VERY confused on what type of manual transmission fluid to use

[528iMatt]

OK so I have REALLY been trying to not have to ask this question but searching is yielding all kinds of answers...

I have a 2000 528i...What MTF do I need to use? gear oil? atf??

I am wanting to run the royal purple syncromax I keep reading a lot about but it seems that it need to have the correct color of sticker on my tranny to be able to run it? I dont want to put it in and the tranny actually need a heavy gear oil and ruin something.

Can someone please explain this to me?

Thanks

[Gid]

Use the Royal Purple Syncomax.

It's what I use in all of my manual trannys.

[Jason5driver]

http://www.ehow.com/how_5013156_chan...uid-bmw-e.html

http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...ient=firefox-a


http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/mtf.aspx

[528iMatt]

Use the Royal Purple Syncomax.

It's what I use in all of my manual trannys.

So this would be OK even if the tranny sticker were to indicate I should use a gear oil? Thats I guess my main question.

Thanks

[pbonsalb]

RP Synchromax, Redline D4ATF, or Redline MTL all work well as substitutes for BMW's "MTL." Don't worry.

[528iMatt]

RP Synchromax, Redline D4ATF, or Redline MTL all work well as substitutes for BMW's "MTL." Don't worry.

OK I was just getting thrown off by some places saying to use like 75w-90 gear oils in some of them...


edit: like here on ecs tuning, says this:
Gear 300 75w90 - 1 Liter
Fully synthetic gear oil, for use on the street or the track
Recommended for BMW manual transmissions with the "Green Label" or SHC 630

see wtf is this? so confusing lol

[touring5]

I've used redline MTL in my last two cars and it seems to work very nicely. I've not tried the royal purple, so I can't comment on its performance.

[rf900rkw]

Don't be fooled by the numbers. Gear oil weight is a different number scale than motor oil. A 75W-90 gear oil is about equivalent to a 10W-40 motor oil. ATF is closer to a 5W-30.

[ND4SPDLSC]

Run what BMW specs. No one does as much testing for compatibility, wear, and performance. If a commercial equivalent is available from a major lube manufacturer, you're golden. For the Getrag in the M5/540i, we're best off with the BMW fluid. No one makes an equivalent that has been blessed by Getrag.

For what you pay vs. a big name, the small lube companies barely do any testing and publish to few industry standards.

[528iMatt]

OOOOk perfect, I apparently was just confused on those two scales. I was thinking about the difference between the ATF and the diff fluid in my Jeep, and THOSE are way different viscosities lol.

I just dont want to ruin something if it needed a specific thing, just really want to try this royal purple syncromax after all the good things I have been reading here about it

Thanks all.

Run what BMW specs. No one does as much testing for compatibility, wear, and performance. If a commercial equivalent is available from a major lube manufacturer, you're golden. For the Getrag in the M5/540i, we're best off with the BMW fluid. No one makes an equivalent that has been blessed by Getrag.

For what you pay vs. a big name, the small lube companies barely do any testing and publish to few industry standards.

That was my original problem, finding out what the hell they are specing, atf or gear oil lol

[jnyost]

The SynchroMax works well, but only for a little while before it gets notchy again.

MTF

[cnn]

Everything (tips, tricks, Redline) you ever want to know is here. I wrote it back in May 2006 and so far so good.

Here is my write-up:

http://bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/189240

I use:
-Gravity fill (no need for oil pump)
Man Trans: Redline MT-90
Rear Diff: Redline 75W90

[jnyost]

Everything (tips, tricks, Redline) you ever want to know is here. I wrote it back in May 2006 and so far so good.

Here is my write-up:

http://bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/189240

I use:
-Gravity fill (no need for oil pump)
Man Trans: Redline MT-90
Rear Diff: Redline 75W90

Glad to see you used the MT-90. I think it will work better in the tranny than their ATF. I know if you speak to Redline directly they recommend ATF, but I think that is only because that is what most manual trannys use. Personally, I think an MTF created for synchro trannys works better.

