Redline Oil

[Guest]

I recently changed the transmission oil in my 59 BT7and replaced it with Redline 75w 90. Should I replace it with MT 90?

Also, rookie question, is the transmission and the gearbox the same thing?

Plenty of questions,

Will

 

[John Loftus]

Hi Will,

The MT90 is recommended by Redline for the Healey Gearbox/Transmission. From the redlineoil.com website it appears the 75w 90 is more for differentials. The MT90 is formulated for synchronizer performance to make the shifting easier. To double check my advice (i.e. I'm not a oil expert) you could call the folks at Redline ... I did once and they were very helpful.

John

 

[John Morrison]

Will:
Assuming that you have an overdrive, it doesnt sound like a good idea to put gear oil in the transmission(gearbox), since the overdrive uses the transmission oil. Many who use a gear oil find that their overdrive no longer works. The manual recommends the same weight as the engine oil i.e. 30 or 10w30.

Regards
John Morrison

 

[bradal]

YES - ENGINE WEIGHT OIL ONLY in the gearbox (gearbox is the same as the transmission, BTW), if you want your overdrive to work. A straight 30 wt nondetergent oil is best.

Unless you discussed the overdrive specifically with them, the Redline Oil Co. may not be aware that an overdrive unit was fitted to Healeys that shares oil with the transmission.

Some guys I know use 50 wt racing oil and say they have had good results with that. I think racing oil is usually nondetregent, but the 50 wt spec is a bit heavier than the factory recommended. The factory's limited recommendation could have been due to the fact that the choices we have now didn't exist then, but do beware heavy weight oils in your transmission/overdrive unit.

I would check a knowledgeable source before even trying that 50 wt oil, myself. AL Bradley

 

[John Loftus]

I am using the Redline oil in my BJ7 since June of 2000, about 6000 miles ago. The overdrive works flawlessly. The shifting is smoother and worn first gear is far quieter.

A friend of mine asked Redline for their product recommendation because of the overdrive and received the following response:

"In the Austin Healey 3000 transmission, I would recommend the Red Line
MT-90. Some of the overdrive units seem to work better with the MT-90.
The weight of the MTL is a 75W/80W gear oil or 5W30 motor oil, the MT-90 is
a 75W90 gear oil or 15W40 motor oil, so the viscosities are close to the
petroleum straight weight called for.

John

 

[Guest]

I appreciate each of your comments very much

It is easy for a beginner to jump at a product not being sure what he or she is doing. Your responses help.

John,

I called Redline and Jeff (the resident expert was out) I went ahead and ordered 4 qts of the MT 90.

Would you recommend running the MT 90 for ??? miles before letting a mechanic do anything to the tranny. With the exception of the noise in 1st the tranny runs great.


Will

 

[John Loftus]

Hi Will,

Just wait and see how the transmission operates after you change the oil and let that be the deciding factor. If the transmission works great and the 1st gear noise is acceptable to you then drive it that way for as long as you can. Please let us know what, if any, differences you detect with the Redline oil.

John

 

[stever]

Hi, guys,
I am now a Redline Oil MT90 user. I changed it last month and have driven it once since the change. While I am concerned about the "placebo effect" (I did something so therefore it must be better......) it sure seemed to shift better, quieter, etc. I am looking forward to driving it some more as soon as the wintry weather clears up here. It did seem better. I talked to the Redline rep and he assured me that the MT90 was formulated to work well with the overdrive, etc.

 

[bighly]

I would like to hear from Redline MT-90 users.

I am about to try it out.