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Old 04-09-2008, 07:08 PM   #1451
jhargis
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I know subaru's not known for their kindness on transmission warranty claims... But if I were a service manager and something blue or pink poured out of a broken transmission, I'd deny the claim too... The owner is obviously not sticking to anything like the factory recommended oil. That's my point. My transmission cost me $2,000... I'd rather stick with oils that I'm familiar with and keep it simple... I know that most manual transmissions on the road that use 75w90 go a long time with a dino gear oil in there, so that's what I'll stay with.
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Old 04-09-2008, 07:59 PM   #1452
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isn't redline GL5 rated?
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Old 04-09-2008, 09:13 PM   #1453
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^^ being GL-5 rated is only one part of it.
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Old 04-10-2008, 12:43 PM   #1454
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I don't really have a problem with running JUST a gl-5 rated redline product (not mixing). The problem arises when a bunch of different oils get mixed, most of which are not to the required spec. Different ratings, different base stocks/brands, different types of oil, all mixed together... just doesn't seem right to me.

Odd colored fluids are going to raise a red flag in the mind of any service manager, whether they are properly rated or not. I'm not saying that is proper, but it's reality. If I waltzed into a dealership looking for a warranty payout on a transmission problem with a fluid akin to pepto-bismol or something oddly blue coming out of my transmission, I would expect to walk out with a denied claim. It's just a dead giveaway that something's likely to have been fiddled with as the average driver is not going to put something like that in there.

To anybody still under warranty, this should be a consideration. I'd still recommend sticking with something that meets subaru's requirements AND has the appearance of the stock fluid. Otherwise, it's going to be that much harder to get a warranty claim approved if something goes wrong.

Last edited by jhargis; 04-10-2008 at 01:08 PM.
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Old 04-19-2008, 12:12 AM   #1455
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Over the past couple weeks, I've been doing quite a bit of research on this matter, although I'll hardly claim to be an expert. I ended up selling My USC on ebay.... I still think its a great product for transmissions that are exhibiting problems, but I don't think its the best choice for a perfectly good tranny.

I looked for Motul or Amsoil..... I couldn't find Motul anywhere, and the only Amsoil extreme gear I could find was 75w140.... or something like that.

I ended up using Amsoil synthetic, 80W90... I've read a lot about synthetics being too slippery, so thought it was pretty safe to go slightly heavier.

For the rear end, I used Redline 75W90 (no syncros in the rear diff).

When I drained the fluid, it was almost the color of the brand new Amsoil, golden colored, still very transparent.... in other words, it really didn't even need to be changed.... I didn't find ANY metal shavings either... none. But I like having piece of mind, so I changed it anyway... after all, I'm at almost 30K miles

All in all... the car feels absolutely no different... at all.

I was a little disappointed, because I had hoped for an improvent... but the more I think about it, I'm pretty happy with the fact that my tranny is still 100%, and not showing any signs of premature wear.... its working the way it's supposed to.

High 5 for all the 300whp+ 06s out there still running on stock trannies!!
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Old 04-19-2008, 10:44 AM   #1456
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jhargis View Post
I don't really have a problem with running JUST a gl-5 rated redline product (not mixing). The problem arises when a bunch of different oils get mixed, most of which are not to the required spec. Different ratings, different base stocks/brands, different types of oil, all mixed together... just doesn't seem right to me.

Odd colored fluids are going to raise a red flag in the mind of any service manager, whether they are properly rated or not. I'm not saying that is proper, but it's reality. If I waltzed into a dealership looking for a warranty payout on a transmission problem with a fluid akin to pepto-bismol or something oddly blue coming out of my transmission, I would expect to walk out with a denied claim. It's just a dead giveaway that something's likely to have been fiddled with as the average driver is not going to put something like that in there.

To anybody still under warranty, this should be a consideration. I'd still recommend sticking with something that meets subaru's requirements AND has the appearance of the stock fluid. Otherwise, it's going to be that much harder to get a warranty claim approved if something goes wrong.

As I mentioned before, the whole warranty issue is by biggest worry. For the guys who are under warranty I would not suggest running the "USC" as it is only going to be a red flag like you say. If the trans were to fail under warranty while the person was running the "USC" it is only one more reason for SOA to deny the claim, We all know SOA doesn't need any more reasons to deny a claim either. If you are running the "USC", have a failure don't be surprised if SOA denies your claim.

If you are out of warranty, run what every you want/can dream up. It is your repair bill then any way.
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Old 04-19-2008, 06:39 PM   #1457
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Just got it put in last week in my 01rs with 300+ to the wheels. Getting retuned in 2 weeks so I will see how it goes. The tranny seems to be hurting a bit, loud noises in reverse and a lot of whine in 1 & 2. So I figured, what the hell im going to give this a try!

Tranny seems to be shifting much smoother, but time will tell.
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Old 04-24-2008, 10:34 PM   #1458
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Psydotek View Post
w3rd. Letting the transmission drain for 30 minutes or even an hour or 2 won't get all the fluid out. Thick fluid plus lots of gears (for lots of surface area for the fluid to stick to) means you'll have to let it drain at least overnight to get the majority of it out.
What if your transmission is piping hot?
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Old 04-24-2008, 10:49 PM   #1459
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That helps, but the longer you let it drain the better. I think the best way to clear the tranny is to get it nice and hot (about a 20 minute drive) then drain it quickly with the dipstick out so air can rush in when it drains. Let it drain for 8 hours to get every drop you can out. If you wanted to be anal you could then jack up the front and rear of the car one at a time to see if you can get any other bit out (which I bet you would).

