Gearbox Oil question

[diesel23]

Hi there,

I have a 1996 VS Series I Commodore, it is a V6 Manual, done roughly 184,000km's I want to change the gear box oil and the diff oil. I have 2 questions.

1. what is the best gear box oil to use? The guy at Repco tried to sell me Automatic Transmission Fluid saying it would be fine. i was a bit skeptical

2. Would my model have an LSD or not? Im trying to work out which diff oil to get but Im usnure of the type of diff. is there a way of telling?

Cheers

[cander24]

If its a series 1 it will have a Borg Warner T5 gearbox (cable operated clutch) which does in fact run ATF oil. I'd recommend Dextron III.
If its a series 2 it will have at Getrag M35 gearbox (hydraulic clutch) which uses 75w-85 gear oil.

[cander24]

As for the diff, if its an executive its unlikely. Best way to tell for sure is to remove the housing cover plate and inspect, otherwise, with both rear wheels off the ground, rotate one of the wheels. If the other wheel goes in the same direction you have an lsd. If it goes the opposite way you have an open centre (no lsd). If the other wheel doesn't move at all you most likely have an open centre, or if it is in fact an lsd centre its stuffed.

[diesel23]

Thanks heaps for that mate! much appreciated!

It is an executive but I'll be jacking the car up this arvo to find out for sure.

[tezza]

Also the T5 gearbox should be filled with dexron 3 and a 150ml of Lubrizol 7906

[diesel23]

thanks tezza. excuse my ignorance but this Dexron 3 that everyone talks about. What brand is it? is it valvoline or castrol?

[Tom_1569]

thanks tezza. excuse my ignorance but this Dexron 3 that everyone talks about. What brand is it? is it valvoline or castrol?

Either make it mate. It can also be labelled ATF Dex III or similar. It is Auto-tranny/Power steering fluid. Just check to make sure it is also marked as Dex III and you will be sweet.

[tezza]

Yeah just normal automatic transmission fluid - dexron III. I had a bit of a hard time finding Lubrizol but Burson's had it.

I just changed mine and it took about 2 lts. A bit of a messy job, I just did the diff too.
My diff is a LSD and I used the Castrol SAF-XA fluid. Pretty expensive at $30 odd a litre!

[johnsy_vs]

you can use auto tranny fluid in a gearbox, tends to give a smoother shift, but i dont use it dexron 3 the go pal

[wortus]

Thanks heaps for that mate! much appreciated!

It is an executive but I'll be jacking the car up this arvo to find out for sure.

I think if you read the service manual you will find that it recomended an LSD oil for a normal diff and if it is a V8 use synthetic diff oil. This is also what you will find drilling down on what oil to use on many oil company web sites.
The diff oil is only specified as needing to be changed if you tow with the vehicle otherwise it just needs to be checked for level when the car is serviced.

[diesel23]

Thanks all for all your help on this! You have all been so helpful.