Redline Lightweight Shockproof Yes Or No?!

[No Crust Racing]

I've done a LOT of reading about what box oil to use in my 33. Castrol VMX80, Syntran and Redline Lightweight Shockproof were the 3 tops selections (Royal Purple was also mentioned a few times).

Well today I bit the bullet as I wanted to change the oil to ensure it was new and in doing so hopefully smooth out or eliminate a clunky feel from 1st-2nd and an occasional grind from 3rd-4th when changing at high revs. I opted for the Redline option as 99% of people who use it SWEAR buy it, and that's in light of the rather high price.

The 2nd problem I had was how much oil would I need. I made many calls and received a WIDE range of responses. The actual truth of the matter is very simple. In my Series II R33 5 speed manual transmission, I did NOT use all of the US Gallon (3.785L's). There's still 3-400ml in the bottle indicating a capacity of ~3.3-3.5L's and this was when the oil started coming back out of the filler hole. We also filled the car on even jack stands front and back to be sure it was filling evenly.

I also purchased a 1L suck and blow as I call it, shown in the pics, which made putting the oil in a total breeze. Some pics are attached and are captioned accordingly.

Now, the important stuff. After going for a drive, there is a noticeable improvement in smoothness through gear changes under normal driving conditions. Under hard driving conditions the improvement is even more noticeable, the box made the dreaded grind noise only once from 3rd to 4th and I'm told that with a few hundred K's the improvements should be greater still, this could also easily be due to a worn clutch. Bottom line, the oil DID make an improvement. It is up to you if you feel that the improvement is worth the $130 or so (if you can get it cheaper awesome but I'm in a regional area and this was available on the shelf today when I needed it).

I'm of the frame of mind that given how long this oil can stay in the box, you might as well spend extra $50-$70 and do it right with a proven oil rather than trying to save that money and not getting as much an improvement from another brand. Having said that, I have not used any other brand and can only give you my impression of this oil.

So the important stuff...

The oil DID make an improvement.

The gearbox takes around 3.3-3.5L.

One US Gallon, WILL be enough to fill the box with some left over.

I now have 3-400ml left over that if someone needs to top up there box, they can contact me and we can work something out.

Now for some pics!(There's a tutorial on these forums about how to change the oil, it's very simple and quite accurate, read that if you're unsure on how to do this).

You will need....

Now get under the car...

Drain all the oil out and be sure not to lose the plug into the oil as it has a magnetic seal which should pick up all the worn case hardening. Give it a clean, here's some before and after. I imagine this oil was the original stuff 0_0

Before

After cleaning

When you put the drain and filler plugs back in use some loctite, it's your friend and will ensure your precious fluid stays in.

We filled the 1L bottle a few times and pumped it back into the box.

Fill it til it starts to come back out the hole then put the filler plug back in and you're done. Now go for a drive and see what you think!

I hope this helps someone and saves them doing all the bs I did to find out what was what =)

Cheers

Edited April 21, 2006 by ActionDan

[justin911]

thanks heaps for the info

saved me having to post up and ask where the 2 bolts were... good work

[Baz]

Ive done this oil change as well and my god it makes a difference I never thought possible with an oil change. A good upgrade for sure and the well worth the money spent.

[Swiper the Fox]

Great on worn synchro boxes....murder on new tight ones.

only use this product on old worn boxes.

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

^ what makes you say that?

[Swiper the Fox]

^ what makes you say that?

one...redline do not recommend this product for synchromesh transmissions.

two...experience with this product in a new box.

[No Crust Racing]

I spoke with redline directly, John, who gave me this part number and specification of oil after telling what car and transmission I had.

[Swiper the Fox]

its only recommended for problem gearboxes as i stated....probably why it was recommended to you...this direct from their website.

http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlub...=61&subcatID=20

Edited April 21, 2006 by DiRTgarage

[No Crust Racing]

Ahh, yes, agreed. John did state that given my apparent gearbox wear that this would be suitable. However, most people tend to leane towards changing there oil when they have picked up a crunch, grind or clunk.

So something to bare in mind everyone, cheers DG.

[justin911]

hmm... my gearbox is 10 years old... seems to be in good condition.. doesnt seem to make any crunching or wierd noises....

what oil do you recommend i slap in it ?? I was all set to get the redline until i read the last few posts...

[No Crust Racing]

Give Redline a call, I spoke with John, they'll ask you about your box and then you can go from there.

[benm]

Every import mechanic I talk to swears by Redline Shockproof. Every specialised clutch/gearbox 'normal' mechanic I talk to wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole.

[No Crust Racing]

Well it seems we have some divided opinion, which is great to see. My point here was to share 'my' experience with the product in the hopes of helping others make a more informed decision.

Others can feel free to note their own experiences with the redline products or indeed any other gearbox product as it can only server to give people more info to use in makig up their own minds.

Cheers

[Trex101]

Well it seems we have some divided opinion, which is great to see. My point here was to share 'my' experience with the product in the hopes of helping others make a more informed decision.

Others can feel free to note their own experiences with the redline products or indeed any other gearbox product as it can only server to give people more info to use in makig up their own minds.

Cheers

So what exactly does Nissan spec for this transmission?

Gear lub viscosity?

GL-4 or GL-5?

LSD or non-LSD?

[Cake]

well from personal experience, i've had it in my series II r33 gts25t for about three years now. when i first bought the car it had some unknown oil in the gearbox and it had the famous 1st to 2nd crunch, especially when cold. ever since then i have run redline lightweight shockproof in the box and it has been smooth as. it actually took about a month for the crunch to completely disappear after putting redline in. i just drained it a few weeks ago and put some more fresh oil in. i'm a fan

[TokyoTaxi]

Great on worn synchro boxes....murder on new tight ones.

only use this product on old worn boxes.

WERD !!!!!!

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

one...redline do not recommend this product for synchromesh transmissions.

two...experience with this product in a new box.

I think redline's normal manual transmission oil, is redline MT-90, which is what I used in my skyline box. Perhaps use this on newer boxes.

[No Crust Racing]

Well, it's been about a month now and I must say the improvement is substantial now, especially with the onset of colder weather. For me, this oil has made a very noticeable improvement.

[Ol_Mate]

anyone used the redline superlight gear oil?

[dezz]

where's the best place to get me some redline lightweight shockproof guys?

im in hoppers crossing, western suburbs of melbourne...