MT-82 Manual Transmission Oil Change | Amsoil MTF
Love it or hate it, the MT-82 is the transmission that brought six gears to the masses in the Mustang market. Before it, buyers were required to step up to one of the halo performance model Pony cars in order to row through more than five speeds. The Getrag box has plenty of pluses, but it did get off to a bit of a rocky start. Thankfully, we like modding here on SVTP.
It takes just a hair over 3 quarts of oil to swap fluids in an MT-82.
One of the biggest complaints the MT-82 received early on was sketchy gear engagement that differed based on temperature. It seemed that the factory synchros were particularly sensitive to oil viscosity, and Ford filled the MT-82 with a fairly lightweight oil from the factory. That was fine for cold weather and average daily driving. However; during hot summer months, and especially on the road track, the oil would get so thin that several shift issues would pop up.
This oil pump makes this job far easier.
You may experience anything from shift lock-out, to hard shifts, to grinding. The MT-82 quirkiness was really a mixed bag, and guys tried many different oils over the years. I personally tested 5 different ones (factory, three versions from Royal Purple, and one from Amsoil) before settling on Amsoil MTF. Your mileage may vary, but for my driving style (Hard) and location (The South) Amsoil MTF worked really well. In all but the coldest weather the MT-82 shifted better with the MTF than anything else I tried. It was smooth, and with the help of an MGW shifter I never missed a shift.
When is it full? When it starts running out the fill hole.
While swapping out the trans fluid isn’t all that difficult, I thought it might be fun to show you how it’s done. If you're going to use Amsoil fluid I highly suggest you buy their bottle pump. It makes the job way easier. Check out the vid:
Let me know if you have any questions.