Manual Transmission Fluid

[John Wesley Hardin]

I'm going with Redline MT90 for a fluid change on the Jetta tomorrow. Second choice was Pennzoil Synchromesh but its nowhere to be found. Any other recommendations before the night is done ?

 

[boertje]

This stuff is good too. We use this In our 02m transmissions too. Shifts seem smoother than the pennzoil and its GL-4.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/VAL811095

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

This stuff is good too. We use this In our 02m transmissions too. Shifts seem smoother than the pennzoil and its GL-4.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/VAL811095

Thanks for the response . Auto parts store had this in stock , but nowhere does it specify its GL4 .

 

[boertje]

Perhaps this?

Synchromesh Manual Transmission Fluid - Valvoline™ Global

Valvoline™ Synchromesh Manual Transmission Fluid is a high performance manual transmission lubricant designed to meet the extreme demands of passenger car manual transmission gearbox applications in certain General Motors and Chrysler vehicles with synchronizers. Valvoline Synchromesh Manual...

www.valvolineglobal.com

 

[dieseldonato]

I did the redline Mt 90 when I changed trans fluid. I debated using the light version, but went with the normal version. (It's good for my nv4500 in my truck too.) It's a little stiffer on colder mornings till the trans warms up a bit, but seems to shift nicer otherwise. Before I had some random times when I'd get gear clash during 3rd to 4th shifts (up and down) hasn't happened since I changed it. Old fluid looked like death though...

 

[Tdijarhead]

I’ve become a firm believer in Penzoil synchromesh, it’s like getting a new gearbox. I found it at Napa years ago so the next time I needed it I went back and they didn’t have it in stock, but they were able to order it for me and have it the next day. All you need to do is ask. The last time I bought it I found it at auto zone, they just happened to have two bottles. I’ll bet you could order it for next day delivery with them also.

 

[Bradm]

As your gathering everything to do this job, make sure you have 17mm hex/allen to get the drain/fill plugs open. Not really a common tool that people have in their toolbox unless they turn wrenches for a living

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

I’ve become a firm believer in Penzoil synchromesh, it’s like getting a new gearbox. I found it at Napa years ago so the next time I needed it I went back and they didn’t have it in stock, but they were able to order it for me and have it the next day. All you need to do is ask. The last time I bought it I found it at auto zone, they just happened to have two bottles. I’ll bet you could order it for next day delivery with them also.

Oreillys doesnt carry it , or I would order it . Oil change place and auto repair place wont change it. Thats why I call living in South Texas "Third World Living at its Finest"

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

As your gathering everything to do this job, make sure you have 17mm hex/allen to get the drain/fill plugs open. Not really a common tool that people have in their toolbox unless they turn wrenches for a living

Oreillys doesnt carry it , or I would order it . Oil change place and auto repair place wont change it. Thats why I call living in South Texas "Third World Living at its Finest"

Glad you mentioned that. I have to pick that up too. I have virtually every tool known to mankind, except when I need it, hahah

 

[Bradm]

Glad you mentioned that. I have to pick that up too. I have virtually every tool known to mankind, except when I need it, hahah

Aint that the truth and you usually discover you need something when its the weekend and everything is closed
Good luck. Its a easy job that shows immediate improvement

 

[Zak99b5]

Personally, I fill the tranny with a mix of redline and the Pennzoil synchromesh.
Put the car up on ramps when you do it, and remove the filler plug first.

When you go to fill it, just get a clear vinyl hose that fits on the bottle's spout snugly. Drop the hose from the engine bay down into the fill hole, then pour the oil down and in. I have a helper down below when I can to make sure the hose stays in the tranny, and also to tell me when it’s dribbling out.

With the car up on ramps, you can put a little more oil in there, which is a good thing (less chance of 5th getting starved for oil).

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

Well it should be. I have to drive to Aransas Pass Hole 15 miles for car ramps then to pick up 17mm and Fluid then to Ace Hole hardware to p/u hose for fluid by then its miller time and I have to trick someone into doing the work for me and that takes time hahaha

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

Personally, I fill the tranny with a mix of redline and the Pennzoil synchromesh.
Put the car up on ramps when you do it, and remove the filler plug first.

When you go to fill it, just get a clear vinyl hose that fits on the bottle's spout snugly. Drop the hose from the engine bay down into the fill hole, then pour the oil down and in. I have a helper down below when I can to make sure the hose stays in the tranny, and also to tell me when it’s dribbling out.

