synchromesh safe for 02j?

Hi ive been hearing good things about it but i noticed it is not GL-4 compliant. It does say its GL-3.. im just wondering if it is safe to run in my 02 jetta

I have been battling a 1-2 gear change grind for a while. The only way to get around it is to basically rev match the shift, which is annoying when your trying to accelerate (such as pulling out onto a road when traffic is heavy and flowing fast). This last oil change I decided to go ahead and change over to synchromesh. It is a much thinner oil than what came out, and I was a bit worried but at the point of no return. So I filled it to the brim, buttoned it up, and started driving it. Totally took care of the 1-2 shift grind! I can power shift this sucker and its a smooth transition (I still shift like before though, its easier on the trans IMO).

Been running it in 02 golf with no issues

I have an 02M 6 speed with noisy 3 downshift. Switched over to synchromesh and no more problem. Jimbote is a big proponent of this oil in the 02J.

I used it in my 2001 Golf my 1992 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 & 2003 John Cooper Works Mini Cooper. Not only was it trouble free but in all cases it greatly improved the shifting quality! In fact Chrysler put out a tech bulletin specifying its use to improve shifting in the Dodge Stealth & 3000GT. Can't beat it.

I've had syncromesh in my 02J for probably about 75-100k miles now, no issues and its the best fluid ive ever had in there, much smoother than the OEM fluid. It almost completely cured my 2nd-3rd grind the car had had since i got it at 80k miles. Now I have 206k and no grind.


Would highly recommend.

I have it in my 2000 Jetta TDI and like the others above, the shifting is smoother and quieter than with the old fluid.
I can't say that there is no grinding or fighting, since the transmission was already having problems with the 1-2 shift occasionally, but it's much less than before.

Which Synchromesh are you guys using? AC Delco or Pennzoil? I want to see if this will fix my transmission's unwillingness to downshift from 5th to 4th without double clutching. And if I find the right one we may also stock it.

Both, but what I am using is the Pennzoil. Think that is what jimbote uses too.

I'm also using pennzoil, from the local auto zone/ o'rileys, but I heard the AC delco stuff is even better for some reason. Not sure if true.

Pennzoil from Autozone, here. One bottle filled it on my ALH.

Pennzoil from Autozone

It took about 1.5 bottles for me, but I fill till its leaking out. It seemed like I caught it before a lot leaked out (to a oil pan beneath it), but who knows. Better to have 2 bottles and not need the other, than to be low IMO.

Works good for me. I would grind going into 2nd. Its all better now.

Nice, had half a bottle of it laying around and i noticed it was pretty cheap at Advanced. 9 and change for a bottle. Glad to see it works in these cars even though it isn't rated

hey_allen said:

Pennzoil from Autozone, here. One bottle filled it on my ALH.

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One qt "bottle"?
I've always found it required almost two full qts for a refill.

I understand that after you fill through the fill hole, the tranny will only hold a little over one quart. You then need to replace the plug and then finish the fill by removing the reverse switch and top off through the reverse switch hole. Any reason why one couldn't just do the entire fill through the reverse switch hole?

Thanks,
Ron

jettawreck said:

One qt "bottle"?
I've always found it required almost two full qts for a refill.

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Yep, one quart. Actually slightly under one quart and it was overflowing.
I was expecting ~1.5 and had two on hand, but the second is riding in my trunk.

I'm attributing it to trapped fluids somewhere inside the transmission and planning to drain and fill it again some time soon, just for peace of mind.

They use in 600 hp Vett
There is two types, of it????
I don't mean brands.
If so which is the better of the two if true??

FXDL said:

They use in 600 hp Vett
There is two types, of it????
I don't mean brands.
If so which is the better of the two if true??

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use regular synchromesh, the friction modified is for gearboxes with clutch type limited slip diffs ...our trannies do not have clutch type limited slip diffs

hey_allen said:

Yep, one quart. Actually slightly under one quart and it was overflowing.
I was expecting ~1.5 and had two on hand, but the second is riding in my trunk.

I'm attributing it to trapped fluids somewhere inside the transmission and planning to drain and fill it again some time soon, just for peace of mind.

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My 02j required just under TWO Liters. I have the last 1/5 of a bottle still left.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Which Synchromesh are you guys using? AC Delco or Pennzoil? I want to see if this will fix my transmission's unwillingness to downshift from 5th to 4th without double clutching. And if I find the right one we may also stock it.

Click to expand...

I used pennziol to fix my NB trans getting stuck in 5th. If I didnt take it out of 5th before stopping it was really hard to get it out, this was at about 250k with the factory fill.

I've tried g70, redline mtl, amsoil mtg 75/90 and penzoil synchromesh. Reason for all this was to stop a consistent 1-2 & 2-3 grind and grinding into 1st without going into another gear first. I was worried about the gl4 requirement which is why I tried all the others but without a doubt penz synchromesh beats them all in temps from-10 to 100. It completely changed my trans from a clunky poor shifting one to very smooth. Don't care that it essentially "5/30 engine oil with additives". It works very good in my 2000 Jetta and bug. Viscosity is actually thicker than g70 from what I've read.
Probably the best review is from my wife who wouldn't notice a rod knock, windshield crack, low tire pressure, bad alignmeant, etc. She asked what I did to improve the car's shifting. I was blown away as I can't think of one instance in 26 years she has mentioned anything regarding our vehicles mechanical function. Our neighbor once mentioned nice alloy wheels would enhance the cars appearance over its hubcaps. She replied "the wheels are round, what more do I need". Now if that doesn't convince someone who is having shifting issues to try synchromesh nothing will.

Amsoil has a synchromesh trans lube.
Has anyone tried it?
GM is semi syn., and the Amsoil is 100% syn..
Is the synchromesh safe for a 6 speed man., trans., in a 2010 Jetta TDI?

FXDL said:

Amsoil has a synchromesh trans lube.
Has anyone tried it?
GM is semi syn., and the Amsoil is 100% syn..
Is the synchromesh safe for a 6 speed man., trans., in a 2010 Jetta TDI?

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What is it with you and Amsoil?

FXDL said:

Amsoil has a synchromesh trans lube.
Has anyone tried it?
GM is semi syn., and the Amsoil is 100% syn..
Is the synchromesh safe for a 6 speed man., trans., in a 2010 Jetta TDI?

Click to expand...

My 02Q trans. likes the synchromesh just fine. I use the Pennzoil.

I happen to like the Amsoil products and was wondering because this posting is about synchromesh trans lubes, then this would be the best place to ask. Maybe someone had tried it other then the GM stuff and could give some input on it.
Unfortunately when one out here asks a question, so to get a response back and some useful information back on something he or she hasn't tried, one gets the 3rd degree instead.

I've had a bad 1-2 shift in my 02j for about a year. I've tried different kinda of trans oil and ac delco fixed it for sure. Best oil I've ever used. It's like $17 a quart but well worth it.

FXDL said:

Amsoil has a synchromesh trans lube.
Has anyone tried it?
GM is semi syn., and the Amsoil is 100% syn..
Is the synchromesh safe for a 6 speed man., trans., in a 2010 Jetta TDI?

Click to expand...

I used "Amsoil MTF" in my 06 accord's manual transmission. Made a huge difference in shifting quality. When cold it vastly improved how easy it was to shift. When warmed up it was smooth as butter

I've had many 02j's apart and there isn't anything exotic in there that's any different than a typical domestic manual transmission (ford,chevy,dodge)