Time to change the manual transaxle fluid in my civic. The manual specifies Honda MTF, or 5W-30 for short term use. AMSOIL manual synchromesh meets all the standards and is highly recommended on the 8th civic forum. Are there any other good options?
Where would I find these things on the shelf? So far Walmart and Autozone don't carry these. My next stop is to look at a napa.
Redline MTL, easier to buy online in any event.
IIRC, you can only get Amsoil by ordering from Amsoil itself or a registered dealer.
Motul is my MTF poison of choice. It's expensive but amazingly smooth, even in freezing temperatures. A few local racing shops carry it, so I don't have to order online if I don't want to.
Barely related: I changed out the Focus' MTF earlier this year. It's an infrequent enough event that I just bought the FSM's recommendation. Expensive, yes, but only 2 qts.
GM syncromesh! Its explained everywhere on the interwebs as to the "why" of my recommendation :)
I used Pennzoil Synchromesh in the Thunderbird and was happy with the results. It's supposed to be similar to the GM stuff.
Redline Shockproof lite
Do some reading on Bobistheoilguy. My personal poison is Royal Purple Synchromax. I won't use the Amsoil, Lucas, or Redline products.
My employer sells the RP, Lucas, GM, and Honda fluids.
why the NO for the Amsoil and Redline products ?
In reply to wbjones:
They are both just MLM scheme's with no real beneficial product. All of the oil analyses on BITOG really opened my eyes to which companies are marketing fluff (STP, Power Punch, etc) and which ones actually put out a really good product.
I also learned that I was putting way too thick of an oil in the Javelin (Valvoline VR1 20W50) and switching to VR1 10W30 netted me better oil pressure cold and hot, less leaks, and less blow-by. The ZDDP and phosphorus levels are also the best you can get in an off-the-shelf oil, so my flat-tappet cam is happy as a clam.
I will have to be on the amsoil boat, after the change in the protege it was a night and day difference in shifting feel and machanical smoothness between shifts (still need to do the shifter bushings some day...)
Javelin wrote: In reply to wbjones: They are both just MLM scheme's with no real beneficial product. All of the oil analyses on BITOG really opened my eyes to which companies are marketing fluff (STP, Power Punch, etc) and which ones actually put out a really good product. I also learned that I was putting way too thick of an oil in the Javelin (Valvoline VR1 20W50) and switching to VR1 10W30 netted me better oil pressure cold and hot, less leaks, and less blow-by. The ZDDP and phosphorus levels are also the best you can get in an off-the-shelf oil, so my flat-tappet cam is happy as a clam.
well… the OP was about replacing the fluid int he diff … your answer seems geared towards the crankcase … want to clarify ?
In reply to wbjones:
Isn't Manual Transaxle Fluid for a gearbox? Granted, all of those companies make engine oil (and gear oil and gas additive, etc, etc) as well. I have personally used the Amsoil, Redline, and RP products. I found the Amsoil and Redline to perform as well as just any new MTF fluid. The RP was the only one to actually provide a measurable improvement beyond just having fresh fluid.
If it's a flip car, I just use the Valvoline MTF.
When I looked at Royal Purple, they listed 5W-30 rather than a proper MTF, otherwise I would have looked no further.
In reply to Javelin:
Are you really suggesting that Redline and Amsoil do not make quality products?
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