AW-1 Aisin Warner ATF oil

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Hi guy,

My Saab 93 MY2006 has an Aisin Warner TF-80SC 6-speed tranny. The recommended
oil is AW-1 (I imagine AW stands for Aisin Warner). The GM P/N is 93165147.
The Saab WIS (Workshop Instruction Manual) says it's a mineral oil.

But a lot a oil manufacturers claim they build multi-ATF for lots of "standards" or
"specifications", and they generally are synthetic fluids. AW-1 compliant oil is
quite easy to find along with JWS3309, DEXRON, etc.

I've crawled the internet for lots of resources, but the more I read, the more it confuses
me. For example, some owners warn against JWS3309 oil (they say it's for the 5-speed AT).

I've emailed Aisin Warner Europe for some information on AW1 and here is the answer:

Dear Mr,

Thank you for your mail.

Regarding your question, you can get the genuine ATF named “AW-1” only at the car dealer at this time.
We are considering to sell it to aftermarket in the future, but not yet.

AW-1 is not following the standard like Dexron, Marcon, etc.

In the past, all of the transmission manufacturer in Japan followed the GM standard, Dexron because the original structure of automatic transmission has come from U.S.A.

However, the manufacturer in Japan considered more small, fuel-efficient transmission. As a result, the required performance has been changed.
Therefore, AW-1 does not follow Dexron. I think the base oil may follow the “JWS” but the finalized ATF, sorry I am not sure.

Best regards,

Hiromi Kato
加藤 博巳
Vice President
After Market Division
AISIN EUROPE S.A.



So do you have an idea where to find (in Europe, so a brand name should be ok) AW-1
mineral oil, or is it safe to mix old oil with fresh synthetic AW-1 compliant oil?

I've read AW-1 is made by Ravenol in Germany but can't confirm that.


Thanks a lot for any hint.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Oilvic
My Saab 93 MY2006 has an Aisin Warner TF-80SC 6-speed tranny. The recommended
oil is AW-1 (I imagine AW stands for Aisin Warner). The GM P/N is 93165147.
The Saab WIS (Workshop Instruction Manual) says it's a mineral oil.


Fluid Change on the Aisin Warner AWTF-80SC

"Recommended Fluid: GM Part # 93165147. Or if you don't want to spend $25 a liter from GM then you can go for the Ford Motorcraft XT-8-QAW Transmission fluid. Exact same stuff but much cheaper at $8 a quart from your local Ford dealer."
 
I've just called my local Ford dealer.

He said he cannot do anything without a Ford "finish code" which seems
to be a 7-digit code.

With only XT-8-QAW, he can't do anything. Kind of stupid, but that's
reality.

Does someone can help me finding this code?
 
If you have a valid GM # any GM dealer should be able to query GM's part system to see if it's still available, and if it is order it.

The Motorcraft number is available through retail parts outlets:

Ford Fluid XT-8-QAW

From Motorcraft I see the Ford spec this fluid meets is WSS-M2C924-A.

On a hunch I checked ExxonMobil's website and found this:

Mobil ATF 3309

This is the common Toyota T-IV, JWS 3309, GM 9986195 for Aisin-Warner automatics which meets WSS-M2C924-A.

Not only is it readily available, several aftermarket ATFs can be used to replace it.

I would check into the Motocraft and verify the Ford Spec. If it is in fact WSS-M2C924-A, you're overthinking this.
 
My 2012 Buick Regal GS specifies the AW-1 fluid for the 6speed auto (AF40-6). Amsoil synthetic ATF ( Amsoil ATL ) meets that requirement. When it's due for a change, I'll refill with the Amsoil fluid. Much cheaper than the ATF fluid at the dealer.
I've used Amsoil's signature series ATF in my 1999 Grand Prix GTP (which was modified) and it worked well. Much smoother shifting when cold and remained bright pink after 100k.

2012 Buick Regal GS
1999 Grand Prix GTP (a few mods)
 
My 2003 Saturn ION had an Aisin transmission, and it called for T-IV. I used Royal Purple and it worked fine. I changed to RP at 20,000 miles, and around 100,000 miles, I sold the car. The transmission was fine.
 
Hi guys,

I've asked another Ford dealer in my city, with a print copy
of XT-8-QAW 1 quart bootle (recto/verso). He was unable to
find it. I told him it was a US ref but no success.

I think I will stick to GM 93165147 I can find here, either
at Opel or at Chevrolet (even at former Saab dealer). Problem
is that it's about 23 euros for one liter, very expensive oil!

To bring little more trouble to the conversation, I've read this
article:

https://www.aftonchemical.com/Insight/KnowledgeCtr/Research_Trends/Documents/ATFspreads.pdf

and sent an email to the author.

