transmission lube and access

I finally got to drive my '59 cj5 last night with it's new fuel pump. It's obvious it hasn't moved in a while so I'm planning on replacing all fluids. A previous owner did me a favor and patched the floor/footwells and covered the edge of the tranmission cover.

Can I change the transmission/transfer case oil from below or do I need to do some floor surgery for access? Also it looks like the skid plate is in the way for draining, does this need to be removed? Thanks.

 

It has an 1/8" thick steel plate attached to the crossmember under the tranny. I assumed it was stock but maybe not. The crossmember is bolted on so it should be easy enough to remove.
They share fluid but have different drains and fill plugs?
Thanks again.

 

There will be a hole in the skid plate for the oil to drain out of the transfer case if the skid plate is factory. You can cut up a coffee can and make a drain deflector for the trans, or simply pull the skid plate
to avoid making a mess. It's held on with 4 bolts, no need to drop the cross member.
Most CJs do have a factory skid plate.

 

thanks sparky.

 

here's a pic of the skid plate

 

I was following this and wondering about changing all the fluids in my 66CJ5 and replacing with synthetic gear lubes.

BTW I ride a Harley and found the shifting was remarkably smoother when I switched over to all synthetics in the clutch & transmission cases. So was the engine, it actually ran quieter and significantly cooler due to less friction, so my overall experience with synthetics oils has been good. But I just haven't tried them in the jeep gearboxes. Any experience with this?

Eddy

 

it's a matter of personal choice
most Jeeps need a diaper because of oil leaks in the trans/t/case area.
synthetics cost $$ to have drip on the ground.
I use regular 80-90wt.
it's my choice

 

Sparky,
Let me know what brand synthetic you choose and what if any differences you notice afterwards. I'm in no rush to do this but if you find for example down shifting is easier or its quieter, this would be good reason for me to get on it sooner rather than later.

Eddy

 

When I looked at my Jeep for the first time I opened the door (hard top) and the smell instantly launched me back to my childhood on the island (1960 something) and the old jeep we had.

Can one still obtain OEM oil for the differentials, transmission/transfer case circa 1959 CJ5? I heard it had whale byproducts in it and it's nearly impossible to obtain in our eco-friendly world today.

The old stuff reeked, but it reeked like a Jeep. Since I'm restoring the CJ5 to near original I wondered about getting the full effect.

 

I used synthetic in my old T/C and it leaked like a sieve.

 

I wouldn't recommend synthetic in a T-18 or any of the old tranny's that require 85-90. I've run into shifting/grinding issues with some of the older tranny's when using synthetic, the T-18's/19's being one of them. Seems the synthetic doesn't allow the brass synchro rings to grab the gear cone strong enough and causes grinding when shifting. We had a couple issues with this in different tranny's and went back to the recommended fluid (85w90) and the problem was fixed. Nickmil.

 

If you do it let us know the results. Would be real interested, at your expense of course!R) Nickmil

 

Part of the problem may be that the 2 of you (Sparky & Nick) are talking about 2 distinctly different types of Bronze that are used for the syncro's, they may look like brass but I assure you they are not as straight brass is to weak and there are about 50 different grades (types) of bronze that could be used for these parts and I'm sure the modern 5 speed ones are made of a lower grade of bronze than the older t18's are, and may have totally different needs than the others when it comes to lubrication.