MANUAL TRANSMISSION OIL......What to use?

overkill · 02-14-2002, 07:26 AM

I had just bought Valvoline 75w-90 full synthetic gear oil.....is this good oil? I had over heard that synthetic was better than non, is the true? I also had read that some people use Mobil 1 for there tranny, is that Mobil 1 engine oil?

Obin Robinson · 02-14-2002, 07:28 AM

Mobil 1 also comes in tranny fluid also. it's not the same as the motor oil. Mobil 1 is what i have in the 924 tranny. and yes, i use nothing but synthetic tranny fluid too

http://www.mobil1.com/products/gear.jsp

obin

PorscheG96 · 02-14-2002, 07:29 AM

No, there's Mobil 1 75W-90 tranny oil, I have it in my car. You don't need to be overly concerned with putting the BEST stuff in the car ALL the time, everyone's opinions are different and it will drive you absolutely mad! Sure, the valvoline sounds great, it will be far superior to the tranny oil you've got in there now [the old stuff].

overkill · 02-14-2002, 09:04 AM

Ok, thats fine.....but now......I have found out that my tranny is caked with oil. I had started cleaning it up and also i have found somthing odd to me atleast....but what do i know:P I have some pictures and ill poist them soon

acaprez · 02-14-2002, 09:18 AM

Many people have recommened redline mt90 to me. This is what a lot of the MR2 guys put in their trannys at least. I've heard it really helps smoothen the shifting. Only problem is, it can be hard to find.

Panzer909 · Panzer909's Garage

One word: SWEPCO

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Overkill:
Any synthetic tranny oil is better than the "dino juice" gear oil. The synthetic stuff holds up better in hard driving, and you should have less 'notchiness' in your shifting (that infamous hard to get into 2nd gear!)

I just got Mobil synthetic tranny oil in my car 2 weeks ago....

You should notice a difference.
-Z.

overkill · 02-14-2002, 10:47 AM

Ok, what does old or even very old tranny fluid look like? Is it suppose to get very dark like almost blackish? Well........my old tranny fluid wasnt! It was brown not to thick like it was changed recently. Well i didnt put in the new stuff yet and im hoping that it is very OLD cause if its not that means there has to be somthing else cause the nothiness! In the mean time im a quart short have to go to store:P

AFJuvat · 02-14-2002, 10:51 AM

An oily/nasty transmission doesn't necessarily mean anything, clean it off best you can and watch for leaks.

One piece of advice - those drain plugs can be an absolute PITA to get out. spray the hell out of the plugs with WD-40 or PB Blaster and let them soak for a while. Also, make sure you can get the TOP (fill) one out before you remove the bottom one.....

17mm Hex wrench to remove the plugs.

Clean the plugs and threads completely before re-installing them. You might want to use some anti-sieze or teflon tape on the threads so they are easier to get out next time.

Torque to 17 Ftlbs (forget the metric equiv at the moment)

AFJuvat

overkill · 02-14-2002, 01:20 PM

HE HE HE, already done....I had no real problem geting them off, i had cleaned them before i put them back on. I had clened the tranny off and will clean some more later. I had drove it with the new fluid in it and it feel alittle bit smoother but not enough to convince me that that there isnt somthing on its way out inside the tranny. Still a bit notchy when shifting from 1st to 2nd and a tad to 3rd.

PorscheG96 · 02-14-2002, 01:35 PM

Congratulations, you get to try double-clutching your upshifts now.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by overkill
...Still a bit notchy when shifting from 1st to 2nd and a tad to 3rd.

With the cold weather, that is normal. After the car warms up, the notchiness should go away. My '89 S2 has that notchiness: sometimes at startup, it takes alot of effort to get it into gear. A new clutch was installed in 2000, and as mentioned above, I have new tranny oil, so everything's fine with my car.

Does it get smoother when the car's at normal operating temps?

-Z.

overkill · 02:57 AM

It gets smoother when it is warm but still a bit rough from 1st to 2nd and just a tad from 2nd to 3rd. 3rd to 4th and 5th are extremly smooth. Now that the new fluid is in, I cant say that it is so much notchy now....It takes about a second or two two get it in to 2nd, it like hangs until its ready to pop in gear. All the other gears are like instant! Is there somthing that has to be adjusted, maybe the clutch? What about short shifters? You guyz ever use them? I read that they are very good in redusing the distance needed to shift. Would that help? Theres got to be somthing....maybe my tranny is on its way out?

Also, there is a decent amount of rust on the exterior of the tranny...i was thinking about using a wire brush and scoring the surface with it and then applying mobil 1 synthecic multi purpose grease to it. Is this a good way to take care of the rust?

Also, I havent really looked but, how hard will it be to find a 951 or even a 951S engine. It doesnt have to be rebuilt, actually i dont want it to be rebuilt. I want to do it all myself so I can learn about it.

AFJuvat · 02-15-2002, 05:12 AM

Check the clutch pedal travel and slack as per the haynes manual.

Rust on your transmission It is early and I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet, but I could swear the tranny case is some sort of alloy.

AFJuvat

overkill · 02-15-2002, 06:08 AM

which means....its not suppose to rust????? Damn i have to get those pics up check back later...

overkill · 02-16-2002, 06:45 AM

Ok, here the caked on oil stuff....

Heres the rust..... Can i scrape of the rust with wire brush and then use Mobil 1 multipurpose grease to keep it from rusting more?

and here is somthing that was odd to me atleast....the are threaded holes with no bolts in them and they dont even match up the with the other portion of the tranny.....is this normal or is this not the original tranny?

AFJuvat · 02-17-2002, 01:34 PM

Hmm... hard to tell with those little red "X"'s..

AFJuvat

fty · 02-17-2002, 04:50 PM

swepco synthetic...

Mrmerlin · 02-17-2002, 05:29 PM

Hi I was reading your post about the rust what your looking at is the gearbox portion of your trans axle and yes it is made of cast iron metal not aluminum, so it will rust if not protected i would scrape away all the rust and paint it with some rust inhibitor type paint, black was the original color.
As far as the mismatch of the trans goes it is made that way so to aid in disassembly and the holes you see are locating pins not to worry.
As far as the shifting goes it sounds like the syncros are wearing out and might need replacment, so in the mean time you will just have to shift slower, try shiftiing at a lower engine speed on the 1 to 2 shift after she is warmed up,,,,,........Stan

Al Cody · 02-17-2002, 08:01 PM

Seems like the stiff shift when cold is pretty normal. I keep trying to solve it on mine. I have tried various rpms for the best shift. Seems like 3500 to 4000 gives me a crunch free shift when cold. I tried the shift at low rpm stategy, but it didn't help. At 3500 the gear speeds between 1st and 2nd are close, so it goes into second better. I notice that with my car in all gears. If I shift at 4000 or more it shifts great. At a lower rpm I have to ease it in. Regarding gear oil. I have a clutch type limited slip which needs a certain amount of friction to work properly. With a full synthetic the lsd clutches get grabby when warmed up and I get a shudder at low speed turns. Does anyone have a suggestion of a synthetic that works well with the clutch type lsd? I am currently back to mineral base oil specified for limited slip.