tranny's working normally, so no telling how soon I may have to have something done.

[harpon]

Just a bump FYI sake-

Was getting around on the Pennzoil fairly well- but the hard shifting remaining was getting annoying and I started shopping other cars-

I wish I hadn't and gotten the Escort wagon on the road instead- cept the A/C isn't working there and so the Florida early Fall heat and the overall hectic-ness was getting to me and influencing my decision-- plus the money in hand to make it happen, when I'm otherwise always more filled with a sense of doom over my low fixed income, the rising discontent and my firm belief and horrible sense of Global Warming disaster-

anyway on my way to see a Sebring in St. Augastine- the lengthy drive was too much for the tranny- obviously still slightly overfull on syncromesh- which I still can't even see to get a reading on the speedo- too clear- but now have to judge by what I can see down the opening itself and all this a week or two before the Hurricane.

So anyway at the end of the off ramp I was having trouble getting the car in gear- and then something snapped- the shifter went all mushy and I could barely get forward gears- 3rd and 4th I think- enough to get some 40 miles back home-

and on the way back I stopped and bought the Hyundai I'd been looking at- here in off-topic thread:

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?59415-04-Hyundai-Accent

So back here- or was it the Aspire forum?- Life is so hectic these days of Industrial Disease-
I described the problem and someone thought I'd broken the "shifter gate" and called it internal tranny problem-

Wrong, at least I think so today after finally getting to get the console off ad look at it- shifter problem I think- fail of grommet under lever ball- as others have reported on and offered bolting and/or replacement solutions-

with the console off I can at least get reverse again and who knows what other gears- and I'm thinking maybe the tranny is still basically in the same hard shifting slightly shape otherwise- at least that's what I'm hoping- I'd quickly parked it in a corner of the yard before the Hurricane and slightly downhill- so I think I can move it again and am hoping I can fix or replace the shifter enough to drive it in for possible tranny repair, if I don't have it hauled off.

First time since '97 I'm not driving a Festy or Aspire, I kept seeing some Aspires in other Florida Craigslists- usually too far off to retrieve, and the 91 Festiva which is out of the shed for the summer then had to develop at all this same time a dead fuel pump- so THAT'S a pain in the keester right now too-

Got this link somewhere along the way- anybody know if this would really fit?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Manzo-USA-SS-KIA-Short-Shifter-fit-Kia-Rio-00-04-/131650892610?hash=item1ea7013342:g:bYQAAOSwcdBWRMvc&vxp=mtr

Getting really tired of tinkering here- hurts more with each passing year.
anyway, carry on my wayward sons.......

[fezzy]

Got mine on the road finally, went for a 500Km drive and no problem with gearbox if driving normally.
No crunch, all smooth and feels right.
It is not a rally gearbox, does not like fast aggressive shifting.

Using the Harley Davidson wet clutch gear oil, needs to warm up a bit, once warmed gear shifting is a breeze. Ref post #43

[HillbillyScientist]

I've driven a couple thousand miles so far with generic multi-vehicle atf. No issues to report thus far, Car had been driven with no fluid for awhile before I got it so I figured I couldn't hurt anything, and I thought the trans was already bad, as I had no fourth gear. After driving for a couple of days fourth came back and Its been functioning flawlessly since.

[Dragonhealer]

Same problem with "Ethel", Carolyn's DD, came with almost no fluid in the trans. Filled it with Supertech from Walmart to do a good flush, drove it 3 months, drained it hot and got out the expected crap. Refilled with Redline D6, this stuff is expensive! But it sheds heat like no other, so we will long term test this and report back.
Don't use this in a box with new parts in it, D6 is a full synthetic ....