Morris Minor Owners Club

Just an idle query really......
Manual says change gearbox oil every 6,000 miles. I left mine go at least 12,000 miles and was very surprised to see how clean the oil was when I drained it.......any thoughts on how often it really needs to be changed?

Modern oils are very different from those available when the manual was written. However, for a Minor you should still be using a fairly low-spec 20/50 multigrade that is similar to the old style ones, so I would still go with 6,000 - do it at the same time as you do the engine oil.

OK thanks...........

less moving parts in a gearbox. this will be why the oil retains its colour longer.

I change mine every 3 years along with the axle oil and coolant.

I do about 2500 miles a year.

ampwhu wrote:less moving parts in a gearbox. this will be why the oil retains its colour longer.

Engine oil discolours because of the by-products of combustion, such as carbon, getting into it past the rings. Gearbox oil doesn't have to deal with this, so doesn't discolour in th same way.

Far less heat too.

i do my gearbox every 2 years and use 20/50

Used gearbox oil is also a good rust preventative as it has no acidic contaminants that are in used engine oil.

Quite right tricky, mix a bit of paraffin with it and brush or squirt it on the underside if not already protected