ZF-6 oil

[PhillipsLT5]

sold in liters @ BMW dealer, not quarts

[sammy]

when i was @ bills in dec he had me try some new oil that rockland gear came out with called 150 SM transzilla lube . i like the way the trans works with this stuff over the castrol .jmho . might want to give him a ring about it .

[WVZR-1]

Yes, RSG has their own lubricants these days and the 150SM is on their application sheet for the ZF. Ironically the application guide calls for 4 guarts, and they're the ONLY distributor for our ZF parts in the country. Has it any advantages over any other synthetic? Likely not but I'd be pretty confident if you purchased any of their "custom build transmissions" it will certainly be the lube recommended and maybe required for warranty.

Everybody has their branded lubricants even Joe Gibbs.

I have GM original in the box but Castrol in the transmission. No particular reason except the Castrol was an alternative that was just being discussed when the I purchased the car. I've actually been inclined to maybe just use Mobil1 10W30 or another synthetic equal to it.

[alwayscode390]

Thanks for the heads up and part numbers, I will be swapping out the fluid in my Transmission in the upcoming month ---

[scottfab]

Originally Posted by WVZR-1

...snip....
I've actually been inclined to maybe just use Mobil1 10W30 or another synthetic equal to it.

There's been some pretty compelling evidence that using some synthetics in the ZF is a no no. I believe fried sychros are the result.
Ask around. This was a thread that went around on the list server (email threads) years ago. Why this happens with Mobil 10w30 and not the BMW 10w60 synthetic? dunno
Might want to ask Bill.

[WVZR-1]

Originally Posted by scottfab

There's been some pretty compelling evidence that using some synthetics in the ZF is a no no. I believe fried sychros are the result.
Ask around. This was a thread that went around on the list server (email threads) years ago. Why this happens with Mobil 10w30 and not the BMW 10w60 synthetic? dunno
Might want to ask Bill.

I believe that the issues were with the use of synthetics and other blends that were advertised as being gear-box applicable only. An example of this would be the earlier GM Syncromesh Fluid that is NOT an acceptable lubricant. I don't believe that was related to engine oil synthetics. Some of the "compelling" you mention I believe to be "I heard it on the Internet" sourced!

The other thought and it would make no difference I guess of the lubricant "of choice" is just do the change maybe at every third engine oil change to keep it fresh. I believe a good question related is how frequently or on what schedule do you do the ZF maintenance. The lubricant of choice get's "beat to death" and I believe the interval of service might likely be the more relative question.

[mike100]

Originally Posted by sammy

when i was @ bills in dec he had me try some new oil that rockland gear came out with called 150 SM transzilla lube . i like the way the trans works with this stuff over the castrol .jmho . might want to give him a ring about it .

Is it thinner?

and Oh my say it isn't so! people actually using something other than the 10w-60!!!

[Hib Halverson]

The original GM lube for the ZF S6-40 was a Texaco 5W-30 engine oil, but it hasn't been available in many years. What GM sells now is a 5W-30 but it's not the same stuff.

Some like that BMW lube (the 10W60 engine oil) but some who've tested it say it needs to be frequently, like every 10,000 miles.

Back in the day, when the ZF was undergoing some racetrack development in the late 80s, the race teams which were assisting GM in testing it (Morrison Development and Bakeracing) put Red Line MTL in them. What works quite well.

The ultimate in ZF lubes, IMO, is Red Line Light Shockproof Gear Lubricant. I've been using it for about 15 years in two different ZFs and it works quite well...especially for shift feel and getting a slight reduction in gear rattle. I change it religiously every 36,000 miles and have a sample analyzed. Every time the analysis comes back ok. I have about 90,000 miles on a 95 using tghat lubricant most of the time and MTL the rest of the time.

[Hib Halverson]

Originally Posted by scottfab

There's been some pretty compelling evidence that using some synthetics in the ZF is a no no. I believe fried sychros are the result.
Ask around. This was a thread that went around on the list server (email threads) years ago. Why this happens with Mobil 10w30 and not the BMW 10w60 synthetic? dunno
Might want to ask Bill.

All B.S.

[A26B]

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

All B.S.

Hib, you always come up with an absolute, unequivocal statements that leave no margin for consideration of the actual experience of others.

To the other, more open-minded, reading and posting in this thread, I offer this information from personal experience, that my transmission seized up completely, shortly after draining the original transmission lube and replacing it with Redline synthetic.

In addition to my experience, a very good friend, Ron Hanselman, had the same seizure after replacing the factory lube with Redline.

Also, I spoke with Bill B. about it and he confirmed knowledge of another seizure, also after switching to Redline.

Now, for some it may take some long-haired, four-eyed, nearsighted engineer with a lot of abbreviations after his name to convince some people to reconsider using Redline synthetic in their ZF tranny, but not me.

So, allege BS if you want, but there is sufficient reason to cause at least 3 of us to discontinue the use of Redline in favor of the Castrol lube recommended by Bill B.

Respectfully,