Manual transmission additives

[MANZ]

It's time for me to change the fluid in my 5 speed, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with any additives for the fluid. It is getting a little harder to shift after it warms up and I am hoping something can alleviate it a bit. Thanks.

 

[lo_jack]

I just changed all the fluid in my 92 about 3k ago. I asked my guy what came out of everything, and he said that everything looked fine. However, I decided to change to synthetic tranny and diff fluid. Search this site and you will find myriad opinions on this, but one thing comes up pretty consistant: adding things is usually bad. I had noticed my 5 was getting a bit harder to shift but then again with this many miles what wouldnt. Do a search but generally most people on here are very wary of additives. Big negative on any "teflon" products, but you probably knew that. Good luck with the five.

 

[MANZ]

lo_jack -

Thanks for the reply. I changed the fluid last night and it looked nice and red coming out also, although there was a bit of metal shavings on the drain plug and some were suspended in the fluid (as expected). I put in semi-synth ATF since I had it already, but was hoping there may be something better. I took it for a quick spin around the block but couldn't tell much difference. This transmission was rebuilt about 10k ago and it just seems to be getting a little stiffer getting into gear, especially into first from neutral at a stop when everything is hot. I did a search and know most additives are bogus and can do more harm than good, but I have heard a bit about friction modifiers, etc. that make the fluid more shear stable when used in a gearbox (since I don't think ATF was specifically designed for that purpose). I did see a post where someone put Redline MTL (not ATF) in their 5 speed and said it worked wonders. I am considering trying that, but wondering if the increased viscosity will goof anything up (especially in the cold weather). I may look at my shifter bushings and see if they are boogered up and binding anything also.

If I find anything that works well, I'll let you know. Thanks again.

 

[lo_jack]

I thought about the viscosity problem, but I live in 9 months of 100 degree weather, and you are in the reverse, more or less. So far the Mobil 1 I have in there is working fine, not that we will be able to tell until it gets pulled. Now that you mention it I do recall the friction modifier discussions, but I was under the impression that with my climate and it being a 5 speed I did not need to worry about it, though you may find some benifit from it if, like you say, it doesnt gum things up even further. Good luck with your search, I'd be interested to hear what comes of your search, even if only for academic purposes.

good luck and happy shiftin to ya.