Instructions for self-changing oil in a manual transmission Chevrolet Lacetti. Checking the level and topping up the oil in a manual transmission Chevrolet Lacetti Gearbox Chevrolet Lacetti oil

When to change

According to the manufacturer, changing the oil in the Chevrolet Lacetti gearbox is completely optional, since lubricants are supposedly filled into it for the entire service life. But Russian realities dictate completely different conditions. Firstly, many motorists agree that the transmission fluid at the Lacetti checkpoint should be replaced approximately every 60-70 thousand kilometers, and it is also desirable that the lubricant be changed seasonally, from a viscous to a more liquid one and vice versa. Despite the fact that the Chevrolet Lacetti box is quite reliable, the new oil is much better than the old one and the next replacement does not bode well, only good: smooth gear shifting and a longer box life.

Independent replacement of the transmission fluid in the Chevrolet Lacetti gearbox, what you need:

First you need to buy transmission fluid. The selection of oil viscosity depends on the time of year, and the manufacturer on financial capabilities. Chevrolet Lacetti is a fairly common car, so in any store that sells automotive oils, they will prompt you with a choice and offer several options. You only need to tell the consultant what metal your synchronizers are made of in the gearbox.
Box pallet lining. Please note that there are two types of pallets at the Chevrolet Lacetti checkpoint: for 10 and 11 bolts, gaskets, of course, are also different for them. Climb under the car and determine which one your car needs.
Set of keys and heads.
Bucket or basin for draining waste fluid from the box.
Rag for cleaning the gearbox pan.
It is also advisable to purchase a sealant.
Syringe for filling oil. Without it, changing the lubricant in the box will be much less convenient.

Do-it-yourself oil change at the Chevrolet Lacetti checkpoint. Step-by-step instruction:

Changing the lubricant in the box will be much better if it is warm, so first you should warm up the car a little by driving about 10-15 kilometers on it.
We drive into the pit or raise our Chevrolet Lacetti on a lift.
We get down under the car and put a container for working out under the gearbox pan, then unscrew it a little, but not completely, so that the oil drains, and does not pour out all at once on you.
After all the oil has drained, it is necessary to completely unscrew and remove the box pan. Be careful, there is still some oil left in it.
We clean the box pan from dirt and old grease.
We unscrew the control bolt (it has a magnetic tip) and clean metal chips from it.
Now we install a new gasket (it is advisable to put it on a sealant) and fasten the gearbox pan back.
We get out of the pit and look under the hood of our Chevrolet Lacetti.
You need to find the breather and remove the plastic cover from it (it removes up)
Unscrew the breather nut.
Now we begin to slowly pour oil into the resulting hole, using a syringe. It is necessary to pour slowly in order to hear the sound of oil flowing from the control hole in time and stop.
When the oil is filled, it is necessary to tighten the breather, put on a plastic cap (do not hit it with a hammer, you can split it).
Now we go down again under our Chevrolet and tighten the control bolt with a magnetic tip. We tighten the rest of the pan bolts and make sure that the oil does not flow from anywhere.

That's all. Self-replacement of transmission fluid in the Chevrolet Lacetti checkpoint is over. As you can see, nothing complicated, if the lubricant is changed on time, then the box will last you a long time.

Self-changing oil in a manual transmission - step by step instructions

Before starting work, warm up the engine to operating temperature, so the oil will become thinner and drain faster.

1. First of all, you need to find a pit or lift, all work will be carried out under the machine.

2. Near the pallet you will find a cap. It must be removed by pulling up, after which the breather will become available to you.

3. The breather is tightened with turnkey nuts on "17" and "15", which are interconnected by welding, your task is to unscrew the breather plug.

4. Now the most unpleasant and dirty work begins - draining dirty oil from the sump. To do this, unscrew the 10 nuts of the pallet with the key to "13", but before that, do not forget to substitute a bucket or trough under the pallet cover.

5. It is enough to break the bolts, after that they are quite easily unscrewed by hand.

6. After the oil drains, unscrew the bolts to the end and remove the sump cover. Remove the gasket, it most often sticks to the pan or lid. If you do not have a new one, then when removing it, be extremely careful not to tear it.

