Mailed to ZF.com about tranny fluid their response here
02-14-2016, 08:54 AM
#23
Race Director
i want to 'echo' the sentiment towards amsoil.
my picky transmission likes that stuff the best.
again, i had all the issues with notchy shifting And gear shift lever physicslly wouldnt move into next gear at high rpm shifts with castrol.
when i described this condition to bill at zfdoc he recommended a rebuild, at a cost of thousands.
when i put amsoil in (and also successfully tried gm syncromesh)all the problems went away.
theres a real cult like following of the bmw engine motor oil-in-zf transmissions
you either love it or hate it.
its been suggested even that my transmission is a 'POS' because it doesnt like the bmw castrol 10w-60 engine motor oil.
unless it 'done blow up', im not gonna run out and replace it when everything runs smoothly with the amsoil.
i say put bmw engine motor oil in your bmw engine and transmission fluid in your transmission.
my picky transmission likes that stuff the best.
again, i had all the issues with notchy shifting And gear shift lever physicslly wouldnt move into next gear at high rpm shifts with castrol.
when i described this condition to bill at zfdoc he recommended a rebuild, at a cost of thousands.
when i put amsoil in (and also successfully tried gm syncromesh)all the problems went away.
theres a real cult like following of the bmw engine motor oil-in-zf transmissions
you either love it or hate it.
its been suggested even that my transmission is a 'POS' because it doesnt like the bmw castrol 10w-60 engine motor oil.
unless it 'done blow up', im not gonna run out and replace it when everything runs smoothly with the amsoil.
i say put bmw engine motor oil in your bmw engine and transmission fluid in your transmission.
Last edited by dizwiz24; 02-14-2016 at 08:55 AM.
02-14-2016, 10:38 AM
#24
Melting Slicks
i want to 'echo' the sentiment towards amsoil.
my picky transmission likes that stuff the best.
again, i had all the issues with notchy shifting And gear shift lever physicslly wouldnt move into next gear at high rpm shifts with castrol.
when i described this condition to bill at zfdoc he recommended a rebuild, at a cost of thousands.
when i put amsoil in (and also successfully tried gm syncromesh)all the problems went away.
theres a real cult like following of the bmw engine motor oil-in-zf transmissions
you either love it or hate it.
its been suggested even that my transmission is a 'POS' because it doesnt like the bmw castrol 10w-60 engine motor oil.
unless it 'done blow up', im not gonna run out and replace it when everything runs smoothly with the amsoil.
i say put bmw engine motor oil in your bmw engine and transmission fluid in your transmission.
my picky transmission likes that stuff the best.
again, i had all the issues with notchy shifting And gear shift lever physicslly wouldnt move into next gear at high rpm shifts with castrol.
when i described this condition to bill at zfdoc he recommended a rebuild, at a cost of thousands.
when i put amsoil in (and also successfully tried gm syncromesh)all the problems went away.
theres a real cult like following of the bmw engine motor oil-in-zf transmissions
you either love it or hate it.
its been suggested even that my transmission is a 'POS' because it doesnt like the bmw castrol 10w-60 engine motor oil.
unless it 'done blow up', im not gonna run out and replace it when everything runs smoothly with the amsoil.
i say put bmw engine motor oil in your bmw engine and transmission fluid in your transmission.
02-14-2016, 10:44 AM
#25
Drifting
Thread Starter
i want to 'echo' the sentiment towards amsoil.
my picky transmission likes that stuff the best.
again, i had all the issues with notchy shifting And gear shift lever physicslly wouldnt move into next gear at high rpm shifts with castrol.
when i described this condition to bill at zfdoc he recommended a rebuild, at a cost of thousands.
when i put amsoil in (and also successfully tried gm syncromesh)all the problems went away.
theres a real cult like following of the bmw engine motor oil-in-zf transmissions
you either love it or hate it.
its been suggested even that my transmission is a 'POS' because it doesnt like the bmw castrol 10w-60 engine motor oil.
unless it 'done blow up', im not gonna run out and replace it when everything runs smoothly with the amsoil.
i say put bmw engine motor oil in your bmw engine and transmission fluid in your transmission.
my picky transmission likes that stuff the best.
again, i had all the issues with notchy shifting And gear shift lever physicslly wouldnt move into next gear at high rpm shifts with castrol.
when i described this condition to bill at zfdoc he recommended a rebuild, at a cost of thousands.
when i put amsoil in (and also successfully tried gm syncromesh)all the problems went away.
theres a real cult like following of the bmw engine motor oil-in-zf transmissions
you either love it or hate it.
its been suggested even that my transmission is a 'POS' because it doesnt like the bmw castrol 10w-60 engine motor oil.
unless it 'done blow up', im not gonna run out and replace it when everything runs smoothly with the amsoil.
i say put bmw engine motor oil in your bmw engine and transmission fluid in your transmission.
