choinga

I have one of these:



I have a 17mm hex with this set but not sure if this is what I need for this job?

Do I need something more along these lines that's deep and fits into a ratchet?



I haven't looked up in there yet...was going to hit Autozone tomorrow to pick up some Royal Purple Max Gear to replace whatever is in my gear box now in hopes to quiet down the gear rattling at low speed / low gear when decelerating. I also don't know the last time it was changed so worth doing regardless. I ordered a few quarts of the Amsoil gear oil as well - going to try that if the Purple doesn't do much and if that doesn't work try Swepco and the pick whichever worked best.

Anyway, while I'm out running around tomorrow I figured I could pick up the right tool for the job if what I have is not going to work well...

Keithr726

I didn't need the ratchet and just used the large allen. Just remember to remove the upper/filler cap first just in case. I used redline manual gear oil with the 'ns' for non-lsd transaxles. It helped a bit with shifting in cold weather but I still get the low gear decelerating sound. That sound is a flaw in the design of the transaxle and its been on every 944 I've owned. Sure its annoying but you'll get used to it with time.

theedge

I have always used an allen head socket like in the second picture. Doesnt need to be deep or extra long or anything. The allen key wont let you get the torque you need if the plugs are stuck.

Potomac-Greg

I've tried three different gear oils (Mobil 1, Lucas Synthetic and now Redline MTL) and I'm convinced that you can have EITHER smooth cold shifting OR quieter lower gears, but not both. A more viscous oil keeps the gears quieter, but cold shifting will be a bear. Lucas was the one that quieted the gears, but it made winter driving very difficult (on me and the gears). Mobil 1 and Redline MTL really smooth out shifting, but you get the low speed gurgle noise in first gear.

I use a giant "L" allen key because that's all I could find at Sears. A socket would be better. And definitely open the top one first. (If you open the bottom one, empty the transaxle, and then cannot get the top open, you are truly screwed.)

Darwantae951

I have both. I use either to get the plugs loose but usually use the socket so that I can torque them down correctly.

yellowline

If you don't mind "ruining" your 17mm Allen key, cut about an inch from the longer portion of the key. Insert that into a regular 17mm socket, tape it, and use it as you would any other socket.

choinga

Thanks guys...

I live in a pretty warm climate in central TX. Only have to worry about a month or two where temps will hover below 40 degrees F. The rest of the time it's 70+ and for about 4 months its 90+.

Good to know that transaxle noise is 'normal'. I thought for sure I was out a torque tube or something when I started hearing it. So, I'm just going to try to find the gear oil that quiets that down the most...

krystar

while we're on the topic, any of u have suggestions on how to remove the plug if it's stripped? i had the key on there securely and the thing just wouldn't budge. i even put a breaker bar on it and the key just rounded out the plug.

choinga

I'd say stick some Kroil (or equivalent) on it then you are going to have ease it out with vice grips. Of course, you're going to have to get a new bolt to stick back in there but that's what I'd probably do...

My bottom was pretty tough to get out...I ended up buying a 17mm socket and determined that was MUCH easier (especially since it was in there pretty good) to use than just a key. I just went slow and made sure I didn't strip it. I put pressure on the back of the wrench with one hand to make sure it didn't slip out and then slowly turned it until it let loose. The Kroil treatment helped, for sure. I just rolled the back end of the car up on my rails and that was plenty of room to get in there.

I didn't use a hose - I went with 2.5 quarts of Lucas Oil this time around and it has a nice head that allows you to get it up there enough to squeeze it out. When I got down to the last 1/4 of the bottle I switched to a new one. Once I got to the last quarter of that one, I consolidated into a single bottle and was able to get another 1/4 bottle in that way. It's a little messy, but it worked.

First test drive the gear noise was a little quieter. I didn't notice if it was any easier/harder to shift - seemed about the same to me. I'm about to drive a couple hundred miles on a trip in a few hours - that will be the true test. My Amsoil will be here next week when I get back. I'll give it a month or so and then switch to that and see if there's any difference.