quattro digest, Vol 1 #4323 - 16 msgs

[Larry C Leung]

For the record, before I joined the list and was enlightened when
I purchased my 200Q I had the gearbox oil replaced with Mobil 1
(GL5) which I didn't know (at the time) of the detriment it could do
to my synchros. It was put in at about 90K and when I started having
synchro problems (they were bad, had to lift throttle completely
between upshifts, NO FUN) the Mobil 1 was taken out at around
160K miles. Replaced with Redline MT90 (GL4), within about 2
weeks, synchro function was totally restored. You decide, but
I personally would stick by Redline.

LL - NY




> Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 23:09:58 -0500 (EST)
> From: John David Anderson <janders1 at mix.wvu.edu>
> To: quattro at audifans.com
> Subject: RE: GL4, how about GL2 through GL5?
>
> >Is anyone using Amsoil synthetic 80W90 GL2 through GL5 in their
> tranny?
> > If so, how long have you had it in and any comments on shifting
> >smoothness, etc?
>
> >If GL5 can't be used, I don't see how this can meet GL4 and still
> be
> >GL5 spec.
>
> >For the record, no one around here carries Redline.
>
> This is a long lamented and argued topic, my how they used to make
> claims on the corrado list, and then even some would claim that
> Redline
> GL4 MTL still killed their GTI box but the MT90 was safe, yada,
> yada,
> yada.
>
> From a technically historic perspective GL5 rated mineral based
> oils
> had extreme pressure additives that would attack VW/Audi syncro
> rings.
> At least they would attack the early non moly coated rings, exactly
> when the switch in what model lines, who knows, and I guess they
> would
> hypothetically attack even the later as the moly coat wore off.
> Some
> more perspectives, I have a factory ZF limited slip in my '77 bus,
> in
> order to use such I had to switch to a GL5 oil, Chris Weddle of VW
> transaxle fame told me basically with the GL5 dino oils he would
> see
> factory bus syncros last only 150kish miles instead of 250kish, now
> that is nearly a 50% reduction in useable life but...  Next bit is
> that
> I had a boatload of GL5 rated Redline 75W90NS from an american car
> project and the tech rep at Redline told me basically that all
> their
> oils were so stable that I could easily use it in whatever VW tranny
> I
> wanted, he about came out and said that there was no real
> difference
> between MT90 and the 75W90NS but stopped short of saying so.  Now on
> my
> old quantum syncro I did use GL5 rated Synthoil synthetic, and
> about
> 10k after the change the tranny started an occasional howl.  But
> when I
> initially bought the car it only had about 2.5 qts of oil in it and
> furthermore after I sold it the car aquired another 120k miles with
> the
> thing howling eventually all day long.
>
> This is all ancedotal of course, I tend to use the Redline MT90 as
> it
> is reasonably priced compared to VW/Audi factory synthetic, and I
> love
> what it will do for a balky gearbox.  It is availble from numerous
> sources on the web shipped to you door for $7-$15/qt depending who
> you
> get it from.  For me it wouldn't pay to try the AMSOIL when I could
> just mail order stuff that is known to be safe for the same $$
>
> John
> janders1 at mix.wvu.edu