Best gearbox oil.- decision made, oil sourced and changed

J

jnwright71

Member
Hi All,

I am planing to change the gearbox oil,this weekend in my 2.5si manual. I have left it too late to order Redline, but am happy to wait if the collective view is that this is the best stuff. Hoever, I would welcome feedback / experience with any of the following:

- Redline MTL 75w80
- Redline D4 ATF
- Redline D4 ATF and MTL 75w80 mixed 50:50 (as recommended by Opie Oils)
- Fuchs Titan Sintofluid 75w80
- Castrol Syntrans B 75w
- Miller Oils TRX Synth 75w80

Cheers, James
 
First of all I'd go with what's withing bmw's spec. So first find out what you need?
BMW has a system where the sticker on the side of the transmission says what spec oil it needs.
for manuals that is:
yellow: MTF-LT-1 (now swapped for mtf-lt-2)
green: MTF-LT-2
Blue: MTF-LT-3

The gearboxes that need ATF oil (that can also be manuals) have an orange sticker with "ATF oil!" on it.

So I'd go with that system and use an oil that is specced according to the designated mtf grade.

The stuff I put in my gearbox (I need spec mtf lt 2 but I have a different (pre-fl) gearbox) certainly didnt look like or smelled like ATF. (smelled more like gear oil)

You can always get the oem bmw oil if you cant find a proper replacement. especially mtf -lt-3 is hard to find.
the bmw part for mtf-lt-3 is 83222339221
 
Cheers GuidoK,

I agree with your sentiments, but:

- All of the oils listed are defined as the correct grade by the oil manufacturers and all are suitable equivalents to LT3.
- The Redline D4 ATF comes highly recommended on all BMW forums for manual transmissions and is both the oil recommended by Redline and recommended in a 50:50 mix by Opie Oils who are one of the UKs leading experts and sell oils to a huge number of BMW enthusiasts.
- The BMW oil is £27 a litre and of unknown origin. Most Z4s seem to suffer from notchy gears changes 1st to 2nd and this is often overcome by changing to a better than OEM oil, hence the reason for the change.

Hopefully this thread will generate some healthy debate and feedback on a wide selection of experiences from which I will probably go with the consensus :thumbsup: :thumbsup: .
 
I've used reline D4 ATF in 3 of my bmw's didn't really make any difference probably fine leaving it unless it automatic its worth it. Differential is always worth doing though.
 
Are you sure they are all lt-3 grade?

I didnt follow up on all the oils but for redline they themselves say you need their D6ATF and not the D4ATF. So I'd like to see your source.
Also from castrol I couldnt find a specific lt-3 spec, just that it was 'recommended for bmw' (how empty a claim can be....).

As for notchyness and gearboxes: I had no problems with a notchy gearbox. Obviously I feel the shift click, but I prefer a box where you feel more instead of less. It doesnt limit the speed or ability to shift, at least not with my gearbox. It feels more like a switch your throwing.
But I have a MTL-LT-2 box. I also didnt feel a real difference when I changed gearbox oil. I used febi mtl-lt-2 spec oil. And as I said that looked and smelled much more like a gear oil (with that specific smell) than an ATF. ATF oils are usually formulated to clean the clutches in an automatic gearbox with additives. A manual gearbox only has gears, no paper clutches.
The oil that came out of my gearbox also was more like gear oil. A bit darker than the new oil but otherwise similar. But as I said: mtl-lt2 oil, I have no idea what mtl-lt3 oil looks, smells and feels like

Could well be that that notchyness complaint is mostly restricted to facelift mtl-lt-3 boxes. From what I know mtl-lt-3 is a thinner oil to reduce drag and thus better comply with emission standards (engine all also follows that path).

But that's my view.
I think it's also interesting that you hardly read about notchy gearbox problems on the german/mainland forums. It foremost seems to be an american problem somehow in my experience.
 
i used Fuchs Titan Sintofluid 75w80, after few days the gear change felt better. do the CDV remove too that helps allot.

the Redline is meant to be equally as good, i might try that next, i had the Fuschs left over from previous

Also did diff, used redline for that
 
Hi Biojo,

Thanks for the feedback on the Fuchs. I have read that this was the OEM oil, so it makes sense that you have had a good experience.

Come on everyone, I sure many of you have replaced your gearbox oil. Any feedback would be great.

Thx
 
I used Redline MTL as I read rightly or wrongly that the main reason they use ATF is because it's thinner and gives a lighter shift. I am more interested in the synchros getting the best lubrication so I chose an oil designed for manual gearboxes and it's been fine including in cold weather.
 
