I recently bought a used, low mileage 06 cab w/ full JCW and though it's recently had it's first service, I want to put fresh fluids in the engine, transmission/transaxle, brake system, and perhaps cooling system.

For engine oil I plan on using either Amsoil or Redline 5w-30. Simple choice.

For the transmission/transaxle, I'm finding a lot of people use Redline MTL. I plan on calling Redline and confirming this, but what do y'all recommend. I've got the JCW electronic limited slip differential and the Getrag 6 speed.

Also, what is the capacity of the transmission/transaxle?

For the brake system, I'd like to switch over to DOT 5.1. Any recommendations there? I know Motul makes an excellent one that is formulated to work with ABS systems. I use it on my ABS equiped motorcycle. Any other recommendations? I know there's another popular brand (with racers and track day guys) that comes in two colors, but I forget the brand name.

For coolant, I figure I'll just go with the factory recommended stuff, though with only 16,000 miles on it, I may wait on the coolant change.

Thanks for all your advice!

 

Oil: Redline 5W30, polyol ester oil
Transmission: Redline D6ATF for direct replacement or D4ATF/MTL provides greater viscosity, thus potentially harder cold shifts.
Brake Fluid: ATE Typ200 same as super blue (my dealer voids all brake warranty when he sees superblue)
Coolant: Factory

If you call Redline, speak to Dave.

 

The LSD isn't electric- It's a gear driven unit by Quaife.

Silicone brake fluid (DOT 5) doesn't perform as well as a good DOT 4 fluid (Motul, Castrol SRF or Wilwood).

 

Thanks for that. I went to the Mini dealer at lunch time and found out that the electric LSD is only on the second generation Minis. Mine is aparently not electronic so I was going to ask here what kind it is. And now you say it's actually a Quaife unit. Nice. I understand these are highly desireable. Anything else I should know about the diff? Does it have special lube requirements?

As for the brake fluid, yes, DOT 5.0 sucks. And should never be used in a street vehicle or mixed with any other brake fluid. However, I am talking about DOT 5.1 which is the same chemical makeup as 3 and 4 and is totally compatible and generally speaking, superior to DOT 3 or 4. There are some DOT 3 fluids that are superior to DOT 5.1 in their dry boiling points, some are near 600 degrees F. But they don't get a DOT 5.1 rating because their wet boiling point will only meet the DOT 3 spec. But racers will still use these ultra high dry boiling point fluids because they perform so well at the track and they are always changing out their fluid so the wet boiling spec isn't important to them.

I'm thinking Motul DOT 5.1 is the way to go.

Oh, and how does the gear system in the Quaife work?

 

'Just got off the phone with Dave at Redline. Here is some information.

BMW recommends their MTF-LT-3 for use in my 06 JCW.
Redline's D6ATF is their equivilant to the MTF-LT-3.
Redline's D4ATF is a bit higher in viscosity than the D6ATF
And Redline's MTL is higher still.
The highest is MTL 90.

Here are the equivilant weight ratings for the three main Redline products:


D6ATF Gear Lube: 70w-80 Engine Oil: 0w-10 Centistokes Hot: 6.4
D4ATF Gear Lube: 70w-80 Engine Oil: 0w-20 Centistokes Hot: 7.5
MTL Gear Lube: 70w-80 Engine Oil: 5w-30 Centistokes Hot: 10.6

As you can see, all three are equivilant to 70w-80 but there are small differences as indicated by the equivilant engine oil weights. And the hot centistoke numbers show the MTL to be 65% thicker at high temps than the D6ATF. The D4ATF is only 17% thicker at high temps.

Bottom line was that Dave said that any of the three would work fine but that at lower temps, the MTL might shift a bit slower. But he also said that the MTL would be fine with the synchros as well.

So, I'm thinking I'll go with either the D6ATF or maybe step up just a bit and go with the D4ATF, even though many are running the MTL.

.....For what it's worth.

Cheers!

 

Here's the details on how our diff works:
http://www.quaife.co.uk/What-is-a-Qu...B-differential

Castrol SRF had the highest boiling point (around 600 degrees) the last time I did the research:

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/secti...tentId=7024043

 

I'm curious, how do you know it's a Quaife unit? In other places on this forum, I'm finding that it's not a Quaife unit and that it uses friction plates. I'd sure love it to be a Quaife unit, though. Are there some exploded parts drawings that would show it? Anything I can access on-line?

Thanks much!

 

While I sell some (at times) I'd discourage your rush to use DOT 5.1 fluid. It has NO benefit other than a higher dry boiling point, is costly and has a shorter life span than 3 or 4.

As I often say; Call me when you boil the DOT 4 on a regular basis. Usually this would be only for the most extreme track day use.

 

It's my understanding that the wet boiling points are higher as well. And don't they all have to meet the same standards as far as life is concerned? The chemistry is basically the same. How much faster do the 5.1's degrade from a moisture standpoint than DOT 4's?

Oh, and by the way, what does Mini say should be in there?

Thanks.

 

Mini recommends DOT4 bake fluid.

 

As a general rule, fluid such as 5.1 has a shorter operating life. What this means is that it absorbs moisture quicker than the more stable 3 and 4. While its wet BP may still be reasonable its actual "working" level will be lower than the dry spec in time and not achieve the claimed value.

In other words, what starts out as 620 degrades to 550 quickly (especially if mixed....you DO fully flush and flush some more, right?? Not just bleed) and even though the wet number is still ok the limit on the race track is not what you think it is any longer.

Then we hear "I ran Brand X at ____ and boiled that stuff, it sucks..." what the posted didn't mention is that he added Brand X nine months ago and only now is going to the track~!

 

Again, thanks for that. After talking with BR Racing in Los Gatos, I've decided to stick with the stock stuff for now, simply because I still have a year of warranty left on the car. After that, I may deviate a bit here and there. The first thing I'll do is switch to Redline for the transaxle. Brake fluid I'm not sure about yet.

I'm also considering a rear Alta 19mm bar along with their adjustable connector struts. BR Racing says it makes a huge difference. They also said that the 22mm (or whatever the next size up is) is really too much for the street.

After that, I might consider slightly more overdrive on the supercharger. The next smaller increment can net me 215 from my current 207. That one I'll have to think about. It's plenty quick as it is.