Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Synchros shot? Weird noises while shifting? Not sure what needs to be replaced?
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Shadow
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Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by Shadow »

Anyone using Redline MTL in their manual transmission?

A lot of people rave about this stuff for its cold-weather shift performance. From the Redline website:

* Safe for brass synchros, as it lacks the reactive sulfurs found in most GL-5 oils that cause damage

* Offers quicker shifts, perfect synchronizer coefficient of friction

* Eliminates notchy shifting, even when cold

* High performance gear protection and longer synchro life

* Satisifies the gear oil viscosity requirements of 70W, 75W, 80W, and motor oil viscosities of SAE 30, 10W30, and 5W30

* Recommended for GL-1, GL-3, and GL-4 applications as well as where most special synchromesh fluids are specified



Anyway, I'm thinking about swapping to this stuff in my Audi, but I'll probably wait until after summer/fall when the weather turns cold again.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by AHTOXA »

Ran it in my cherokee. Ax-15 trans. Decor gear was terribly nothy. Improved with redline.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by watkins »

Man, I hate when my decor gear gets nothy.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by AHTOXA »

It was supposed to say 'second'. Damn auto correct.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by Shadow »

Hmm....my car has a little bit of a notchy 2nd gear shift when it's really cold out. It smooths out once the engine warms up though. And all of the other shifts are smooth as butter, even when cold. So next winter I'll either try the Redline MTL or I'll just live with the notchy 2nd gear shift every time the car is cold.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by cimbali »

Redline is a popular with BMWs. It is often recommended by the BMWCCA tech editor as a replacement to the factory fill.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by Shadow »

cimbali wrote:Redline is a popular with BMWs. It is often recommended by the BMWCCA tech editor as a replacement to the factory fill.
Which one? MTL? There are several....
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by Shadow »

Just to update this thread---- I drained the factory fill out of the gearbox in the fall and replaced it with the Redline MTL. Now that I've had the chance to drive the car a few times in freezing temps, I can say that it really made a fantastic difference. My gearbox wasn't super notchy in the first place, but 2nd gear did give me quite a bit of resistance when the gear oil was cold. The shift action into 2nd gear did improve once everything was up to temperature. Now with the MTL, I get just a tiny hint of notchy 2nd gear engagement, but it goes away almost right away. By the 2nd or 3rd time I'm shifting 2nd gear, it's smooth as butter. So I have to say that I'm really pleased with the MTL. Seems like it's just right for my gearbox.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by bk7794 »

im replacing my oil soon with Honda's MTF. I'm hoping I get similar results to you.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by potownrob »

bk7794 wrote:im replacing my oil soon with Honda's MTF. I'm hoping I get similar results to you.
i think MTF is just 10w30 with special additives; better than regular 10w30 they used to prescribe (which should work ok in your tranny) but there's probably a better more synthetic oil out there for winter driving.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by potownrob »

ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by bk7794 »

holy crap the service interval on that is terrible...
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by potownrob »

whaddya expect from a dino oil with additives :?: :?: :?
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by bk7794 »

300k mile change interval.












:lol:
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Re: Redline MTL vs factory gearbox fill

Post by potownrob »

what is this, a truck forum?? :lol: :shock: :oops:
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