g56 fluid for cold climate

[nukegm]

comrades - last fall i tossed the factory clutch and installed south bend single disc w solid flywheel kit. the clutch is great. i refilled the trans with amsoil atf plus 4. everything is fine - just some gear noise. south bend states that this is normal. i get that. question is , can i put in amsoil 75w90 trans lube and still shift my truck in the cold. like zero cold? i am looking to quiet down the gear noise a little bit. thanks in advance for any suggestions.

here is what i am considering :

https://www.amsoil.com/p/manual-transmission-transaxle-gear-lube-75w-90-mtg/?code=MTGPK-EA

cheers!

 

[Topzide]

Has good pour point of -56c and -69f. The only manual i had was in Toyota trucks, a 4 spd and 5 spd. They used 75w -90 trans lube and they were a bit stiff on cold days for me around here. I'm sure the synthetic blends have changed the game! It should quiet down the chatter as I remember every time I had new fluid in mine they were quieter for awhile. Big difference from atf to gear lube. Hopefully someone else with more wisdom then what I could offer will chime in. I saw the NV4500 listed, so not sure how much difference to NV5600.

 

[Ozymandias]

If you are idling it, it will warm up enough. We had to do this with the Semis all the time in freezing temperatures.

 

[AH64ID]

That is the fluid I recommend for any climate with the G56. I haven’t had anyone complain while using it. It meets MB specs for G56 fluid, just not Ram specs

The fluid I ran in my NV5600 was a little thinner, but did well even cold soaked well below 0°. I would often put the xcase in N and the trans in 3rd and idle for 1-2 minutes when the temp were sub-zero and that made a difference. I rarely idle much more than 2-3 minutes so it never got warm, just warmer.

 

[Regcabguy]

I've used Amsoil 75-90 for years now. It was recommended by a member from Alberta. I drive mine in 2nd for a block and then that's it. My trans sounded like marbles in it with ATF,Pennsoil Synchromesh . It was drained at 35K and it was clear and the magnet was coated with a fine dusting of metal dust. I don't tow but do carry a 2200# cabover popup around 24/7.

 

[NIsaacs]

I think the key ingredient of the Amsoil is the "friction modifiers" so similar to ATF in that regard. Should work good with Syncros.

I tried Valvoline 50w synthetic HD manual transmission fluid in my NV5600, it did not like it, too slippery. After the fact, I read the fine print. It is recommended for non Syncro HD truck transmissions.

My NV5600 is getting hard to shift at a stop. I changed out the hydraulics but I don't think it is going to help much. I think my 15w-40 diesel engine oil is also too slippery for the age/miles on my transmission/Syncros.

My plan is to change out the oil with Mobil 1 10w-40 or 20w-50 in the T4 formula. It also has the friction modifiers for motorcycle wet clutches, so I think it will work better on my aged Syncros.

 

[nukegm]

thanks for the input. much appreciated! ill get some amsoil 75w90 and give that a spin. cheers!

 

[Ozymandias]

By the way, it doesn't need to be in gear for warming up, ALL gears are turning inside a synchronized transmission all the time.

 

[nukegm]

By the way, it doesn't need to be in gear for warming up, ALL gears are turning inside a synchronized transmission all the time.

thanks ozy !

 

[AH64ID]

By the way, it doesn't need to be in gear for warming up, ALL gears are turning inside a synchronized transmission all the time.

No it doesn't, but it gets the output shaft moving and the xcase input as well.

 

[Ozymandias]

That's right, but Semis don't have a TC at all. The benefit is not real big to search for a Pen and do the procedure to shift the TV into N every day.
The point is to move the oil around and warm it up by doin so, that is done as soon as the Engine is running.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Asked my friend how his 2013 manual acted when temps hit four degrees this winter. He said it shifted just fine. We changed his lube to the AMZ/OIL Universal Signature Series ATF two Summers ago.

 

[AH64ID]

Last time I did this I had a manual trans and a manual xcase

 

[crazy jerry]

i think any manual trans using gear oil will be a bit stiff when its cold. synthetic or not. some more so than others.
i found this bit of info. i dont have a g56 nor have i ever had one but figure ill pass along the link https://www.oildepot.ca/atf-sae-50-75w-90-oil-ram-g56-manual-transmission/