Grand Master
red line tranny fluid
what do you suggest i use?
Automatic Transmission Fluid» Max ATF® is recommended for all applications where Ford MERCON»® / GM DEXRON® III transmissions fluids are specified. Provides outstanding rust and corrosion protection.
Manual Transmission Fluid» Synchromax® is recommended for manual transmissions that specify automatic transmission fluid, multi-viscosity motor oil or straight grade motor oil.
Synthetic Gear Oil» Max-Gear® is formulated to improve the efficiency of rear end assemblies and manual transmissions. Virtually eliminates both gear and bearing wear. API GL-4 / GL-5 Certified.
i'm not sure whats in there right now, but i think it is bmw's lifetime fluid....
Big, Big Time Poster
When I bought my car way back when, there was red ATF in the tranny. Don't know which brand or anything. I switched over to Redline MTL. I never really noticed a difference in feel or sound afterwards, I just like the fact that it is synthetic and Redline has pretty good products.
zmuff--1989 535i 5-speed--17" E39 Style 32's--JC chip--UUC Short Shift--
--Racing Dynamics Springs & Sways--Bilsteins--Yorktown, VA
Grand Master
I'd stick with ATF....
Tranny calls for ATF. Redline suggests using their D4 ATF in our 260/6. Been switching between that and Mobil 1 ATF for 5 years.....no problems.
Originally Posted by bahnstormer
Big Time Poster
[QUOTE=Scott H]Tranny calls for ATF. Redline suggests using their D4 ATF in our 260/6. Been switching between that and Mobil 1 ATF for 5 years.....no problems.
I have been researching this recently too. I recently switched to Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF. The first few times I drove the car, it was great. But it has stabilized now to not quite as great; but better than it was before... I also am experiencing some slight rattle in second gear around 1.5K to 2K revs. The fluid I drained out did not "look bad" and was still a fairly bright red. I don't know what brand it might have been. I read up on the Redline site and compared the numbers between Mobil 1 ATF and D4. The numbers are very similar. So I wonder if maybe I need to go to something heavier. The MTL appears to be of a much higher viscosity than the D4, but there is a High-Temp ATF offered by Redline which appears to be somewhere between MTL and the D4. In the numbers, it is closer to the MTL but not quite as viscous. Has anyone used this "High-Temp ATF" in a 6-speed before?
Major Contributor
Ditto on the D4 from Red Line, especially if the sticker on the trans says ATF.Tranny calls for ATF. Redline suggests using their D4 ATF in our 260/6. Been switching between that and Mobil 1 ATF for 5 years.....no problems.
Anthony
03/64 production
'91M5 - 11/90, was mine, it's Jim's now.
Big, Big Time Poster
Royal Purple?
It should be noted that Synchromax® manual transmission fluid and Max-Gear® synthetic gear oil are names for Royal Purple products, not Redline.
Nevertheless, I've used Redline and am now using RP and both companies stuff are good and should definitely be used!
Grand Master
You have a different tranny. Does it call for ATF or MTF?
I do not know what the sticker says on your tranny or what the typical 6 speed requires.
Are you sure the rattle you are hearing isn't resonance from a deteriorating flywheel at 155k miles? Your ears may not have been paying attention to it before and since you have changed fluids, you are focusing on that area....hence a "new" noise that may have been there for a while.
I have been researching this recently too. I recently switched to Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF. The first few times I drove the car, it was great. But it has stabilized now to not quite as great; but better than it was before... I also am experiencing some slight rattle in second gear around 1.5K to 2K revs. The fluid I drained out did not "look bad" and was still a fairly bright red. I don't know what brand it might have been. I read up on the Redline site and compared the numbers between Mobil 1 ATF and D4. The numbers are very similar. So I wonder if maybe I need to go to something heavier. The MTL appears to be of a much higher viscosity than the D4, but there is a High-Temp ATF offered by Redline which appears to be somewhere between MTL and the D4. In the numbers, it is closer to the MTL but not quite as viscous. Has anyone used this "High-Temp ATF" in a 6-speed before?
Big Time Poster
The flywheel and clutch were replaced around 49K miles ago... I would not think that it was bad at this point, but I never saw the PO drive the car. I don't know what his driving habits might have been. It calls for ATF... I have heard the flywheel rattle when starting off in low RPM and this is a higher-pitched rattle, but not quite in the range of a ping...
Last edited by 31Hertz; 05-26-2006 at 12:11 PM. Reason: left out info
Major Contributor
I've been running Redline MTL in my 540/6 for two years and find it to work well. I think it had plain ATF in it before, but it shifts slightly smoother at low temperature. There is still a bit of notchiness going into 2nd, but I think that's from PO shifting hard into 2nd. I have thought about running D4 ATF to get a little bit better low temp shiftability during the winter...anyone tried MTL then changed to D4 ATF?
Cheers,
Duey
Major Contributor
The factory ATF spec was created back when Dexron II was available, which was a dino fluid. Now that Dexron II is no longer available, our ATF choices are limited to full synthetic, or synthetic blend i.e. Dexron III or Mercon-4.
I have tried just about every type of fluid that is out there, trying to get smooth syncro action, and have finally settled on Redline MTL.
Various types that I have used:
- synthetic GL-4 gear oil -- great in spring/summer/fall, too stiff in winter
- synthetic ATF -- too slippery, syncro's didn't engage properly & had a signficant brass metal flake residue in the oil when I drained it
- Pennzoil "Syncromesh" -- very smooth but someone on the Roadfly e28 board e-mailed Pennzoil's tech department and they said it wasn't compatible for the Getrag 260 trannies
Swepco 201 dino gear oil, popular with Porsche 911's -- very smooth & quietest of all, but stiff in winter for the 1st few miles.
It's interesting to note that the e28 Bentleys even states that 10W30 or 10W40 motor oil can be used within given temperature ranges.
From what I have researched, I would avoid a full synthetic unless it is specifically formulated for syncro's. Syncro's are dependent on a certain amount of friction to operate properly, and most synthetics are too slippery unless they are formulated with the proper friction modifiers.
One must also be careful with GL-5 gear oil, whether dino or synthetic. Many of them are corrosive to "yellow metal" i.e. brass syncro's. Most GL-4 gear oils are compatible, but check the label to make sure.
Mine is due for a change and Amsoil has recently come out with a manual transmission fluid, so I'm going to try it next and will report back my findings.
gale
92 735i 5-spd, turbo project finally underway!
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