[weasel like]

I refilled with BMW fluids and its working well almost 2 years later. Changed at 100k FWIW.

[cnn]

Glad to see you used the MT-90. I think it will work better in the tranny than their ATF. I know if you speak to Redline directly they recommend ATF, but I think that is only because that is what most manual trannys use. Personally, I think an MTF created for synchro trannys works better.

Jared,

ATF is too thin for my taste.
MT-90 is just perfect for me.
Even in the middle of Nebraska winter (temp down to minus 10F), it shifts fine in the morning.

[jnyost]

Jared,

ATF is too thin for my taste.
MT-90 is just perfect for me.
Even in the middle of Nebraska winter (temp down to minus 10F), it shifts fine in the morning.

Agreed.

[Route 66]

cnn that is a great DIY write up.

[rf900rkw]

Don't let the perceived viscosity at room temp rule your choice. Modern ATF's are extremely stable. Their viscosity at operating temperature is not that far off of 90 gear oil. Many years of development has gone into today's multi-grade oils. This technology doesn't really carry into the GL-5 EP rated gear oils. The extreme loads placed on the oil by a hypoid gear set would destroy the viscosity enhancing polymers of modern oils in short order. Thus the gear oil is more old tech, and will seem much thicker at cold temps.

[ND4SPDLSC]

OOOOk perfect, I apparently was just confused on those two scales. I was thinking about the difference between the ATF and the diff fluid in my Jeep, and THOSE are way different viscosities lol.

I just dont want to ruin something if it needed a specific thing, just really want to try this royal purple syncromax after all the good things I have been reading here about it

Thanks all.

That was my original problem, finding out what the hell they are specing, atf or gear oil lol

It's not called out in the manual and you can't ring the local dealer? Once you have the spec, search for an equivalent. If none exists, use the spec fluid for best results. I'd rather pay a little more for fluid than a transmission. I still don't like the small players for publishing barely anything on their fluid specs and tech data. I'm not for big oil, but I am looking from an engineering standpoint. Once I found enough info from Roadfly and the M5 board, I went with BMW fluid. The Royal Purple seems to work on the Getrag 6 speeds, but even at the high price of the BMW fluid, the cost savings is mitigated over the length of time the fluid will be used. It's 30 min of labor at a shop to change the fluid. It was another 30 min to change the rear diff. I used Mobil 1 75-90 I think. It'd take me way longer to get the car up AND level on my crappy driveway to do it myself. In 90 degree heat with high humidity, I left it for them.

[nsr13196]

Synthetic Manual Synchromesh Transmission Fluid (MTF)

[Kevin Da Clean1]

Would this Redline Manual Transmission fluid be a good match for the unit in my M5... ? Just curious on what you guys thought.

[nubreed000]

Everything (tips, tricks, Redline) you ever want to know is here. I wrote it back in May 2006 and so far so good.

Here is my write-up:

http://bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/189240

I use:
-Gravity fill (no need for oil pump)
Man Trans: Redline MT-90
Rear Diff: Redline 75W90

Just to be clear you bought 2 quart bottles of each fluid and used approximately 1 bottle and a half?

[CSMBlack-540i]

Just to be clear you bought 2 quart bottles of each fluid and used approximately 1 bottle and a half?

For me, on the rear differential: yes, 1 and about 1/2 qts of Royal Purple 75w90.

[cnn]

Just to be clear you bought 2 quart bottles of each fluid and used approximately 1 bottle and a half?

Glad you did your home work, and yes buy 2 qts.
Rear Diff 1.3 qt capacity
MT 1.4 qts capacity

So I ended up with 1/2 qt of unused Redline fluid that still sits in my garage 4 years later!

[Cyrix2k]

Run what BMW specs. No one does as much testing for compatibility, wear, and performance. If a commercial equivalent is available from a major lube manufacturer, you're golden. For the Getrag in the M5/540i, we're best off with the BMW fluid. No one makes an equivalent that has been blessed by Getrag.

For what you pay vs. a big name, the small lube companies barely do any testing and publish to few industry standards.

This.