Heh... Sure hope he did a pure Synchromesh if he paid $40... lol... that'd be a TEENY bit much for one quart...

 

Ok - so for price, GM synchromesh is made by Penzoil - they also sell it in their own containers as Penzoil synchromesh, which is available for under $5 a quart - it's the same stuff.

For the Subaru transmission, I don't know - Synchromesh is defined as a GLS lubricant - the specs don't follow the GL-3 or GL-4 specifications - based upon their statements about it's appropriateness for some GL-4 applications, I would be inclined to think it didn't completely meet GL-4 specs - so I would be sort of concerned about running it in a transmission which requires a GL-5... I have always been a fan of the RedLine MTL/MT90 oils - but haven't used them in the WRX because they are only GL-4 rated - I have a GL-5 rated synthetic in there now (Motul Gear 300) which seems to work well, but isn't the "miracle cure" for the 2-1 shift at speed...

 

Well I went ahead and tried the cocktail. I was changing the engine oil anyway so what the heck. I wasn't having serious issues except for a notchy 3rd gear and the occassional 1st gear grind from a stop. I used Castrol Hypoid C 75-90w and Penzoil Syncromesh. I tried to make it a 3 to 1 mixture biased to the Castrol. According to what I've read the Syncromesh is an equivalent 80w fluid, GL-4 characteristics, with the added friction modifiers. Hopefully this blend won't dilute the Castrol too much. First impressions are good but I wasn't able to get the tranny good and hot. Update tomorrow.

 

I got some serious driving in. A mix of city and highway driving. My results are that 1st and 2nd gear shifting has been greatly improved with no grinding to report. I still get that notchy feeling going into 3rd which makes me feel that it's a characteristic of my trans. Did a little spirited driving on the freeway through traffic and found the tranny never balked at any down shifts. So far so good but time will tell.

 

goddamn... i gotta do this.. im gonna go 1 qt. valv full syn 75w90 -3 qt . syncromesh ;o

 

Day 2 and I 'm finding the car much easier to shift. I'm finding that I don't have to baby it as much as I did before. As far as the mix is concerned I'd try to go with the most 75-90w as you can. How my simple mind can figure it is a 3 to 1 mix with the 75-90w the dominate part will only reduce the EP value of the GL-5 by about 1/8th as the Syncromesh has 1/2 the EP of the 75-90w. Hopefully this will still maintain the protection for the differentials.

 

how I figure it too.

 

very interesting thread....

i'm getting my trans rebuilt as we speak. rallispec STI gears into an RS case. do you think it would be a good/safe idea to immediately start out with this cocktail?????

-cody

 

cool man! i give a full report back. although i'm not sure i'll be able to distinguish between the new trans and the cocktail... i guess that's not a bad situation to be in... :banana:

 

wtlw. i've been pushing it over the last year like i'm a dealer or something! i swapped @ 5k, now at 23k.

as was stated earlier, use the pennzoil... same stuff, much cheaper. <5 bucks at my local autozone, and i cut it with mobil 1. convenient to pick up and cheap. have you seen the prices for neo??

as was stated, no need to use syncro-saving fluids in the rear end.

as far as gl4/5 vs gls... think about this a moment: when was the last time someone WORE OUT a subie transmission? like, the kind of end-of-lifetime tooth/bearing wear and tear one would expect from a tranny fluid that's not quite slippery enough?

now compare that number to those who have toasted synchros.

me, i'll take saving the synchros, thanks!

i could tell right off the bat that slippery synthetic tranny oil + grippy synchromesh was the way to go, especially in the colder months. it hasn't lost ANY of its effectiveness over time (and 18k miles) either.

my ratio is 60/40 mob1/synchromesh. even before i flushed fluid, i had topped off (ie a few ounces) the oem dino fluid with synchromesh and it worked its magic.

some in the dsm world use uncut synchromesh in their awd trannies. obviously a different design, but the fluid is not as non-lubricative as some think.

have fun!
ken

 

Neat thread. Thanks for all of the personal testimonials. My curiosity is piqued.
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