[TR] TR3 Gearbox Oil

Randall TR3driver at ca.rr.com
Sat Apr 2 11:48:46 MST 2011


John Wise wrote:

> Everyone with 911s of my 911's vintage, uses SWEPCO 201 gear 
> lube in the tranny.  It meets GL-5, MT-1, & MIL-PRF-2105e.  
> Just wondering if you had heard anything about its use in TRs?

Sorry, don't know anything about it.  But sounds like it would probably be
OK.  Ken Gillanders wrote a few years back about some synthetics being too
"slick" for good synchro operation, but the SWEPCO claims it is compatible
with limited slip diffs (which also require a certain amount of friction for
operation) so perhaps that is not an issue with the SWEPCO 201.

> I am also interested in your comment about overdrives.  I am 
> assuming that your point was 90W should not be used in 
> over-drives.  Is that correct??

Not _my_ point.  That is one of the things that the factory waffled back and
forth on as well.  In 1954, they said NOT to use 90 weight in overdrives; in
1959 they said use ONLY 90 weight in overdrives.
http://tinyurl.com/3ogpwny

Apparently the deal was that Laycock (maker of the OD unit) felt that gear
oil would interfere with the proper operation of the A-type OD.
Standard-Triumph at first (accidentally?) ignored that advice, then embraced
it, then decided that gear oil reduced warranty returns overall.

This may have actually been an early symptom of the GL4 vs GL5 controversy,
as the OD also contains quite a few brass components to be slowly attacked
by the sulfur additive.  But Laycock only mumbled things about it degrading
the clutch linings, or causing 'sludging'.

Randall



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