I'm ordering a shifter soon. My friend thinks that I should change the trans fluid while I'm putting the new shifter in. Do I really need to do it? My car has about 71,000 miles if that helps any. (I doubt that its ever been changed)

 

you should change it, but not because ur adding a new shifter. is it a std or auto? i dont know anything about the auto but the std is easier than an oil change.

 

DEFINATLY CHANGE THE FLUID!!!!! I highly recommend Royal Purple. BTW, the fluid should have been changed at the 60,000 mile service. Along with the coolant and dif fluid.

 

I have a 5 spd manual trans. He said it would be easier to do with my shifter out.

 

well only because you will have to remove the lower boot that seals the cockpit. the 4 bolt copper color boot, you stick a tranny funnel down there on the pass side. go under the car on the pass side and on the tranny there will be 2 round screw type things with a square in the middle. just stick a ratchet with out a socket into the square like in preschool. unbolt the lower one so the fluid can drain. then replace it. and remove the top one. stick your funnel tube in there. go back in the car and put approx 3 qts of atf. or you just keep pouring until you hear it dripping into your pan, it will smell for a bit if you overflow. then go back under and bolt it back up and replace your boots. "make sure you check your old fluid, see if there are little metal peices like in metallic paint. if there is i would have it checked out. this can happen from your tranny or your driveshaft, or output shaft. so make sure you dont have any metal.

 

If you're changing the shifter anyway, just pour the new fluid in through the open shifter mounting hole while it's out.

 

Exactly. It would just be easy to do since once you drain it and take off the old shifter, you can fill it up where the shifter goes from inside the car.