Aloha....Has anyone put a synthetic or other type oil in their gearbox instead of the old 90w? My syncros are in great shape! Mahalo from Maui......DINO 206 GT
Per recommendation by Ferrari mechanic Bill Badursky, I put Mobil 1 gear oil plus GM Limited slip additive in my Daytona transaxle. My observation is that it shifts better, particularly when cold. On the other hand, it has started to leak a little, which can be the case with the synthetics. If I were you, with no issues, I'd stick with Dino oil, but either choice should be ok. Others may have differing opinions. Tom Daytona S/N 16333
There was a lot of discussion about this on one of the 3x8 forums maybe a year ago. In a transaxle you have to balance the needs of your synchros against the needs of your limited slip clutch plates: most oils designed for LSD axles are too slippery for good synchro function. Some guys claimed that when they put the Red Line in and floored the throttle in first gear with the wheel cranked hard right they would get binding of the LSD plates, so the inside tire would chirp a few times. Since I don't do that (and don't think anyone else should in a Ferrari), the Red Line works fine for me. If you do get binding, you can add tiny amounts of LSD additive until it stops. Most people find that shifting improves with this oil. And you have the added protection of the synthetic formula. The increased leaking thing is something that possibly happens with some cars and not others, and in my opinion is of no consequence--none of these cars are 100% oil tight anyway. Jim
I had the red line in my gearbox last year, I didn't really notice any improvement in shifting, nor did I suffer any leaking. My mechanic put it in, despite his mild objection to the switch. I ran it all last season. Part of the reason it didn't leak is that we put washers with rubber o-rings on the studs. The o rings expand when you tighten them, making a nice seal between the stud and nut. You can get them at Mcmaster-Carr for pennies compared to most of the carb guys who sell them 2 at a time for $4-5. The McMaster-Carr part # is 610-1543-6 Stat-O-Seal 5.79mm ID 11.25mm OD. (www.mcmaster.com) He's just finished rebuilding the gearbox, and we're going back to dino. Why? Because it's his preference and he takes excellent care of my car. If Tony says use dino gear oil, dino gear oil it is! He knows a hell of a lot more about these cars than I do. DM Image Unavailable, Please Login
Royal Purple in my 308 QV box. What a difference shifting cold. Never a problem and never a leak. Sold the car after a year and bought 1972 365 GTC4. Put Royal Purple 85-90 LS in the box and rear end. Same story. Had the car 3 years now...... no problems. This is great product that will make a noticable difference in driving the first time you take it out. I would have no problem putting this in a 206 Dino.
It is my experience that the limited slip clutch plates do not work properly with synthetics. They rely on a certain amount of friction to work properly and can spin excessively and even burn up. Wesiman lockers experience similar problems with synthetics. Porsche used Swepco gear oil in the 956/962 for similar reasons. Great stuff. I would avoid Mobil one in the Ferrari.
Interesting seals, could not find them on the website though, do you have a different part number ? Mike
I was looking for the longest time for just such washers, so thanks for posting that! As for the part number, I searched manually and found these (which spec out in the same size as DM posted): 93786A125
Just went to their website, searched the part and NOTHING came up. I'll pull the invoice later today and see if there's another part number. DM
Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies carries a similar item. They are called Stat-O-Seals, aluminum washers with molded Buna N rubber seals. Even if the rubber seal fails to make contact, the aluminum wil act as a crush washer. They come in several sizes.
IF cost matters, these are like $5+ for 2 pieces. As I recall, you need about 58 of these to re-do the bottom of the engine. McMaster's are about $2.00 for a bag of ten, and are the exact same thing, right down to the name Stat-O-Seal. I know we like to spend $$ on our cars, but wht toss it into the fire if you don't need to. McMaster-Carr sells to the public, doesn't have a minimum order, and is a great source for tons of metric nuts, bots, screws and just about anything else, including hoses and the like, that you might want. They are also very helpful over the fun, and will take the time to help you find something you need, as long as you have some kind of spec for it. And no, I don't work for them. DM
Hello, I put IGOL Rallye Gear ( semi-synthetic ) in my race cars, shifting is fabulous when warn or cold. http://www.igol-fr.com/motor-oil-lubricant/motocars.htm It's available in Europe, doubt it's for the USA. Also suitable for street cars, I tried it with a 348 and the shifting was better than Ferrari oil ( shell or Agip ). Regards, Florent
Superformance sold me a synthetic oil by Castrol known as SAF-XJ and the told me it was the best oil available for the gearbox on the Dino as it would eliminate all cold shift problems. as i have not got my car back yet i have still got it on the shelf of the garage! it was quite expensive @ £12.00 per litre. Anybody got any experience of this product? Regards, Graham.
much better searcher than I am, I must have been there for 20 minutes looking. Dave, I will assume those are the ones you posted unless you find out otherwise when you get home. I have my Dino's gearbox on the bench right now and parts should get here from Superformance this week (maybe even today) so those are going to be invaluable washers for a easy leakproof seal, I can't believe something that cool (although I have not tried them yet, I assume they work) is around and I did not know about it. My 1934 Singer is going to get its oil pan pulled this week and get those washers put on. If it stops the leaks, will the car still be British ? Mike
Big price difference, Dave. Thanks for pointing out the source. I'll see about ordering a bag or so of the zinc plated ones, and reserve the expensive aluminum seals for plumbing connections and drain plugs, where the crush feature should add additional protection. I've used the aluminum ones on AN fittings for Weber DCOEs for some years with good success.
Wish I could take credit for this. I think Verell here let me in on this, maybe a year and a half ago. DM.
Here's the scoop on the washers. 5.79mm ID, 11.25mm OD 1.27mm thick 10 in a pack $5.75 per pack. Part #93786A125 www.mcmaster.com DM