7. Remove the level control screw with magnetic tip. As a rule, small metal particles collect on it, so it is best to remove them. In addition, when the control bolt is unscrewed, we will be able to control the overflow.

8. The oil is drained, the cap is unscrewed, now you can install a new gasket in place and screw on the cap. This is not my first oil change in Chevrolet Lacetti box, therefore, given my previous experience and the quality of the gaskets, for reliability, I always put the gasket on the sealant. Do not tighten the oil level plug unless you know how much oil to fill. Pour slowly when it flows from below through the "control" - this will mean enough.
9. You can fill it into the box using the tube that is in each canister, but this is not very convenient, so it was decided to change the oil in the gearbox using a large plastic syringe. The syringe minimizes wastage and also saves time.

General Motors says almost nothing about the need to change the oil in the Chevrolet Lacetti gearbox. There is not even a drain hole in the gearbox pan, which means that the oil should be changed only if absolutely necessary after the gearbox has been repaired. Nevertheless, gear oil, like motor oil, loses its properties over time - viscosity, detergent properties, lubricating properties. It turns out that an oil change in the Lacetti gearbox is still necessary. Which oil to choose, how to check the level, when to change, we understand together.

In the process of changing the oil in the manual transmission.

In addition to the standard set of tools and a container for draining the oil, it will be necessary to use either a filling syringe or a special funnel with a long hose for filling.

First you need to warm up the engine!

Before draining old engine oil must be warmed up to operating temperature. and install the car on a flyover or viewing hole. The process of changing the oil in the Lacetti manual transmission is no different from replacing the transmission on other cars, the only difference is that there is no drain hole, so you have to unscrew the box pan to drain.

Replacement is performed in the following sequence:

We install a warm car on a viewing hole or on a flyover (lift).
Open the hood, find the breather and turn it off. This is necessary so that the oil drains as much as possible.
From under the car, unscrew the plug of the control hole on the gearbox.
We install a container for used oil under the gearbox sump.
With a spanner wrench of 13, we loosen, but do not completely unscrew the bolts securing the pallet.
Pallet bolts.
We pry the pan with a screwdriver with a wide slot, the oil will begin to drain.
Oil leaked from the manual transmission.
We unscrew the bolts securing the pan completely and remove the pan with the remaining oil.
The tray has been removed. You can see the inside of the box.
Let the oil drain completely. This may take several minutes.
We clean the contact plane on the crankcase of the box and on the pallet as thoroughly as possible.
We clean the tray.
Lubricate with sealant the plane of contact of the crankcase and pan.
We apply sealant. You don't need much.
We install a new gasket, pallet and tighten the mounting bolts. The sealant may take some time to cure. This should be written on its tube or packaging.
From under the hood, using a filling syringe, fill in new oil through the breather hole until the oil appears through the control hole.
Pour oil into the filler hole.
We install the breather in place, check the oil level and tighten the plug of the control hole.

Over time, after a short run, you need to make sure that the pan gasket does not let new oil through. The oil change is completed, it remains to check its level every 15 thousand km and be calm for the gearbox of 80–90 thousand. Good luck with the replacement and clear gear changes!

Oil change and control standards

Almost every package of gear oil indicates its expiration date, on average, it is 5–6 years.

Appearance of old dirty manual transmission oil.

General Motors, for its part, says that the oil is filled in the box for the entire life of the car and must be replaced only if the gearbox is repaired.

Capacity and volumes

Syringe and oil.

About 1.8 liters of oil is placed in the Lacetti gearbox, but the factory recommends pour no more than 1.6 l , explaining this by the fact that the load on the oil seals will be too high, and this can lead to their leakage and failure.

Checking the oil level

At the same time, it is necessary to check the level of the transmission at least once every 15 thousand km.

Most Lacetti owners still prefer changing the oil in a box with a period of 80-90 thousand km. On average, once every two years.

Now it remains to check the oil level. This can only be done on a lift or on a viewing hole.

The control hole is located on the side of the crankcase in the area of \u200b\u200bthe hinge of equal angular speeds on the right side.
The plug is unscrewed, after which oil should appear or start to flow out of the hole. In this case, the level is considered normal.

