imapunkclaimer

iTrader: (29)

yea it was kinda confusing...
i sorta zoned out about halfway through when the useful information stopped, but heres why i had a hard time.

It says to buy 75w90 gear oil so i did. i bought Redline 75w90, but thats the GL5. So then i realized theres Redline MT and MTL. I looked up MT on the net and its 75w90 except GL4. So anyways i found what i was looking for, just got a little confused cause this is new to me.

thedeatons

Hey, thought you might want to read this... I also confirmed this with the engineers at Red Line.. It is their recommended fill.... Originally posted by Dookie.... James


"I just got off the phone with Red Line and they recommended the following for the manual tranny: 1 Qt. of Mt-90, and fill the rest with MTL. I find it odd that people are using straight MTL because it's a 70W80 gear oil, and not the recommended 75W-90 gear oil like some have stated initially in this thread."

comatose721

iTrader: (16)

i don't want to high jack this thread but i really need some of the guru's to help me out on this (i don't want to start a new, redundant thread). i've been reading up on full synthetic gear oil...sounds great, benefits look very pleasing, couldn't wait to do it. read more on the forums and there are a lot of good things people had to say and a lot of bad things. so i called my local speed shop who said that they would recommend it over 'standard' gear oil...in a second opinion i called my local mechanic (i've used him many times to have my custom exhaust made, exhaust remade, custom DP, etc....very reliable, treats me like his son, an always always always cuts me deals under the table) he basicly said he would not recommend do it. he said it is not a good idea to switch to synthetic midway through the life of the trans (pending it hasn't used synthetic before)...he says without a doubt it can be done. he recommended having the trans flushed an said he'd cut me a deal what do you think i should do? i really would like to go synthetic but i am sceptacle after such varied opinions....guru's what do you think?

note: i have the LSD and need to use the posi-trac (or another LSD additive) in my trans...would that be compatible with sythetic? ....or is my best bet to call up Redline on that question?

thedeatons

Good call by asking.... You should definitely call Red Line for their recommendation. Every tranny model is different and therefore requires a different gear oil.

I myself do not agree with your mechanic... My father has mentioned things about "Don't change things with an old engine" and this and that. Frankly, it's a machine that doesn't know the difference. The only bad effects I have heard of from changing to synthetic is that with oil you may get some blow by through the cylinder wall to ring gap because it's a different consistency. That being said, I have never had that problem.

For the record I have an '02 Lancer that I beat the **** out of on the freeway in SoCal, commuting over 100 miles per day at 80-85+mph. My car now has 106,000 miles on it, and is running great. I initially changed to Red Line gear oil at ~40k miles, then just changed it again at 105k miles. I could tell it needed changing, the shifting felt notchier than usual and had been growing progresively worse. This was amplified by the fact that I have a short shifter in the car. I so notice the difference within 100 miles of changing the fluids out. I have had ZERO ill effects with my transmission since the change.

In addition to the synthetic gear oil I also run Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil (5w30) in the car with a Mobil 1 filter. I run extended drain intervals, meaning the oil stays in the car for 10,000 miles, and the filter is changed every 5,000 miles. Once again, this has never shown any ill effects and the oil is still a honey brown when it is drained. The car is constantly redlined in each gear to keep up/pass traffic, as that is my driving style. I fully expect this car to last me to 200,000 with no internal problems.

I cannot say I would spend the money on a flush. I know is is supposedly the better way to go, and depending on the cost may be worth it, but after changing the fluids on my own twice with no bad effects and this many miles, it's obviously not a necessity. You should easily be able to swap the fluid out yourself within fifteen minutes, as it's easier than an oil change (there is no filter so less to swap out). Any of the Evo guys should be able to help with specifics, as I only have knowledge of the US Lancers. Rest assured there is an easy way to do it and a hard way. I personally use a funnel with a three to five foot long vinyl tube on the end, and sit the funnel in the engine compartment, with the hose run to the fill hole, and a drain pan underneath it to refill. This same method worked on my father in law's Jeep Wrangler.

It should also be noted that the editor of European Car took his BMW to a local shop a couple years ago, had it dynoed, then swapped to full synthetic fluid (engine oil, manual tranny fluid, and rear end gear oil) then had it dynoed again same day within two hours of the first run, and gained 6hp. Most of you know how difficult it is to gain hp in your car..... Nuf said... James

urbanknight

iTrader: (14)

comatose, I have had Redline gear oil in my trans for about 26,000 miles now, but it's really hard for anyone to tell if you're mechanic is right or wrong at the moment, since our trannies are expected to last at least 100k miles. So I've got about another 50k to go before I could tell you if it was really detrimental.

comatose721

iTrader: (16)

i understand where you are coming from with the 100k deal and not knowing right away...i'm just worried about immediate effects like grinding gears as some people have mentioned and/or damaging my LSD.

thedeatons

To reiterate and add to what I mentioned previously:

I have a short shifter in my car, and it felt notchy and like crap with the standard "from the factory" tranny fluid... Once I switched to Red Line it was literally as if I was rowing a hot knife through butter. There have been no gears ground on the Red Line gear oil, however, I would not use it for 60k miles as I did. This time I will be replacing the gear oil at ~45-50k miles of use, as I started notice the notchiness come back after that.

