Tools you’ll need:
- 22mm for side fill plug.
- I think 14mm hex for drain plug.
- 13mm for exhaust hanger bracket.
- Finally, 8mm for the filter screen retaining bolt.
First the drain plug is center mass of the gear box like so:
Second to this is your gearbox oil filtering screen that you should remove and clean. If you are standing directly behind the car it will be on the right side or U.S. Passenger side of the gear box. It’s actually right beside the exhaust hanger than you’ll have to remove.
Here’s a photo of it (yellow) with the draining gear box hole n the background:
Here is the exhaust hanger that you must entirely detach from the gear box in order to pull the screen out of the gear box, the picture below shows the clearance issues you’ll have if not:
Here it is with the exhaust hanger removed:
Tricks and tips for these steps:
There are two 13mm nuts on the gearbox holding the exhaust bracket on. Take those off and just rotate the exhaust bracket around out of the way.
The filtering screen is plastic. Don’t try to pry it out of the gear box. Use a big flat head or small pry bar and pry it down to rotate it to free it first. Rotate it back and forth in a circle before you start prying it out. Italians and plastic don’t go together you don’t want to snap it off in the gear box.
As you can see above the screen has indeed caught some debris. Carb cleaner/Brake cleaner or the like to clean it up and then put it back in.
Make sure you put oil on the O-ring before sticking it back in the gear box to facilitate seating it. Alternatively if you damage it or it looks worn……replace it.
Finally the fill plug is located just behind the screen.
The later models do have the rubber damper all over them but there is a hole cut out on the Passenger side gear box cover for the fill plug location (driver’s side non-U.S. spec cars). The photo below is showing you it hidden above the cross member of the gear box sitting back in. This photo was taken in the exact location of the gear box screen and exhaust bracket area looking up towards the rear of the vehicle.
Tricks and tips:
So if it’s stuck way up there, how in the world are you going to get a quart gear box oil container in there? Well friend your definitely not. Instead you’ll use one of these:
Additionally, this small $5 hand pump will also make it tons easier for filling up your F1 reservoir, or alternatively siphoning all the fluid out of it, reverse directions to fill it back up again.
Okay hope this helps……before I forget the gear box I think takes almost 3 quarts, or what I do is just fill it right to the fill plug hole, which is the equivalent but don’t quote me on the 3 quart thing. I usually fill it like described and move on to the next project.
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