Last edited by Soul Shinobi; 04-24-2008 at 10:59 PM.
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Old 04-24-2008, 10:52 PM   #1460
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I never drain it for more than 20-30 minutes or so, 95+% of the fluid will come out during that time. If there is a little bit of the old fluid left - who cares. You will never be able to get the old stuff 100% out anyway unless you take the whole thing apart and wash it.
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Old 04-25-2008, 01:13 AM   #1461
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Is there Anything we can do to make it a smoother gear box? Thanks

Last edited by red92xblue; 05-06-2008 at 01:18 AM. Reason: ok
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Old 04-25-2008, 07:21 AM   #1462
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Quote:
Originally Posted by red92xblue View Post
After 15k on usc, I was going to r+r with some more of the cocktail. But after reading all this stuff. I have lost confidence in this mix. Today I am back to dino (Coastal 75w90). Its not as smooth with the usc. I have a total of 30k with no issues. I am going to miss that blue mixture. Is there Anything we can do to make it a smoother gear box? Thanks
Put a different gearbox in. You can't change the physical design with fluids, there's only so much you can do.
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Old 04-25-2008, 09:25 AM   #1463
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any pics yet?
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Old 04-25-2008, 09:35 AM   #1464
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3k miles on Valvoline 75W90 synthetic and I couldn't be happier.
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Old 04-25-2008, 10:37 AM   #1465
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Synthetic Valvoline is a bad idea. The synchros won't work as well due to the reduced friction.
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Old 04-25-2008, 11:58 AM   #1466
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^^^ not true at all, that is just a myth

-Dylan @ DS1
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Old 04-25-2008, 12:05 PM   #1467
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluescoobywagon View Post
Synthetic Valvoline is a bad idea. The synchros won't work as well due to the reduced friction.
True with M1, I can't say I've heard with the Valvoline synth.
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Old 04-25-2008, 12:13 PM   #1468
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It's not the synthetic part that causes Mobil 1 to be too slick it's the addatives that are in it.

-Dylan @ DS1
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Old 04-25-2008, 01:06 PM   #1469
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THANKS http://www.grimmspeed.com/ Put the cocktail in a user 5mt and it feels great. A little noisy for the first 100 miles or so but not bad at all.
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Old 04-25-2008, 02:38 PM   #1470
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I was basing that mostly on my previous 5MT. It hated synthetic valvoline and shifted like crap when I put it in. I guess experiences vary, but I can't recommend it...
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Old 04-25-2008, 04:34 PM   #1471
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluescoobywagon View Post
I was basing that mostly on my previous 5MT. It hated synthetic valvoline and shifted like crap when I put it in. I guess experiences vary, but I can't recommend it...
Same here. I dumped the Valvoline after a few hundred miles of having to double clutch certain gear shift combos.
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Old 04-25-2008, 09:32 PM   #1472
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^^ certain gear shift combinations?

We've run the Valvoline Syn in 100's of boxes without any complaints.

-Dylan @ DS1
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Old 04-25-2008, 10:19 PM   #1473
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DS1 Motorsports View Post
^^ certain gear shift combinations?

We've run the Valvoline Syn in 100's of boxes without any complaints.

-Dylan @ DS1
It's been 50k+ miles since I ran it in my 03 WRX so I don't remember the exact details, but I do remember that with the Syn I could not upshift to either 4th or 5th without a grind and I had to damn near come to a stop before downshifting to 1st. I was at the point where I thought I needed new synchros.
After I dumped the Valvoline Syn and went to the cocktail the shifting was phenomenal. Currently I'm running 75w90 dino oil with a pint of synchromesh blended in and it's shifting fine.
The synthetic was much worse than the aging factory oil it replaced and immediately made it feel like my synchros went bad.
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Old 04-26-2008, 01:40 AM   #1474
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That exactly describes what happened with mine, although it was mostly 1st and 5th that I had problems with. I couldn't figure out how I had hosed my 5th gear synchro. When I was getting on the highway, I would speed up to 70 and put the clutch in and then apply gentle pressure to 5th. It would eventually slide into gear, but by then I was lucky if I was still doing 60. I'm talking about 5+ seconds to get in gear. If I tried to force it, it would crunch. It got somewhat better over time, but then started getting worse again. I considered it undriveable and pulled the trans in favor of the 6MT. I sold the 5MT to a guy that needed a temporary trans because his died and he put fresh dino in it. It shifts perfectly.
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Old 04-26-2008, 01:20 PM   #1475
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Bluescoobywagon & Bort- The 1st gear down shift issue is common in 02'-03' no matter what fluid you run the 4th gear issue is actually caused by a broken 3rd gear synchronizer. By running the cocktail you are just furthering the damge it causes

As for the 5th gear issue, they are known to crack the hub and cause issues.

-Dylan @ DS1
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