Best transmission/differential oil

[apexi]

I think it's too early for me to condemn NS. Today the transmission has been shifting great, none of the complaints in my previous post. If this keeps up I will have zero complaints about NS, but time will tell.

 

*I hadn't read any of the recent replies when I posted this, and I didn't know Bac had such a bad experience with NS. I thought you just had trouble with grinding after a few thousand miles, I'm a little bit nervous now. I don't plan to dump it out, but I'm going to keep an eye out for any changes in shifting and go from there.

[Max Capacity]

After reading Nolmer06LGT, & BAC5.2 post. I'm having second thought's about switching to straight Motul300.

 

I'll stop by the speed shop on the way home and pick up the 3 qt's of RL LWSP he has.

 

I don't have any issues with my 5mt but just would like to see if there's a difference from the Amsoil Severgear in there now. Tranny has 30,000 miles since the rebuild.

[Nolmers06LGT]

After reading Nolmer06LGT, & BAC5.2 post. I'm having second thought's about switching to straight Motul300.

 

I'll stop by the speed shop on the way home and pick up the 3 qt's of RL LWSP he has.

 

I don't have any issues with my 5mt but just would like to see if there's a difference from the Amsoil Severgear in there now. Tranny has 30,000 miles since the rebuild.

 

I've heard straight Motul is fine in the 6mt's, but that doesn't seem to be the case for the 5mt. Here's a link to my thread where I describe the issues I was having. You may recognize it:lol: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/finicky-shifting-after-extended-driving-198210.html

[Max Capacity]

Duh....right.

 

That's what I get for trying to overthink this.

 

Gee, I guess I can use it in the 09 Spec B when it comes time. Or just use it in the rear diffs and stay with the Severgear in the tranny's.

 

But I would like to try the cocktail in the 5mt.

 

BAC5.2, am I being stupid here? I know I should have asked you first. The 5mt has Severgear in it now at just over 30,000 miles, I can order more Amsoil and have it here by Tuesday.

[BAC5.2]

I've never tried or torn apart a box running the Amsoil, do I don't have any particular opinion on it.

 

30k is definitely change time, though.

[Max Capacity]

I'll order the Severgear then. The tranny still shifts as good as when my buddy rebuilt it.

[Max Capacity]

Order is placed with Amsoil.

 

That was easy.

[Impatient]

 

working at one of the most highly regarded Subaru transmission shops in the country, a BS and an MS in mechanical engineering, a fair bit of experience in gearbox design, and quite a long history of success with the shockproof/motul combo.

 

I didn't know that. (Is that plastered somewhere that I missed?). Seriously, thanks for answering that.

 

 

Why would I make recommendations to a target audience of racers, by suggesting the combo to owners of Foresters and Legacys?.

 

Spending too much time on this site & subaruoutback.org, I think I am right in concluding the LGT crowd is much more serious. People rally / race / autocross these things, no? Let me restate: there are some oils that are optimized for racing, and not suitable for DD. Let's agree its fair to say that you aren't targeting soccer moms, the LL Bean clothing models, and my grandmother. So it's possible your advice could be interpretted a number of different ways. Thanks for clarifying.

 

 

Since you don't seem to care about, or respect my opinion

 

Not true, just wanted more background

 

 

I'd suggest to anyone else with a similar situation to run straight Motul in the rear diff and top off the trans with Shockproof.

 

Thanks

 

 

I'd also suggest the ignorance of expecting any replacement interval.... You wouldn't treat your engine oil the same way, would you?

 

uh, yes, I would. I check it, but I still have an "expected" interval, and I think I am in the majority. If you are saying 30K is too high, that's one thing. Again, I bet there are plenty of Sub's with 100K on their trans fluid. Subaru recommends 60K. But what the heck, maybe that's why I blew one Toyota transmission twice. (Of course, I've never obsessed over the other 10 stick shift trannies I've owned, with no problem...and several had well over 100K).

 

 

You don't have to follow my advice, or heed my warnings. You are perfectly free to attempt to duplicate my experience on your own.

 

Uh, no thanks

 

 

Redline's 75W90NS is terrible. I've used it in my own car, based on great reviews and it being "the right stuff".

 

So again, put yourself in a "layman's" shoes. RL Shockproof rocks, but the NS, which they recommend, sux. ??? I think that could cause a little confusion. Add that dealers "might" be putting in GL5 with LS friction modifiers, and saying "don't worry, it's OK."

 

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to respond, and I think you helped more people than just me with this response. Just sometimes we need more than just a "do this because I say so" answer.

[Impatient]

GOOD GRIEF. I figured since I was going to put $80-$100 worth of fluid in the 5-sp manual tranny I should replace the drain plug gasket ( 803926070 I think ). Called around, dealer doesn't have, next closest dealer doesn't have, local parts places don't have equivalent. So I ordered it from my dealer. You wouldn't believe how clueless the parts guy at the dealer was. How long should it take to get a friggin gasket? Was supposed to be in in 4 days, now, next week. Whine whine.

 

Anyway, if a dealer can't keep something this simple (and I assume needed for their service dept), what's going to happen when I need something a bit more involved. I should have just ordered from SubaruPartsOnline or someone like that in the first place.

