How to check and change the oil in the Niva transfer case

The service life and quality of operation of the engine and gearbox directly depend on the correct choice of lubricants. All rubbing and rotating parts must be covered with a layer of oil, regardless of the temperature and intensity of the engine.

NIVA SUVs experience increased loads: “ragged” operation of the engine and gearbox, difficult temperature conditions. The lubricant is supplied to the lubrication units through special channels. If you select its characteristics incorrectly, you may encounter the following problems:

• The thickened technical fluid does not reach the friction unit.
• Due to high temperatures, the lubricant breaks down into fractions and loses its properties.
• Insufficient detergent properties do a poor job of cleaning.
• Poor-quality base or additives themselves become a source of deposits that clog the oil channels.

All this leads to increased wear of engine and gearbox components, and sometimes to crankshaft jamming.

What kind of oil should I put in the Niva?

The most common engine installed on the VAZ 2121 is 8 valves, 83 l/s, volume 1.7 liters . With such a volume, the engine is more torquey than revvy. In this case, the temperature regime is very important - you should choose which oil to pour into the NIVA engine based on weather conditions. The parameters recommended by the manufacturer are only suitable for an engine that has not passed the warranty mileage. There is a table formed based on the requirements class=”aligncenter” width=”650″ height=”380″[/img]

Filling with a different lubricant is more expensive for yourself, since you may lose the warranty. Most NIVA owners change the oil themselves after the warranty period, saving money on maintenance. To extend engine life, it is important to choose the correct lubricant viscosity. This parameter directly depends on the weather. The general principle is that the higher the temperature, the higher the viscosity.

The engine is cooled not only by antifreeze, but also by oil. Too thin a lubricant heats up quickly, and heat transfer deteriorates. In addition, it is possible to leak through gaskets and seals. A heated liquid with a low coefficient will not hold the so-called well. grease stain. The other side of the coin is if you fill it with thick oil in winter. Firstly, turning the crankshaft in solid oil is quite difficult even for a fresh battery. Secondly, the viscous lubricant will not pass through the channels, and the level of irrigation of the rubbing parts will be insufficient.

Oil standard

Transmission oils have completely different properties than motor oils. The lubricant used in the engine operates at high temperatures and under constant load. In addition, it contains many additives, the properties of which must be preserved for 10-15 thousand kilometers.

Unlike an engine, transmission oil for Niva 21213, 21214 or Chevrolet Niva should not have high-temperature properties, which means that the requirements for such a lubricant are lower. Hence a large resource that explains the rarer frequency of replacement.

The oil standard for the Niva gearbox is GL4. The operating instructions say that the GL4 standard can also be poured, but in reality, such a lubricant can harm the gearbox: the service life of the unit will decrease and extraneous noise will appear during operation.

Viscosity also plays an important role, which should be selected based on climatic operating conditions:

Too thick oil works well in the summer, but can quickly damage the unit in winter, or even prevent the engine from starting. Too thin oil for a box in winter is good, but will harm it in extreme heat.

Which oil is better, mineral or synthetic?

We will leave environmental issues to Greenpeace; for NIVA owners, the main thing is reliability. The point is in the base from which the technical fluid is made. Mineral water or semi-synthetic is cheaper to produce, but the resistance to delamination is much lower. On the other hand, replacing transmission fluid on NIVA SUVs occurs quite often; even the most unstable base simply does not have time to lose its factory properties.

The waste consumption of synthetics is higher, since the penetrating ability of such a base is better.

What kind of oil should I put in the NIVA box?

Since gearbox lubricants are not so expensive, you don’t have to skimp on quality. If you pour frankly cheap fluid of dubious origin, the gear will not engage at the right time. And repairing the box will cost more than the money saved. Just like for an engine, there are temperature tolerances for viscosity.

Parameters in the table.

The box is more sensitive to the quality of fluids, since it operates under increased loads in off-road modes.
Despite the fact that when you buy a NIVA, mineral water is poured into the transmission, at the first replacement it is recommended to flush the gearbox and fill it with synthetics . This does not contradict the warranty, but the box will last longer.

VAZ 21213: oil change in all units

Filling with oil

Many car owners are faced with the task of having to perform maintenance on their car.

At the same time, some perform the maintenance with their own hands and enjoy the repairs, and at the same time save their money, some prefer to spend money (so as not to get dirty and mess around) and take the car to a car service center, blindly trusting their iron horse to strangers.

And, by the way, changing the oil of the VAZ 21213, as in other models, is a responsible process and the service life of all components of the car directly depends on its correct and timely implementation! The replacement process is simply elementary, it doesn’t take much time, and anyone can do it themselves.

