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Peugeot BA10/5 Transmission Fluid Change


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Ok, this will be my first post to CC. I recently purchased an 87 Base Comanche with 184,000 miles and a I6 4.0L engine. I am still learning about it's quirks, but all around, it's proven to be a great buy. Here's my scenario...

 

My intention with this truck is to have a second vehicle to get around, maybe haul some light loads of gravel, and not worry about getting my new car all dirty. I recently had to take the truck on a longer than usual trip (2 hours) and noticed that by the time I got to my destination, the truck was smoking from underneath. Temperature and oil pressure gauge both read steady. It had not yet done this in three weeks of ownership. After a little investigation, I discovered a light drip of gear oil from the transmission onto the muffler. I believe I have the Peugeot BA10/5, not a AX5 or AX15. It would seem as though many Jeep owners are not very happy with this transmission, but alas, it's what I possess.

 

Ok, to the point. Is it a good or bad idea to change the transmission fluid? I bought 3 bottles of Redline MT-90 and a bottle of Lucas transmission fix. I would like to think that changing the fluid wouldn't hurt anything, but have also heard some scary stories about this particular transmission not reacting well to it. It's a very light drip, but I don't know if the fluid has ever been changed. The previous owner seemed to take good care of the truck, but didn't leave me much in the way of records. For all I know it's been dripping a long time and the thought of the transmission running out of gear oil is equally as concerning.

 

Any experience, thoughts, or input would be greatly appreciated. I am not a mechanic, but I can figure out most projects with good instructions and a few runs to the parts store. I plan to hold off on the project until I've thought about it some more. Thanks in advance!

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I can't imagine a factory fill of transmission fluid being good for anything.  I would change it.

BTW, about everyone on this forum would disagree with me but that transmission is just fine as long as you don't beat the crap out of your truck.

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I can't imagine a factory fill of transmission fluid being good for anything.  I would change it.

BTW, about everyone on this forum would disagree with me but that transmission is just fine as long as you don't beat the crap out of your truck.

I agree completely. I have the BA10/5 in my '88 XJ with 287,000+ miles on it, and the one in my '87 MJ is around 120k.

 

Redline is good stuff for the BA10/5. The only problem is that the drain and fill plugs use a metric, recessed square drive pattern plug. Good luck getting them out. I have, somewhere in the bottom of a tool drawer, a drain plug wrench for an early-80s Peugeot automobile that fits it, but I've never seen another. Most people take a cheap (Harbor Freight or equal) short socket extension and grind it down to fit.

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Necessity is the mother of invention, but retarded engineering is the father of necessity.

???

 

What's retarded about a transmission made in a country that has always used the metric system having a metric drain plug?

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Here are the replacement plugs I bought. One is for drain the other for fill:

 

M18 X 1.5 thread  O2 sensor bung

M16 X 1.5 thread Drain Sump plug

 

Both available on eBay.

 

Also, fill it with Red Line 75w90 NS fluid. You won't be sorry.

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Thanks for the input, everyone. I changed the fluid today and things seem to be shifting very smooth.

 

I was able to pick up an 8mm square socket driver on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008TOHAVG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Also, does anyone know what these 3 cables do (see link below - I couldn't figure out how to upload photos to a post)? I noticed while under the truck that one of them is severed.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5STFyrQJ5hKWXRyeFVTbV9Kd1k/view?usp=sharing

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Those go to a vacuum actuator on the front axle, passenger side.  The axleshaft on that side is a two piece configuration, and when you shift into 4WD the actuator slides a shift fork over to engage the two axleshafts together via a collar.  Without it functioning correctly, you will not have 4WD.  Do a search on "CAD" or Central Axle Disconnect.....there are a few different ways to (cheaply) bypass the whole vacuum contraption altogether.  Easiest way is to pop the actuator off the axle housing, slide the coupler over both axleshafts and push/pull the shift fork over until it engages the collar and then bolting it back on.  In theory, it "shouldn't" ever move from that position, but for peace of mind you can lock the fork into position with hose clamps or the circlips that hold it onto the shift rod (there's 3 of them, you have to pop them off and reseat them when things line up, pretty simple once you see the insides of it).  You could also flip the whole actuator around 180 degrees and reinstall it with the collar engaged, but that didn't work for me (it was just a tad off being lined up to my liking).

 

Jeff

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  • 5 years later...

Just a note that might help someone with the BA10 trans. My 1988 Jeep YJ Wrangler has a Peugeot BA10 5-speed transmission. It has more than 240,000 miles with NO problems. Having owned a couple of Peugeots, one with a BA10 transmission I learned early on that the specifications from Jeep call for gear lube in the transmission; this is different from what the manufacturer of the transmission recommends. The BA10 is supposed to use standard 30W engine oil. I've used synthetic engine oil in mine for about 30 years. Initially I tried gear lube as Jeep recommended but the transmission was very stiff and hard to shift so I went by the manufacturer's specifications about engine oil and substituted the best multigrade 10W40 or 5W30 or 5W40 synthetic engine oil I could find. No problem with shifting after that. I also knew that this is not a quick shifting transmission. You might compare it to an old bus transmission. Don't get in a hurry and mistreat it, keep the right oil in it, drive it normally, and it should last many years. I suspect that most of the bad rap this transmission got during all these years was because someone made a big mistake when translating the manufacturer's specifications. One more thing. If you are a rock climber the BA10 tail shaft housing is made of aluminum and will not hold up to that type of rough treatment.

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32 minutes ago, vollr said:

Just a note that might help someone with the BA10 trans. My 1988 Jeep YJ Wrangler has a Peugeot BA10 5-speed transmission. It has more than 240,000 miles with NO problems. Having owned a couple of Peugeots, one with a BA10 transmission I learned early on that the specifications from Jeep call for gear lube in the transmission; this is different from what the manufacturer of the transmission recommends. The BA10 is supposed to use standard 30W engine oil. I've used synthetic engine oil in mine for about 30 years. Initially I tried gear lube as Jeep recommended but the transmission was very stiff and hard to shift so I went by the manufacturer's specifications about engine oil and substituted the best multigrade 10W40 or 5W30 or 5W40 synthetic engine oil I could find. No problem with shifting after that. I also knew that this is not a quick shifting transmission. You might compare it to an old bus transmission. Don't get in a hurry and mistreat it, keep the right oil in it, drive it normally, and it should last many years. I suspect that most of the bad rap this transmission got during all these years was because someone made a big mistake when translating the manufacturer's specifications. One more thing. If you are a rock climber the BA10 tail shaft housing is made of aluminum and will not hold up to that type of rough treatment.

That is good information and I'm sure it will help someone, but generally old threads like this do not need to be revived, it will probably be better just to create a new one-many people on this thread are likely not active on this forum anymore.

 

Also, welcome to the forum!

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