This topic has been debated lots on this forum, throwing up many answers and opinions and as i wanted to change the gbox oil on my newly aquired Panda i thought i would spend a day doing some research.. I will keep this short but firstly most user manuals and every Fiat service centre i spoke to all say use something like an EP 80/90 oil, these are i believe are a GL4 spec oil.
So who or when was it deemed that EP, GL4/5 oils are detremental to Panda gearboxes ? Also are the internals of all Panda boxes the same ?
Maybe should we be using non EP mineral oils in boxes up to say 1986, and a more modern EP oil in later models, this is just me thinking out loud and not fact..
Taking the opinion that all EP and GL4/5 oils are bad i spoke to a major oil company and had a very interesting chat with there 'oil guru'. Giving him the info available he suggests that using a specialist oil like Millers G3 is ok if you want to spend lots of money, Search for Fiat ZC 90 and the like and you will need a fat wallet to buy this product. Anyway he was of the opinion that good old 10 or 15w40 mineral engine oil was the way to go. In fact i found on a forum that the viscosity of this is the same as a 75w90 gear oil ? i quote:
Some gearboxes actually take engine oils.
MTF (Manual Transmission Fluid) is in fact a 5w-30 engine oil.
There are cars where the gearbox runs on the engine oil, old minis for example.
For your information a 75w-90 gear oil is roughly equivalent in viscosity terms to a 10w-40 engine oil.
Link here: http://forum.atomclub.com/index.php?topic=2686.0
The 'guru' went on to say that a lot of car manufacturers are now going back to using engine oil in gearboxes with some even using ATF in manual boxes. Also high performance 4 stroke bikes use engine oil in the gbox..
I mentioned the HD40 disiel oil that Coma recomend and he thought that would cause problems from cold start up, way too thick.
So ive bit the bullet and put in a 'budget' 15w40 mineral engine oil and as yet all is fine but i will keep you posted. Oh he said to me that in the oil trade there is a saying that "any oil is better that no oil"
Let the debate continue.....
So who or when was it deemed that EP, GL4/5 oils are detremental to Panda gearboxes ? Also are the internals of all Panda boxes the same ?
Maybe should we be using non EP mineral oils in boxes up to say 1986, and a more modern EP oil in later models, this is just me thinking out loud and not fact..
Taking the opinion that all EP and GL4/5 oils are bad i spoke to a major oil company and had a very interesting chat with there 'oil guru'. Giving him the info available he suggests that using a specialist oil like Millers G3 is ok if you want to spend lots of money, Search for Fiat ZC 90 and the like and you will need a fat wallet to buy this product. Anyway he was of the opinion that good old 10 or 15w40 mineral engine oil was the way to go. In fact i found on a forum that the viscosity of this is the same as a 75w90 gear oil ? i quote:
Some gearboxes actually take engine oils.
MTF (Manual Transmission Fluid) is in fact a 5w-30 engine oil.
There are cars where the gearbox runs on the engine oil, old minis for example.
For your information a 75w-90 gear oil is roughly equivalent in viscosity terms to a 10w-40 engine oil.
Link here: http://forum.atomclub.com/index.php?topic=2686.0
The 'guru' went on to say that a lot of car manufacturers are now going back to using engine oil in gearboxes with some even using ATF in manual boxes. Also high performance 4 stroke bikes use engine oil in the gbox..
I mentioned the HD40 disiel oil that Coma recomend and he thought that would cause problems from cold start up, way too thick.
So ive bit the bullet and put in a 'budget' 15w40 mineral engine oil and as yet all is fine but i will keep you posted. Oh he said to me that in the oil trade there is a saying that "any oil is better that no oil"
Let the debate continue.....