What oil to choose for a manual transmission on the Lacetti?

Liqui Moly is very popular among Chevrolet Lacetti owners.

Any gear oils can be classified according to two standards - SAE and API. According to the first classification, the transmission is indicated by two numbers: the first shows the index of the minimum temperature at which the box is lubricated, the second is the index of the maximum temperature at which the oil does not lose viscosity.

For example, 75W-80 oil can operate normally in the temperature range from -40 to +35 degrees, and the operating range of 85W-90 oil is from -12 to +45 degrees.

Transmission synthetics should be chosen in terms of climatic conditions . In addition, it must be borne in mind that it is undesirable to use a more fluid oil after a more viscous one, since this can provoke leaks in oil seals and gearbox gaskets.

You will also need a pan gasket.

According to the API standard, gear oils for manual transmissions are indexed with the letters GL and one number from 1 to 5. Each of the oils has different extreme pressure and anti-wear additives.

Therefore, standards oil is quite suitable for the Lacetti manual transmission SAE 75W-90, API GL4. The manufacturer of the oil does not play a special role, here you can choose at your discretion.

For example, they speak well of oils:

Castrol TAF-X, Ravenol 75W90 GL4,
proprietary factory GM 75W-90
Castrol Syntrans 75W90.

In addition to replacement oil, it will be necessary to buy new gearbox pan gasket (depending on the year of manufacture, the gasket can have either 10 or 11 holes), as well as sealant and find a container where the oil will drain.

This photo report shows in detail how to change the oil in a manual gearbox on a Chevrolet Lacetti car with your own hands. The Lacetti says to check the oil in the gearbox every 30,000 km.

The replacement process is not particularly complicated, people without special professional skills can handle it. Changing the oil in the box refers to seasonal events, most often it is carried out in the fall, ordinary oil is changed to frost-resistant. In our area, low temperatures are the norm, so you need to be prepared.

You will need:

Pan cover gasket (before buying, make sure your cover is 10-bolt, as there are 11-bolt ones, therefore the gasket may not fit);
Key on "13".
Empty containers for used oil.
Sealant (optional).

Before starting work, warm up the engine to operating temperature, so the oil will become thinner and drain faster.

First of all, you need to find a pit or lift, all work will be done under the car.

Near the pallet you will find a cap. It must be removed by pulling up, after which the breather will become available to you.

The breather is tightened with turnkey nuts on “17” and “15”, which are interconnected by welding, your task is to unscrew the breather plug.

Now the most unpleasant and dirty work begins - draining dirty oil from the pan. To do this, unscrew the 10 nuts of the pallet with the key to "13", but before that, do not forget to substitute a bucket or trough under the pallet cover.

It is enough to break the bolts, after that they are quite easily unscrewed by hand.

After the oil drains, unscrew the bolts to the end and remove the sump cover. Remove the gasket, it most often sticks to the pan or lid. If you do not have a new one, then when removing it, be extremely careful not to tear it.

Unscrew the level control screw with magnetic tip. As a rule, small metal particles collect on it, so it is best to remove them. In addition, when the control bolt is unscrewed, we will be able to control the overflow.

The oil is drained, the cap is unscrewed, now you can install a new gasket in place and screw the cap on. This is not my first oil change in a Chevrolet Lacetti box, so given my previous experience and the quality of the gaskets, for reliability, I always put the gasket on the sealant. Do not tighten the oil level plug unless you know how much oil to fill. Pour slowly when it flows from below through the “control” - this will mean enough.

You can pour oil into the box using the tube that is in each canister, but this is not very convenient, so it was decided to change the oil in the gearbox using a large plastic syringe. The syringe minimizes losses and also saves time. Pour slowly in order to hear the oil pouring in time and stop pouring it into the box.

Install the magnetic head bolt and tighten the remaining 10 pan bolts. Make sure nothing is leaking anywhere.

Changing the Lacetti gearbox oil is probably the most controversial topic. The issue of changing the oil at the Lacetti checkpoint has so many controversies that it can be called the leader in the number of disputes among Chevrolet Lacetti owners.

Consider the four main questions about changing the oil in a manual gearbox.

What oil to fill in the Lacetti gearbox?
Lacetti gearbox oil change - how to change the oil at the Lacetti gearbox?