To understand the differences in transmission fluids, watch the video:

Is it worth changing something that lasts a lifetime? The answer to this question disappears by itself when in the backyard of any service station you see a bunch of dead automatic and manual transmissions removed from cars. It becomes clear that gearboxes are now being made disposable. It's easier to replace the whole thing than to try to repair it. Based on this, it follows that the box must be cared for and cherished, and, most importantly, pampered with good oil. And now we will try to find the right oil for Niva 21214.

Treasury of knowledge, classification

On any of the canisters that falls into our hands, you will definitely see mysterious symbols. As an example - API GL-4. API - American Petroleum Institute. GL - gears, or in other words, gearboxes. There are 5 main classes, let’s consider what is relevant for us. Of course, it would be more correct to use the classification of ZF, a trendsetter in gearboxes and gearboxes, but they have very complicated tolerances, and most importantly, they are difficult to remember.

• GL-3. Mineral base oil with additive content of about 3%. The main application is in gearboxes with spur and bevel gears. It would be a stretch to say that the transfer case in the field can be considered such a gearbox. But I do not recommend using these oils, primarily due to temperature characteristics.
• GL-4. They can be either mineral or semi-synthetic based. Main application: synchronized gearboxes.
• GL-5. Mineral, semi-synthetic or synthetic base. Application – hypoid gears (axle displacement). Up to 7% additives. Work at high SLIDING speeds. Why I highlighted this word will become clear below.
• Gl-4/GL-5 or GL-4+. A standard that was born thanks to the VAG concern. There was a series of boxes in which two containers (for the main gear and the box itself) were separated by cuffs. As they wore out, the fluids mixed, and the gearbox began to work out of order. Then chemists invented this standard.

Why does lubrication matter?

Models of this car, such as VAZ 2131, 21213 and 21214, are characterized by the fact that all engine parts are constantly under enormous loads. The reason is that all the parts are rubbing. And when driving outside of asphalt pavement, the service life is significantly reduced. The value of gear oils is quite high. In general, oils are used to prevent rubbing parts from wearing out, as well as to reduce temperature. In rubbing parts the temperature can be about 150 °C, and in chain transmissions where there are teeth it reaches 300 °C. The main criterion for lubrication should be rapid warm-up in cold weather.

Engine lubricant

So, the car owner needed to change the lubricant in the engine. An experienced one will use the one that has already been tested by him. What should an inexperienced car enthusiast do? There are two ways out - search on the Internet or ask knowledgeable drivers. Unfortunately, the opinions of many owners of this car differ greatly. This article will describe one type of motor oil - Shell 10W40. This semi-synthetic product is quite inexpensive, and the reviews about it are extremely positive. The car starts at very low temperatures. To approximately -28 °C. At -30 °C it is simply unreasonable to go anywhere in the field. Since not only oils freeze, but also the lubricating component of the engine can freeze. In principle, you can try Lukoil Lux. Semi-synthetic, almost identical to Shell. But it’s still worse, because many car enthusiasts do not recommend it. The reason lies in the fact that carbon deposits from Shell lubricant are much easier to remove. But for those who will drive Lukoil for a maximum of two or three months, the difference will be insignificant. By the way, it is also necessary to check the oil indicator on the dashboard in a timely manner. There are models of Niva vases that begin to consume this petroleum product excessively. And it has to be topped up every six months. To drain all waste from the engine, it must be warmed up before starting the procedure.

What kind of scratch remover is this?

We constantly receive questions in the comments about what kind of “liquid glass” products this is, and in general what a bunch of auto-related advertising is now on the market. As a result, we decided to test in practice how true this is. Let's just say we used 3 means. One product proved to be so-so; after application, a burnt spot remained in this place. The second product, when applied, showed no effect at all.

The third product, SILANE GUARD, at first it was also felt that there would be no effect. but nevertheless, after the solution remained on the surface for several minutes, the effect was excellent. Of course, everything is not as beautiful as advertised.

We had a discussion at a local service station, they said that the products are effective, but they should be used only according to the instructions. And not as anyone pleases.

