my manual calls for sae 90 gl-5

[jay929]

for my atv front diff. i thought sae meant straight. All the places i went to had 75w90 or 80w90. will those work as long as its Gl-5?

 

[INDYMAC]

Check some motorcycle shops or marine shops.

 

[MaximusD]

I can't see why you couldn't use a 75w in this application. Better flow properties when cold you'd think would be an advantage...

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: jay929
for my atv front diff. i thought sae meant straight. All the places i went to had 75w90 or 80w90. will those work as long as its Gl-5?


YES

 

[NateDN10]

"SAE" stands for Society of Automotive Engineers. They're the people who came up with the viscosity categories (20, 30, 40, etc.) we use. So technically, there's SAE 90, and there's SAE 75W-90. The absence of a "W" number indicates a "straight weight".

That said, it's generally OK to use a 75W or 80W-90 in place of a straight 90 as long as it's GL-5. But like INDYMAC said, it may be wise to check with ATV experts to see if there's a specific reason for the straight 90 recommendation.

 

[wkcars]

you can try buying this online or other straight brands sae 90 http://www.motul.com/us/en-US/products/58

 

[mechtech2]

A multigrade is better.
Same when at running temp, but better when cold/cool.

 

[jay929]

cool, thanks

 

[artificialist]

Many Japanese cars and trucks with solid rear axles call for SAE 90. In those vehicles, I use conventional 80w90 or synthetic 75w90 based on what I can find quickly. I never have a problem.

Also, my car has a transfer case and rear differential that calls for SAE90 but I use Valvoline 80w90 conventional there.