What product would you recommend to lengthen the life/improve the performance of the tranny?

 

Hello Scottin Bend,

The dealerships uses a product called MINI MTF94 manufactured by Texaco
it is a gear oil 75W80 API GL-4
and it is very expensive. (I have purchased some in the past)

We now are using either Motul of Elf synthetic gear oil with the same aprouvals.

These synthetic gear oils really work well, shifts smoother and quiets the tranny.

victor

 

 

Redline MTL is also a common replacement.

 

How would one replace the manual transmission fluid? I can't find anywhere in the engine bay for a reservoir, I found brake fluid, coolant, and power steering. Can anyone help me with this? Thanks

 

There is no reservoir. There are two bolts on the transmission. The upper one is fill/level and the lower is drain. Do a search. There was a thread a month or so ago about changing the tranny fluid.

 

What about '05-06 MINIs with LSD - is the Redline MTL still the best choice? What about Amsoil gear oils - anyone know which Amsoil product would apply to the six speed Getrag with OEM LSD?

 

A couple of days ago I saw a leak under my car. The fluid definately wasn't coolant, oil, or power steering fluid. I am thinking it may have came from the tranny. The fluid was sort of oily feeling but it seemed clear. Do you guys think it came from the tranny? Also it came from the front driver side under the engine. I also noticed that upon heavy acceleration the car seems as it is slipping and I smell burning clutch also. Do you think my tranny fluid leaked out? Any help would be great, Thanks

 

Here is the discussion you referenced.

 

Bump?

 

I would recommand redline over amsoil. Before I use amsoil 75-90 diff oil in my E36 M3, the diff will have some weir noise when you at low speed or back up, after I swich to redline the noise is gone.

 

The stock transmission fluid is a very good product. I had a fluid analysis performed after a 14,000 mile change interval and the results were outstanding. The additives were very robust and had done there job well; the expert analyzer had nothing but praise for the fluid. When I split the gearbox there was no adverse wear visible on the gear teeth or synchros; 72,000 miles on the transmission.

 

It's good that the fluid is working fine after 14k miles. The problem is that it's considered a "lifetime fluid" by MINI and there is no recommended change interval. What does this fluid look like after 50 or 100k miles. I changed mine at 50k over to Redline MTL and noticed a difference in shift performance.

Now for the limited slip... I'm not sure which types of limited slip diffs require friction modifiers. If MINI uses the same fluid in both tranny's, then I'd assume you can use MTL or MT-90 with no problem. This same question should be asked by those running a Qualif lsd. Redline makes a 75w-90 gear oil that has friction modifiers already in it as well as sell friction modifier seperately. I'm not an expert in this subject so I can't be completely sure.

 

The Quaife does not have any special fluid or additive requirements http://www.autotech.com/quaife/index2.htm, click technical/faq's. I experimented with Silkolene SYN5 and found shift engagement a little slow so I will be returning to the MTF-94.

Although friction modifiers are added to fluid designated for gear boxes with the MINI LSD, some benefit has been found by using the regular MTF-94 over the late model fluid with the modifiers so it is not “required” in all cases to perform well.