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 Posted: 08-18-2018 09:20 pm
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Mondial1
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Anyone have a tip on how to best fill/add trans fluid to the Jensen 4 speed without spilling 1/2 the container? I don't have a lift but I can put on jack stands, just wanting to know if there are any cleaver-neater whys to accomplish this.

Thanks

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 Posted: 08-19-2018 12:04 am
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Frank Schwartz
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This can be a real bugger...you can't see up there and you can hardly reach up there...but by all means don' t stick your finger in there to check the level. Dumb me, after years and years of working on cars as a hobby, I put my finger in there and it got stuck..I almost panicked. I finally worked it out and I'll never do that again... My friends said if I could hold my body rigid they would unscrew me...ha, ha..funny to them anyhow...So, if you want to check the level, use a Popsicle stick or something else other than your finger. Harbor freight sells a small pump you screw onto an oil quart bottle and you go to work. Really works well. Use 20W50 and stick the hose up in the hole and pump away until it runs out. Then put in the plug and clean up the mess... The pump is cheap and like most of their stuff is not made for continuous use, but for filling transmissions and rear ends in Jensen Healeys..and even in the rear end of my Interceptor, it does a bang up job.
Let us know how it works for you.
Frank with the sore finger...

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 Posted: 08-19-2018 12:11 am
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Frank Schwartz
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Harbor Freight #81746 $9.95 or equivalent...

Frank

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 Posted: 08-19-2018 12:52 am
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redracer
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If you're not in a rush, I use long clear tubing that just fits into the fill up hole in the tm. and put a small funnel on the other end and clip it high up on the open hood. Since I know it takes 2 qt. & about 6oz. to fill, I'm not too concerned about overflow, but putting down some old newspaper or pan will relieve your stress. This method takes longer but keeps you from having to go under the car each time to pump the cannister.

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 Posted: 08-19-2018 06:55 am
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Tim Murphy
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When I was recarpeting the interior I cut a hole in the trans tunnel where the plug is. I cut a larger circle in the 1/2 inch mat and new carpet which I then refitted. It doesn't show and I haven't noticed any noise, heat or falling out problems. Whether it helps with access to the hole for refilling I don't know as I haven't used it yet. I do like the Harbor Freight pump idea, I will get one.

Last edited on 08-19-2018 07:00 am by Tim Murphy

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 Posted: 08-20-2018 12:39 pm
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chrisl
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I use a manual oil pump. It takes about a pint and can be a bit wearying on the thumb but I don't spill a drop and the flexible hose allows you to poke it deep into the hole...

(Frank, did you really get your finger stuck in a gearbox??)

Attachment: Oil pump.JPG (Downloaded 91 times)

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 Posted: 08-20-2018 03:53 pm
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Esprit2
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Mondial1,
There are plunger type pumps that fit gear oil bottles (like the pump on a hand lotion bottle or liquid soap dispenser). Valvoline (for one) sells a tall pump that fits their tall bottles, and a short pump that fits their short one. Or, there are very similar generic ones available at auto parts stores. Or, go to a fiberglass/ composites supply store, and buy the one of the several pumps used for dispensing resin.

All the above use a clear tubing to get from the pump to the filler hole. That allows you to visually confirm that fluid is flowing.

For the special case of the J-H, where you need to reach up into a narrow space, filling might be made easier if you make a small wand out of thinwall copper water pipe with a 90 degree elbow on the end. Just keep in mind that the wand will be full of oil when you're done, and have an open hole in the end (no check valve). Carefully hold it upright while you withdraw it so that you don't make a mess.

My favorite dispenser is an old Sta-Lube Synthetic 75W90 gear oil bottle. It's a short & wide rectangle instead of a tall cylinder, so the car doesn't have to be jacked up as far. It's clear so you can watch the oil level to gauge progress. It has a dedicated plunger pump with 'features'. The plastic nozzle has a molded-in spring-clip that allows it to be snapped into the filler hole so that you don't need to hold it there... and a quick lever release. And the nozzle snaps onto a holder on the pump body that holds it nose-up so it doesn't drip. I used the last of that gear oil many years ago, but have kept the container. Whatever gear oil I buy, I transfer it into this bottle before pumping it into the transmission.

I realize that last paragraph is a useless bit if info if you can't find that bottle, but that sort of thing, and the generic pumps, are out there. 'Think' that way.

The red oil can is great for Triumph & other Britcars that use lower-trunnion type front suspension uprights that need to be oil-lubed periodically. A couple of pumps, and you're done. But you'll wear out a few thumbs filling a gearbox with it.

Regards,
Tim Engel

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 Posted: 08-20-2018 03:58 pm
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Frank Schwartz
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Hmmm...that's a nice squirter...where did you fin that one...most of the ones I get are junk...

And yes, I really did get my finger stuck...My son, Mark, and I were in Indianapolis a few weeks ago at Tim Zink's place, helping his widow, Cathy, get his JH running again....The car was up on a lift, and I finally got the plug out of the gear box and stuck my middle finger up in to see about the oil level...I did this without stopping to think..and I got stuck in the threads...I almost panicked..I told Mark I was stuck and I needed help..all this time trying to work my finger out..I did after a few minutes and it really scared me...I will add that we got the car running like a Swiss watch and are going back next weekend to see if we can finish up our work and get the car on the street again... I could not think at that moment how I was going to get free...we live and learn...

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 Posted: 08-21-2018 01:58 am
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chrisl
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Hmmm...that's a nice squirter...where did you fin that one...most of the ones I get are junk...

Hi Frank, I think the purpose of some of our lives is to serve as a warning to others...?

Just joking, it's great of you and Mark to help out someone in need.

Re the hand pump, most of them indeed are cr*p but this one works a treat, I bought it off the shelf at a local auto parts store.

This is the closest equivalent I could find in a US based store:

https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/1000ml-metal-oil-can-flex-rigid-spouts/A-p8224883e;jsessionid=SdsCEdhG6P-MdZXkWKUTnCGn.pal-prod-com1

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 Posted: 08-22-2018 05:42 pm
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Sander
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Frank ... oil cans are a "get what you pay for" item. Napa has some really nice ones starting at $30 on up.

For the tranny I also use the method of a funnel and long hose pouring from the engine compartment down to the plug opening. It might waste a bit more fluid but I keep all my fingers! For the axle I use a pump.

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 Posted: 08-23-2018 04:15 am
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Max_dvdt
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This was a fun topic, my kid was just griping about filling on Saturday, I said squeeze bottle and he said no.. left to his own devices he contrived the funnel and hose from the engine bay (along the way filling the garden sprayer with oil and trying a few other things)..

That night this thread came thru in the digest...
he was fully vindicated.. kid 1 dad 0

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