Is it worth changing the oil at the Lacetti checkpoint?

This question is the most important. The opinions of car owners are divided - some change the oil in the checkpoint, others fundamentally do not. There is no and will not be a clear answer here, and everyone decides for himself what to do with his car. I will just write my opinion, and the choice will be yours.

At this point in time, we have clear instructions from the manufacturer that the oil in the gearbox is filled for the entire life of the car, and, accordingly, cannot be replaced. Which, by the way, is evidenced by the absence of a drain plug in the checkpoint. The manufacturer also clearly explained that it is necessary to check the oil level every 15 thousand kilometers and, if necessary, top up. It is also said that in the event of a gearbox repair, the oil must be replaced. But, in turn, it is not specified what, in their opinion, “the life of the car” means.

According to unofficial data, the service life of a car in the west is approximately seven years (35,000 km per year). Then these cars are with us and we are extremely happy that we managed to buy a practically new car for a penny))) And this car will ride around our country for another twenty to thirty years! And what will happen to this oil, only God knows.

The argument that lubricant production technologies have gone far ahead is somehow hard to believe when you take a canister of oil and read there that the shelf life is 5 years! And this is the shelf life, not the operation. Based on this fact, we can conclude that it is of course desirable to change the oil without waiting for repairs.

Moreover, each oil has its own lifespan. For example, synthetic oil can last 120-150 thousand km, and it is desirable to change mineral oil after 50-60 thousand km. Semi-synthetic options are somewhere in the middle.

Therefore, any car owner who respects his car should change the oil in the checkpoint regularly.

After the replacement, it immediately became noticeable that the box works easier, especially in cold weather. But this largely happened not just from a replacement, but from the fact that I filled in oil with a different viscosity index.

What kind of oil to fill in at the Lacetti checkpoint?

All gear oils are classified into two independent groups.

According to the viscosity index - SAE

Operating parameters - API

SAE viscosity classification

According to this classification, 9 degrees of viscosity of oils for mechanical transmissions are distinguished: winter - 70W, 75W, 80W, 85W, summer - 80, 85, 90, 140 and 250. If the lubricant is suitable for both seasons, its marking includes a combination of two numbers: SAE 75W-85, etc. It is multigrade gear oils that have gained greater use.

Application ranges for gear oils
Minimum temperature for ensuring lubrication of units, °С	SAE class	Maximum ambient temperature, °С
-40	75W-80	35
-40	75W-90	35
-26	80W-85	35
-26	80W-90	35
-12	85W-90	45

Ideal for Lacetti, from my point of view, either 75W-90 or 75W-80.

API classifier

The purpose, quality and performance properties of gear oils are described by the API classifier. The principle of division in this system is based on the constructive use of lubricant and the conditions for its use. The API also takes into account the content of extreme pressure and antiwear additives in the lubricant. Transmission products received the designation API GL with the addition of the number 1 ... 5. Consequently, the classifier divides all lubricants for transmission units into 5 groups

I will not describe all five groups. I will only say that for the Chevrolet Lacetti you need to use API GL-4 only. You should not take API GL-5, because it has a higher sulfur content, which synchronizers in the gearbox “do not like”!

In general, for the Lacetti, this is the option: SAE 75W-80(90) API GL-4. Choose your own manufacturer.

At the next change, I chose SP Gear 1051 75W-80 synthetic oil to get rid of a hardened gearbox in severe frost.

I chose it for several reasons:

Quite a budget price, as for synthetics at 270 UAH. (about 10 US dollars) per liter.
Designed for Opel checkpoints. Oil number GM 1940750 /1940759
The container has a rather convenient “spout”, which allows you to fill in oil even through a level hole, even through a breather without the use of syringes, watering cans, hoses and other shamanism

The description for the oil tells us the following:

SP Gear 1051 is a premium synthetic gear oil specially formulated for manual transmissions found in Nissan, Opel, Renault and Volvo vehicles, among others. A special selection of synthetic base oils and special additives ensured the following properties:

smooth and comfortable gear changes at both high and low operating temperatures
highest oxidation resistance: long service life and long-term protection against high operating temperatures
Highly smooth operation of gearbox synchromesh: - Trouble-free shifting and optimum wear protection in harsh operating conditions thanks to the presence of extreme pressure additives
highest level of protection against corrosion and foaming

In fact, changing the Lacetti gearbox oil will not cause difficulties, but you need an inspection ditch or overpass.

