Thinner Gear Box lube

Dear Ferraristi,

Can't answer your specific question but Rifledriver has talked about how Agip is thinner but would kill the syncros and gears. He talked about "sure...it'll shift better, but you won't have anything left"....something like that in one of the many TR gear oil threads....even one I started.

Even thought Rifledriver recommends the Redline....I found it had way way way....did I say way?.....too much chatter. I put some friction modifier in and well it all went downhill from there.

I changed over to the Royal purple ( hate the name...sounds like a porn flix ) but it really seems to work. I had less than 800 miles on the redline...hated it so much put the royal purple and no chatter what so ever.

....then my slave cylinder started to leak, the clutch pressure plate fingers went out on my pressure plate, the clutch master cylinder started to leak, my CV joint split (replaced all of them ), my clutch started to hang up making shifting impossible, the silent bloc bushings wore out, the turnbuckle needed adjustment....

....but the gear oil's good


Shamile

Freeze....Miami Vice !

 

I run Redline 75/90NS in my TR with 2 oz. of friction modifier. IT MUST BE "NS"
The transmission is still "notchy" in typical Ferrari fashion but shifts easily.
It will shift into 2nd gear cold (50 degrees) if I ask it to. I have to shift it slowly but it will go in.
I choose NOT to shift into 2nd when it's cold just to preserve the synchros and related parts.
The differential in my TR does NOT chatter.

I think it is important that the clutch, associated hydraulic system and shift linkage/forks are adjusted and working properly to get good shifting.
NO gear oil will alleviate bad shifting if any of these three items are bad. Simple as that.

 

As they say in medicine, when dealing with a really sick patient (bad protoplasm), "...you can't put a shine on a turd..."

The same can be said for mid-engine Ferraris (pre 360s). The transmissions are fundamentally bad. All the oil discussions, combinations and permutations simply won't make a bad design better. Cold 2nd gear issues are legend. First to 2nd gear upshifting (even when warm) is second rate; no way to get there in a hurry. And downshifting from 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st is like playing catch with a hand grenade.

Compared to other cars of the same vintage with rear transaxle, Ferrari simply missed the boat on this one. Porsche, Lotus Europa, 914 Porsche, etc., all had superior transmissions.

On the other hand, maybe Ferrari's intent was to design a transmission that would keep the driver from falling asleep? The dentists love this transmission; mashing your teeth all the time is good for business.

Jim S.

 

No, not really. Your shift lever could be perfectly centered in the gate and still have shifter forks inside the transmission out of adjustment. There at are a few recent threads by some guys here that have had to make adjustments where the shift shaft enters the front of the engine. IIRC I think the ideal way to make perfect adjustments is with the side cover off the transmission. (I think this requires the removal of the L/H header assys)

When I picked mine up it had the Shell in it. It shifted "okay" but knew there was the possibility of making it better with the Redline NS. This was based on my experiences with my 308. It was a good shifting car to begin with but was even better with the Redline. After the switch It would pop right into second no matter how cold it was outside. Again, all the linkage and the clutch was functioning properly.

Most importantly, I didn't add any friction modifier when I made the switch on the TR just to see how it would do. Currently there is no chatter or noises. I figure this is because there was plenty of residual friction modifier from the Shell product. After 18 months I still haven't added any. Remember, the friction modifier is the "enemy" of smooth synchro operation, less is better as long the differential is spinning smoothly in tight corners (at low speed) with no chatter.

Just a side note, as a clutch reaches the end of it's life it CAN contribute to hard shifting, to the point of NO shifting.

I find that double clutching into 2nd helps the process. I never rush the 1-2 shift, it doesn't work and it's hard on the transmission.

Hope this helps.

 

Dear Ferraristi,

With a white TR.....definitely a big "Freeze....Miami Vice" out to you.

...and thank you for the kind words.

Before this big stint of troubles I'm going through, I never even knew what gear trouble was. My car shifted so smoothly and into second just fine....even cold.

Now, cold in FL is for the most part 72 F in the morning. Even in winter on a super cold day (38 F ) ....still fine....stiff and notchy but it goes into gear.

....now I can't get any gears at all.

....but wait ! my clutch just came back yesterday.

....so we'll see.


Shamile

Freeze....Miami Vice