Need help with what gear oil to put in my '97 VR6

[LukeyVR6]

Hi all,

Im in UK and have a recently purchased 1997 mk3 golf VR6 12v, at 90k its long overdue a gear oil change and the shifting has become notchy and crunchy.

Ive been trawling the web trying to find some answers to this question, aswell as capacity, 2 litres?

it seems there are many answers and they all differ,

some people are saying put in redline MTL which is a 75w80, which im sure is original spec,
others say put in redline MT90, others say dont as it will make the crunching worse when cold.

Ive been into VW too and they had no clue, only telling me that they cant get the mineral oil that ETKA says my car came with any more but they can get the synthetic version which is part number G052171A2, the only one they can get hold of, from the net i found this is mk4 24v V6 4-motion gear oil.

The parts man didnt instill me with confidence by saying he didnt think anything too bad should happen if i used it.

I think the only definite thing i have found out is that it needs to be GL4 due to brass synchros (is this right?)

I need some guidance on what will be the best oil for my car, which is going to give the best shifting and the best protection for my 90k box, which is probably on its original oil as theres a joke going round VW that they are fill for life.

many thanks

 

[crrdvr6]

I use Redline MT90 in my corrado VR6 had have been using it for many years without a problem. The car gets used in the summer and see's the drag strip. Most guys I know run Redline MTL in their VR6's without a problem and with smooth shifting regardless of the weather.

 

[scurvy]

Mate, there may be other oils that are easier for you to get than Red Line. Generally any GL-4 (NOT GL-5!) oil that's roughly 75w90 should do fine. FWIW, there's a newer version of the G052 gear oil available from VW - G060726A2. This is synthetic and very good stuff. I have it in the gearbox of my wife's Beetle TDI.

 

[LukeyVR6]

i asked about the g60 and g70 and got a gormless face from vw man.

ill see if he can find the part number for the g60

i found this table of the various oils but dont know what the different numbers mean

although this doesnt include this newer g60 either

VI Vis@40C Vis@100C
..............15.6 = VW G50 (part number G005000/G005100) GL-4 (synthetic)
185 90.0 15.6 = Redline MT-90 75-90 GL-4
183 56.2 10.6 = Redline MTL 70-80 GL-4
198 34.0 7.5 = Redline D4 ATF Dexron III / Mercon / API GL-4
..... 31.2 6.5 = VW G52 (part number G052171A2) (Synthetic) - recommended by vw for V6 4 MOTION
.............. 6.3 = VW G52 (part numbers G052726A2 / G05272601) (mineral oil) - recommended by vw for VR6