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WRONG Oil in 5spd tranny


MY1PATH
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so recently I read on here that GL 5 is bad for the nissan tranny, so I went to my car-port and looked @ the 5 gal bucket of 80w90 that I bought 2 years ago and it said GL 5 on it! :stickwack:

The tranny was replaced 4 years ago @ 190k (I suspect it was under filling that made the syncros go out) and I am wondering if this tranny will be short lived because of my mistake

Now having run GL 5 In this tranny for 2 years what are the negative impacts I should expect to see down the road? :crossedwires:

 

so now my paln is to buy some GL 4 (5.1L as per the Nissan TSB) run it for a week and then drain it to try and fulsh out/dilute whats left of the GL 5.

And then I wanna treat my poor tranny to a full refil (5.1L)of Redline MT90 (GL 4)

anyone got any better Ideas?

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That's what you have to do. Hopefully, if it's not making noise now, the sychros should be okay, and should remain okay if you get that stuff out right now.

 

I, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky, and my synchros were destroyed by GL-5 in my old truck.

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2nd feels a little stiff when cold but it was always like that even with the old tranny.

thanks guys, I'll get it nice and warm b4 I drain it both times.

Edited by MY1PATH
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thats the reason your not supposed to use gl-5 in any modern sycro'd tranny. its great for old iron gearboxes and rear ends.

 

Actually this does apply to some older cars. I have a 69 Chevelle with a muncie 4 speed and I can't run the GL5. GL5 I thought was a new blend for very recently built vechiles, I will see what else I can find.

 

EDIT:

 

Here is a post from another board I am on that talks about the issue.

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132531

Edited by BowTied
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my 87 (has over 250k miles on it) has run GL5 for at least 150k miles and on a cold day it won't like 2nd gear but if you pull towards 4th and slide over to 2nd it goes in and no issues and I've never had any grinding in it...

 

my 95 has 160K miles on it and I know it has at least 100K miles running GL5...until I figured it out it would grind going into 1st but I figured out her tricks and doesnt have any issues

 

Both trucks I can still RPM shift so I know the syncro's aren't that bad off. I'm not saying its ok to run GL5 but my trucks have run it and i was scared to switch back so they've stayed GL5...and I'm not all that easy on them lots of quick shifts and what not...hope I get to go home for Xmas so I can drive the 95...shes been sitting for almost 6 months with a bad starter...she'll get a good couple hours to warm up B4 she gets beat on...

 

 

I have a 69 Chevelle

 

I want a 71

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As others have said already, get it out of there... Sure some have not had any troubles, but why risk it?

 

I just swapped out my tranny, same time 5523Pathfinder did his too. It started as a slight noise and quickly progressed to a loud whine and almost shudder noise in all but fourth. Darek (5523) cracked his old one open and found all kinds of bits that used to be important parts of the assembly.

 

Both GL5 and running it low will cause serious problems for most tranny's

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my 87 (has over 250k miles on it) has run GL5 for at least 150k miles and on a cold day it won't like 2nd gear but if you pull towards 4th and slide over to 2nd it goes in and no issues and I've never had any grinding in it...

 

my 95 has 160K miles on it and I know it has at least 100K miles running GL5...until I figured it out it would grind going into 1st but I figured out her tricks and doesnt have any issues

 

Both trucks I can still RPM shift so I know the syncro's aren't that bad off. I'm not saying its ok to run GL5 but my trucks have run it and i was scared to switch back so they've stayed GL5...and I'm not all that easy on them lots of quick shifts and what not...hope I get to go home for Xmas so I can drive the 95...shes been sitting for almost 6 months with a bad starter...she'll get a good couple hours to warm up B4 she gets beat on...

I want a 71

There are SOME GL-5 fluids that won't hurt your manual tranny. You may have gotten lucky in those trucks and found the ones that are. There are some that state they're safe for synchromesh transmissions, and there's also some that say they aren't corrosive to soft metals. Either way, those are alright.

 

However, that said, I'd rather have the right stuff in my truck, so I always tell people GL-4 only.

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There are SOME GL-5 fluids that won't hurt your manual tranny. You may have gotten lucky in those trucks and found the ones that are. There are some that state they're safe for synchromesh transmissions, and there's also some that say they aren't corrosive to soft metals. Either way, those are alright.

 

However, that said, I'd rather have the right stuff in my truck, so I always tell people GL-4 only.

