crappy shifting

cptndon · Mar 19, 2007

Well, my search skills seem to be as good as the shifting of my trans. I know this has been posted here before. Can someone do a recap or point me to the relevant posts?

My car is a '77 euro dry sump version and the shifting
SUCKS! Always stiff, notchy, balky. Even after a track session and two hours on the highway.

Am I overlooking some adjustments? What version of
Red LIne should I use?

Thanks in advance guys.

John Harry · Mar 19, 2007

Heres some posts on the subject from resident expert Rifledriver:

Rifledriver said: ↑

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.
Click to expand...

Rifledriver said: ↑

For shifting complaints on those I always use Redline MTL.

If the working surface of the syncro has become glazed no oil will make it work. Removal and lapping or replacement is the only thing that will.
Click to expand...

Rifledriver said: ↑

The lubricants available then were garbage. We no longer live with Typhoid or Polio either, times have changed.

Also the syncros are so hard they took a long time to seat to the shape of the gear. Many when driven in their break in years were abused by impatient drivers and few if any of the people that worked on those transmissions ever lapped the syncros to fit. All of those reasons have contributed to the reputation of poor shifting.

Wrong/garbage lubricants and forcing the shift glazes the syncros.

They can shift very well when everything is right.
Click to expand...

cptndon · Mar 20, 2007

Thanks John & Rifledriver!

Also, I was looking at a drawing of the shift linkage.There are two places where the shift rod bolts to the shifter at the front and the gearbox at the rear. Both of those joints
use a bushing. I assume that at 30 years old they should be replaced. Does any one make a urethane relacement?

Thanks again guys.

RVIDRCI · Mar 21, 2007

Redline MTL is the BOMB. I find it improves shifting cold to very warm, but at excessive track time heat levels, it tends to fall off in performance. Still, cold to normal hot street performance is awesome. Yes there are 2 shure hardness urethane bushing options redily available for the shift shaft, do an ebay search.
Ciao, Lou

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