With the car up on ramps, you can put a little more oil in there, which is a good thing (less chance of 5th getting starved for oil).

Good idea I saw some youtube videos where people were pumping it up, which didnt make a lot of since. Im going your route funnel down. Says 2.1 liters needed which is two quarts and seven ounces

 

[Bradm]

When i did this the first time i read all sorts of old threads about it for a day. Dont overthink it. Pull the car up drain it out refill with all 3 bottles, call it good. I opt to just cut the tip off and squirt it in, these bottles are really malable you can roll them, squeeze them, etc like a tube of toothpaste and get 99% of the oil out. When ever i use the tube i end up with more of a mess then you gotta clean the tube out and all that

 

[Gothmolly]

How do you know when you need to do this?

 

[P2B]

How do you know when you need to do this?

You don't need to. It's lifetime fluid per VW

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

When i did this the first time i read all sorts of old threads about it for a day. Dont overthink it. Pull the car up drain it out refill with all 3 bottles, call it good. I opt to just cut the tip off and squirt it in, these bottles are really malable you can roll them, squeeze them, etc like a tube of toothpaste and get 99% of the oil out. When ever i use the tube i end up with more of a mess then you gotta clean the tube out and all that

Man, its a good thing I changed it when I did. It was about 3/4 of a quart low, and smelled like it was burnt. It also looked like I was pouring gold metal flake paint it had so many bronze shavings in there , unbelievable. I put 2 quarts and 8oz. back in. Car is still on ramps. we did this between rain storms. So I havent driven it yet. Will let you know how the test drive goes. Thanks for everyones help. I may change it in 4-6months and flush it out to get the majority of the remainder of the bronze shavings out . I got zoomed by Oreillys. The Redline MT 90 was 24.00 a quart . I called the other auto stores in town and nobody had Pennzoil or GL4 . So I get nailed without any lube!
Took it for a test drive before I posted this. shifts like a dream. Third gear is still a little wonky however I was only driving about fifteen minutes.

 

[dieseldonato]

It's kinda tough to find a gl-4 only spec gear oil. Valvoline makes an excellent synthetic oil, that everyone carries, but it's gl4/5 rated and 100% not compatable with a manual transmission thay specs a gl-4 fluid. Cost me a set of syncronizers in my truck.

 

[Nuje]

Last time I filled an 02J was after a swap from 01M; VSS was already out so I wouldn't inadvertently whack it on something on the install, so I just filled through that port.
Much easier / less mess than that side fill port (and also makes squeezing in some extra equally simple). I have a long metal funnel with accordion-like neck so it's pretty easy to get it where I want and not worry about it dancing around like plastic tubing does.

 

[hskrdu]

If future readers are ever in a pinch, you can use a spare 17mm wheel bolt. Here's my save thread from frugality on MTF change, lots of good info:

Manual transmission fluid change how-to with pics

Before doing my transmission oil change, I did some searching of old threads to get an idea of what to do. Someone (GeWilli, I think) asked about pictures for a how-to .pdf, which it seems no one had, so I took some pictures. I haven't taken the time to find out how to make a .pdf, but here...

forums.tdiclub.com

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

It's kinda tough to find a gl-4 only spec gear oil. Valvoline makes an excellent synthetic oil, that everyone carries, but it's gl4/5 rated and 100% not compatable with a manual transmission thay specs a gl-4 fluid. Cost me a set of syncronizers in my truck.

I just went with Redline MT90. VW specs say 75w-90w GL4. Thats what Redline MT90 says it is. I was surprised how thin it is. I was expecting a thicker more difficult liquid to pour into the transmission. It has the consistency of ATF or brake fluid .

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

If future readers are ever in a pinch, you can use a spare 17mm wheel bolt. Here's my save thread from frugality on MTF change, lots of good info:

Manual transmission fluid change how-to with pics

Before doing my transmission oil change, I did some searching of old threads to get an idea of what to do. Someone (GeWilli, I think) asked about pictures for a how-to .pdf, which it seems no one had, so I took some pictures. I haven't taken the time to find out how to make a .pdf, but here...

forums.tdiclub.com

Great post!
If future readers are ever in a pinch, you can use a spare 17mm wheel bolt. Here's my save thread from frugality on MTF change, lots of good info:

