1979 C-161 w model 5086 8 speed transmission? Oil change?

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

Well after a winter of blowing miles or snow off the roads with my lil'  '79 C-161 now 'm pulling and parking my 21.5 foot sea ray boat and trailer in half the time it used to take with my truck.

 

I checked the transmission oil dipstick today and it has a creamy color to it that don't look right. Almost looks emulsified somehow. Maybe snow melt got in? Or maybe it's never been changed. Either way I want it out and start fresh.

 

So I want to  purge and refill with tranny fluid but can't find any manual or post that tells me what the specs are. One manual just says it takes 2 quarts. (helpful, huhh?!

 

I know that there is some WH guru reading this, rolling his eyes at me wondering if it's even worth hitting reply

 

But I sure would appreciate it

 

Thanks bunches!

 

Best,

 

Jack

Edited May 30, 2014 by wheelhorse-c-161-1979

[rmaynard 14,909]

Your transmission holds two quarts of 90-140 GL-5 gear lube. Drain the junk oil out, pour in two quarts of kerosene or diesel fuel, run it around for a few minutes, drain it out. Lift the front end of the tractor to allow all the oil mix to get over the hump in the bottom and exit the transmission. Fill with the 2 qts. of new oil. If 90-140 is not available, any good oil 85W, 90W etc will work fine.

[rmaynard 14,909]

There should be a drain plug in the bottom that requires the use of a 1/4" allen wrench to remove it. It is located to the left and just in front of the hitch.

[slammer302 2,154]

Buy a new shifter boot if needed they are very cheap and should help keep water out

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

Again, I thank you all for your wisdom. I Will do all of the above from draining the old tranny oil to picking up a new boot.

I still wish I knew where those capacity specs are printed.!

Also when I bought the c-161 it came with a Briggs and Stratton16 hp twin cyl.

I had thought that the engine had been replaced as I thought it should have come w a Kohler.

Today I found that the early '79 c-161 did in fact come w B&S engines. Cool trivia:)

The darn thing is darn useful and powerful. I just love it!

[varosd 1,185]

[rmaynard 14,909]

I still wish I knew where those capacity specs are printed.!

We have a nice manuals section here. Try this link. It is the complete lubrication and belt chart for most models. It was written long after many models were discontinued, and many of the original specifications were changed slightly. What is in this chart is what you need.

 

[wheelhorse-c-161-1979 117]

Thanks Bob!

It never crossed my mind to search there. Was going through the tranny manual section. Intuitively I was looking for a transmission related part so I was stuck there.

Brings up an interesting website search enhancement consideration, as obviously many parts can fall under different categories. Would be terrific if either obvious overlaps had duplicate manuals in different categories, even eventually a search engine that can read through the PDF document text for searched words through the entire WH library of manuals. Obviously photos converted to PDF would not be readable but could have critical keywords to help in the info research

Just a humble suggestion for a truly fabulous site filled with info, manuals and folks who are keeping these WH gems alive!