advise on transmission oil

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alma

Joined
Jul 23, 2002
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Location
sault ste. marie
Hello, what a great site!
I am amazed how much knowledge and how much information you can get from this site!
Just going through different topics I was happy to see how much PRO information one can get...!!!
I have one dilema : Would be a good idea to switch for OEM transmission oil to syntetic oil?
I drive an Acura Integra '95 standard and it is the time to change the transmission oil, I do trust my mechanic, but as we all agree a second opinon is good to get.
I have no complains regarding the regular transmission oil that I presently use, but on long drives, transmission is getting hot, also sometimes a little bit of notchiness is present.
The second question I have, that also puzzles me for a long time: Is there any way to know the syntetic oil from dino once is in the engine?
I have been trying to get this info from pro's, but all I get are smiles instead of a straight answer, maybe because I am a female, or who knows?
I will appreciate your input and your advise a lot, since this site it is so professional!!!
Thank you.
Alma
 
Alma, welcome to the site!

Bob and the guys have put together a great board, with all the amenities.

Regarding your transmission fluid, it certainly sounds as if it is time to change the old fluid out. In my view, stick to a good petroleum ATF (automatic transmission fluid) for your car. I have had good results with Pennzoil and Quaker State's ATF for car transmissions. Schaeffer's makes two versions of Dexron ATF (if your car can use Dexron type fluids) and the specifications look very good as well.

The only time I recommend synthetic ATF, is for trucks and vehicles that pull heavy loads or race.

Due to the Castrol/Mobil fiasco, it is difficult to determine who has true Group IV and V synthetics unless you know something about the company's history and current practrice. An oil oil analysis costing about $400 can only determine the true base fluid. If you do a seach on
"synthetic" you will see some interesting discussions regarding base fluids, and which companies sell them.
 
I believe she has a manual transmission.

I don't see a problem using a synthetic grade oil in one. My Honda calls for 10w30 or 10w40. Since I use Redline 10w40 in my bikes, that's what goes in the transmission. I also like the idea of moly in the gear box.
 
Sorry, I missed that. Just assumed it was an auto tranny from the comments!
blush.gif
 
Bob

What are the Zn and P levels in Schaeffer's #106 micron moly 10w40? I don't see that on the data sheet.

Don't give Amsoil too much credit for having a lot of Zn and P, Redline has more zinc and phosphous than Amsoil in the 10w40.

But like someone said, too much of a good thing can be bad. Is Redline too good?
 
Hi alma, the guys before me (especially Bob) did a good job of explaining why you want to use the correct fluid in your manual tranny and even if your manual calls for 10W30 motor oil (and I bet it does) that is no longer a wise decision because of the way oil formulations have changed in the past several years.

I'm specifically a Honda/Acura guy who used to drive a '90 Integra and currently owns a '95 Civic Coupe ... both with manual transmissions.

As I see it, you have two really good options:

The first (and easiest) is to visit a Honda or Acura dealership and get two (2) quarts (your owners' manual will have the exact capacity, check to be sure) of Honda's MTF (Manual Transmission Fluid). This stuff is about $5 U.S. per quart. It has the proper additive package for your tranny and will do a fine job.

The second option is the road I have chosen. For the past decade, I have used nothing but Red Line MTL (Manual Transmission Lubricant) in my cars' manual transmissions. Shifting is as smooth as these gearboxes will allow and cold weather performance is much better than when using the stock/factory fluids. It costs about $8 U.S. per quart. Some people complain that this fluid has caused problems in their cars but my Integra shifted fine at 180,000 miles when it was retired and my Civic currently has over 120,000 miles on the clock. Some notchiness is to be expected as synchromesh transmissions accumulate miles but I have no complaints about my cars.
smile.gif


I feel that people who complain about Red Line are mostly kids looking for something else (other than their reckless driving) to blame for the fact that their synchronizers are worn out halfway through the car's life.
rolleyes.gif


As you can see, I have logged plenty of miles on my cars (and they are not gently driven!) but still swear by the stuff.
grin.gif
It can be difficult to find and most people who use Red Line get it via mail order.

