Gearbox VAZ 2115. Which oil to choose, how to replace?

What should you pay attention to?

The gears in the VAZ 2115 gearbox work equally well in both synthetic and mineral lubricants. Here it would be advisable to be guided by economic considerations and use mineral oil, which is much cheaper.

The main criteria that apply to it can be called:

• Specific load on the internal mechanism;
• Relative sliding speed provided by oil.

It will be important to pay attention not only to the kinetic viscosity of the oil, but also to the additives contained in its composition. They are different, but for a VAZ gearbox it is important to choose a lubricant in which sulfur compounds will predominate. Thanks to them, you don’t have to worry about the formation of “scoring”, since the additive changes the chemical structure on the surface of metal parts. And the film covering them prevents the surfaces from quickly deteriorating.

How to fill oil into a VAZ 2115 box

The procedure for changing the oil of a VAZ 2115 with your own hands is carried out in several stages:

1. First you need to lift the car on a lift and remove the metal protection of the engine crankcase and gearbox.
2. After this, unscrew the oil filter and the special drain bolt and remove the waste material.
3. After draining the spent substance is completed, it is necessary to use a simple funnel to fill in new material through a special filler neck, which is located in the upper part of the engine compartment on the gearbox housing.
4. If the overflow is above the mark indicated on the plastic dipstick, the excess volume must be drained by unscrewing the oil filter.

After the change procedure, it is necessary to check the performance of the gearbox by alternately switching all gearbox modes in a standing position. In this case, extraneous sounds arise, the selector lever should switch without additional effort, there should be no grinding or humming sounds, and there should be no manifestation of other negative factors.

Lubricant viscosity

It is necessary to pay attention to the kinetic viscosity of transmission oil first of all. You can select a suitable lubricant by knowing the climatic characteristics of your region; if you live in a region where the temperature often drops significantly below zero, then you should purchase class 90 oil, which is quite reasonable for most regions of Russia. In hotter climates, SAE grade 140 lubricant is suitable. Based on these principles, you must decide for yourself which oil is best to fill into the VAZ 2115 box in your region.

A domestic manufacturer has released a special gear oil for the VAZ 2115 gearbox called Reksol T; it meets the parameters 0W-85 API GL-4. Then another brand, Lukoil, released an analogue with the same parameters.

The last digit in the numerical designation indicates the temperature range permissible when using a particular lubricant. The higher the number, the hotter the climate in which it is recommended to be used.

What oil is better to fill?

When choosing a lubricant for the gearbox of a VAZ 2115 car, you need to take into account the following factors:

• climatic conditions of vehicle operation, seasonal air temperature plays a particularly important role;
• transmission design features: automatic or manual gearbox, the magnitude of mechanical forces in the units, specific loads placed on the units, especially when the engine is running at maximum speed;
• transmission oil viscosity corresponding to the first two points;
• the use of chemically active additives that can affect the operation of various transmission units and components.

Recommendations

For reliable operation of the VAZ 2115 gearbox, the manufacturer recommends a scheduled replacement of lubricants after every 60 thousand km. To eliminate the possibility of accidental failure of the gearbox, the car owner should adhere to the following rules:

• Replace lubricants on time and according to regulations;
• Use only a high-quality product suitable for a given car model and recommended by the manufacturer;
• Periodically monitor the lubricant level in the gearbox and, if necessary, add gear oil to the system.
• The VAZ 2115 gearbox has a capacity of 3.3 liters; when replacing, it is better to purchase lubricant in one 5-liter canister. Prepackaged lubricant is sold in containers of 1, 3 and 5 liters.

Sometimes it makes sense to purchase lubricant on tap from a barrel, but this can only be done if you are completely confident in the quality of the product being sold. Beware of fakes!

Tools and materials

When preparing materials and tools, it is important to consider what type of gearbox is installed on your vehicle. There are two types of gearboxes provided on the fifteenth model from AvtoVAZ. These are old and new style boxes. They are not very different from each other from the perspective of an ordinary car owner. There is no need to go into any minor design or technical differences. The main thing is to understand that on old boxes there is no dipstick and the filler hole is located lower. New transmissions are filled with lubricant using a funnel, but for older transmissions you will need a large syringe and a hose to reach the filler neck. Otherwise, the procedure for changing the working fluid on the two types of gearboxes is identical.

To work you will need the following tools:

• key to 17;
• empty waste container;
• syringe;
• hose (about 0.5 meters long);
• funnel;
• canister with transmission oil;
• hexagons;
• rags;
• protective clothing.

Be sure to take the empty canister and key with you under the car, otherwise without them you will not be able to drain the waste. If your VAZ-2115 is equipped with crankcase protection, then take appropriately sized keys under it to remove it. As additional repairs or maintenance are performed on the machine, an additional set of tools may be required.

Filled volume

An important point is the amount of lubricant poured into the transmission installed on VAZ-2115 cars. It is about 3.3 liters. You already know which fluid is best to pour into the VAZ-2115 and its gearbox. To accurately understand the amount of oil, you can rely on the results of draining the old grease. As much oil comes out, you will pour the same amount back into the crankcase, only with a fresh composition. In the case of the VAZ-2115, the volume of oil in the gearbox is relatively small, which will not require large financial expenses from you to purchase it. Take a 4 liter canister.

