manual trans fluid change.

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So my 2004 xB has roughly 87k miles on it. The owners manual calls for it to be replaced every 30k miles with GL4 75w90. On other forums I've been reading about other owners using Royal Purple or Redline.

The Redline oil others have been using is MT-90. I assume that MT means Manual Transmission and 90 is the weight (like 75w90).

I'm sure that it's never been done before and I'd like to do it with my next oil change. Any opinions on spending extra cash for RP or Redline?
 
Out of the two I`d go with the redline MT90. It`s a dedicated manual transmission fluid. The RP is a rear differential oil.
 
Originally Posted By: Petrou
i'd use what the factory calles for, seriously


I didn't ask about using a different oil than what is called for. I asked if a certain brand is worth the extra money or not. No matter what I get it will be GL-4, that's what is called for. It will be 75w90, that's what is called for.

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Out of the two I`d go with the redline MT90. It`s a dedicated manual transmission fluid. The RP is a rear differential oil.


Aha! Good to know. What about the MT-90 verses some other brand of GL-4?
 
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Just go with mobil 1 75w90, we use in semi trucks at 300,000 mile drain intervals and accumulate well over a million trouble free miles. Tha other stuff is not worth the extra money imo.
 
The difference will be in the quality of the shift, especially in the cold.

Protection~wise, a standard transmission can run forever on about anything yellow-metal friendly.
 
Originally Posted By: Petrou
i'd use what the factory calles for, seriously


I agree. Go with the MT-90.

Originally Posted By: cassidy
Just go with mobil 1 75w90, we use in semi trucks at 300,000 mile drain intervals and accumulate well over a million trouble free miles. Tha other stuff is not worth the extra money imo.


Do you think GL-5 is more appropriate than GL-4 in a synchronized manual transmission calling for GL-4, or did Mobil start making a GL-4?
 
MT-90 is good.

I wouldn't use the Royal Purple.

Amsoil MTG is EXCELLENT stuff, though. That would probably be my pick.
 
I would definitely go with a synthetic. smoother shifts, (especially in the cold) reduced wear, and a longer service life. any of those would be fine: RP, RL, M1, Amsoil.
 
Woah, if your manual transmission calls for GL4, then use GL4 not GL5. The difference between GL4 and GL5 is that GL5 has a LOT more EP additives than GL4. EP additives (containing sulphur) can corrode yellow metal synchronizers in manual transmissions. MT90 is a good choice. You might also want to add a little RL lightweight shockproof.
 
Redline MT90, Amsoil MTG, Ford XT-4-QGL and XT-M5-QS ... are your 75w90 GL4 manual gear oils. You can also check with your local Toyota dealer but make sure you see the PN. Most dealers will just use GL5 bulk gear oil and call it a day.

And the GL5 corrosion issue is definitely over-hyped. Your 30k interval should be fine with just about any gear oil. To have a corrosion issue, you'll usually need to run the gear oil too long(buffering additives used up), add water to the transmission, overheat the gear oil, or a combination of the 3. The issue with most GL5's is that they come with a variable dose of LSD additive. Some manuals don't respond to LSD additive and make shifting difficult. Other manuals shift smoother with the additive. Trial and error!

The GL5 gear oils, like Neo 75w90HD, RoyalPurple Maxgear, Motul Gear300, Redline 75w90NS, Ford XT-75W90-QGT, Eneos MT, Silkolene Silktran Syn 5, Synlube, Idemitsu MTF, Torco RTF ... are some that deliver excellent results.

Toyota has moved to an LV-MTF on newer manuals. Nissan, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, GM, Chrysler also have moved some gearboxes to a 75w85 gear oil, instead of the 75w90 or 80w90's that were used for years. If your climate is colder, I see no reason to use the 75w90. The various OE PN's in 75w85 are easy choices too and what I would use. The 75w85 is what happens when you mix Redline MTL with MT90, or Amsoil MTF with MTG. This mixing of like fluids/brand is a common way to thin out a thicker gear oil to improve shift quality if residing in the northern states, or if you have a grumpy transmission.
 
Your transmission will not like a GL5. Redline MT90 is a 75W90. I use MT90 in my Toyota. I tried the Amsoil MTG, their SVG (GL5) and the MT90. Of the three, MT90 is by far the best for my application. I am running a mix of MT90 and MTL in my car now (two to one).
 
Since it hasnt been replaced before I would toss in a standard 75-90 or whatever the factory calls for. Keep it in for like 10k miles then replace with the good stuff so it does some extra cleaning.
 
Woah. I get home from work to find my thread has exploded! After reading through all of the responses (thanks, btw) the Redline and the Amsoil are sounding really good.

Other xB owners on various forums swear by MT-90. They swear that there is a huge improvement in shift feel.

Originally Posted By: unDummy
If your climate is colder, I see no reason to use the 75w90.


I live in south central Pennsylvania, so winters can dip into freezing temps and summers can hit the 80's - 90's. I don't consider myself to live in a climate that befits a lighter oil.

I think I'm sold on MT-90... now I just need to find a local retailer that carries it as I'm impatient and don't want to wait for it to ship.

Does anyone know of any national chains that carry Redline products?
 
I never see Redline gear oil at my local chain stores. However, most of my local speed shops sell a complete line of Redline gear oil.

Do you have any local speed shops?
 
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