Alternative fluid for NV5600
06-10-2003, 01:54 PM
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Alternative fluid for NV5600
OK, I'm sure this has been gone over before but I can't seem to find it on the searches... maybe not going back far enough. My truck has just over 30k on it, and the tranny fluid still looks/smells new. Thats pretty cool. <br>But I don;t like it...<br>I know the all-knowing owners manual says that the NV5600 is "permanently lubricated and does not require regular fluid changes as part of routine maintenance"<br> 
<br>Am I way off kilter here? I can't see leaving the same ole tranny fluid in there for the life of the truck. I gotta get it changed, this is driving me crazy. On to my question.<br>What are you other 6sp owners using as an alternative to the Mopar oil for this thing (the ONLY recommended lubricant >
)? <br>-Dave
<br>Am I way off kilter here? I can't see leaving the same ole tranny fluid in there for the life of the truck. I gotta get it changed, this is driving me crazy. On to my question.<br>What are you other 6sp owners using as an alternative to the Mopar oil for this thing (the ONLY recommended lubricant >)? <br>-Dave
06-11-2003, 07:17 AM
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Re:Alternative fluid for NV5600
Blue, what viscosity Royal Purple are you running in your tranny. I think I'm gonna with that. How many quarts does it hold?-D
06-12-2003, 12:24 AM
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Re:Alternative fluid for NV5600
"Good for the life of the truck". Easy for them to say; they replace it if it goes out in the first 100k (life of the truck drivetrain warranty), but after that it's you who'll pay the bill.
I'm having the factory lube changed out about every 30 to 50k with the Mopar stuff. Some others report good results with the 5W-30 Series 3000 Amsoil (motor oil), but when you look at the cost of the better synthetics (Amsoil, Royal Purple, etc.) you don't save that much compared to using the Mopar. If you're still under warranty, go Mopar. My 2 cents.
Take note, the NV5600 is MUCH closer to motor oil than to gear oil. If you go with anything other than Mopar, make sure the selection is right; don't go just by what we're saying here on the internet. You're betting your transmission that we're right.
I'm having the factory lube changed out about every 30 to 50k with the Mopar stuff. Some others report good results with the 5W-30 Series 3000 Amsoil (motor oil), but when you look at the cost of the better synthetics (Amsoil, Royal Purple, etc.) you don't save that much compared to using the Mopar. If you're still under warranty, go Mopar. My 2 cents.
Take note, the NV5600 is MUCH closer to motor oil than to gear oil. If you go with anything other than Mopar, make sure the selection is right; don't go just by what we're saying here on the internet. You're betting your transmission that we're right.
06-12-2003, 08:32 AM
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Re:Alternative fluid for NV5600
I use Redline MTL with excellent results. Not cheap, but show me something of extremely high quality that is..<br><br>HOHN
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06-13-2003, 12:40 AM
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Re:Alternative fluid for NV5600
Whoa, before dumping a motor oil in your transmission, realize that the additive chemistry is much different for a gear lube. I wouldn't recommend a motor oil in a transmission, even if big "A" says it's OK.<br><br>Most manual transmission's spec a GL-4 rated lube. Most of the synthetic gear lubes you will find are rated GL-5, which are for use in hypoid gear axles. GL-4 lubes have different friction coeffiecients for the synchronizers of manual tranny's, and are more "friendly" to yellow metals.<br><br>I don't know about RP, but Redline MTL is rated GL-4. Redline is usually around $8 a quart, and sometimes you can find an online vendor of it that has free shipping.
06-14-2003, 10:21 AM
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Re:Alternative fluid for NV5600
[quote author=Ruralmedic link=board=4;threadid=15734;start=0#148864 date=1055482850]
Whoa, before dumping a motor oil in your transmission, realize that the additive chemistry is much different for a gear lube. I wouldn't recommend a motor oil in a transmission, even if big "A" says it's OK.
Most manual transmission's spec a GL-4 rated lube. Most of the synthetic gear lubes you will find are rated GL-5, which are for use in hypoid gear axles. GL-4 lubes have different friction coeffiecients for the synchronizers of manual tranny's, and are more "friendly" to yellow metals.
[/quote]
Oops, looks like I need to clarify where I stand, cause actually we're in almost total agreement! Folks need to remember that we have different transmissions, and use those owner's manuals.
The NV-4500 does use GL-4. The NV-5600 does not.
On big "A" saying use their 5W-30 in the NV-5600, I agree completely about additives being key to long life, that's why I recommend staying with Mopar on this one. I absolutely do not put any faith in something just because someone says "works for me" but has less than say, 500,000 miles on the stuff. I have seen some that took lube samples after using big "A"; something like that is more convincing to me because it would show a problem long before the gears started humming or clashing, but I haven't seen enough data to switch yet.
What I was really trying to say is that the NV-5600, I believe, is not like "most" transmissions because it does not use the hypoid "gear oils". Some Honda's, some Izuzus, and others really do use "motor oil" in their transmissions, and if you put in the GL-4 or GL-5 gear oils in one of these special transmissions because someone on the Internet recommended it, you might crater your transmission. I know several Izuzu owners who did exactly that. On the other hand just as Amsoil claims their 5W-30 will work, Redline claims their MTL will work in both the GL-4, 75W-80 applications AND in applications calling for 5W-30 motor oil. That's a new one on me; I'm still learning too. We need someone who knows the specs on the NV-5600 lube better than me to step in here, but as I understand it, the fluid for the NV-5600 is "similar" to "motor oil", but with some very important additive packages. This allows big "A" to step in and say their top-of-the-line 5W-30 will work; but for me, on this one I'm sticking with the Mopar fluid because I'm not 100% convinced the 5W-30 is "better" and I don't want to gamble on the cost of a replacement tranny even 300k from now.