In practice, it holds slightly less if the box has not been completely drained, which is almost impossible to achieve in garage conditions. It is extremely important how much oil you manage to pour in so that each gear in the box is covered with a lubricant. You know the problem of the VAZ-2115, so you cannot ignore the rule of maintaining a high level of lubrication. Experienced car owners advise not to buy fluid with a large supply. You will not need it in the near future after changing the transmission composition, and over time the oil may lose its properties and quality. It is better to purchase fresh lubricant later.

Step-by-step instruction

• Warm up the car, it is better to do this on a lift, but if there is none, then you need to drive the car for about 10 km, while switching all gears;
• Raise the right front part of the car using a jack;

Important to remember! Be sure to play it safe and place a safety bar under the car, which will save your life if the jack becomes warped or weakened.

• Taking a container for draining waste and a wrench No. 17, unscrew the plug on the lower flange on the left side of the gearbox;

• If the plug is not visible (this also happens), then you will have to remove the engine protection and find the plug under it;
• Substituting the drainage container, wait about 15 minutes until all the liquid has drained, and screw the plug back on;
• Next, remove the intake pipe and air filter that prevent the assembly from being removed;
• After removing the dipstick from the gearbox, insert a funnel or the cut-off neck of a bottle into it and begin pouring new oil. You should immediately pour no more than 2 liters of liquid;
• When the lubricant is filled, you should make sure that there are no leaks and only then return the motor protection to its place;
• Add oil to the required level, periodically checking it with a dipstick, return the air filter and pipe to their place.
• The lubricant in the VAZ 2115 gearbox has been replaced, and you can start running it in.

When do you need to change the oil in a VAZ 2115 manual transmission?

The VAZ 2115 model is a logical continuation of the VAZ 21099 model, with some stylistic and technical changes. This model entered the market in 2001 and during production until 2011 it managed to sell 600 thousand copies.

The VAZ 2115 is equipped with a classic 5-speed gearbox, which was developed in the late 80s and early 90s. In terms of its design, it appears to be a classic system with a flywheel and gear shift clutches. During operation, no critical comments or major shortcomings were identified. The declared service life of the box is 150 thousand kilometers, but with proper care, constant prevention, and in the absence of excessive loads, overcoming this milestone will not be difficult.

There are well-known cases of “nursing” the transmission and more than 300 thousand kilometers without major repairs and with timely oil changes in the VAZ 2115 transmission. Therefore, in general, such a unit is considered quite reliable.

Regulations for changing transmission fluid are determined by the manufacturer. According to the developers, this gearbox is filled with transmission oil for its entire service life. However, in practice, after covering a mileage of 150 thousand kilometers, this substance completely loses its cooling and washing properties. At the same time, the oil filter also ceases to perform its function, as a result of which a large amount of waste begins to accumulate in the system, thereby preventing the normal operation of the unit. All these factors ultimately lead to complete breakdown of the entire system and, accordingly, expensive repairs.

Therefore, experienced owners independently change the fluid in the box when the mileage reaches 60-70 thousand kilometers. Also, the interval largely depends on the nature of operation and the area in which the car is located. Under constant high loads when driving on highways, when standing in traffic jams for many hours, the VAZ 2115 gearbox receives heavy loads, which also negatively affects the condition of the transmission fluid. Therefore, to extend the life of the unit, the interval must be chosen taking into account negative factors during operation, and the optimal average value is 60 thousand kilometers.

Important! At the manufacturing plant, when assembling the car, all process fluids are filled in. In the transmission part, the cheapest oil with maximum permissible properties was poured into the crankcase during production. To improve the operation of the unit, immediately after purchase, you should completely replace the VAZ 2115 oil with a high-quality product.

How to drain oil from a VAZ 2115 box

The procedure for removing the substance on this model is carried out when it is lifted or in a pit. To do this, you need to remove the metal or plastic crankcase protection and unscrew the special drain bolt, which is located at the bottom of the unit. In this case, for draining it is necessary to substitute a special container of large volume. The procedure for completely removing the waste substance takes about one and a half hours. To completely remove the material, it is necessary to remove the substance from the seals by moving the gear selector to different positions with the engine off. After draining the waste material from the seals, you can begin to completely replace the substance with replacement with a new material.

Replacement Regulations

The AvtoVAZ company recommends changing the oil in the VAZ-2115 gearbox every 70 thousand kilometers. A longer service interval can greatly affect the reliability of the gearbox due to its design features. Moreover, it is advisable to replace it earlier than after 70 thousand. This is due to the following risk factors:

• Frequent driving at high speeds
• Sharp maneuvers
• Driving on bad and dusty roads, including off-road
• Temperature changes, when frosts are replaced by sudden warming, dirt and slush on the roads
• Frequent engine operation at high speeds, which causes overheating and rapid wear of transmission parts

Russian motorists are well familiar with these so-called risk factors. Knowing about possible problems, they prefer to change the oil twice as often as specified in the regulations - for example, after 50 thousand kilometers. The regulations can be reduced even further if the machine is subjected to increased loads almost continuously. In addition, in such cases, it is advisable to check the volume of oil in advance, and at the same time monitor its condition.

Checking the volume and condition of the oil

The fluid level in the VAZ-2115 manual transmission is determined with a dipstick, which has Max and Min marks. If there is not enough oil, the oil mark on the dipstick will be below the Min level. In this case, add oil until it rises above the Min mark, but does not exceed the Max mark - this position is considered the most optimal.

If the fluid has darkened or become cloudy, emits an unpleasant odor and contains a suspicious sediment, then the oil should be completely replaced. In such a situation, topping up alone will not be enough.