Here is my original email with his answer:

Hi Brad,

I've just been reading your excellent article on ATF fuilds called Myths of the Multi Vehicle ATF.

As I have no success finding the information I need, you might help me in finding the right clue.

My tranny is an Aisin Warner TF80SC 6-speed automatic transmission, mounted
on my Saab Sport sedan 2006 (Diesel but it doesn't seem to be meaningful). The recommended oil is AW-1 (which I guess is Aisin Warner-1). The GM P/N
is 93165147.

The problem is that I can't find the right standard for that oil for me to buy an OEM brand because Saab went belly up. All major oil maker (Us, Europe, etc) claims their ATF fluids is kind of magic and are suitable for lots of standards which seem crazy to me. And your article is confirming what I think.

So, my question is: how to find the right standard for such an exotic AW-1 (which is not really a standard per se).

Thanks a lot for any help and kudos for your article.


Alain,
Thanks for your inquiry about transmission fluids.

My technical team took a look at your note and offered the following comment:

Alain is correct. My references indicate that for that a 2006 Saab with a TF80SC 6-speed automatic transmission calls for P/N 93 165 147. If he is looking for a finished product that meets this performance specification, then a fluid made with our HiTEC®3418M will suffice here. Some products in the market that would meet this specification include:
· MAG 1 DEXRON®-VI ATF

· Shell Spirax S6 ATF X

· Gulfpride Synthetic Multi-Vehicle DEXRON®-VI



And thanks for reading my article, I hope this information helps.


Brad Onofrio
Director of Marketing
Afton Chemical


 
BTW,

Is it possible to download or get the WSS-M2C924-A Ford
specification?

It should be interesting to compare this oil specs to other brands.
 
Valvoline makes a multi vehicle ATF that works perfectly in Aisin AW-1 transmissions, but I don't know if their European division has it. I'm not sure what the Valvoline fluid would cost in Europe, but I am sure it is much less than what a dealership would sell.
 
From the Motorcraft site:

Motorcraft® Premium Automatic Transmission Fluid is a premium-quality fluid recommended by Ford Motor Company for use in the AW F21 6-speed transmission
It has unique frictional characteristics specific to this transmission
It has excellent high temperature thermal and oxidative stability, and protects against transmission shudder
Do not use for applications recommending MERCON® LV, MERCON® V, MERCON® SP, Type F fluid, Continously Variable Chain Type Transmission Fluid or FNR5 Automatic Transmission Fluid


So apparently, this TF-80SC has specific features. I'd like to find out what are AW-1 specs in order to compare.
 
When in doubt with drivetrain fluids, Castrol is often a good place to look. Although your reply from Japan indicates there really isn't a standard, per se, for this, Castrol indicates that its ATF Multivehicle (from the UK site; my French is way too rusty to play around on the French site) is suitable for Aisin Warner JWS 3309. Check here for full details.
 
Thanks Garak,

What makes me feel cautious with all these multi-ATF, multi-recommendations, multi-vehicles is that the AW-1 fluid is solely for the TF-80SC for Saab or GM. And some on the Saab forums warn against JWS3309 which is for the 5-speed tranny.

And indeed, the Ford equivalent fluid is also solely for one tranny, which is the same as GM one (Aisin Warner TF-80SC).

I've found a lot of oil makers who provide these kind of magical fluids (Motul, Castrol, Febi, Revinol, Esso, etc) but, apart from ACDelco, none is only AW-1.

As I want to only change part of the fluid (not a full drain, only 2/3 liters), I prefer not to mix oils.

I've found this Japan oil:

http://www.mitasuoil.com/en/mj-325

which refers to AW-1 and JWS3324 on the same line, making me think these are (quite) the same fluids or refer to the same specs. But it's impossible from the name to get information on oil specs.

To add confusion again, Volvo/Peugeot/Renault/... also use this tranny with the JWS3309 fluid !! Maybe the TCM module embeds a GM-modified firmware version for this tranny which is particularly suited for Saab (or GM's) ?
 
My only point is that Castrol does make a fair number of OEM drivetrain fluids, and at least one of them is marketed to the general public as a multi-vehicle ATF, yet the same product is the actual OEM lube. Don't ask me which off the top of my head; I'd have to go through a bunch of approval lists.
wink.gif


Castrol makes a substantial number of OEM drivetrain fluids, and they are one company I'd tend to trust if they say an ATF is suitable. Incidentally, I wonder who made the fluid for ACDelco and what it "really" is, given Mobil's long standing relationship with ACDelco.

I certainly feel for you and even doing a cursory search on the matter is rather daunting. At least JWS 3309 isn't a dedicated manual transmission lube, so that gives us some solace, but I agree, it's confusing and worrisome. Maybe fire an email to Castrol and see if they have any ideas from their current lineup on your side of the Atlantic.
 
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