Bottom line: Use the recommended stuff from Mopar, or research VERY carefully!
Whoa, before dumping a motor oil in your transmission, realize that the additive chemistry is much different for a gear lube. I wouldn't recommend a motor oil in a transmission, even if big "A" says it's OK.
Most manual transmission's spec a GL-4 rated lube. Most of the synthetic gear lubes you will find are rated GL-5, which are for use in hypoid gear axles. GL-4 lubes have different friction coeffiecients for the synchronizers of manual tranny's, and are more "friendly" to yellow metals.
[/quote]
Oops, looks like I need to clarify where I stand, cause actually we're in almost total agreement! Folks need to remember that we have different transmissions, and use those owner's manuals.
The NV-4500 does use GL-4. The NV-5600 does not.
On big "A" saying use their 5W-30 in the NV-5600, I agree completely about additives being key to long life, that's why I recommend staying with Mopar on this one. I absolutely do not put any faith in something just because someone says "works for me" but has less than say, 500,000 miles on the stuff. I have seen some that took lube samples after using big "A"; something like that is more convincing to me because it would show a problem long before the gears started humming or clashing, but I haven't seen enough data to switch yet.
What I was really trying to say is that the NV-5600, I believe, is not like "most" transmissions because it does not use the hypoid "gear oils". Some Honda's, some Izuzus, and others really do use "motor oil" in their transmissions, and if you put in the GL-4 or GL-5 gear oils in one of these special transmissions because someone on the Internet recommended it, you might crater your transmission. I know several Izuzu owners who did exactly that. On the other hand just as Amsoil claims their 5W-30 will work, Redline claims their MTL will work in both the GL-4, 75W-80 applications AND in applications calling for 5W-30 motor oil. That's a new one on me; I'm still learning too. We need someone who knows the specs on the NV-5600 lube better than me to step in here, but as I understand it, the fluid for the NV-5600 is "similar" to "motor oil", but with some very important additive packages. This allows big "A" to step in and say their top-of-the-line 5W-30 will work; but for me, on this one I'm sticking with the Mopar fluid because I'm not 100% convinced the 5W-30 is "better" and I don't want to gamble on the cost of a replacement tranny even 300k from now.
Bottom line: Use the recommended stuff from Mopar, or research VERY carefully!
06-14-2003, 11:27 AM
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Re:Alternative fluid for NV5600
For those claiming motor oil, even the most revered synthetic brands will work fine in the manual trannies in our trucks - OR that the warranty won't be threatened - AND the dealers or DC "won't bother to check the lube anyway...", READ THIS from over in the TDR group:
=========
6SPD info
Something I learned when I lost 6th gear.
The NV 5600 is definately a much stronger transmission. However, the thing that concerns me that was pointed out a few times is the smaller bearings in a bigger transmission. [Compared to the NV 4500]
I had notchey shifting from the day I took delivery and at 55,000 miles I lost 6th on a run of the mill pull out to pass a big rig.
DC demanded a sample of the lube and I later learned that after waiting for four weeks for parts, I was actually waiting for the result from DC, which was fine. I had the stock fluid in there.
The dealer said that DC would have denied warranty if I had 5W30 motor oil in there...of any brand.
======
'Nuff said? ;D ;D ;D
=========
6SPD info
Something I learned when I lost 6th gear.
The NV 5600 is definately a much stronger transmission. However, the thing that concerns me that was pointed out a few times is the smaller bearings in a bigger transmission. [Compared to the NV 4500]
I had notchey shifting from the day I took delivery and at 55,000 miles I lost 6th on a run of the mill pull out to pass a big rig.
DC demanded a sample of the lube and I later learned that after waiting for four weeks for parts, I was actually waiting for the result from DC, which was fine. I had the stock fluid in there.
The dealer said that DC would have denied warranty if I had 5W30 motor oil in there...of any brand.
======
'Nuff said? ;D ;D ;D
06-14-2003, 02:19 PM
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Re:Alternative fluid for NV5600
Good point Gary. I've got "A" (15W-40) in the engine, and like it there, but it was not my intent to endorse it for the tranny - I was just mentioning it as something that some people do. At 134k warranty isn't an issue for me, but reaching 500k is.
06-15-2003, 01:55 PM
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Re:Alternative fluid for NV5600
"At 134k warranty isn't an issue for me, but reaching 500k is. "
YUP! Another good point! ;D ;D ;D
With the warranty-destroying mods done on my truck, even tho' it's only got 11,000 miles or so, it ESPECIALLY pays to pay attention to using the right stuff in expensive equipment - ya CAN'T pay that expensive repair/replacement bill with hopes or high expectations - OR with the well-intended and supposed "expert" recommendation about a "just as good substitute lube" of a good friend or relative...
Unless you can get a written promise of repayment for related repairs if the stuff DOESN'T work as promised or expected!
(Been there, done that! - and have jugs of expensive "great stuff" that DIDN'T work sitting out in my garage!)
YUP! Another good point! ;D ;D ;D
With the warranty-destroying mods done on my truck, even tho' it's only got 11,000 miles or so, it ESPECIALLY pays to pay attention to using the right stuff in expensive equipment - ya CAN'T pay that expensive repair/replacement bill with hopes or high expectations - OR with the well-intended and supposed "expert" recommendation about a "just as good substitute lube" of a good friend or relative...
Unless you can get a written promise of repayment for related repairs if the stuff DOESN'T work as promised or expected!
(Been there, done that! - and have jugs of expensive "great stuff" that DIDN'T work sitting out in my garage!)
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