... No kidding now, speaking about it here on forum I remembering that i've found a little of copper flecks last time i've made oil tranny change....
Supposed to be ok if just a little or No ok? Bad transmission? I guess it is cames from blocker ring but...
02-14-2016, 11:20 AM
#26
Instructor
Change tranny fluid or not?
Ironically, this was true in my older black tag 89....It's been so long I'd forgotten about the OCCASIONALLY resistance going to 2nd. I went from GM to Amsoil to Castro and back to Amsoil (twice). The Amsoil is the only one that provides "perfect" shifting.
The other thing to mention is age. Owner's manuals don't necessarily say you EVER need to change tranny fluid in ZF6's. That was something found as bad advice from GM. Theoretically, I suppose it will "work" but you can leave your best shifting behind -- if you never give your lube a renewal.
The theory is trans lube isn't contaminated by carbon/dirt -- like it is in engines. As such, it may LOOK just as new/clean after years of use. But, in truth, additives break down over time and you lose some of the lube's intended "performance". ZFDoc has confirmed this in timed interval testing. If you still aren't convinced and have old/original ZF fluid, try swapping it from some new Amsoil. You'll see.
The other thing to mention is age. Owner's manuals don't necessarily say you EVER need to change tranny fluid in ZF6's. That was something found as bad advice from GM. Theoretically, I suppose it will "work" but you can leave your best shifting behind -- if you never give your lube a renewal.
The theory is trans lube isn't contaminated by carbon/dirt -- like it is in engines. As such, it may LOOK just as new/clean after years of use. But, in truth, additives break down over time and you lose some of the lube's intended "performance". ZFDoc has confirmed this in timed interval testing. If you still aren't convinced and have old/original ZF fluid, try swapping it from some new Amsoil. You'll see.
Now, reading this thread I'm wondering if I should change the fluid. The current one looks good.
The problem is that here there is no Amsoil or similar, the only "recomended stuff" I can find is the Castrol oil.
There are lots of 75 or 80W90 oils, either for manual gearboxes or differentials with limited slip, but I don't feel comfortable changing the original to one of those.
I can put the 10W60 but the feedback here is not the best.....
My ZF shifts realy nice and smooth, but, what should I do? keep the original fluid (for now)? Or switch to Castrol?
Thanks!!
02-14-2016, 11:32 AM
#27
Drifting
Thread Starter
My 93 has 12k miles and for sure still has the factory tranny fluid. It shifts smooth with no problems either cool or warm and as owner manual says not to change the fluid, I didn't touch it.
Now, reading this thread I'm wondering if I should change the fluid. The current one looks good.
The problem is that here there is no Amsoil or similar, the only "recomended stuff" I can find is the Castrol oil.
There are lots of 75 or 80W90 oils, either for manual gearboxes or differentials with limited slip, but I don't feel comfortable changing the original to one of those.
I can put the 10W60 but the feedback here is not the best.....
My ZF shifts realy nice and smooth, but, what should I do? keep the original fluid (for now)? Or switch to Castrol?
Thanks!!
Now, reading this thread I'm wondering if I should change the fluid. The current one looks good.
The problem is that here there is no Amsoil or similar, the only "recomended stuff" I can find is the Castrol oil.
There are lots of 75 or 80W90 oils, either for manual gearboxes or differentials with limited slip, but I don't feel comfortable changing the original to one of those.
I can put the 10W60 but the feedback here is not the best.....
My ZF shifts realy nice and smooth, but, what should I do? keep the original fluid (for now)? Or switch to Castrol?
Thanks!!
Last edited by Christi@n; 02-14-2016 at 11:33 AM.
02-14-2016, 12:03 PM
#28
Instructor
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pifo1964 (02-14-2016)
02-14-2016, 12:57 PM
#31
02-14-2016, 12:58 PM
#32
Instructor
About the Motul fluids, that was I was talking about. Wasn't sure tu use that viscosity, but I can give a try. I will call them tomorrow to ask if they have what you recomend.
Thanks again Christian!
02-14-2016, 01:04 PM
#34
Drifting
Thread Starter
If you worried about viscosity, even redline mtl is 75w80. But don't worry, it's the right oil weight, cause the are two or more ways to measure oil weight. Take a look here
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pifo1964 (02-14-2016)
02-14-2016, 03:18 PM
#36
You actually need to take the OE/GM spec to Motul directly and ask. They don't directly compare their product to the ZF specs and regardless of what any other "branding" says or mentions Motul doesn't. I wouldn't be surprised that if you actually supplied them with the spec they might actually have another product that they might recommend. Ask them to compare to specs for 5W30 or maybe directly to this Redline published spec:
http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=45&pcid=7
or to this Amsoil spec:
https://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2080.pdf
They actually could reply favorably to the product mentioned but until they did their TDS doesn't seem to confirm it.
Lubricants have certainly changed in the last 20 years so I don't believe there's an "argument" that could be said substantial enough to be "cut in stone". Motul I'd say certainly should have a product that will satisfy the needs.
http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=45&pcid=7
or to this Amsoil spec:
https://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2080.pdf
They actually could reply favorably to the product mentioned but until they did their TDS doesn't seem to confirm it.
Lubricants have certainly changed in the last 20 years so I don't believe there's an "argument" that could be said substantial enough to be "cut in stone". Motul I'd say certainly should have a product that will satisfy the needs.
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pifo1964 (02-14-2016)
02-14-2016, 10:20 PM
#37
Race Director
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...m-members.html
There's also an Amsoil website where you can order. IIRC, they also list dealers in your vicinity. You'll find them to be local "reps" like the Amway door-to-door model. (No relationship in business AFAIK.)
One time, the rep delivered to my door. The other time, I went and picked some up at a guy's home. Or...as mentioned above, you can order it from many people/places. They just don't sell it in stores.
Odd, but true. It's the one thing I'm not cray about with this company. I suspect it follows the model of pyramid schemes -- though the product's value can not be dismissed.
02-15-2016, 04:48 AM
#38
Drifting
Thread Starter
You actually need to take the OE/GM spec to Motul directly and ask. They don't directly compare their product to the ZF specs and regardless of what any other "branding" says or mentions Motul doesn't. I wouldn't be surprised that if you actually supplied them with the spec they might actually have another product that they might recommend. Ask them to compare to specs for 5W30 or maybe directly to this Redline published spec:
http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=45&pcid=7
or to this Amsoil spec:
https://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2080.pdf
They actually could reply favorably to the product mentioned but until they did their TDS doesn't seem to confirm it.
Lubricants have certainly changed in the last 20 years so I don't believe there's an "argument" that could be said substantial enough to be "cut in stone". Motul I'd say certainly should have a product that will satisfy the needs.
http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=45&pcid=7
or to this Amsoil spec:
https://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2080.pdf
They actually could reply favorably to the product mentioned but until they did their TDS doesn't seem to confirm it.
Lubricants have certainly changed in the last 20 years so I don't believe there's an "argument" that could be said substantial enough to be "cut in stone". Motul I'd say certainly should have a product that will satisfy the needs.
02-15-2016, 05:35 AM
#39
Motul.it recommends the same for any Corvette in the application guide regardless of choice for me. The guide groups all Corvette '83 - '04 in a group with the only change in spec being the engine, all MT transmission selections remain consistent (4/1) in the guide with no reference to a (6/1) with any C4 engine selection, when you change to an LS '97+ then there's a choice for (6/1) lubricants. I said/suggested a call - I still do
Use the guide selecting '85 - '91 when both transmissions were used '85 - '88 (4+3), '89 - '91 (M6) and there's no variance in the "MANUAL" lubricants selection - "Manual 4/1" for all.
Last edited by WVZR-1; 02-15-2016 at 05:42 AM.
02-15-2016, 05:57 AM
#40
Drifting
Thread Starter
Motul.it recommends the same for any Corvette in the application guide regardless of choice for me. The guide groups all Corvette '83 - '04 in a group with the only change in spec being the engine, all MT transmission selections remain consistent (4/1) in the guide with no reference to a (6/1) with any C4 engine selection, when you change to an LS '97+ then there's a choice for (6/1) lubricants. I said/suggested a call - I still do
Use the guide selecting '85 - '91 when both transmissions were used '85 - '88 (4+3), '89 - '91 (M6) and there's no variance in the "MANUAL" lubricants selection - "Manual 4/1" for all.
Use the guide selecting '85 - '91 when both transmissions were used '85 - '88 (4+3), '89 - '91 (M6) and there's no variance in the "MANUAL" lubricants selection - "Manual 4/1" for all.
However motul.it doesnt reccomend the same for any year from '83 to '04.
First you choose '83 - '04 then you need to choose again...and there are a lot of fluids reccomended...
Last edited by Christi@n; 02-15-2016 at 05:59 AM.