We drive onto the overpass and count the number of bolts that secure the differential cover. There can be either 10 or 11 of them. Depending on the number of bolts, it will be clear which gasket to buy! 10 bolts were put on the early Lacetti, and 11 began to be put on the later ones.

Gasket numbers:

GM 96179241 - 10 bolts
GM 96829393 - 11 bolts

We go to a car shop and buy a new gasket, two liters of oil. It is also advisable to purchase a sealant. Even though he doesn't really need it. This is more for complacency. :-) Let's just say - if you took the original gasket, then the sealant is not needed. And if you took an analogue, then you can insure yourself with a sealant.

You can also buy a special syringe for pouring oil. If there is no syringe, then you can use a regular watering can with a hose of a suitable diameter.

We're going back to the overpass. We take a wide container for draining the oil, a 13 head, a flat screwdriver, a metal brush to clean the dirt from the bolt heads and climb under the car.

But not all. We do not completely unscrew the two bolts so that the oil does not spit at us with all its might.

We mount a container for draining old oil. With a screwdriver lightly (so that the oil does not pour sharply) pry off the cover

We wait until the oil drains from the slot and remove the cover, unscrewing the last two bolts.

We admire the checkpoint device

But we are in no hurry to clean up the waste oil container.

We take a jack and raise the left side of the car. This will drain quite a bit of oil.

After that, you can remove the container

Loosen the oil level plug. It's not very conveniently located.

But it's not that hard to unscrew it. By the way, here is an article about the device

There is a magnet in the cork. It needs to be cleaned up. This is such a beautiful bouquet.

This is what a cleaned magnet looks like

We clean the differential cover and the place where the gasket fits on the gearbox

By the way, this is the most tedious and lengthy stage in the manual transmission oil change procedure. But perseverance and work will wipe everything. Here they finished to the Daewoo icon

Install a new gasket and screw on the cover. We do not twist the cap yet.

Tighten the differential cover bolts with a force of 30 N * m and preferably in a spiral pattern.

I've drawn the sequence of tightening the bolts with numbers

If you draw an imaginary sequence line, you will notice that it resembles a spiral. That is why it is called so - spiral.

We get out from under the car, open the hood and find the “breather” on the box. It is in an accessible place and is visible well.

Unscrew it with a 17 mm wrench

It needs to be washed so that everything is tip-top

We pinch the “nose” of the bottle with our fingers, turn the bottle over and insert the “nose” of the bottle into the hole where the breather was screwed in and fill in fresh oil

We pour until oil flows out of the control hole. This procedure is best done by two people. One fills, and the second (or second) watches when oil flows from the control hole. But one can.

I put the action camera under the car and connected to it from my smartphone via Wi-Fi. I fill in the oil, and on the smartphone screen I watch the control hole.

Very comfortable I can tell you.

Now we twist the plug and the breather into place.

I did not install engine protection immediately. I traveled until the evening, checked that there were no leaks anywhere and then installed the protection in place.

The Lacetti gearbox oil change is completed ..

Another question arises - How much oil should be poured into the Lacetti checkpoint?

The thing is that the manufacturer gives a clear volume of oil to be poured - 1.8 liters. But in fact it only fits about 1.6 liters! What to do? Some add these two hundred grams after they tighten the plug, citing the fact that it is written that way or that this oil is needed for fifth gear gears. The second do not add these two hundred grams, so that it is not squeezed out through the seals.

I belong to the second category and pour oil only to the level. It seems to me that the manufacturer gives such a volume for pouring into a box after repair or into a new one. That is, completely dry inside. And with a simple oil change, anyway, some old remains on the walls, on gears, on synchronizers, etc. Therefore, my opinion is that there is a control level, pour according to the level!

Here is a video of the manual transmission oil change process of my Lacetti

That's basically it. If you have any questions, ask in the comments.

Peace to your home and good luck on the roads!!!