What oil is recommended for T9?

[DaveD]

What oil should I get for my T9 transmission. It is a 5 speed and has the Quaife Clubman gears.

 

Also, my second gear synchro is not up to handling high RPM shifts. It is fine up to about 5k, but above that I have to wait till the rpms come down or go up before pushing the shift lever. If I don't it will grind. Can adjusting the oil used help this?

 

Thanks,

Dave

[yellowss7]

Dave, I don't know about the T9 but Redline MTL works great in my Caterham 6 speed box.

 

Tom

[DaveD]

I have done a bit of looking. My Superformance S1 manual specifies either Motorcraft mercron synthetic E6AZ019582-B or Qakerstate synthetic blend Mercron part #406448. I am not sure what is currently in it. I have not had to do anything with it since I bought the car.

 

Some where I thought I ran across information recommending something different, but I don't remember where I ran across it and can't find it again.

 

I went to my local Advance Auto parts and I showed them the info from my manual. The said there is only one oil that is synthetic that is Mercron. It is an automatic trans fluid. I don't have a lot of confidence that this is the correct oil.

[jlumba81]

ATF is much thinner than gear oil, so I wouldn't experiment w it in a manual trans. Have you tried contacting Quaife to see what they recommend? Also blatchat is a good source of info.

[yellowss7]

Dave, here's a post from the Blatchat (the UK Lotus/caterham site)archives. Worth reading.

 

http://www.blatchat.com/t.asp?id=220071

[jlumba81]

Looks like Redline MTL and/or MT90 is recommended for the T-9 trans. I had some Royal Purple gear oil, but had some 2nd gear grinding. I have 2 bottles of MT90, but first need to get my transmission put back together.

[S1Steve]

Hi Dave,

You and I have the same gearbox. I use the Redline MTL. This may help with

 

the high RPM shifting. Looking to unload the factory S1 sidepipe if you

 

want to replace the one you have now.

 

Steve

[DaveD]

Tom, thanks for the link. After reading it, I now know 10 times more about my gear box and where to go next. It may have saved me from doing a rebuild. I was entertaining trying new synchros to fix the problem. At this point I am pretty sure that is not going to be necessary.

 

Quaife recommends TITAN RACE SRG 75 or to call them concerning SILKOLEAN oils for their gearboxes. I believe a few years ago I added a couple oz. of Silkolean to top mine off before taking it to Summit Point.

 

As far as the ATF, the only reason I did not reject that idea is because my Volvo 240's used ATF in the manual gear box due to the overdrive unit.

 

Based on what I have read so far, I think I am going to go with the MT90 instead of the MTL. Running on the track in the summer the temps get much hotter than just driving around on the road, I think the heavier oil might be a better choice. I don't know about the Caterham's, but the S1 is almost completely enclosed under the car, including the engine bay. The engine and trans and everything else get very hot due to less air flow than if there was more ventilation. My gas tank in the rear even warms up on 2 hour trips.

 

Steve, I just bought a 5" stainless tube and mandrel bent 2.5 pipe to make up a new exhaust for my car. I am going to make it so I can remove the ends so I can play with baffling. I am pretty happy with the sound level of my car now. But it has both ends welded and I have cut and rewelded enough times that the steel has gotten brittle and it tends to crack over time. I saw in your avatar that it looks like you have a bigger silencer, what did you get?

 

Thanks for all the help guys!

Dave

[DaveD]

I am following up after replacing the oil in my T9 with Redline MT90. The shifting into 2nd is much better than it was. I tried a few shifts at around 7000 RPM and had no grinding trying to go into 2nd gear. I am looking forward to running on the track now.

[Klasik-69]

When I bought my R300 from the previous owner, the tranny was hard shifting especially 2nd to 3rd. I didn't know what oil he had in there but after reading on this forum about the problems with detergent oils and the types of synchros used in the T9, I decided to use the Redline gear oil. Wow, what a difference it makes. Now, the transmission shifts with absolute ease, no grinding, no resistance. It's hard to believe what a difference an oil can make.

[danilo]

I've found Honda Manual Trans Fluid (MTF) to be V good in my transboxes on any car I've poured it into.

FAR better than the overpriced Redline swill. Which has ..Proven.. to dissolve the plastic bearing cages on the NTN brand bearings Honda exclusively uses.

30 milillion Hondas suggests there is something intrinsically right :-

MTF is roughly 30 weight NON synthetic, which happily has few Cold temp issues despite this.

Try it? Easy to find at any Honda dealer and not overly pricey

[slomove]

Maybe I am ignorant....I got my gearbox (with semi-close gears, built by Quantum) supposedly filled with Redline oil from MSI in 2005. Worked fine, smooth shifting, no problems. Few years later, maybe 2008, I refilled it with Mobil 75W-90 gear oil that I had on hand and used it since. I did not notice any difference whatsoever, even when shifting at high revs. Still smooth, no resistance.

 

Anyway, not arguing, just wanted to contribute another data point.

Edited May 4, 2013 by slomove

[Klasik-69]

There were some posts a few years back that explained the need for using a special oil in the T9 gearboxes. I remember a number of people recommending a type of oil vs. a specific manufacturer, and if I remember correctly, the type of synchros in the T9 mandates that a certain oil additive not be in this gearbox. Mine was really hard shifting and almost impossible to get back into first gear after going up in the gears. I bought the redline MTL oil and instantly my problems went away. Engaging gears got silky smooth, and dropping down into first was equally smooth. I wouldn't have believed it could make a difference, oil is oil. In any case, I'm glad I listenned to the guys on this forum who made the recommendation.

 

When it comes to Honda gearboxes, I would use what Honda recommends. Their stuff is usually bulletproof and doesn't need to be re-engineered. Their gearboxes are much better designed that the aging T9. However, in fairness to the Ford T9, it was never designed to be run with the kind of horsepower some of these engines will put out, and if you drive it roughly you will likely find the weakness. I race mine but I really try to be gentle in doing it.