Thread: Oil for tc and gearbox ?

Originally Posted by freedriver

Thanks Rick . As i will be towing a boat up to broome next week i think the opperating temp will be high enough so i will leave the syntrax in. Cheers, Bill

Your gearbox - in the past for many years to recommendation was Syntrans (or its other brannd equivalent) and Syntrax was not recommended for the R380. I always used Syntrans in my R380 and worked well in Canberra -5 mornings and +40 days.

If you haven't seen them - have a look at these and make your mind up - also there are plenty of old threads on this in the D1 section.

http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp...ans_B13127.pdf

http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp...0_B1278983.pdf

Gary, I've crunched the numbers in the past and Syntrax at -7 or -10* is equivalent in kinematic viscosity to Syntrans at 0* or thereabouts, it'll be fine.

The worst that can happen will be some slow gear changes when cold.
One of our old Toowoomba members used Syntrax for years in his 90 without issue.

and just to muddy the waters further a few of us use Motul Gear 300 75W-90 in the R380, which is actually thinner at 0*C than Syntrans, but stupidly expensive.

The 5 speed Triumph TR7 transmission is an R380 gearbox. It is interesting to note that, in order to improve synchromesh performance, Castrol recommends an extreme pressure mineral oil, EPX 75W-80, which meets a mineral oil API GL-5 specification. LRT

Originally Posted by LRT

The 5 speed Triumph TR7 transmission is an R380 gearbox. It is interesting to note that, in order to improve synchromesh performance, Castrol recommends an extreme pressure mineral oil, EPX 75W-80, which meets a mineral oil API GL-5 specification. LRT

Actually an LT77 IIRC which uses a fibre gear in the oil pump.

Quite a few on here use Syntrans in the LT77 without an issue, and it'll last longer than the EPX in use as straight mineral oils in gearbox use tend to shear quite rapidly due to the combination of base oils and viscosity index improver's used.

I've tried the equivalent Castrol low viscosity mineral MTF, VMX-80 and I didn't care for the shift quality one bit.
Hell, Syntrans is usually toast by 20,000km in my experience.

Originally Posted by LRT

The 5 speed Triumph TR7 transmission is an R380 gearbox.

Sorry - but what makes you say that??? The R380 was not designed and introduced until over 10 years after the TR7 ceased production.


"1994 to 2006: The R380 box was introduced as brand new LR gearbox across the entire Land Rover and Range Rover product lines. The R380 is a radically reworked LT77 (The 1940's Jag gearbox remember) with improved main shaft bearing arrangements that provided an overall strengthening of the box. The R380 name stands for "Rated to 380 Nm input". But the R380 still has the LT77's 77 mm shaft spacing. Since Rover was no longer part of British Leyland the LT prefix was abandoned."

Garry

Oops! Garrycol, you are right about the LT77 gearbox. Thanks for the additional information - much appreciated. LRT

Rick I always knew I cared a little bit less than the average guy...
now I have evidence:
"Castrol low viscosity mineral MTF, VMX-80 and I didn't care for the shift quality one bit."
Ive been running VMX80 in two R380s for over 200k (on some oil gurus recommendation from the old yahoo user group - you maybe Rick??????)
No dramas, seems to work!

My current R380 was ex forestry when I got it at 120k the gearbag slop was hilarious. On pulling the input gear there was a good 30 degrees of fretting.
A new drilled input which engages on more of the output shaft - proper fix is on the list but the new gear just isnt wearing (80k) so Ill keep flogging it!!!

Anyways,
All that ramble says, if you are in the boonies VMX80 is usually stocked by Castrol dealers as its a cruiser gearbag recommendation. And it should work in your landy!

Steve