5 speed guys! Who use Red Line Diif and Tranny Gear Oil?

[Turbo Ready]

Hi Guys,

I have read a few links about people having "issues" with Red Line gearbox and diff gear oil.

I could not remember the specifics, but for you guys who are using it, please indicate what weight of the Red Line oil you are using and please share your opinions regarding the oil.

Thanks.

[Sam-Son]

I am using redline but I have no idea what the weight is

[bfd]

Hi Guys,

I have read a few links about people having "issues" with Red Line gearbox and diff gear oil.

I could not remember the specifics, but for you guys who are using it, please indicate what weight of the Red Line oil you are using and please share your opinions regarding the oil.

Thanks.

For my 1990 535i, 5spd, 114K miles, I used Redline in both my manual tranny and differential. I used both Redline MTL and synthetic ATF in my tranny and 70/90 gear oil in the diff. Worked fine. I believe the synthetic atf was a little bit smoother.

Currently, I'm using Royal Purple Synchromax in the tranny and Maxgear in the rear end. Again, works fine.

I think the key is to change every 20k to 25k miles. I will say that a good synthetic does make the shifting really smooth. Good Luck!

[Turbo Ready]

Thanks for the replies Sam and BFD.

BFD, why did you switch from Red Line to Royal Purple? I looked up the specs on Red Line site, and according to a few guys, the MTL (70W80) Redline carries is good for the gearbox and their 75W90 Gear Oil for the Diff.

Seems as though most people are using this combo.

I do agree with you on this "I think the key is to change every 20k to 25k miles. I will say that a good synthetic does make the shifting really smooth. Good Luck!"
Will be better than Dino oil for sure :D

Thanks.

[ThoreauHD]

75w90 and D4ATF on the auto side. I find its much better than what I had, which was OE dyno. I will be changing it out at 10K miles along with the filter kit just to be on the safe side. Going from dyno to synthetic is supposed to have a break in period where you change it out in a short interval, then go the norm of 60-80K.

[Turbo Ready]

75w90 and D4ATF on the auto side. I find its much better than what I had, which was OE dyno. I will be changing it out at 10K miles along with the filter kit just to be on the safe side. Going from dyno to synthetic is supposed to have a break in period where you change it out in a short interval, then go the norm of 60-80K.

So Thor, you are using the Red Line MT-90? Yes, I think one of the main reasons for doing an initial short interval gearbox oil change, going from dyno to synthetic also has to do with the cleaning detergents the synthetic oil has. It will remove all the dirt and other build up within the gear box, so it's better to change it not long after it was added to get rid of all the stuff it had removed from the gearbox.

Thanks for the input.

[RockJock]

the three year warranty on Jim Blanton's Getrag 260/6 rebuilds calls for Redline MTL (changed annually) ....

[Turbo Ready]

the three year warranty on Jim Blanton's Getrag 260/6 rebuilds calls for Redline MTL (changed annually) ....


Kewl, thanks :)

[J.DeFeo]

Anyone have any tips for getting the drain/fill plugs off? 535i manual and those bolts are on there so tight the shop I went to couldn't get it off with air tools.

[Turbo Ready]

Anyone have any tips for getting the drain/fill plugs off? 535i manual and those bolts are on there so tight the shop I went to couldn't get it off with air tools.


I would soak them with a good rust penetrating oil, something like Release All, maybe a few times so it can soak in well.

They can use heat as well, but with a very fine oxy/acety gas tip. You dont want to cook all the aluminum on the gear box case :D

Just heat the area around the plug, not the plug, since aluminum has a different heat transfer characteristics than steel, it dissipates heat faster than steel. This means it takes longer to heat and it cools faster, so by heating the aluminum around the plug, it should expand around the plug making it easier to loosen.

If you heat the plug it will expand faster than the aluminum and may bind even more.

Let us know if you got it off.