Redline Gear Oil in 348

Daniel, do you carry them?

 

Since Redline is not sold in Litres... you'll need 4.2 quarts Dean, or if you plan to use the friction modifier (as I did), use a full 4 quarts of gear oil and 1 full 4oz bottle of the friction modifier. That should put you right at max on the dipstick.

 

Thats because it's not Italian. I don't think the cables have anything at all to do with the cold shifting. That in and of itself is a Ferrari problem. The reason I'm having the cables looked at is because I'm getting a buzzing in the shifter box when I'm in 4th and 5th gear. Now this is the point where everybody is going to start telling me I'm facing impending gearbox failure. My mechanic thinks it's just an adjustment issue...we will know for sure next week.

 

Regular Redline 75w-90, not 75w-90NS? I ask because according to Redline, their 75w-90 will have TOO MUCH of the slip additive for the limited slip than is recommended and still be compatible with the transmission portion of the "trans-axle". That is why Redline recommends 75w-90NS, and if absolutely necessary, add a bit of their friction modifier.

 

Will ND's experience with MTL was not satisfactory, Ferrari master technician Brian Crall, "Rifledriver" claimed to have very good luck with it. Here is his explaination of why, even though MTL is GL4 rated, that it is compatible with a 348 transaxle.

Originally Posted by Rifledriver
My shop is right down the road from Redline and we use their products in the race cars. I have had many long conversations with them about their products and their recomendations.

Ferrari specs GL5 gear oils for the transmissions. Due to Ferraris specs Redline will not officially suggest anything other than GL5 gear oils.

GL5 basically means an oil that is designed for medium to high offset hypoid differentials. MTL is a GL4 lubricant which means it is designed for medium to low offset hypoid gears. In the 308, 328, 348, 355 transaxles there are NO hypoid gears of any type, hi, low, or medium, offset.

I am not ordinarily an experimenter with others cars except in circumstances where the official way is obviously not working but I have seen MTL used with great success and zero problems in 308 transmissions since the product was introduced many years ago. It was also the oil of choice in the transaxles of the 355 and 348 Challenge race cars with zero problems. Those transmissions were subjected to greater stresses and heat in one weekend than most of our transmissions are in a lifetime. I cannot say that however of the AGIP oil spec'd by Ferrari at the time. One session at the track finished off several transaxles and we were told unofficially by Ferrari to quit using it in cars that would see track service. That garbage did remain the official oil.

I have been using MTL in customer cars that had cronic shifting complaints for several years including one 85 308 in daily service with over 115,000 miles on it and the owner is pleased to this day how his transmission performs.

It's great oil. If you have a shifting problem use it.

I would not use it in any transaxle in a 275, 330, 365, BB, BBi, TR, 288, F40, 550, 456, 360, 430, 612, or 599. Those are all medium offset hypoid gear differentials and should have GL5 oil.

 

Buy 6 quarts. You can use 1.8 quarts to flush out the gasoline (or Automatic Transmission Fluid) that you need to use to clean the tranny.

Drive your 348. Open the fill plug with the tranny hot (this insures that you can easily fill her up). Now open the tranny drain plug so that your tranny drains hot.

Replace the drain plug. Pour in a gallon of gasoline or ATF. With the wheels in the air and in 5th gear, rotate a wheel forward (direction is very important at this junction) for a minute or two. Now remove the drain plug again, drain, replace the plug and pour in 1.8 quarts of your Superlight Shockproof. Rotate the wheels briefly. Remove the drain plug and drain again.

You should now have a moderately clean tranny.

Re-install the drain plug with a clean, new, fresh crush washer. Add 2 quarts of Superlight shockproof. Go sip a pleasant drink. Return. Now add the remaining 2.2 quarts of Superlight Shockproof. Reinstall your fill plug.

Dispose of the old gear oil properly.

Now remove your shift gate and/or rubber boot in your cockpit. From the extreme bottom of your shift box to the top, coat liberally with white lithium grease. Spray can white lithium is fine. Cheap, too.

Re-install your shift gate. Your tranny fluid has now had time to settle/seap.

Check your tranny fluid level via your tranny dipstick. You should be 90% full to 100% full, but not over 100% (overfilling will cause poor shifts).

Start your 348 in Neutral. Push down your clutch pedal, and hold it down while you shift into 1st and then into Reverse. Release your clutch pedal and back out of your garage.

When you are ready to go forward for the very first time, start from 2nd gear. You just have to this once, though doing it once the first time you drive each day is good, too.

What you are doing with these steps is getting cold tranny fluid into the toughest places of the tranny.

Now go drive. When you shift, make sure that your revs are above 2,500 RPMs as you go into the next gear each time. Repeat: not what level you shift out of the old gear...but 2,500 (higher is better) or better going into the next gear.

Your 348 will shift like a knife through butter. Even cold.

 

Thanks ND !!

 

............right on the button.... !!!!



BTW great post ND !!!!

 

Like Daniel, I am very concerned about using gasoline for cleaning anything! Highly combustible, and dangerous to mess around with on a presumably hot engine. I am uncertain how important the flush is, but not worth the risk using gasoline. Change it again in a week if you must, in the alternative.

 

EXACTLY how my car shifts after I changed from Agip to Redline gearbox oil.

 

It's a legitimate concern. For those worried about using gasoline, I suggested above and suggest again here to use Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) as an alternative fluid for your cleaning stage.

ATF contains detergents that will get out some of the grime inside your tranny. This will give you a cleaner box than skipping the flush step entirely.






*however, transmission fluid itself is pretty doggone flammable. Don't let ATF lure you into a false sense of security

 

Thanksgiving Day was a good opportunity to switch my gearbox oil. I put the superlight shockproof in per the recommendations of the board. I have to tell ya I was skeptical. I was sure this was snake oil. Not to doubt my friends, but ya know sometimes you convince yourself things are worse than they are and there is no cure. Well, I've got to say what a difference. I should have done this when I first got the car. I also took my shift gate off to lube up the box. I was a little surprised to find foam packing in there. Is this supposed to be there? Should I remove it and fill it with the lithium grease or just put grease in with it? I did not have a rubber boot so I got one figuring it would help quiet things down a bit as well as contain the grease. Oh yeah while it was up in the air I noticed I have a tear in my right outer CV boot. Does anyone make a split boot to repair this or do I have to take the whole thing apart? Thanks again for the advice on the gear oil I’m in love with my car again.

 

John, this sounds alot like my post right after I changed my gear oil! lmao

I had a big chunk of couch cushion foam in mine too... I took it out, it definately didnt do any wonders for shifter movement! I also loaded up my shifter mech with lithium grease and added the factory boot. I did modify my gate exactly like the slick shift... big difference there too!

 

Great to hear you had excellent results using the Superlight Shockproof oil.

You will have to pull the outer rh axle off to replace the cv boot. Thats the only way to do it properly.

Have fun wrenching mate!

 

Everybody doubts that the new RL superlight shockproof oil trick will fix their 348 shifts, yet it always works when the above procedures are followed. Nice to hear that you've now experienced the difference in shifting firsthand!


Yes, remove the foam.

Yes, lube up the shift box under the shift gate with white lithium grease (lots and lots and lots of it from top to bottom inside that box!).



Now, you can do a split boot repair on your axle, but it won't last very long...so it's sort of a choice between doing regular split boot repairs or 1 axle-off rear cv boot repair.

Your choice.

 

Well, after thinking about it I'm just going to remove the axle and do both boots. I'm kinda embarrassed I even asked... I know better than that. It's a Ferrari for f@#% sake not a dune buggy.