 

I'm sure someone will say I don't need a new gasket...then someone else will say I do...where's the head-banging "smiley" when you need him!

 

Maybe I should have ordered an oil filter and crush ring. Those might be special-order-only at this dip-sheet dealer as well.

[apexi]

803926070 is actually the old part number, the new part number is 803926090. The new gasket is a different material than the old gasket.

 

Pictures comparing the two gaskets can be seen in the link below

http://www.westernsubaruclub.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=d57ae32744ba66a75506cf850e17cddc&topic=24850.msg323219#msg323219

[Impatient]

I assumed, but never asked: Are we SUPPOSED to change the gasket, or is it an "as needed" replacement?

[BAC5.2]

Replace every time.

[06legsleeper]

just a fast review of the gear i used in my trans this weekend ,

.

did a smfw and stage 2 clutch swap fri ..

 

i bought the valvoline syn power 75/90.

 

shifting is like butter , very smooth and effortless so far its keeping the trans nice a smooth .

only put about 20 miles on it so far but, so far so good

[Scubaru03]

I been running motul300 for 3 months and 3k miles on my 5 speed. It shifts great no problems. I had used royal purple a week before that and was hard to down shift and had to baby shift. My trans did not like rp but loves motul300. I will update if i have any issues. Just dont ever use royal purple.

[bagtowner34]

I have a newly acquired '92 SVX with a gen2 Legacy 5MT. Going to do Motul300/Redline lightweight Shockproof 50/50 up front, and Motul300 in the rear. Should I mix the 2 oils first, or just pour alternating bottles into the gearbox? 3.7qts is kinda hard to split 50/50 with a "freepour", so to speak.

[Nolmers06LGT]

just a fast review of the gear i used in my trans this weekend ,

.

did a smfw and stage 2 clutch swap fri ..

 

i bought the valvoline syn power 75/90.

 

shifting is like butter , very smooth and effortless so far its keeping the trans nice a smooth .

only put about 20 miles on it so far but, so far so good

 

Good luck- You would need serious mechanical problems to see issues in the first 20 miles.. Come back in a few thousand and let us know how the Valvoline treated you.

 

I been running motul300 for 3 months and 3k miles on my 5 speed. It shifts great no problems. I had used royal purple a week before that and was hard to down shift and had to baby shift. My trans did not like rp but loves motul300. I will update if i have any issues. Just dont ever use royal purple.

 

When I ran straight Motul it felt fine for the first few thousand miles. Then as the fluid thinned out I started having synchro issues.. That's where the shockproof comes in.

[bagtowner34]

I have a newly acquired '92 SVX with a gen2 Legacy 5MT. Going to do Motul300/Redline lightweight Shockproof 50/50 up front, and Motul300 in the rear. Should I mix the 2 oils first, or just pour alternating bottles into the gearbox? 3.7qts is kinda hard to split 50/50 with a "freepour", so to speak.

 

The Motul300/RLShockproof cocktail is magic! Had problems with grinding going from 2nd to 3rd, and had to rev match to get into 5th. Those problems are gone and the shifting is amazingly smooth. I am honestly amazed at what a great improvement this has made. Oh, I put 2 qts of RL in first, then topped up with Motul.

[Scooby2.5]

Hmm.. or it could just be that the 5mt feels much better with the mix. It could also be that the mix gives the trannies the right film thickness and viscosity. I'm no expert, but I wholeheartedly disagree.. The reason the mix fixes a grinding gear is that it is the best of both worlds- it keeps the gears happy, as well as allows the synchro's to function properly.

 

Like maybe the OEM fluid, Extra S

 

Scotties Coctail

[BAC5.2]

No one has suggested the idea of using Scotty's Cocktail.

[BoozeRS05]

Didn't read much of the thread, but ExtraS is the best gear oil for our 5mt trans IMO. You can anneal the copper washer to reuse it when changing gear oil.

[Scooby2.5]

No one has suggested the idea of using Scotty's Cocktail.

 

 

I've used many different gear oil set ups in my 5 speed over 12 years even famous "cocktails". The best fluid in my trans was Motul gear 300. Redline was second, and extra s was third. The motul gave me a very smooth shift and seemed to last the longest. Extra-s was great for maybe 3-5k miles but wasn't nearly as smooth as motul and didn't last as long feel wise. That's just my experience though. Figured I'd share since I've used so many different combinations in my trans.

[Nolmers06LGT]

 

That guy didn't know what he was talking about. BAC's cocktail is different than Scotty's cocktail. The latter has Synchromesh, which is not good for us. BAC's cocktail does not.

[Max Capacity]

Just ordered a 5 gallon pail of Extra-S yesterday from my local dealer. He said it was $160 for me.

[bagtowner34]

The Motul300/RLShockproof cocktail is magic! Had problems with grinding going from 2nd to 3rd, and had to rev match to get into 5th. Those problems are gone and the shifting is amazingly smooth. I am honestly amazed at what a great improvement this has made. Oh, I put 2 qts of RL in first, then topped up with Motul.

 

Update. was running great. then clutch petal stuck to the floor, and salve cylinder "burst" draining the hydraulics. My tech says he has to drop the transmission, "maybe the pressure plate" . does this make any sense?

[BAC5.2]

You don't need to drop the trans to replace the slave. You would for the pressure plate, though.