Some smart guy really looked into the routing of the exhaust under the transmission. For the folks with the German build manual, the exhaust crosses directly under the drain plug, with about an inch of clearance. This makes removing the plug almost impossible, and then the draining fluid goes all over the exhaust. I just removed the side mounted fill plug, vacuumed out the old fluid and refilled. I left the drain plug alone. BTW - I used Amsoil's MTF spec'ed for that transmission, and the "click" in shifting the gears is gone. I would bet that the fluid put in there at the factory is simple 5w30 motor oil.

 

So you are saying the Notchy feel is gone when you changed the fluid?

 

So if I have the exhaust covering the transmission drain plug, I have a german build. I have a 2 door JK bought in MD.

 

What weight AMSOIL did you use.......and how much did you put in ?

 

As a note - all of the 6-speed manual transmissions in the 07 Wranglers are German-build trannies - thus all of these owners will have the drain plug access problem with the exhaust pipe routing. One indicator of a "German" tranny is its use of fill plugs that require a special tool to remove (e.g. a 14 mm/ 9/16 nut) - just like the BMW's and MB's.

The tranny calls for a special fluid (I forget the Chrysler spec number) but it is a non-extreme pressure fluid with a viscosity of 5w30. Amsoil sells this oil as MTF - Manual Transmission Fluid 5w30.

And yes, changing the fluid has taken alot of the "notchiness" from the transmission.

Also of note is the AC condensate drain, which allows the water to drip directly on the clutch actuator - can't be good for the longterm with all that water dripping on this piece.

 

What is this special tool you refer too?
Thanks,
Jim

 

I tried to change my fluid last night but I could not figure out how to get the stupid nut cover or what ever it is called off. Does anyone have a part number or a place to buy this tool? I really need to get this done this week.

 

I used a tool I made for the same sized plugs on my BMW. From my nut and bolt kit, I got a No. 10 one half inch bolt with a 14 mm head. I screwed on two 14 mm nuts (9/16" works too) with black loc-tite and aligned the nuts. I cut off the excess bolt length down to the two nuts, and then preened the bolt with a hammer to ensure the nuts would not back off. You then insert this into the plug and loosen/tighted with the nut/bolt "jig" using a box-end wrench, being careful that the "jig" remains fully engaged in the plug to not risk rounding it off. I'm also pretty sure you could use a properly (big) sized allen wrench to do this too, but the nut/bolt "jig" works well here.

 

Two quarts will just overflow the fill plug on the side.

 

Thanks, should be able to manufacture something.
Jim