Transmission Fluid - really that hard?

[LAP1DOUG]

Originally Posted by lkchris

GL-4: Red Line Synthetic Oil - Gear Oil for Manual Transmissions - MT-90 75W90 GL-4 Gear Oil

I'm with this guys, except that I blend 2 quarts of Red Line MT-90 with 1 quart of Red Line NS (Non-slip). Otherwise it is too slippery for my limited slip diff. to work well.

[ganseg]

My transaxle is a stock 6 sp. Do I have limited slip?

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by ganseg

My transaxle is a stock 6 sp. Do I have limited slip?

If it is a stock 6 speed then you do not have a limited slip differential. Our differential and transmission are combined as a "transaxle" and the differential and transmission share the same oil.

[LAP1DOUG]

Originally Posted by steved0x

Our differential and transmission are combined as a "transaxle" and the differential and transmission share the same oil.

This is what makes it such a difficult application. Most of the GL-5 oils that are great for differentials are corrosive to copper, and destroy the synchros.

The Porsche OEM stuff is quite good for this unique application, but my local dealer only buys it in 55 gal drums, and would not order me any.

The Red Line MT-90 is also very good, and synchro friendly. If you add in a Torsen type limited slip, it is just too slippery without blending.

[FauxDiablo]

Originally Posted by lkchris

GL-4: Red Line Synthetic Oil - Gear Oil for Manual Transmissions - MT-90 75W90 GL-4 Gear Oil

This what I use in my fake Diablo...Audi V8 w/ an Audi O1E 6sp transaxle from about 2006...the trans is Getrag and almost identical to that of a Boxster...but supposedly way stronger. Seems to work fine.

[gpena]

Hi all, I just want to share my experience.
I bought my 2000S last year and a couple of months ago I changed the transmission oil to play safe and because the shifting was hard, it had a small leak too, I bougt "Total Dual 9 FE 75W-90" and after the first drive I started hearing a quick quick noise in Neutral which disappears immediately when I press the clutch or in gear and after some minutes of drive it also dissapears, the shifting improved but the little oil leak increased too...

I guess the oil was never changed (115.000kms) as it was quite dark with high viscosity.

Now I'm trying to get swepco 201 (general 80W-90) or Swepco 202 (75W-90 the better version as I checked on Swepco web page...)

I'm waiting for a local dealer to give me a budget for the arms seal and the IMS replacement (three weeks waiting already) but I'm thinking in chainging the transmission oil myself again just to stop the noise and any probable problem in the meanwhile.

Any suggestions on the oil? shell Shelix Spirax S6 ADME 75w-90

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by gpena

Hi all, I just want to share my experience.
I bought my 2000S last year and a couple of months ago I changed the transmission oil to play safe and because the shifting was hard, it had a small leak too, I bougt "Total Dual 9 FE 75W-90" and after the first drive I started hearing a quick quick noise in Neutral which disappears immediately when I press the clutch or in gear and after some minutes of drive it also dissapears, the shifting improved but the little oil leak increased too...

I guess the oil was never changed (115.000kms) as it was quite dark with high viscosity.

Now I'm trying to get swepco 201 (general 80W-90) or Swepco 202 (75W-90 the better version as I checked on Swepco web page...)

I'm waiting for a local dealer to give me a budget for the arms seal and the IMS replacement (three weeks waiting already) but I'm thinking in chainging the transmission oil myself again just to stop the noise and any probable problem in the meanwhile.

Any suggestions on the oil? shell Shelix Spirax S6 ADME 75w-90

Use the factory oil.

[paulofto]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Use the factory oil.

+1 on using the Porsche 6 speed trans oil I went through what you are going through and JFP is right on. It’s expensive but it is the only one that worked for me.

[10/10ths]

Oil is cheap, transmissions are expensive.


You bought a freaking Porsche.


Just invest in the Porsche oil.


In all the time you have been trolling forums and researching formulations and tracking down which Shell formula matches the “secret” Porsche fluid, you could have just bought the Porsche fluid and changed your oil, and attended three track day events or driven to the Rocky Mountains and had a great vacation.


