What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

Ok, I know this is a topic that has already been brought up billion times. And I have searched and read many reviews all over and seen soo many different views on all of the different oils and fluids.

I just got done installing my new clutch kit on my 94 teggy LS and I am unsure of what Trans fluid I should get.
My teggy has about 90,000 miles on it.

The manual recommends using Honda MTF.
There are substitutes like 10W-30 or (10W-40 for longer trips driving)
But I keep hearing of using Pennzoil 10W-30 or others...

I have heard many good things for the following fluids:

-Honda MTF
-Redline
-GM Synchromesh
-Pennzoil 10W-30

What does everyone recommend???
How many quarts?? And how much does it usually run per quart??

whatever you do, DO NOT put in motor oil, it does not have the additives to keep your tranny shifting smooth.

The new Honda MTF is good stuff, also GM syncromesh which is re-labeled Penzoil Synchromesh.

Some people mixed the Honda mtf/penzoil synchromesh and have good results.

for me i would stick to 2 quarts of Honda MTF if your car shifts really well and doesnt grind. If it grinds put in synchromesh.

Re: (TOO MUCH TORQUE)
 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TOO MUCH TORQUE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">whatever you do, DO NOT put in motor oil, it does not have the additives to keep your tranny shifting smooth.

The new Honda MTF is good stuff, also GM syncromesh which is re-labeled Penzoil Synchromesh.

Some people mixed the Honda mtf/penzoil synchromesh and have good results.

for me i would stick to 2 quarts of Honda MTF if your car shifts really well and doesnt grind. If it grinds put in synchromesh.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, I heard the same thing about motor oil... especially after my buddys teggy started getting that notchy shifting after using motor oil.
But, I was thinking of buying the Penzoil synchromesh MTF that they have at autozone.

I hear good things about it, especially since my teggy is a 94 and no harm in trying to help prevent notches occurring.... til the gears mess up later on(knock on wood) lol.

Thanks for the info tho... appreciate it.

my friend put penzoil synchromesh from autozone into his accord and noticed no difference. His car was already shifting very smoothly. i would stick to honda mtf if your tranny is in good shape https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emthup.gif

i heard gm and redline are good, i have grind on 3rd =_=

i should change them soon

anyone know how redline is?

Re: (TOO MUCH TORQUE)
 

It shifts pretty smooth, but once in a while I'll get a notchy/grind shift... then gain, i had the same clutch and all that good stuff that the previous owner of the car had in it.
Besides, the Pennzoil is cheaper https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emthup.gif

I have heard good things from RedLIne and then i have heard bad.... it all depends on condition of your trans really. https://honda-tech.com/forums/images...es/emsmile.gif

Nothing is going to happen to your transmission if you use 10w-30 motor oil.

Usually if i can afford it i run syncromesh if not i run motor oil. Did this on 3-4 cars of mine with 0 problems.

The tranny hold 2.3 quarts.

And yes this has been covered one hundred million times.

Bleh!

so anybody know how much honda sell there honda mtf for?

i think its around $8.50 - $10 a qt now.

WTF People, Please don't give advice if you don't know what you're talking about.

Honda used to put their regular motor oil in their manual trans.

Please don't spread wrong/bad/misleading info.

I've been using 10w-30 oil on 2 teg for 6years now, no problem. Like what stokeless state above. Honda manual used to tell you to put 10w30 back then. But if you can affort the good stuff then buy it, if not used 10w-30.

Honda MTF.

Motor oil is okay in a pinch but only temporary. The honda stuff is really good. I've run the syncromesh in my audi and liked it, but it got a little notchy in the really cold weather. If I owned a honda/acura with a stock transmission i would run the honda MTF

honda mtf.. I have used gm synchromesh also and has worked well with slight grinds.

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

Alright, here's the deal.

The Integra transaxle takes 2.3 quarts of fluid, so you'll need to buy 3 quarts.

Honda used to specify motor oil 15 years ago, but they have changed their specification since then - thus the existence of Honda MTF. I would recommend that as a minimum. I used this from when I bought my car with 90K miles up until about 150K miles.

However I now run GM Synchromesh Friction Modified. This IS NOT the same as regular synchromesh fluid, or Pennzoil's synchromesh fluid. I have been using this fluid from about 150K miles to the current 272K original miles on the engine and transaxle, changed about every 25K miles or so. My transaxle shifts flawlessly (other than user error of course :P ), all day, every day, even on mornings with single-digit temperatures.

Unfortunately I believe this fluid has been discontinued by GM. I bought all that was left at a local dealer - 6 quarts for around $50 on my buddy's discount.

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

using redline mtf here. GM, honda or redline are all good choices. take your pick.

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

I tried Royal Purples syncromax http://www.royalpurple.com/productsi/synchromax.gif
and my tranny HATED it.

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

haha NOT the same as GM SM Friction Modified.

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

I flushed all that purple shit out with GM synchromesh and now everything is good in the hood

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

this is good stuff. i've seen many c4 corvettes that use this on the second and sometimes third motor with the OE tranny. the redline mtf also shifts really well and is an elite brand just like amsoil.

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

Wow.....I can't believe on how much money some of you are spending on MTF. Maybe it's worth it and good for the tranny in the long run, but still, almost $10 a bottle for Honda MTF, GM, Purple stuff, etc, etc?! Insane I say.