The only other good options I know of are manual tranny fluids made by Motul and B&G Synchroshift. However these fluids are both more expensive than Red Line and harder to find ... if that's possible.
shocked.gif


[ July 24, 2002, 02:08 PM: Message edited by: Bror Jace ]
 
Most manual transmission fluids have traditionally been gears oils with a SAE grade of
75W to 90W and preferably, 75W90.

I have had very good service from the Amsoil 75W90 Series 2000 synthetic gear oils. I think they are about the same price as Redline's stuff.

(The only vehicle I have ever owned in which the manual transmission fluid was ATF was a 1982 Chevy S-10, 4-speed.)
 
Doesn't gear oil and motor oil use different scales for viscosity?

The 90w gear oil I use in a shaft drive bike seems to have about the same viscosity as 30w motor oil.

[ July 24, 2002, 02:48 PM: Message edited by: satterfi ]
 
I have used both the Amsoil and Redline. For a rear end either one is fine for me (GL-5) however, for the the transmission and transfer case I switched from Amosil (GL-4) to Redline MT90 (GL-4)and it made a world of difference in how this transmission shifts when cold. No comparison. In the future I am going to mix the MT-90 and MTL for the transmission.

Plus, Amsoil does not have the variety of weights in each GL classification that Redline does.
 
quote:
Doesn't gear oil and motor oil use different scales for viscosity?

The 90w gear oil I use in a shaft drive bike seems to have about the same viscosity as 30w motor oil.
Click to expand...
-


Saybolt Universal Viscosity (SUV) or Saybolt Universal Seconds, (SUS) the time in seconds required for 60 cubic centimeters of a fluid to flow through the orifice of the Standard Saybolt Universal Viscometer at a given temperature under specified conditions. (ASTM Designation D 88.)


Kinematic viscosity the time required for a fixed amount of an oil to flow through a capillary tube under the force of gravity. The unit of kinematic viscosity is the stoke or centistoke (1/100 of a stoke). Kinematic viscosity may be defined as the quotient of the absolute viscosity in centipoises divided by the specific gravity of a fluid, both at the same temperature
 
The above chart has been around forever. It is pretty much used by everyone in the oil industry. The ISO grade is used with most hydraulic oils, i.e. AW68 etc. You just go across the chart to compare viscosity. A great little tool for those like me who can't remember from day to day.

By the way, ALMA, welcome to the board. Considering where you live, I believe your best bet would be to use whatever your mechanic recommends since you will be able to get it locally.
cheers.gif


[ July 24, 2002, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: Johnny ]
 
Bob

I've seen that.

My question is 'What reference is that chart printed in?'

It's not in Perry's Chemical Engineering Handbook.

It's not in Cameron's Hydraulic data.

It's not in Crane's Tech Paper 410.

I'm only a simple chemical engineer with limited resoures. I'd like to know where the information came from so I can include it my sources of references.

Thanks
 
Thanks for the in(very)depth replies.What the dealer supplies seems satisfactory.May try red line next time.
I would like to know if there is any way to tell if the oil in my engine is the syntethic I supplied or some regular dino.
On the last oil change I was charged for 1 quart even though I brought more than enough Mobil 1.I was told that the guy at the counter made a
misyake but the doubt is hard to put aside.
 
Alma: There is really no way of knowing if they added a quart of dino oil to your synthetic unless you run some very expensice test. I read on one of the post by either Molakule or Terry Dyson that a test like this could run as high as $400.00. I guess we just have to trust our mechanics.
 
Alma,

If he had to put in one quart of petroleum into the rest of the synth I doubt that will make much of a difference, since you seem to be on a good maintenance schedule.
Being somewhat of a synthetic purist I cringe at having to do that, since each oil type has a different additive package.

The next time the oil gets low on the dipstick, just make sure you add the Mobil 1.
 
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