Question - gearbox and diff oil changes whilst isolated

rooha · Post by **rooha** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:09 pm

It seems pretty likely that we are all going to get locked up in our houses at some point in the coming weeks.

So with that in mind i'm casting around for jobs to do. New floors need laying, walls need painting, sheds need clearing, zed needs a deep deep clean and god knows what else. I did my engine oil a few weeks ago and its been on my mind to do the gearbox and diff. So the research started and the confusion set in. Dozens of threads, loads of discussion but never is there just a "get this, its bog standard and will do the job" style answer.

Can anyone answer the following questions simply for a pretty standard 2003 2.5

What oil from eurocarparts or amazon for the Diff - and how much to get..
What oil from eurocarparts or amazon for the gearbox - and how much to get..

if you want to say why you choose the one you do then thats cool but not necessary

If you want to recommend any other jobs we all should be doing then go for it ...........

By the way this for the change seems pretty bog standard.....
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... 1OLE&psc=1

skelters · Post by **skelters** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:13 pm

Eurocarparts or Amazon?

Try Opie Oils as they'll probably be cheaper.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/

Put the car reg into the website and it'll tell you what you need.

mjennings23 · Post by **mjennings23** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:22 pm

Assuming it doesn't have a LSD;
75w90 GL5 for diff
75w80 GL4 for gearbox
You'll likely need a litre and a bit of both, best to get 2 litre bottles just in case.

rooha · Post by **rooha** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:26 pm

mjennings23 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:22 pm Assuming it doesn't have a LSD;
75w90 GL5 for diff
75w80 GL4 for gearbox
You'll likely need a litre and a bit of both, best to get 2 litre bottles just in case.

well ... that seemed simple !

Jl-c · Post by **Jl-c** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:30 pm

Another vote for Opie oils, cheapest price and excellent service, shipped to your door!

Old-Duckman · Post by **Old-Duckman** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:46 pm

Do any of you use Redline?
https://www.redlineoil.com/
I used this in several vehicles (including my 98 Z3). They have a "find products for my vehicle" button.

I have ordered both trans. and diff. oil for my planned change for the Z4. You can order direct from Redline or wherever. I got a gallon of each for about $100 USD total for both, delivered. Don't know if it is practical for those outside the US but the products are very well respected in most auto/motorcycle circles.

mjennings23 · Post by **mjennings23** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:31 pm

Old-Duckman wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:46 pm Do any of you use Redline?
https://www.redlineoil.com/
I used this in several vehicles (including my 98 Z3). They have a "find products for my vehicle" button.

I have ordered both trans. and diff. oil for my planned change for the Z4. You can order direct from Redline or wherever. I got a gallon of each for about $100 USD total for both, delivered. Don't know if it is practical for those outside the US but the products are very well respected in most auto/motorcycle circles.

Never used it in the UK, not due to quality but because it's so bloody expensive compared to UK produced oils. Heard its a top quality product mind, so I would happily use it given the option... and the lack of expense!

colb · Post by **colb** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:45 pm

Opie Oils, delivered to your door, got mine a few weeks ago for my 2.5
Fuchs TITAN SINTOFLUID SAE 75W-80 synthetic manual transmission fluid - 1 Litre x 2

Safety Data Sheet: https://cdn.opieoils.co.uk/msds/fuchs/2 ... 75W-80.PDF
£19.92
Fuchs TITAN SINTOPOID SAE 75W-90 synthetic gear oil - 1 Litre x 2

Safety Data Sheet: https://cdn.opieoils.co.uk/msds/fuchs/2 ... 75W-90.PDF
£21.58

AveZ4coop · Post by **AveZ4coop** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:09 am

Hi OP, just checking is it a Manual gearbox or an Auto? Will need just over 1 litre for a manual gearbox and just over 1 litre for the Diff (make sure you order two litres of each). An Auto is a different Kettle of fish entirely

.

Liam22 · Post by **Liam22** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:49 pm

Diff is 1.0 litres (non-M)
Gearbox is 1.2 litres (manual)

BMW tend to use Castrol for OEM fluids (certainly true for the diff). This is what I used on the std diff https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-737-castro ... af-xo.aspx

I happen to have Redline MT90 in the gearbox. It is unbelievably "thin" (like water) but has great protection under extreme use. Probably overkill for a road car.

Jfgoldfish · Post by **Jfgoldfish** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:01 pm

Great minds think alike! - Its one of the jobs on my list for this week.
I will be putting redline MTL in mine when my oil arrives. I paid £34 for 2 litres delivered. I have been told it works well in our gearboxes.
Hopefully our postal system doesn't stop working before then!

I still haven't made up my mind on diff oil. I cant see it making too much difference (correct me if I'm wrong!) so I will take a look at opieoils offerings and go for what is reasonably cheap.

healeyneil · Post by **healeyneil** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 6:26 pm

I bought my diff and gearbox oils from Opie. Brilliant service. I also bought a large oil syringe from them at the same time, partly because the diff doesn't have a drain plug. I spent an age sooking out the old oil with it.
Both lots of oil were still very clean despite over 100k miles ( I'm assuming the oils hadn't been changed before)

rooha · Post by **rooha** » Wed Mar 25, 2020 1:10 am

well, in the end i went with castrol from opie oils (but did i get the right ones for a manual 2.5 ... who knows!) - they were offering £10 off for new orders or free delivery over £60 which worked out about the same as amazon. And to be fair to amazon they are prioritising other things over gearbox oils and said it coujld be up to a month.... rightly so. cheapo oil syringe on the way via fleabay as well....

I actually ordered about 30 seconds before boris announced the lockdown last night ... panicked that everything everywhere would go into lockdown and somehow my brain thought that if i hit order before he announced anything it would still arrive. Im such an idiot.

Castrol Syntrans V-FE 75W-80 Manual Transmission Fluid - 1 Litre x 2
Safety Data Sheet: https://cdn.opieoils.co.uk/msds/castrol ... 75W-80.pdf
&
Castrol Syntrax Universal Plus 75W-90 Fully Synthetic Car Gearbox Oil - 1 Litre x 2
Safety Data Sheet: https://cdn.opieoils.co.uk/msds/castrol ... 75W-90.pdf

Capa · Post by **Capa** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:01 am

I threw in a 50:50 mix of Redline 75/80 & Redline D4 ATF. Totally transformed the box, would definitely do again.

colb · Post by **colb** » Sun Mar 29, 2020 9:42 am

Just changed mine, used an electric oil pump to refil the gearbox, worked like a dream, use 1 full bottle and part of second bottle before it overflowed. Filler and drain plugs were very tight, don't think they have ever been out, two ring spanners linked together to extend the pull length proved fine for getting them out, no room for a socket and breaker bar at the side for the filler hole.
When it came to the Diff, I couldnt get the 14mm hex key into the filler plug, its at an angle and not much room to get in there, gave up in the end and will have another go when I get a new plug on hand in case I ruin the one in there getting it out, going to have to hammer the hex bit into the plug as I think its got a bit of damage from my efforts to get it to turn when not fully engaged.

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