 

Maybe I did get lucky...i'll have to dig out the bottles to see if they say it on there. I have no idea what Jiffy Lube (no I would never take my vehicles there) put in all it says is GL5 on the receipts from the original owner of my 95 but I do know its tranny seems to be in worst shape than my 87 but like i said its not bad

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Yep, mine bit the dust due to the wrong fluid. The PO had it service and put the wrong fluid in. I found this went I went to service it about 6 months after I bought it. I refilled it with GL-5 temporarialy, and bought Royal Purple fluid. They said that It would be fine as their fluid is both GL-5 and GL-4 compatible. The noise really got started about 2 years ago. I know what was wrong and hoped the RP fluid would help, but it didnt. You can see what I found in my trans by going here....

http://npora.ipbhost.com//index.php?showto...mp;#entry334422

See post 17. It was a mess. From what I have found out is that the friction modifier that the GL-5 uses, attacks the soft metal parts that are in our transmissions. The GL-4 doesnt have the modifier in it. I did not reuse RP fluid. I installed Redline MT90 and the new trans is as quiet as the day it rolled of the showroom floor.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bringing this back on track with an update;

Sta-Lube was the only GL4 I could find that did not also have a GL5 rating on it. I was also pretty cheap so I ran that for a week to fulsh out the GL5.

About 3 days after running the Sta-Lube, downshifting to 2nd when warm became easier.

The other day my redline arrived and I swaped the whole 5.1L(5.4qt) with it.

MAN that stuf is SMOOTH! It hasn't gotten super cold up here yet but @ about 35 out it does not shift hard b4 warming up. and downshifting when warm is perfect.

Defenately worth the 70 bucks or so for the MT90 from REDLINE!

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I'm glad you find an improvement!! Figured you would and that your tranny will still last for a while, but it's good to hear.

 

Yeah, Redline MT90 seems to be the stuff people recommend. Unfortunately, I don't have a (installed) manual tranny... :shrug:

 

B

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I run redline MT90 in both my transmission and transfer case. I had the dealer put it in when I was replacing the clutch about a year ago. I agree...the stuff is super smooth. I run 100% synthetic oils in my truck now (redline in the drivetrain and castrol in the engine).

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i have a quick question about this topic, my tranny is in the early stages of goin out but is still very drivable, just some light whine. i have no idea what's in it, GL-5 or GL-4 since i've only had it for a month or so. i know i have to get it rebuilt but should i do a flush and fill it with Redline or just make sure it's at the 5.1 mark? is it gonna extend the inevitable for a few more months or is it just a waste of money?

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should i do a flush and fill it with Redline or just make sure it's at the 5.1 mark? is it gonna extend the inevitable for a few more months or is it just a waste of money?

 

No, yes, yes and no. Overfill it (as per the TSB, can't remember if it is 5.1L) with Redline and it should extend the life considerably. That is what I would do.

 

mws has a pathy with a whining bearing that he has been driving for years and has said since he overfilled the tranny with the right lubricant, it has not gotten any worse. :shrug:

 

B

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No, yes, yes and no. Overfill it (as per the TSB, can't remember if it is 5.1L) with Redline and it should extend the life considerably. That is what I would do.

 

mws has a pathy with a whining bearing that he has been driving for years and has said since he overfilled the tranny with the right lubricant, it has not gotten any worse. :shrug:

 

B

 

 

 

sweet thanks man, :aok:

 

i'm trying to keep my rookie questions to a minimum.

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i'm trying to keep my rookie questions to a minimum.
Its ok, we all started somwhere.

 

Overfill it (as per the TSB, can't remember if it is 5.1L) with Redline
yes, the TSB states 5.1 L which is equal to 5.4 QT.

 

or just make sure it's at the 5.1 mark?
ther is no mark, you just have to pull the floor shifter and measure out 5.1L (5.4qt) when you pour it in
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sweet thanks man, thumbsup.gif

 

i'm trying to keep my rookie questions to a minimum.

 

You are welcome. Just the fact that you say that means you are...

 

Play with the search function a bit (it's kinda finicky) but once you get the hang of it, it's your friend. The management here an NPORA fully supports use of the search function... :D

 

Of course, if you can't find 'it' then just ask... ;)

 

yes, the TSB states 5.1 L which is equal to 5.4 QT.

Thank you Sir!

 

ther is no mark, you just have to pull the floor shifter and measure out 5.1L (5.4qt) when you pour it in

I just put in 5 quarts and a quart of Lucas oil stabilizer (used castrol not redline MT) and called it good. I figured overfilling the overfill is fine, not to mention Lucas O/S is good sheit...

 

B

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  • 3 years later...

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