> I forget which OD you guys are talking about but my J-type came with a
> recommendation of using Castrol 20/50 which is what I am using now. Is
> there a current line of thinking about this?
My current line of thinking (not necessarily supported by factory documents)
is that regular gear oil should not be used in any of the ODs used on
Triumphs (A, D, or J). Castrol 20W50 is probably fine (but I don't like
Castrol on general principles, had some bad experiences in the past).
But the Redline MTL 90 doesn't qualify as "regular gear oil", it is
specifically designed for use in older transmissions with brass synchro
rings. Redline has said to me that it should work fine in a Laycock type OD
(which should apply to all of them, although I specifically asked about an
A-type), and I've heard from several people who use it and are happy with
it.
I have both an A and a J, and I plan to eventually try MTL 90 in both of
them. However, the J-type was just rebuilt by Herman van den Akker, and he
recommends Valvoline 20W50 racing, so that's what I will initially use in
it. That way, if there are any problems, we'll know it wasn't due to my
choice of oil. Once it's proven itself using the recommended fluif; I'll
try the MTL 90 to see what, if any, difference it makes.
Same deal with the A-type, except it's already shown how well it works on
racing oil. If the MTL 90 doesn't improve things, it will probably go back
to Herman for a little more attention to the pump, since it doesn't always
hook up in 2nd gear even behind a relatively stock motor. But since I've
decided to not swap it into the new car right away unless I find some other
reason to pull the existing gearbox, the MTL 90 test will probably be a few
years down the road.
If by some strange sequence of events I ever installed the D-type (in the
Sports 6), I'd go through the same sequence with it. (I've got the OD, just
no present plans to install it. No, I won't separate it from the car.)
Randall
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