transmission fluid....

mr_g · May 25th, 2006, 09:24 PM

ok i was wondering what my 1985 nissan sentra uses for transmission fluid??(manual)..im thinking it uses 80w-90 api gl-4 right??..correct me if im wrong also where do u guys buy it from and what brands are good??..i went to walmart and saw some super tech 80w-90 api gl-5....but i looked in my manual and it recommends the api gl-4....all my basic mantenience stuff i buy from walmart which is the super tech brand....its cheap but its worth it for my old old car....would it be ok if i used the api gl-5 or would it f*** up my transmission??..please let me know if any of u guys uses the api gl-5 instead of the api gl-4 when ur car recommends api gl-4....i was surfing and reading around and it said that it will mess up ur transmission....

bob89sentra · May 30th, 2006, 02:47 PM

Can't think of why GL-5 would mess up a manual transmission. I use 85-105 partally synthetic vavoline, and never had any problem. I would buy a additive that is made for transmissions with syncros if the oil you use does not have it. I have heard of people running Dextron III ATF in their cars with no problems, but I am skeptical.
You should be fine with any 80-90 weight gear oil made for transmissions.

Bror Jace · May 30th, 2006, 09:25 PM

mr_g, try searching this forum using the word "syncromesh." There are several good threads here on the subject.

I like Specialty Formulations MTL-P and MTL-R for manual transmissions. One is a 75W-85 GL4/5 and the other is a 75W-90 GL4/5. Both real synthetic formulas as opposed to the fake stuff put out by many oil companies.

If your car calls for a GL-4, don't use a GL5. And ATF is way too thin for any Nissan manual transmission I've ever heard of.