Manual transmission fluid change how-to with pics

Before doing my transmission oil change, I did some searching of old threads to get an idea of what to do. Someone (GeWilli, I think) asked about pictures for a how-to .pdf, which it seems no one had, so I took some pictures. I haven't taken the time to find out how to make a .pdf, but here...

forums.tdiclub.com

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

Great post!
If future readers are ever in a pinch, you can use a spare 17mm wheel bolt. Here's my save thread from frugality on MTF change, lots of good info:

Dont know how I got intertwined in your post. I just said Great Post! haha

 

[dieseldonato]

I just went with Redline MT90. VW specs say 75w-90w GL4. Thats what Redline MT90 says it is. I was surprised how thin it is. I was expecting a thicker more difficult liquid to pour into the transmission. It has the consistency of ATF or brake fluid .

Most oils don't start getting "thick" till temps drop. We use a similar weight oil in one of our big gear boxes here at work, and at 40*f it's hard to pour. Actually has heaters in it to warm it up before we can run it. At 70*f the oil pours just about like water.

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

Most oils don't start getting "thick" till temps drop. We use a similar weight oil in one of our big gear boxes here at work, and at 40*f it's hard to pour. Actually has heaters in it to warm it up before we can run it. At 70*f the oil pours just about like water.

Most oils don't start getting "thick" till temps drop. We use a similar weight oil in one of our big gear boxes here at work, and at 40*f it's hard to pour. Actually has heaters in it to warm it up before we can run it. At 70*f the oil pours just about like water.

Hmmh... didnt know that. I just thought it would be heavier out of the bottle .

 

[dieseldonato]

Here's a decent video about viscosity and flow. It's an extremely case by an oil vendor, but you get the idea. I wish they would do warm temp pour tests too, but it gives a pretty good idea of how two traditional grades preform at low temps.

 

[AndyBees]

If you saved the old oil, put it in a repurposed plastic jug and let it settle for a few months. Then, slowly pour it into another jug for future use. Future Use would be to add when doing a flush change. As a hobby for the last 15 or so years, I've done maintenance for several of my VW owner friends. I saved all their transmission fluid as well as mine and my son's oil (he has two TDIs) to have for flushing.

For what it is worth, I've been using the Pennzoil Synchromesh in my Jettas for years. I also put it in my Vanagon transmission with the ALH TDI engine. When I built the transmission for my Vanagon, I used "used" oil for break-in and flushing. I changed it out after the first 500 miles, then in 2500 miles, then in 5000 miles and there after every 20k miles with Pennzoil Synchromesh. It has almost 88k miles on it. I'm building a new transmission with improved gear ratios for the ALH engine. Right now, I have about $3000 in the transmission in parts and mods. So, I'll be using "settled" oil for the break-in and flushing before settling on the Pennzoil Synchromesh. There is a fair amount of discussion in the Samba about "settling" used transmission oil for this purpose.

 

[Gothmolly]

You don't need to. It's lifetime fluid per VW

Thanks, thats what I thought - never understood these numerous posts about it.

 

[thechoochlyman]

Thanks, thats what I thought - never understood these numerous posts about it.

(Allegedly) lifetime fluid. Maybe I work my car more than some, but I find about every 20k it starts getting hard to shift. New fluid and it's back to being smooth in a couple of days. I've used OEM G070 fluid about three times and last time I used Royal Purple 75w-90 GL4 just because I already had it.

 

[John Wesley Hardin]

If you saved the old oil, put it in a repurposed plastic jug and let it settle for a few months. Then, slowly pour it into another jug for future use. Future Use would be to add when doing a flush change. As a hobby for the last 15 or so years, I've done maintenance for several of my VW owner friends. I saved all their transmission fluid as well as mine and my son's oil (he has two TDIs) to have for flushing.

For what it is worth, I've been using the Pennzoil Synchromesh in my Jettas for years. I also put it in my Vanagon transmission with the ALH TDI engine. When I built the transmission for my Vanagon, I used "used" oil for break-in and flushing. I changed it out after the first 500 miles, then in 2500 miles, then in 5000 miles and there after every 20k miles with Pennzoil Synchromesh. It has almost 88k miles on it. I'm building a new transmission with improved gear ratios for the ALH engine. Right now, I have about $3000 in the transmission in parts and mods. So, I'll be using "settled" oil for the break-in and flushing before settling on the Pennzoil Synchromesh. There is a fair amount of discussion in the Samba about "settling" used transmission oil for this purpose.

Yes that a great idea for a flush.