Which trany fluid to use??

[kendot240]

I'm trying to decide which trany fluid would be best. I know that it should be 75W-90 GL4. But Redline sells something called MTL and MT-90 which one should I get, what is the difference? The whole reason I'm changing my fluid is because sometimes it's really hard to get my car into 1st or 2nd unless I tap the gas a little but and sometimes this doesn't even work. Does this problem sound like something that could be solved by changing the fluid? Any help would be great.

[Bill Roberts]

Ok, the owners manual says this:

Type GL-4

Viscosity:

It is temperature dependant. Outside temperature ranges are:

From -30F to 50F (Alaska..) 75W 90
From -30F to 104F 80W 90
From +14F to 86F 85W
From +32F to 104F 90W
From +50F to 140F 140W

Most areas of the USA, 80W90 is it.

I run 85W90 myself, it never drops below 40 degrees here.

Fluid change would not hurt, sound like your syncros are worn or the fluid could be low. Double clutch is best on the transmission. When selecting first, push in the clutch in neutral and then take it back out with a slight rev then push the clutch in and it should glide right into first.

[FRpilot]

when i changed my clutch, i needed to change the gear oil too and headed to my local kragens. they didn't have much, but i saw mobile 1 and that stuff was $8 for a 1 liter bottle. i just went and got a 1 gallon 75w-90 for $9.

you can get the good stuff like redline or mobile 1.. maybe royal purple?

[kendot240]

What about Redline's shockproof oil anyone know about that? (Thanks for the replies)

[mistert]

redline eats the brass in your synchros and will accelerate wear on your transmission

get you some of this!

[Bill Roberts]

According to the owners manual, 75W cold and 90W hot is too thin for anything above 50 F degrees during the warmup cycle. I would go at least 80W 90.

Why are we recommending 75W90 when the manual clearly states that 75W is not to be used in climates over 50 degrees F?

[kandyflip445]

Originally posted by mistert
redline eats the brass in your synchros and will accelerate wear on your transmission


The fluids that would 'eat away' at your syncros are GL-5 tranny fluids. If you use MTL or MT-90 they would be fine as they are rated as GL-4.(The recommended fluid for your tranny)

[MorganS13]

Originally posted by kendot240
What about Redline's shockproof oil anyone know about that? (Thanks for the replies)

i've been using lightweight shockproof for a while now and i have no complaints.. definitely made my shifting feel more solid and helped hide most of my synchro problems

[mistert]

i put the neo fluids in my car and wow it made quite a difference. the feeling of uneasiness at higher rpm 3-2 downshifts is gone, 2-1 downshifts are smoother, all the shifts feel alot smoother and as if the car takes to them more easily. before, it had 74k miles and had never been changed, and i would let the car take its time to engage the gear. i wish i had done it much sooner

[RiversideS13]

I was about to change my transmission fluid and i found GL-5 are the only synthetic fluid i can find. So any recommendation barnd and type of fluid to use? I am at sunny california.

thanks

EDIT: I use search feature to find this thread, but i didnt notice it was marked as SR problem. I have a ka24e with manual transmission.

[kandyflip445]

The engine doesn't matter as the transmissions are pretty much the same. Some fluids that meet GL-5 rating are actually alright for transmissions that require GL-4, according to my teacher. To bad he didn't tell me which ones. :p

[96twofourty]

redline 75-90 works great

[Ritz S14]

I use redline shockproof heavy weight.. it hard to go into second when th car is cold..but drives fine when it's warm... thinking of switching to medium weight in the near future.

[goodjuan]

this is your ticket right hurr...

http://www.pennzoil.com/products/gear_oil/syncro_fluid.html

[WilloW]

GM Synchromesh Friction Modified transmission fluid, like butter on a 160k tranny.

