I was running valvoline 80w gear oil in my transmission for about a month and then my tranny started sticking and not going into some gears. Does anyone think this is because of the oil I used? I read up a little and found that most people use GM syncromesh or Honda MTF and I'm really hoping to switch out to one of these oils and magically have my tranny working again. Not really looking for an expensive tranny rebuild...

So which one: GM Syncromesh VS Honda MTF

96 gsr tranny with type r gears


Modified by i-spit-hotfire at 9:17 AM 5/22/2007

 

your suppose to use any 5w30 motor oil. no wonder its sticking

 

What transmission? '74 Pinto? It's supposed to use gear oil. Maybe some early Hondas, too. You gotta tell us what you have.

 

true. i just assumed it was a honda. i guess he could be pushing a pinto

 

haha my bad...thought you guys at honda tech could help with my d16 powered awd gt9999r turbo'd pinto - hybrid hondas ftw

haha anyways it's a 96 gsr with type r gears
hint: the car in my avatar

 

OK then...
I was only bashing you for not saying. But I suppose a '77 Civic tranny would have been designed for gear oil, but the new stuff wants thinner oil.

Honda MTF would be a real good choice. I've never used GM SynchroMesh, but quite a few people have said it works great in modern Honda trannys.

 

I have always used a 10w-40. I daily drive the car and the gears feel the same as they did when i first got them. The thicker oil that u used dont seem to work good with sycros, but good with the gears, so u have to get somewhere in the middle.

 

In terms of of absolute viscosity, 10W-30 motor oil, Synchromesh, and Honda MTF are not terribly different from 80W gear oil (in fact, if anything, the 80W would be a bit less viscous). Gear oil and motor oil viscosity is measured differently, and so using 80W gear oil in your transmission is not the same as if you'd used an 80 weight motor oil.

If the gear oil is responsible for your transmission problems (and that's entirely possible, at least partially), it would be due to a difference in the lubricative properties of the oil, not simply the viscosity itself. You should definitely drain the oil and replace it with a proper fluid (I'd use Honda MTF) regardless, and see what the results are. Just be prepared for the possibility that your synchros are damaged in which case changing the fluid will not solve the problem.

 

i might be wrong but isnt 10w-30 the same as honda mtf? thats what i run in my gsr tranny,, i always used 5w-30 then lost 1st gear completely rebuilt it and shifts like new.

 

Honda MTF was made to be compatible in the Honda trannys that originally called for 10w-30 engine oil. But it's different, you can smell the EP additives.

 

so will the 10w-30 hurt my tranny over time?

 

cool sounds good....so honda mtf and hopefully i can magically makes things better

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by poppypizza &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so will the 10w-30 hurt my tranny over time?</TD></TR></TABLE>What year GSR tranny?

At least until '95 they actually called for 10w-30 because Honda didn't have their own MTF. Whenever Honda started selling their own MTF, they called for it beginning that model-year. I don't know whether they actually changed anything physically in the transmission to take advantage of the difference in oil.

 

not exactly sure i think 94... it doesnt have a tag on it,, some1 ripped it off. but should i go out and get honda mtf like soon and change it??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by poppypizza &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">but should i go out and get honda mtf like soon and change it??</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, the sooner the better.