i did serious research on this comparing multiple data sheets of ATFs and MTF94 and there are differencies, maybe for some boxes few units of difference in viscosity, density or viscosity index doesnt matter but imo for the R380 is important, i know what i have experienced with different ALMOST SIMILAR oils in my perfectly working box when i hardly selected low gears on cold start when outside was below 0*C and drained out the box 3 times a month to put MTF94 in it so nobody can convince me the opposite

btw.. i didnt know they made race cars with R380 gearbox, Jamesmartin just explained about a baulk ring issue of the R380( and if somebody knows about gearboxes he does)..... i thought that's what's here about not about other more robust gearboxes or race cars.

back to the main issue in this thread: a problemless R380 doesnt have to be noisy with MTF94 whatsoever... that's a fact
doesnt need to be a race car though the lt77 was built for cars, anybody with a defender knows how hot t/box can get , oil has several things to do ,lubricate bearings and gears ,cool box and facilitate gear change(which is forcing a bronze alloy ring over a cone ,baulk ring has to remove some oil to alow it to grab but not all so you have metal on metal), a thick ep gear oil might be good for lubrication as was widely used in the past but not so for easy gear change and cooling, in my experience atf or mtf changed regularly (which really is the major factor for long life) are both more than adequate for lubrication and cooling, mtf ive found does help improve gear change on quite a few boxes,though not all,the slight variances between gear cone and baulk ring contact surfaces might mean some boxes fair better on slightly different oils(hence some people find other oils better ) ,putting mtf or atf in a box wont cause noise which is caused by lubrication issues in themselves it would have to be existing problem or bad luck, isnt op complaining about noise not gear change
 
doesnt need to be a race car though the lt77 was built for cars, anybody with a defender knows how hot t/box can get , oil has several things to do ,lubricate bearings and gears ,cool box and facilitate gear change(which is forcing a bronze alloy ring over a cone ,baulk ring has to remove some oil to alow it to grab but not all so you have metal on metal), a thick ep gear oil might be good for lubrication as was widely used in the past but not so for easy gear change and cooling, in my experience atf or mtf changed regularly (which really is the major factor for long life) are both more than adequate for lubrication and cooling, mtf ive found does help improve gear change on quite a few boxes,though not all,the slight variances between gear cone and baulk ring contact surfaces might mean some boxes fair better on slightly different oils(hence some people find other oils better ) ,putting mtf or atf in a box wont cause noise which is caused by lubrication issues in themselves it would have to be existing problem or bad luck, isnt op complaining about noise not gear change

unless you strip a box you can only judge any oil on its gear change, not its other uses
 
Well,,,Changed oils again to the ATF and the noise is still there. Gears change like a dream but always have.

Little bit of swarf on the drain plug, which is a little bit concearning as the oils only done about 100 miles. Did clean it off on the last oil change.

So I'll just have to see how it goes. but there was definatly no noise before changing the gearbox oil. I did change the transfer box oil as well with EP90 but the noise isn't coming from there. Could I put a little bit of EP90 in the gearbox to quieten it? Probably not a good idea.

Thanks for the discussions. :)
 
IMO the ep90 in the transfer case is not some good ideea either cos you should have put 75w90 in it... if you want to force your gearbox untill the end with that noise in it maybe better put some specially designed gearbox additive than ep90... but i'm sure Jamesmartin would give you the best advice
 
Sorry, it is 75w90, just in the habit of calling it EP90. I don't think you can buy EP90 anymore.

But if there is an additive, I'd be very interested.
 
unfortunately i can't recommend something tested on R380 which i know it's very ''squeamish'' when it comes to oils but i've used some of this http://www.xado.co.uk/xado-uk-manua...erential-restore-treatment-oil-additives.html in my wife's Hyunday Santa Fe and made miracles...

:) ...interestingly i knew that the brand was Xado and searched for a UK link to give you something reachable then saw that there's a review made by somebody with a td5 about it...strange coincidence though
 
depends on the noise but if it is mechanical additives are a poor idea, no gear box etc needs them ,instead of getting worried about oil types some kind of diagnosis needs doing ,it is only gear change that may be effected by oil type the gears and bearings would run happily in engine oil as some have done
 
yes, what i can confirm is that my wife's had hard gear change issues the noise was neglectable... though it dissapeared as well
 
Last edited:

Similar threads