Get busy livin’.


Or buy a Honda and save money.


Maybe you just bought the wrong car for your budget.

[ike84]

Hey 10, don't be a dick. There's nothing wrong with saving cash, and if there's a good alternative then most would argue that it's silly to say "ooooh I only use the best porsche products for my 20year old car that's worth $10k"

OP, the issue with most gear oils is that they weren't designed for the setup in our transmissions, which use soft yellow metals (bronze) and in a hypoid arrangement. Royal purple makes one specifically for this type of application and that's what I plan on using during my next oil change, purely because I can have it delivered to my house and not have to drive 3 hours to the closest dealer to buy the factory oil. Some say it works well, others disagree. I don't doubt that the factory is the best (they don't even make the stuff, btw), but the idea that porsche has everything figured out and they know the secret ingredients to make perfect products is crazy.

Oh, and to the post about transmissions being expensive, I hate to break it to you but the 5 speed transmission, better known as an 01a, is considered to be a throw away piece but a lot of euro spec racers and can be harvested off any fwd a4 for a few hundred dollars. But wait, do the audis use porsche transmission oil? Oh damn, what a mess this is........

Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk

[Gilles]

Hello Ike84, Luke at Sunset Porsche will sell you and ship the correct gearbox oil to your door..
Good luck!

[ike84]

Originally Posted by Gilles

Hello Ike84, Luke at Sunset Porsche will sell you and ship the correct gearbox oil to your door..
Good luck!

Hey thanks gilles! I wasn't able to find anyone who would ship it. I appreciate the heads up.

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[Gjohn3707]

Just bought this. I'll be changing it soon. 2001 base with 54,000 miles. I believe it's the best way to go. I'll never have to change it again.

[gpena]

Well original oil then it will be... unfortunately i don't live in the US, therefore price is ridiculously expensive that's why I try to save.


Enviado desde mi SM-A505G mediante Tapatalk

[10/10ths]

.....if I am harsh.

But it’s a freaking expensive and exotic German sports car.

Just because it has depreciated and is twenty years old and kids are buying them for $5,999, doesn’t change the fact that it’s a highly strung thoroughbred that requires proper maintenance.

If you can’t afford the care and feeding, then you should not buy the machine.

Would you search for cheap oil for your Lear Jet because it’s twenty years old?

These things are more expensive to maintain than a Honda S2000.

We need to hit people between the eyes with a 2x4 and save them from themselves.

How many heartbreak stories do we have to endure, year after year after year, from these new people buying these cars because they are cheap and trying to get by on the cheap, and end up losing thousands of dollars due to their poor decisions and leave the world with more old, used up Boxsters and more horror stories that scare people away from the joys of Porsche ownership?

I will always sound harsh on this forum as this format has no tone.

But better we educate folks about the realities of owning these machines than continue to perpetuate this fantasy that you can buy a Boxster and keep her running for pennies on the dollar.

That is a fallacy that will only end in heartbreak and broken transmissions and another abandoned mid-engined beauty in the crusher instead of providing a great driving experience to a future generation.

Now, pardon me as I sign off and go for a drive.

Cheers.

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by ike84

Hey 10, don't be a dick. There's nothing wrong with saving cash, and if there's a good alternative then most would argue that it's silly to say "ooooh I only use the best porsche products for my 20year old car that's worth $10k"

OP, the issue with most gear oils is that they weren't designed for the setup in our transmissions, which use soft yellow metals (bronze) and in a hypoid arrangement. Royal purple makes one specifically for this type of application and that's what I plan on using during my next oil change, purely because I can have it delivered to my house and not have to drive 3 hours to the closest dealer to buy the factory oil. Some say it works well, others disagree. I don't doubt that the factory is the best (they don't even make the stuff, btw), but the idea that porsche has everything figured out and they know the secret ingredients to make perfect products is crazy.

Oh, and to the post about transmissions being expensive, I hate to break it to you but the 5 speed transmission, better known as an 01a, is considered to be a throw away piece but a lot of euro spec racers and can be harvested off any fwd a4 for a few hundred dollars. But wait, do the audis use porsche transmission oil? Oh damn, what a mess this is........

Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk

10/10ths gave me the same hard time when I was using the same crush ring, time after time, on motor oil changes. (Me doing so NOT because I was too cheap to buy a new one…but because it was inconvenient, I happened not to think of it, whatever…and I’d done oil changes time after time after time using the same crush ring, with no negative consequences.) 78F350 was even MORE disgusted with that practice!

We differed on that, in a friendly give-take kind of way. Nobody even suggested anyone was being "a dick."

And here? I totally agree with his logic. Transmission oil changes? It’s not like an oil change. You’re not doing them every year. We’re not talking about a major investment here. As JFP says, “Use the factory oil.” Got mine by the quart from Sunset Porsche. Easy-peasy, and really not that pricey.

[Starter986]

Ike...

10's most recent post is spot on.

I recognized no "dick" except your move suggesting he was a dick.

You bought a Porsche to save money? lol. Get a Honda.

[DarrenD]

I have to agree with 10/10ths as well. When people ask me about buying a Boxster I ask if they are handy or can afford to spend thousands on repairs at a shop. This is not a car for so many people. My budget for a Boxster was $20K. I bought a $12K car so I'd have $8K for repairs/maint. And that's doing all of the work myself. I can't even imagine what it would have cost if I sent my car to a shop.

A cheap Porsche is the most expensive car you'll ever own.

[ike84]

I'm in no way disagreeing with what 10 said, it's how he said it that I took issue with.

"Maybe you bought a car outside your budget"

That's a rather condescending comment to make.

"Get a honda"

Not any better.

The forum is supposed to be a place to share knowledge and to offer advice, not to make comments about people's cash flow or status in life.

Too many of these posts wind up with this condescending elitism bull**************** about how great porsche is, how we love to spend money on these cars, and those of us who don't should be ashamed of ourselves.

But it's cool, I have no right to tell anyone how to be happy, so if that's what you cling to then good for you. But I will say it over and over again as long as I am active here - these are just cars, have fun with them, and don't be a dick to people for asking questions.

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[Frodo]

Originally Posted by ike84

I'm in no way disagreeing with what 10 said, it's how he said it that I took issue with.

"Maybe you bought a car outside your budget"

That's a rather condescending comment to make.

"Get a honda"

Not any better.

The forum is supposed to be a place to share knowledge and to offer advice, not to make comments about people's cash flow or status in life.

Too many of these posts wind up with this condescending elitism bull**************** about how great porsche is, how we love to spend money on these cars, and those of us who don't should be ashamed of ourselves.

But it's cool, I have no right to tell anyone how to be happy, so if that's what you cling to then good for you. But I will say it over and over again as long as I am active here - these are just cars, have fun with them, and don't be a dick to people for asking questions.

Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk

Sorry, but a good case could be made supporting the position that his comments weren't condescending at all. Only realistic and, in that sense, helpful to all, regardless of one's "cash flow or status in life." He was simply pointing out that buying an older Porsche for the seemingly bargain price of under $10K shouldn't lead one to the conclusion that it's all going to be smooth sailing, financially, once the title's in hand.

Just because those comments were made with conviction doesn't make them irrelevant or nasty. Or "elitist." The forum IS a place to share knowledge and offer advice, in a considered, thoughtful and forthright way. Without casting aspersions. "10" could have said,

"Maybe you bought a car outside your budget you dick"

"Hey, dickhead, get a honda"

But he didn't. You see the difference? In that case, he would be rightly condemned as stepping outside what's considered seemly and acceptable within a forum like this. But he didn't do that. You did. More than once. You should have led with "The forum is supposed to be a place to share knowledge and to offer advice, not to make comments about people's cash flow or status in life," NOT "Hey 10, don't be a dick." See the difference? The former makes a valid point, the latter just creates pointless acrimony. Help us all make this a friendly place.

Buy whatever rotgut transmission fluid you like, mix and match various weights and brands to come up with the "magical combination" that makes for peerless shifting. But do so knowing that, just maybe, you're doing so against the advice of those who have learned from experience and know better.