Has anyone here tried it? Did you notice much of a difference in gearbox operation (shifting, noise, etc.)? TIA

 

i wouldnt use anything other than Genuine Honda Manual Transmission Fluid.

 

Any reason why? Have you tried anything else?

 

tried synthetic , too slippery i believe , as soon as the trans got warm bad grind from 3rd to 4th ------- changed back to mtf all gone

stick with honda they know whats up

 

Really! Too slippery...I'd never considered that possibility before.

 

I used it before, and I have to say.. dont do it..
Its rated at a thick 75W-90!
Great for differentials, but not the honda type gearbox.

 

best thing I did for the tranny was to go back to Honda MTF from Mobile 1... Mobile makes a good product, its just too thick and doesn't have the proper friction modifiers for Honda trannies...

 

Kewl, thanks for all the input guys. I'm kinda disappointed that it doesn't seem to be a good idea, though. I was all pumped up to go change the gearbox oil and feel the quality!

...and I imagine that when you say it's not good for Honda trannies...that means synchronizer damage (or something). But I thought tranny oil is supposed to be thick (80w-90w)....?

 

BTW, does anyone have a link or something on Honda gearboxes and why Mobil 1 doesn't work so well for them? Just curious....

 

I tried Mobil 1 10W30 in my '90 Integra's 5-speed tranny about 10 years ago. While it initially shifted fine, it grew very notchy after a couple hundred miles. As was mentioned before the synthetic MOTOR oil is too slippery. You'll ruin your synchros in a hurry ... and synchros are Honda's weakest link.

I was told that Red Line MTL was THE STUFF to use in synchromesh trannies ... and it turned out to be true. It's thin and synthetic so it shifts well in the cold and has the right additive pakage for gearboxes. Honda used to recommend 10W30 motor oil ... but since they went to the SJ standard, their additive package has been reduced so that it is inappropriate for gearboxes.

I haven't seen the Mobil 1 GEARBOX oil yet ... but I bet it is formulated similarly to Red Line (methodolgy, not base stocks). Mobil will use their tri-synthetic base add a lot of extreme-pressure anti-wear additives and friction modifiers to keep the oil from being too slippery.

Honda MTF is OK ... but isn't it formulated with mineral stocks? I know the stuff that had come in my last two Honda-Acuras wasn't anything to write home about, especially in the cold.

--- Bror Jace

 

I would never use MOTOR oil in my tranny...but thanks for the heads up.

I dunno, I've been trying to find reviews or stories about switching to synthetic MTF for a while now...no luck. I mean, if the synth is the same weight as the regular (and holds its viscosity better)...then how could it be inferior?

<---is very confused at the moment.

 

Here's an interesting debate on the same subject for those interested.

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=120061&page=1

 

risingson77: "if the synth is the same weight as the regular (and holds its viscosity better)...then how could it be inferior?"

I think it would be wrong to call it "inferior". It's more like a "misapplication".

Synthetic motor oils are too slippery for tranny synchros to do their job. They need some friction so they can engage each other at the time of the shift. So, using synthetic motor oil is hard on the synchros as they are thrown together despite being unable to properly engage each other. Does that make more sense?

--- Bror Jace

 

Try to look at one of my thread, it's a transmission fluid pool, Great info.

 

Yes, that makes more sense. What I didn't understand was that Honda trannies require a light oil. I thought all trannies would need a heavier weight gear oil.

So I still need to change my gearbox oil. The car is at 49k...with the original oil. I'd like to try Redline, but I may stick with Honda MTF just to be on the safe side.

Besides, I don't race my Teg, so I guess I don't really need super high performance gearbox oil.

 

Link, please?