Follow-up to "Correct Trans Fluid for '86 4KQ?"

[Mustang]

Hello again,

I just wanted to follow up with lister recommendations my experiences from
my recent question about the correct tranny fluid for a 4KQ.

If you remember from my original post, I had changed my trans fluid to the
Lubro Moly Voll-Synthese Synthetic gear oil when I realized it is GL5 rated
while Audi specifies GL4 for the 4KQ tranny.  Not wanting to cause any
damage to my tranny I asked the list for the correct fluid.  Everyone who
responded recommended Redline MT-90 (literally!).  A few mentioned that MTL
might be better for colder climates and a couple mentioned the factory Audi
fluid is good, but expensive.  I also e-mailed Redline and they too
recommended the MT-90 or the MTL.  It's interesting to note that I live in
what I thought would be considered a colder climate for USA (Eastern
Washington state where we have snow on the ground and it was 18 degrees last
night) and Redline still recommended the MT-90.  Maybe it's because it's not
uncommon for us to hit the 90's and even 100's here in the summer. <shrug>

So, I bought 3 quarts of MT-90, drained the expensive Lubro Moly I just
installed (ouch!), and filled the trans/diff up with the Redline.  I must
say the car is shifting better now than ever - even at 18 degrees this
morning!  Believe it or not, the fresh Lubro Moly was the worst of the 3,
worse than the factory original fluid that came out of it.  I had a hard
time getting the car into first when cold with the Lubro Moly.  Heck, the
shifting wasn't bad with the factory fluid, but with 15 years and 200,000+
miles on the odometer, I figured it was time.  It's also interesting to note
that the factory fluid and the Lubro moly STUNK!  Just like gear oil is
"supposed to" - pew!  But the Redline had almost no odor at all, FWIW.  :-)

Anyway, I hope I didn't bore too many of you with this probably well known
info.  I just wanted to follow up with the current CW and my experience.
Overall, I'm real satisfied with the outcome, but a little frustrated that
Blau sold me the wrong fluid.  Glad I asked you guys before I did too much
damage (just wish I would have asked sooner!)  Thanks for all your help
everyone!

Brandon




=========================================================
Hello,

My name is Brandon Traynham and I purchased an '86 4000CS Quattro about a
month and a half ago as a winter driver.  It has a great body, paint, and
interior, but high mileage.  All the major components of the driveline are
in good shape, but it needs most of the maintenance items replaced.  So far
I have replaced the shocks, wheel bearings, bushings, brake rotors, pads,
etc.  Now I'm turning my attention to fluids, filters, and other tune-up
items.

I've been just reading and learning so far on the list and I appreciate all
the good stuff I've learned so far.  I do have a question now and after
searching the archives, I was unable to find a definitive answer.  I'd like
to know what is the correct fluid for the transmission/front differential?
I installed Lubro Moly Voll-Synthese Synthetic Gear Oil (75W090) before I
noticed it is GL5 rated and the Bentley manual says the car needs GL4.  The
posts in the archive seem to be evenly split between the Redline MT90 and
MTL with a few folks recommending the Audi synthetic lube from the dealer.
I did notice that many of the archived messages dated back to '93 so I
thought I'd ask to see what the current conventional wisdom is.

Thanks in advance!

Brandon