[RiversideS13]

ok very good, my friend was recommending me for the GM and pennzoil fluid too. but i was not sure if it will works on our transmission. thanks alot

[WilloW]

ok very good, my friend was recommending me for the GM and pennzoil fluid too. but i was not sure if it will works on our transmission. thanks alot

Make sure you know what you're getting though, to my knowledge there are 4 type of this stuff. GM Synchromesh (Pennzoil), GM Synchromesh Friction Modified, GM Synchromesh Friction Modifier, and then the crazy stuff GM Synchromesh Syntorque (sp?).

[RBS14]

how many god damned gear oil threads are there gonna be?!?
SEARCH
these are almost as common as "my sr doesn't run right" threads.

[96twofourty]

GM Synchromesh Friction Modified transmission fluid, like butter on a 160k tranny.
syncromesh = trouble

[AlligatorBling]

syncromesh = trouble

bad experience? ive heard nothing but good things. do share.

[WilloW]

Yes, do share ^^^.

[goodjuan]

yeah i've heard nothing but good things as well.

brother's b16 tranny would grind in third regularly...made all kinds of weird noises. Put in the penzoil and we've NEVER been able to make it grind again.

my own experience:
sr tranny was the smoothest it's ever been...even people who drive my car for the first time would comment on how smooth the engagement is.

[RiversideS13]

Make sure you know what you're getting though, to my knowledge there are 4 type of this stuff. GM Synchromesh (Pennzoil), GM Synchromesh Friction Modified, GM Synchromesh Friction Modifier, and then the crazy stuff GM Synchromesh Syntorque (sp?).

:eek3: thanks i didnt know there were so many different kind.

how many god damned gear oil threads are there gonna be?!?
SEARCH
these are almost as common as "my sr doesn't run right" threads.

yes i searched on this forum and i dig up this old thread. sorry if it is bothers you, thanks for your warm welcome

[Siizzzoooo]

I actually just put in some Redline Heavy Shockproof.

That stuff was was THICK! I'm about to go for a test drive and get the fluids movin around the tranny.

[The Hamsterball]

Alright Alright.. I've read enough about this back when i was changing my transmission fluid.

You can get any transmission fluid and it will work just fine on your car .. but you have to make sure that two things apply to your fluid.

80W-90

and more importantly.. KEEP IT GL-4!!!
GL-5 is not meant for brass synchros (which is what our cars have) and that's the stuff that will harm your transmission.

All those people that f'd up their transmissions and ruined their synchros.. they put GL-5 in..

Anyways, as long as you keep those 2 requirements, you will be fine. 80W-90 and GL-4

On another note, I think the best transmission fluids are either Redline or GM Synchromesh.
For redline, use the MT-90. That's GL4 80W-90.

For synchromesh, get a part # from somebody (who got GL-4 version) and go to your nearest GM dealer.
(make sure it's gl-4)

when i put redline mt90 in my car, it seeeeeeeeeeeeriously felt different. Like, i have a 160K mi tranny, and it always felt loose and old during shifts on the old nissan fluid..
as soon as i switched to redline, it felt more stiff and more precise. gives you a little more confidence too cuz you won't have to worry about maintenance on your tranny fluid for another year.

sure as hell made a difference, even with my worn throwout bearing and clutch slave cylinder..

Good luck d00d.

[WilloW]

The part number for the GM Synchromesh Friction Modified I'm using is #12377916. Speaking of GL-5, isn't the Redline Shockproff a GL-5 fluid?

[The Hamsterball]

The part number for the GM Synchromesh Friction Modified I'm using is #12377916. Speaking of GL-5, isn't the Redline Shockproff a GL-5 fluid?

Yeah. That's why you don't buy shockproof :)

Use that for your differential fluid. (Open differentials use GL-5 on 240SX)

[matchgrade]

On myoilshop.com, Redline MT-90 is listed as GL-4 75W-90, not 80W-90.

The Owner's Manual states "75W-90 for transmission and 80W-90 for differential are preferable if the ambient temperature is below 104 deg F (40 deg C)."