Just put in Redline, but now confused ...

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badbrad358

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Cincinnati, OH USA
I just put a 50/50 mix of RL MT-90 and MTL in my '06 Frontier 6 spd. I did this thinking it would help cold weather shifting as the factory fill dino 75w85 was almost impossible to shift into 1st or 2nd while moving (it's not as bad when the synchros aren't having to work) until it warmed up in sub-freezing temps.

Now it is just as bad as before and I'm really confused because everything I've read (reviews on this site) and researched shows RL being very good in the cold temps and helping cold weather shifting. My truck is almost scary at first because it is hard to shift 1st to 2nd and makes me not want to pull out to try to get moving quickly. This is quite disappointing for $9/qt. fluid. The 50/50 mix was suggested by many here and also the RL tech. Maybe I should mention that once it warms up slightly it shifts much more slick than the old fluid, just confused about the cold temp performance.

Any suggestions or hypotheses?
 
It might get a little better over time if it shears a little. If it doesn't get any better after 5k, it probably stay that way. Only other thing to do is dump it and run straight Redline MTL or get a true 75w-85 such as Specialty Formulations MTL-P.
 
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It might get a little better over time if it shears a little. If it doesn't get any better after 5k, it probably stay that way. Only other thing to do is dump it and run straight Redline MTL or get a true 75w-85 such as Specialty Formulations MTL-P.

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I wanted to get SF MTL-P but they are closed right now and I was so tired of no 1st or 2nd shifting in the initial cold starts that I figured RL with the ester base could do nothing but help a little over the factory dino. Like I said, I'm a little confused.

BTW, this is the same tranny the 350Z uses, so any experience with that could help as well.
 
In my 5-speed Maxima, straight MT-90, as the fluid warmed up, it went through a nasty transition where the FMs would not work at all with the lousy Nissan synchros. Double clutching was the only way to get through this transition. I am guessing that being in Cinci, you start closer to that temp range than mine ever did.

Add the cheap Nissan gaskets that dried up and the tranny developed a leak in about a year or so. I cut my loses after 15K miles (I too paid about $7.50/qt at the time) and replaced it with a home brew of 3.75 qts. of Amsoil MTG and 1 qt. of Sta-Lube GL-4. Lucky for me, the gasket swelled back up and the leak stopped. And, yes, it shifts much better overall than MT-90 ever did.
 
Make sure that the fluid level is correct and not grossly overfilled or underfilled. >3 and Lube the shifter and bleed the clutch.

You only need ~10% MT90 to bring MTL into the 85wt realm.

If you require 75w85, 50:50 is the starting point(for warm climates). The further north you go, the less MT90 should be used.
At your next service, consider 25:75 ratio of MT90:MTL.

A gear oil won't make up for a pathetic shifter or transmission.
 
MTL has a very low 10w30 pour point and should not create any stiffness at all. I use it in my Harley primary because it eliminates clutch drag in cold weather. You might have a different non-oil related mechanical issue.
 
I just ran MTL and MT-90 through the viscosity calculator. If you got the mix spot on (50/50) your viscosity now should be 71.1cSt@40C and 12.9cSt@100C. If you wanted to thin it out, dump 1/2 the fluid out of the out of your tranny and refill the remaining with MTL. This would give you 63.2cSt@40C and 11.7cSt@100C.

Obviously it would be difficult to dump exactly 1/2 the fluid out, but this will get you in the ballpark. If you dump a little over 50% of the fluid, it's probably better than dumping less than 50% of the capacity since you want to go thinner.
 
I have an '06 X-Terra with the same cold weather (#@$%!) performance. Tried the Amsoil MTG and it didn't help. Next went to 100% Redline MT-90 and that was no better. Finally settled on a 1qt. MT-90 and 3.5qt. MTL mix for a 75W-85 rating. Seems to work ok now but in really cold weather shifting to second is still a bear for the first minute or so...
 
MTG 75W-90 neat is not the bomb either as noted. The vis is near 15cSt at 100°C and may work in hot places, but cold winters it's not ideal.

MTG and MTF blend is. It's what I run in my Volvo 5 speed. You can do the 1 qt MTG, remainder MTF mix or another ratio suitable to your climate.
 
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I have an '06 X-Terra with the same cold weather (#@$%!) performance. Tried the Amsoil MTG and it didn't help. Next went to 100% Redline MT-90 and that was no better. Finally settled on a 1qt. MT-90 and 3.5qt. MTL mix for a 75W-85 rating. Seems to work ok now but in really cold weather shifting to second is still a bear for the first minute or so...

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Well I guess I'll just accept the fact that the tranny is tough to shift when below freezing, no matter what reasonable viscosity fluid is in there. I am in the same situation as after about a minute it is tolerable and then when warm my Redline brew is better than the factory fill, so I guess I'll either let it idle and spin the gears for a few seconds before driving off or just be cautious for a mile or so. Thanks for the help guys. I might try Pablo's suggestion SF MTL-P next time.
 
I have 50/50 Amsoil MTF/MTG in my specv. It still doesn't shift great when cold. It hasn't even been that cold here. And it still has probs going into first even after I've driven a while. At first I thought it was somewhat better than the 60/40 MTL/MT90 mix....But its not that much different.
I think I will use straight Redline MTL next time.
 
Quote:

I have 50/50 Amsoil MTF/MTG in my specv. It still doesn't shift great when cold. It hasn't even been that cold here. And it still has probs going into first even after I've driven a while. At first I thought it was somewhat better than the 60/40 MTL/MT90 mix....But its not that much different.

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How does it shift with stock fluid?
 
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And the 6-speed gearbox is an abomination. Several times, while attempting a downshift from 6th to 5th on the expressway, I found myself floating around in neutral until, with a jolt, the box slipped into 3rd. Thank goodness for close-ratio gears, otherwise the revs might have flown through the open sunroof. A loose shift knob made things worse, spinning on its shaft whenever I desperately needed guidance.

Click to expand...


From this review
 
It shifts less than great always. Why else would I have changed the fluid twice already? I was just sayin you cant polish a turd even with Amsoil fluid.
 
Quote:

I was just sayin you cant polish a turd even with Amsoil fluid.

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Yes true...but look at all the great stories you get when you try to polish a turd......definitely worth it...
ooo.gif
 
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