Dude, you're never going to get the answer you're looking for, here or anywhere else. Each new mechanic, whether shadetree or professional is going to tell you something different, fueled by a biased teacher or father, old ideals regarding fluids and new ideals alike. The best thing you can do is try it yourself and be the judge and read the tests in the mags. I feel I've given you the best information I can, and at this point I would recommend calling Red Line, asking to speak to an engineer, and voicing your questions to him. Every product they make has been thoroughly tested at racetrack levels of driving, and refined to make the best product. There is a reason the stuff costs $9 per quart, and that is due to their engineering staff and product development cost. If you don't believe what the company's engineers tell you about their product, then I would recommend sticking with what you have.

I myself will NEVER use petroleum products in my manual transmissions again, as I have seen the difference. I can guarantee you no-one on the track who knows what they are doing is using the cheap stuff. Hopefully you find this helpful, and don't get discouraged in your search. James

urbanknight

iTrader: (14)

Well for more short term concerns, my transmission shifts much smoother with the Redline oil than it ever did before. No grinding (unless I release the clutch too soon), no problems.

comatose721

iTrader: (16)

sounds awesome. thanks for the info guys....i'm going to call redline and ask about the LSD, wait another 1k miles and then do the switch. if my memory is still with me i'll make a post about how things went with switching to synthetic with the LSD. thanks again.

comatose721

iTrader: (16)

UPDATE: okay so here is what i have found...i called and spoke with the tech at Redline (i believe his name was David)...first off i would like to make notice of the exceptional tech support of Redline. i was put on hold for no more then 30 seconds. the tech was very friendly, knowledgable, and helpful. they are definately a company i will continue to do business with ....anyways, i was told that it will be perfectly fine to switch over midway through the life of the tranny. after a short discussion about factory tranny options and aftermarket LSD's i was also informed that the differential should be fine with full synthetic. however, there was mention of different types of LSD's....i was unaware of this. i thought an LSD was just an LSD. the tech's guess was that i had a 'clutch type' LSD ...he said that the LSD MIGHT need to be adjusted/tweaked after switching over to full synthetic. i'm going to make a phone call to RRM and see what they have to say about both the type of differential and their opinion on adjusting/tweaking it. in closing, they recommended using 2 bottles of MTL and 1 bottle of MT 90. this will make a mixture of 75-85w (book calls for 75-85w or 75-90w). he said the lancer tranny runs a bit smoother on the weaker mixture.

so yeah, when i get my paycheck i will pick up the oil and do the switch. i'll let you know how it works and if RRM has anything to add to what i have learned.

urbanknight

iTrader: (14)

Yes, I believe you have a clutch type. There is also a viscous coupler type and some other kind I can't remember the name of off hand. The difference realy boils down to longevity. Viscous coupler units usually are standard equipment (like on the WRX) and break down quickly, essentially losing the "limited" part of "limited slip" (i.e. it no longer is an LSD) sad, but that's how it works. Luckily, most quality aftermarket LSDs are not like that, and the RRM one is no exception.

willRalliart

The ralliart MT takes

Quantity: 2.2 dm^3 (2.3 quarts)

blaze_125

iTrader: (8)

I searched and found... So I figured I'd bump it for others to see.

atilla

iTrader: (9)

thanks for posting the right quantity... i should have read this thread before checking out that guide for the evo VIII.

i ASSUMED that they'd be close when it comes to comparing the VIII and the OZ transmissions... oops! i've got a good half a quart of gear lube pissed all over my parking spot now since i forgot to slip the pan back under there, haha.

Alchemist

iTrader: (23)

I'd just like to add $0.02 to the topic of switching fluids. In an older engine- like something from the 70's or early 80's- there are a lot of rubber seals that are, in a lot of cases, held together by eons of gunk that have built up. Often, the switch to synthetic dislodges the gunk (actually because it doesn't break down like dino juice does, it doesn't replace the gunk that is displaced when the new oil washes it away) then the seals fail causing catastrophic engine or tranny failure. It shouldn't be a problem in a modern engine but be careful if you buy an old truck or car.