Simply put in what meets the spec, I went with Castrol and am not bothered as anything is better than sticking to the "lifetime fill" schedule.
 
ye the reason i changed was because of the getting in gear odd time, CDV helps with this god know how.

the redline is highly recommended in USA many people and teams develop with bmw race teams so cant see their been any issues

I did read about people mixing and using a % ATM oil to standard.

Just remember the redline isn't sold in litres so u might need 3
 
Thanks to all for the feedback. I initially decided to use FUCHS, but this is only really available on-line, so I decided to choose something more easily available - Millers TRX Synth 75w80. This is fantastic value, positively reviewed elsewhere and meets the OEM MTF-LT3 spec (in line with the label n my gearbox).

Luckily I have access to a mates 4 post lift, so this took all of 5 minutes to change.

I think the oil has been changed fairly rcently (I bought the car 2 years ago), as the fill plug looked brand new and the oil was very clean. However, as the oil was just £7.99 per litre, I'd rather spend £16 than take the risk.

My initial view is that the gear change is slightly improved overall and much better 1st to 2nd - very happy.

I will be getting the brake fluid changed next week and wil get the CDV removed at the same time.

cheers, James :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
It makes no real difference unless u have automatic which is abit lazy you might find the shifts are quicker after but also remap helps with automatic box. I've always changed box and differential fluid on all my bmw's I've never seen a change in manual feeling really its more in your head. There was also no real dis colour in oil grade obviously new oil better than old so its more just good maintainence. Its shocking bmw still claim its lifetime oil. Yeah the life of your blown up gearbox or diff maybe
 
auto or manual? which models we talking about

did u used to own an E46 on bimmerforums your username sounds familiar?
 
Great news! Mine is being done this weekend, together with engine and diff oils. Nothing like a bit of maintenance!
 
I've recently had the gearbox and diff oil changed in my 60,000 mile, 2007 Coupe.

I thought it would help with the clutch "chatter" you get with these cars but if I am honest, its made no difference!

I had put in Castrol Syntran B , the fully synthetic oil. This was recommended by Opie oils. The old oil was still really clean although I know it had never been changed.

The old diff oil was dirtier and in its place was put some fresh Fuchs Syntopoid.

As for the clutch noise when warm , well I guess i'll just have to put up with it as the car drives fine.

I might try adding some Archoil friction modifier to the box oil as that might help but I doubt it really!
 
Possibly worth noting that for those who may be disappointed after changing box/diff fluids if they notice no difference or improvement that its more good practice from a maintenance perspective :?
No point waiting 120k then having a whiney diff or box then changing the oil to hopefully rectify it :wink: too late by then
 
Its not the normally oil age that kills the diff, its usually the diff seal leaks causing low pressure and the diff then whines before seizing up if oil is so low.
 
After loads of reading and differing opinions online I asked opieoils what to put in the gearbox and diff of my car (the have a Q&A thread on another forum I use), a 2003 3l, I'll add the response below as I'm sure it'll be useful to someone.

"If your gearbox suffers from stiff/poor changes when it's cold (as is fairly common with BMWs of that age), using a 50/50 mix of ATF and MTF is a good idea. Red Line MTL and ATF D4 or Fuchs Sintofluid 75w-80 and ATF 5005 are the ones that people commonly mix together in BMW gearboxes.

An ATF is basically a thin gear oil, so reduces the viscosity slightly, making the gear shifts easier. The combinations that I mentioned above are good enough quality so that even though the oil is a little thinner, there should be no reduction in protection. If you are not suffering with cold gear changes, just use one of the MTFs that I mentioned.

The diff needs a 75w-90 GL5 oil.

The Fuchs Syn 5, Millers CRX, Red Line 75w-90 GL5, Motul Gear 300 and Gulf Competition are ideal for the diff. The Fuchs Sintopoid, Castrol Syntrax Longlife, Millers TRX, Motul Motylgear, Mobil SHC and Gulf Syngear are also good choices"

I've removed the links as I don't want my 1st post here looking like an advert!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
What are your best to worst E89 models?
Replies
11
Views
627
enuff_zed
enuff_zed
R
Best way to flush oil out of coolant
Replies
4
Views
197
roadster4567
R
N
Best car cover
Replies
9
Views
504
NoNuffin
N
F
Best bluetooth adapter
Replies
1
Views
578
Hyperion.uk
H
B
The best way to polish headlights, please?
Replies
5
Views
623
coldel
C
Back
Top Bottom