Changing to 10-40 dinosaur oil from 10-30 synthetic has definitely slowed the oil leakage. I had it in my shop Saturday to do the transmission filter and fluid change, since that is one of the things I had not personally performed. It absolutely made less of a puddle than it did prior to the change.

Took me longer to change the fluid and filter in the tranny than most of you according to your posts. I cleaned the pan inside and out while it was off, and fought a bit with the bolt closest to the Y-pipe as my floppy u-joints were not working with me and that sucker was too tight. Ended up using a box end wrench to get it broke loose. Torx screws on the filter were overtightened as well. Had to put a 5/16 open end on my driver to break them loose. Someone definitely put a gorilla grip on them when it was last changed. Anyway, no broken bolts or issues, and fluid was normal.

I'll let you all in on two of my prized secrets. I've been a gearhead forever, and surgical gloves were the norm 10 years ago. Then I found these. Venom. I get mine at Lowes but I'd imagine they are available elsewhere. Its not unusual to get numerous uses out of a pair. I wipe them off good when I'm done with a project and just wear them inside out the next time. Waaaaay better than surgical gloves. When I'm done with a project like this I peel them off and my hands are ready for the steering wheel. Yeah, that's a pet peeve of mine. Dont touch my steering wheel with your greasy hands....

The other one is my "tool" for ATF and sometimes DOT5 Brake Fluid. I built a pickup out of an M35 deuce and a half a few years ago. And you can pressure or power bleed the brake system on them using a simple pump up sprayer. It worked great for filling the tranny with ATF on the rover. Who doesn't put a fill tube and dipstick on a tranny??? Its a one gallon, so I started off with 4 quarts. Probably got a bit more than 3 in cold, then added two more for a total of 6. After the hot cycle through the gears and topping it off while running in park, I'd say I put 5 in it. No fuss, no muss, and I like it better than the little crank pumps. I have a brass valve and nipple on this one left over from the other project, and that made it easy to shut off the flow when it started coming back at me. Pump it up fairly snug and you can get the most of a quart in before repressurizing. And if it tips over, no spill!

I knew it before, but I hate my creeper. Whats the best creeper for a 6-5 three hundred pounder?

 

Good job finally getting rid of the 10w30 syth.... One of these days you might try 15w40 Rotella.

 

Thanks for the handy ideas! These sliding mats are pricey, but might be worth it:

 

Thanks, but I've seen those and can picture it transferring whatever may be on the shop floor to my backside....I guess in a NASCAR garage with a waxed tile floor it would be ok. I keep my shop clean. I mop the floor. My dad makes fun of that. But when I'm working on something there is ALWAYS plenty of grit and dirt falling off (I live on a gravel road) and could be oil, antifreeze, melting snow slop, and gear lube. Now that I have a rover, the variety has increased....I need wheels.

 

I've had a persistent battery drain issue, even after eliminating the SLS issues altogether. Some say check the amp for the rear speakers, some say get a milliamp gauge and then pull fuses one at a time til you eliminate the problem-and I get that and I may do that this weekend. However, in another post recently, someone chimed in and said the Ultragauge can cause battery drain. Silly me. I never read the book completely, but sure enough, here it is. My disclaimer is that I am just now making the change to setting 2 for the Power On Detect, and haven't proven a dang thing yet. it does default to 0 for our 9141 Canbus, and it sounds like 2 is better. Just passing along something I didn't know, which doesn't mean you didn't already know this.For compatibility reasons, UltraGauge supports three modes to detect that the ignition is in the RUN position or that the
engine is running. Normally when UltraGauge detects the ignition-on/engine running condition, UltraGauge exits its low power mode and begins normal operation.

Mode 0: This optional mode is primarily for vehicles that use the 9141 or KWP2000 protocols. Mode 0 continually
queries the ECM to determine if it is powered and active. If a response is received, UltraGauge assumes that the ignition
is on. This mode can also be used when mode 2 fails to cause UltraGauge to wake. However, mode 0 can result in
battery drain on 2000 and newer GM vehicles and vehicles which use the CAN protocol. See the Battery Drain discussion

Mode 1: This mode while not the default is typically preferred. This mode actively monitors the communication bus for
activity. If found, UltraGauge will then attempt to communicate with the ECM. If the ECM responds, the ignition is
assumed to be in the RUN position. If set, Mode 1 is ignored for vehicles with 9141 and KWP2000 protocols, and mode 0
is forced. In very rare cases, certain vehicles may exhibit battery drain when mode 1 is selected. If battery drain should
occur, use mode 2. See the Battery Drain discussion for more detail.

Mode 2: (default mode) Mode 2 can be used for all vehicles and protocols and is the most compatible. Mode 2 detects
the engine running and wakes UltraGauge. It accomplishes engine run detection by detecting elevated battery voltage
caused by an active Alternator. The Battery high voltage threshold used by mode 2 is by default set to 13.2 volts. This
voltage threshold can be adjusted via the Bat High ThresholdMenu item. The weakness of mode 2 is that simply turning the ignition to the RUN position will not wake UltraGauge. For this reason, Mode 1 is preferred. However, while in mode
2, with the ignition on, pressing UP and MENU simultaneously will cause UltraGauge to wake and enter the Menu. This is
useful for configuration changes without the need to start the vehicle.

Battery Drain:

This discussion generally applies to newer vehicles which use the CAN protocol or vehicles with electrical system issues. When
the ignition is switched from RUN to OFF, the vehicle's electrical system modules stay active drawing battery power for several
minutes. Over time various systems enter lower power modes and the drain on the battery decreases. However, UltraGauge
can cause these systems to not enter low power mode. Normally once UG has detected ignition off, UG will enter a
mode and wait for the vehicle's systems to become active at the next ignition on. However, since the vehicle's electrical
systems do not shut down; UG quickly attempts to establish communication again. This communication in turn causes the
vehicle's systems to remain on indefinitely and results in battery drain. Mode 2 resolves this issue.