[JimmyG]

im not starting the grand debate, honestly.

i searched the forums for a post someone made on synthetic oil (UK sold) that they'd been using in there gearbox...but cant find it as usual

which synthetic to use? and i need to be able to get it quickly in UK.

hope i havent opened that can of worms....again lol!

 

[Bawheid]

Is there a Partco in Stirling Jimmy? If there is ask them for GUL2622 i think its the same as Honda MTF. You get sorted with a box for the white beasty?

 

[Matt88S]

Well, if you want to go synth, I don't see why regular Mobil 10-30 wouldn't work.

I've been thinking of putting it in mine, it gets to be a bleep to shift in the winter.

 

[900t]

Normally if you put M1 in the gearbox it will shift balkier than it ever has balked at before :lol:

 

[nuclear_jimbo]

I've got Castrol SMX synthetic in mine - it's readily available from Halfords (about £12-ish a litre), the gear change is very good and it's a lot quieter than the mineral oil that I'd used previously.

 

[Matt88S]

Normally if you put M1 in the gearbox it will shift balkier than it ever has balked at before :lol:

Well, honestly I think the gearbox needs a rebuild, syncros are probably just worn, when it gets cold out, it occationally grinds going into 1st (this really only happens a few times a winter) but overall its been getting harder and harder to go into gears. It's not grinding, its like there is something in the way. It might be the rubber coupling too I suppose, do they tend to act up in the winter when they are shot? Once you get it warmed up it gets a lot better though, almost back to normal warm weather operation.

Anyhow, I'm running the clean 5000 10-30 right now, and it does fine in warm weather. :roll:

I thought I'd give synthetic a try, see if the different viscosity/charactoristics might help in the cold weather. :roll:

I've done so much to the car that I hate to just park it but at the same time it needs so much more to really bring it up to spec that I hate to go to all the trouble of rebuilding the trans, repainting it, etc. I can do all that, I could shoot some PPG omni on it for less than $200, and provided all the parts are still available, probably rebuild the trans for less than the same, but jeeze thats a lot of time and trouble and when I was done I'd have a really nice N/A. So then I'd have to do the N/A to turbo convertion....

 

[woywitka]

Honda MTF. No ifs, and, or buts.

 

[Matt88S]

But my car doesn't like Honda MTF. If that wasn't the case I'd use it. And I don't know why. Life I suppose.

 

[woywitka]

But my car doesn't like Honda MTF. If that wasn't the case I'd use it. And I don't know why. Life I suppose.

Perhaps you used Honda A-T-F:lol:

 

[earthworm]

At one time(70s), Saab specified a 75 weight for their transmissions.. Impossible to find....95% of cars in America are automatics...

I used a synthetic 75-90 MTF in the '79, the shifting was fine, no noise, but the synchronizers were worn (160K miles).
Why not try the VW synthetic MTF ??- I imagine that the Honda stuff is also good....

 

[xassh]

Normally if you put M1 in the gearbox it will shift balkier than it ever has balked at before :lol:

that was my experience...

i use Redline - 1 quart of Heavy Shockproof, the rest is MT-90. i know not how available it is in Europe.

my transmission shifts smooth as silk :cheesy:

 

[JimmyG]

Thanks for the help folkes!

Is there a Partco in Stirling Jimmy? If there is ask them for GUL2622 i think its the same as Honda MTF. You get sorted with a box for the white beasty?

Theres one in Falkirk. i might just give them a call. Yeh i got a reconditioned box with type 7's. The 306 i bought for the mean time is showing signs of failure already, so i'll be glad to be back in the saab again...:roll: ..just less boost this time me thinks!! I turned the old box upside down yesturday so i could get the taper pin out easier, there wasnt a good noise coming from it...tinkling metal lol

I've got Castrol SMX synthetic in mine - it's readily available from Halfords (about £12-ish a litre), the gear change is very good and it's a lot quieter than the mineral oil that I'd used previously.

i'll have a look at this stuff too. cheers mate!

 

[TheRedBaron]

Matt88 - try a 5w30 synth instead of 10w30, it will be a lot better on cold mornings. It can be a tricky weight to find, I know amsoil sells it, I'm sure others do as well. Definitely makes a good difference, though.

 

[philb]

As usual, I'll 2nd the Barons' recommendation of amsoil. Its amsoil synthetic mtf, I got it from opieoils.co.uk. Wasn't cheap, but you only need 1 litre. Gearshift is perfect, even now that its starting to freeze.

 

[JimmyG]

I thought it was 3L?

 

[philb]

Yes, you are right. Brain is dead. :cheesy:

 

[JimmyG]

damn wish you were, its expensive stuff! i went with castrol SMX-S from hellfrouds, £36 to fill the box

Is there any technique to filling it? poor some into the primary side and the rest into the box itself..?

 

[philb]

Since you have the box off the car, you should be able to get the old oil out of the primary case ( I'm not sure how ). I don't think it automatically drains. I just siphoned out the old oil from the fill plug, and then filled it until it was full. Which left half a litre of oil, and I think thats how much the primary case holds. Theres plenty more info about it on this forum, sorry I'm not much help.

 

[JimmyG]

ahh, thanks for the heads up.

I've already opened up the primary section as i needed to swap over the primary cover, because of the engine mounting bracket being different. as its a rebuilt box there wasnt any oil in it, but i did find sludge right at the bottom. so i'm in doubt already as to the quality of rebuild....