While on the subject,  what the heck is GL-7?  This is the stuff my local
mechanic uses, and he says that it is supposedly compatible with all other
gear lubes (at least that is what he has been told).

TIA,

Karl Wolz

----- Original Message -----
From: "AA Transaxle" <aatransaxle@JUNO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2002 10:33 AM
Subject: Re: GL5 vs GL4 Gear Oils

> I agree with Dennis...GL5 does not seem to degrade the syncro's enough
> to be horribly concerned. While running a repair shop for many years, We
> used GL5 synthetic and never had a premature wear  issue that we were
> aware of in a tranny. The hard parts breakage of the 3/4 slider hub and
> pinion/mainshaft bearing failure is much more common that a syncro
> problem. I personally like and use Redline due to its good cold shifting
> properties. Sometimes a tranny will "need" a thinner oil such as Redline
> to shift easily. In that case...use it. If it seems to work ok with the
> 75/90 synthetic, use it. I have seen very little difference in breakage
> or wear between the two types of oil.
> The key in my opinion is to change the stuff once in a while instead of
> leaving it in there forever...The big thing I see is that people who are
> concerned enough to use a oil like Amsoil or Redline, is that they WILL
> change the oil often and the insides of the gearboxes show that. I
> recommend every 30K mi. even for Redline. The long chain molecules in all
> the varieties of oils do wear out (as I have been told) and fresh oil is
> cheap insurance.
> My unscientific .02 cents worth
> Daryl of AA Transaxle
> Duvall, WA. (Seattle area)
> (425) 788-4070
> 1-877-377-0773 (toll free)
> aatransaxle.com (web site)
>