Well, I run two older Integras. A '91 GS and a '93 LS SE to be exact. I use these cars for commuting so I don't really care what I put in them as long as they get me to where I need to get to. Don't get me wrong, I do take care of them (wash, regular oil change, clean, etc.) and make sure all fluids are at its level.

I have to admit, I use cheapy Walmart motor oil (5W-40, 10W-40, whatever) in my both my trannys and it work just fine. Smooth shifting everytime, no grinds, unless it's my fault,.....NOTHING. Now, I'm sure some of you are asking yourself, "Why would he put such crap in his trannys? He must be CRAZY!" I'm the first to admit that I am in no way, shape or form a mechanic. But, I am fortunate enough to know people and have family members in the auto mechanic industry, corporate dealers (Acura & Toyota) and private ownership. My mechanic friends at the dealers told me that they put regular motor oil in pretty much all their trannys, especially the older non warranty cars. They just tell the consumers that they put in Honda, Toyota, GM, or whatever brand fluid that the manuel says. Regular motor oil works just fine. It will do no harm to the tranny.

So why all the dealer brand MTF? It's a money making marketing tactic. For example, Honda. Honda makes their Honda MTF. Then they tell all their customers to use Honda MTF because it wont mess up their tranny. The truth is, that's just a strategic way of getting more money from their customers and uninform consumers. Honda knows full well that regular motor oil works just as well as their MTF. If this is not true, then why would they tell their own mechanics to put regular motor oil in the trannys? Again, it's just a money making marketing tactic.

Sorry for making this post so long. I just signed on to this site and thought I would share some inside information that I got from my insiders.

Oh, one last thing from my mechanic friends.....in most cases, it's usually the driver that messes up the tranny, not the fluid that is used or the tranny itself. Just drive carefully, take care of your car(s), and the tranny wont break.

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

it works. many older cars like i 91 prelude for example actually call for motor oil.

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

Honda MTF contains friction modifiers that regular motor oil does not. Synchros WILL last longer if you use the correct fluid.

As for my car, my transmission has 272K original miles, running GM fluid changed out every 25K miles. As little as I've been driving lately, that means it will get changed about every 2 years or so. I think I can afford $30 once every other year for fluid that I know is good and that I know will keep my transmission running for as long as possible.

Yes Honda used to specify motor oil for the transmission. But this is just like a technical service bulletin released for some part on a car that advises it be replaced with a new redesigned version of that same part. Honda introduced their MTF around 1996, and now recommend it for all their manual transmissions from both before and after 1996.

Oh yeah, in my opinion, Honda dealer techs that "just use motor oil" are either lazy, cheap, or hope your transmission craps out earlier so you'll bring it in sooner so they can make more money :hammer:

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

My mechanic friends at the dealers told me that they put regular motor oil in pretty much all their trannys, especially the older non warranty cars. They just tell the consumers that they put in Honda, Toyota, GM, or whatever brand fluid that the manuel says.


The second part of this statement is the part that bothers me the most. They are compounding their laziness, cheapness or hope of inducing failure with out-and-out lies to their customers. That is unforgivable, IMHO.

Re: What Kind of Transmission oil/fluid in manual trans???
 

You know, it bothered me too; about being mislead or lied to by the dealership and/or private repair shop techs. It's just wrong and unethical in everyway.

However, fellas.........don't get too upset and/or take it personal. It's just business. Once I saw that it was just business, I wasn't mad anymore. It's like what my business professor said in class, "It's a DOG EAT DOG world out there. Corporate America's main goal is not to make friends. Their main goal is to make as much money as possible." Unfortunately, it's the nature of the business. As a matter of fact, it's the nature of almost all businesses. I work in Corporate America and I'm sure most of you do too. If you hang out with upper management long enough, you'll start to see how cheap a company can be. And at what lengths they would go to, to save a buck or make a buck.

As for the techs being lazy, cheap, and hoping for future failure........cheap and hoping for future failure, YES, but I don't think it's laziness. It's not like a bottle of motor oil is an arms length away and a bottle of brand name MTF is down the street. If the techs were lazy, they will not go down the street to get the MTF. I'm sure both the motor oil and the MTF are stocked on the same shelves. They just chose to use the motor oil to save a buck for the company.

Anyway, back to the subject topic.........I chose to use cheap motor oil for my trannys because it's good enough for my Teggies to perform the tasks I need them to do. I'm sure the OEM and expensive MTF are better than cheap motor oil. I use nothing but OEM and top notch fluid/oil for my 3000GT VR4. Even with gas. I only gas my VR4 at 76 Stations or/and Chevron with their premiun gas because they claim to add ethnol and techron, respectively. I honestly don't know if it gives my car and advantage to gas there. I do it because it's my first car, I've had it for almost ten year, bought it when I was 19, blah, blah, blah, and I treat it with the so-call "best" products out there. As for my Teggies, whatever works is fine with me.

What I'm saying is that motor oil will work just like the expensive stuff. Maybe not as well to the trained eye, but it'll work. If your Teggy is your pride and joy, your baby, your only car, whatever; sure, treat it with the best stuff out there. But if you're short on cash in this horrible economy, use motor oil as an alternative and it'll do just fine.

I apologize to the mechanics/techs out there if I made you all sound like scumbags for lying to your customers. Like I said, don't take it personal. I know it's business and I completely understand.:thumbup: