AMSOIL ——› Differential fluid
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 628
Likes: 80
From: Canada
Interesting, DGXR. For a minute I thought you said Mr. Lube inadvertently put synthetic gear oil in the car, so I called half a dozen local Mobil 1 shops and asked them to confirm whether their 80W-90 is non-synthetic and they all said Mobil tells them it is conventional, non-synthetic gear oil. One guy said to "Google" Mobil 1 LSD 80W/90 gear oil and that's what they use. The last guy I spoke with said if it is named "Mobil 1" (with the "ONE" on the end), then it is synthetic oil. If it is named Mobil Super 1000 (without the "ONE"), this is a non-synthetic oil. I have my oil changed at Mr. Lube and use the non-synthetic Mobil Super 1000 5W-30. So the last guy cleared up my confusion and they did put non-synthetic in the differential. Thank you for the insight.
Last edited by ~ Anno Domini; Aug 14, 2019 at 03:34 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,692
Likes: 349
From: Sacramento California
Interesting, DGXR. For a minute I thought you said Mr. Lube inadvertently put synthetic gear oil in the car, so I called half a dozen local Mobil 1 shops and asked them to confirm whether their 80W-90 is non-synthetic and they all said Mobil tells them it is conventional, non-synthetic gear oil. One guy said to Google Mobil 1 LSD 80W/90 gear oil and that's what they use. The last guy I spoke with said if it is named "Mobil 1" (with the "ONE" on the end), then it is synthetic oil. If it is named Mobil Super 1000 (without the "ONE"), this is a non-synthetic oil. I have my oil changed at Mr. Lube and use the non-synthetic Mobil Super 1000 5W-30. So the last guy cleared up my confusion and they did put non-synthetic in the differential. Thank you for the insight.
This conventional oil might need replacing sooner than if you had used a synthetic gear oil, but still, we are talking at least 25,000 miles down the road. Drive with confidence.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,692
Likes: 349
From: Sacramento California
You're welcome. Notice I said "at least 25,000 miles." Depending on the type of driving, you could go longer. If you are often heavy with the throttle, this is considered severe service and I would change it at 25-30,000 miles. But if you are like most of us -- more of a normal street driver with occasional spirited runs -- you could go 50-60k. These are very conservative intervals which provide a margin of safety. Most normal passenger vehicles go at least 50,000 miles on the factory fill of gear oil, which is usually a conventional lube I believe. Often the time factor will come up if you don't drive many miles annually -- I would not go more than 10 years between gear oil changes. Here is an interesting article: How often should gear oil be changed?
This forum is full of great information and helpful people, and I'm happy to share my experience here. The most important thing is... enjoy the car!
This forum is full of great information and helpful people, and I'm happy to share my experience here. The most important thing is... enjoy the car!
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 628
Likes: 80
From: Canada
I fall into the category of normal street driver, but occasionally I will press on the gas if I go on the freeway or someone wants to race, but other than that it is normal driving most of the time. I don't like pushing the car too hard, just like feeling it's power every now and then. :-) What you are saying about miles seems to match what the guy at Mr. Lube said about my differential fluid. I asked him if it was dirty when he changed it and he said that it really wasn't that bad. I went 75,000 kilometers (46,000 miles) since my last differential fluid change. I will take everything you are saying into consideration when deciding when next to change it. I may change it more often, or maybe not, but knowing it can last 50-60 thousand miles under nprmal driving conditions is comforting. Appreciate the tips.
Last edited by ~ Anno Domini; Aug 15, 2019 at 07:06 PM.