Methods for adding lubricant to a domestic vehicle engine

Transmission Lubricant

The transmission consists of:

• Front axle
• Handouts
• Rear axle
• Gearboxes

Changing the oil in the gearbox, axles and transfer case is not much different in complexity from changing the lubricant in the engine. The only thing that can be replaced less frequently is once every 750 km, or once every 5 years. But not all car enthusiasts pay due attention to replacing the oil component. And this is a very important procedure, because the gearbox can become unusable, and then the bridges and transfer case. For winter it is necessary to select species with lower viscosity than in summer. Therefore, 70v90 is, after all, better suited for the winter period, since it has a fairly low viscosity. You should also know that synthetics are thinner than mineral water. Where and what kind of petroleum product to pour? On this issue, the opinions of car enthusiasts differ. Some advise pouring one lubricant into the front and rear axles, and another into the gearbox and transfer case. Others pour the same lubricant into both the gearbox and the axles. Actually, if during the ride you will cross small bodies of water, then it is better to pour a thicker one, since it will be diluted with the water that gets in. In winter, it will be best to fill with inexpensive semi-synthetic - TNK 75W90. It is suitable for both the Niva 21213 and the VAZ 2131. Replacement can be carried out at a service station. For this procedure you will have to pay about 2500 rubles. But if you have enough experience and knowledge, you can carry out this procedure yourself. Car service workers who have such a car advise TNK, but if you want to fill up with a more expensive one, then SHELL SPIRAX is the best choice.

Types of transmission oils suitable for VAZ 21214

Eneos 80W90 Gear GL5

Viscosity is constantly maintained. Can be used at minus 30.

Castrol Syntrax Universal Plus 75W90 GL4/GL5

The main advantage is the extended replacement period, reaching 300,000 kilometers. The speeds switch on smoothly, the box operates almost silently. The only drawback is the high cost.

Mobil Mobilube HD 75W90 GL5

It is very popular. There are practically no negative reviews about quality. It differs from many analogues in its low price.

Gazpromneft GL5 80W90

Produced in Russia. Disadvantages include difficult gear shifting. Can be used in car axles.

Shell Spirax S5 ATE 75W90 GL4/GL5

Designed for use in racing cars. Excellent for VAZ 21214. Reduces the noise of the transfer mechanism. The manufacturer recommends using the lubricant for driving on bad roads.

Mobil Mobilube GX 80W90 GL4

High quality liquid made on the basis of paraffin materials. The composition includes special additives that reduce wear of parts. Car enthusiasts characterize the lubricant only on the positive side.

Changing the gearbox lubricant

In order to carry out a replacement in the gearbox, you will need some tools, an inspection hole or overpass and, in fact, the lubricant itself. Once you get under the car, you need to place some kind of container under the drain hole. Next, you need to take a hex wrench and unscrew all the bolts on the drain plugs. After all the waste has drained, you need to take a magnet, which is specially installed on the box. This device removes all metal debris. An important point is that the more metal particles, the shorter the life of the car. Now you need to flush the crankcase. This procedure is performed using a special liquid. Fill it with about 1 liter, screw in the cap, and then start the engine and let it run for about 5 minutes. During this, you need to turn on the neutral gear and shift in ascending and descending order. After this, you need to drain all the liquid and add lubricant. And then you need to start the car, put it in first gear and leave it for five minutes.

Checking the oil level

The procedure for checking the oil level in the Niva transfer case is quite simple, in any case, it does not require any special skills. The only difficult point is that it is necessary to provide access to the bottom of the car, for which you will need to drive it into a hole, overpass, or securely install it on blocks. The second point is that the check must be carried out on a cold car, so if you have driven somewhere before, wait until the car has cooled down.

The procedure itself is simple - just unscrew the filler plug with a 12mm hexagon, having first thoroughly cleaned the seat of dirt, and use a suitable object (a wooden stick or a piece of wire) to measure how much lower the liquid level is at the bottom edge of the hole. If this distance exceeds 10 mm, topping up should be done, which is done using a special syringe. You need to add until the lubricant begins to flow out of the hole, then wipe the box dry and tighten the plug.

How, where and what should be poured into the transmission?

In order to properly fill the transmission with lubricant, you need to know the types of oils that are suitable in viscosity for a particular season. Winter types are used not only in winter, but also in summer. In Russia this is most common, since it is more often cold than warm. In order to choose the right and good lubricant, before replacing you need to follow a few tips:

1. Before choosing any product from oil companies, you need to review their composition and recommendations for use.
2. You should not choose the most expensive lubricant, because replacing the recommended oil with this may negatively affect the operation of the lubrication system.
3. Untimely replacement of lubricant is a sure step towards rapid wear of automotive components.
4. The greater the mileage of the car, the harsher the operating conditions. This means that the lubricant must be replaced much more often than in almost new cars.
5. The oil sensor must be in good working order and the lubricant level must be constant. If for some reason the level drops, then more lubricant must be added.

Changing the oil is quite important for the VAZ Niva SUV. Each type of car requires its own type of lubrication, otherwise problems with the systems may occur. Or, in the worst case scenario, some part may fail.

Car maintenance: adding lubricant