Manual Transmission oil

[captainvector]

Hey Y'all -

I've got a 1996 6.5 "F' with the 5-speed manual transmission, option code MW3. I think this is a New Venture gearbox. It does not shift very easily, and I'm thinking about a fluid change as it's probably overdue for some PM. What oil should this gearbox get, and does anyone have a favorite brand or type? Any other suggestions while I'm at it?

Thanks!

[Turbo Al]

My 1993 has a NV4500 5speed and I use castrol syntec 75-90wt GL5 it is NOT the recommended oil for this trans but I have had it in for over 100,000 miles with no ill effects (yet). I change it every 35 to 50 thousand miles. I also run a trans temp gauge and keep it under 200 deg. The trans was taken apart at 175,000 miles and it only needed sycro's which are carbon fiber and NOT the area of concern for using the wrong oil.
The concern was the wrong oil would disolve certain (brass?)components in the gear box.
The recomended oil is a GL4 available only from GM and it is quite expensive you will need 4 quarts. They claim you never have to change it, don't believe them, change it and it will shift a whole lot easier.
Read the bit about oil on www.jbconversions.com (http://www.jbconversions.com) & there may be some more on www.newventuregear.com (http://www.newventuregear.com)

Al

[Diesel Dan]

I ran royal purple 75w-90 synthetic gear lube. It is GL-4/5 rated. Many dodge/cummins owners run RP or amsoil lube.

[Chris Hinds]

I just rebuilt the 5-speed in my '96. It had 208k on it and shifted fine before, so all it got was new bearings, a new 3rd gear(chipped it getting it off the mainshaft), and a new main shaft, thanks to stripped output splines.

So far as I can tell, the special oil is indeed to prevent breakdown of the "yellow" metals that were supposedly present in the synchro's. Thing is, I didn't see any brass looking metals in there... Just the carbon fiber stuff. I had already bought the special lube, so I used it.

If I change it again, I'll use full synthetic 75W90. The sulfers in dino oil are supposedly what's bad for the yellow metals anyway, and a full synthetic should be pretty low on sulfers.

One other note... Make sure your shifting problem isn't the pilot bearing starting to sieze. Mine was completely wasted, but I'm sure it must've given the previous owner some issue before giving up. Had this happen to my other truck too. Use a bushing, it'll last longer. smile.gif

C

[Diesel Dan]

Originally posted by Chris Hinds:

One other note... Make sure your shifting problem isn't the pilot bearing starting to sieze. Mine was completely wasted, but I'm sure it must've given the previous owner some issue before giving up. Had this happen to my other truck too. Use a bushing, it'll last longer. smile.gif

C This is what I found when I pulled the out of my truck. Roller bearings destroyed. Kinda marked up the input a little. I installed a bronze bushing when it was reinstalled, more so due to the condition of the input shaft.

[GMCfourX4]

Seems like these pilot bearings are a problem. I've already replaced 2, due to them wearing out and causing input shaft seal leakage. I suspect (due to some clutch chatter coming back) that the one I just replaced is going again (although the input shaft was kinda chewed up from the last bearing going bad, so it may have accelerated the wear on the one I just installed). Has anyone replaced the input shaft on an NV4500? What about swapping in an NV5600? (maybe that should be another topic :) )

-Chris

[Turbo Al]

Chris:
I got an exchange input shaft put in when I had the trans out last was $100.00 cdn. All they did to the exchange was grind it down a bit and put a speedy sleeve on it.
Al

[BuffaloGuy]

Just today I had to replace my shaft too. A pilot bearing chewed up the shaft pretty good about 100,000 miles ago and I thought I better get it fixed this time. When we pulled it the main bearing and race were toast too. I've been getting a little low level growl under load and I always thought it was the rear end going south but it must have been the tranny. I can hardly wait to put it under load.

Second on the pilot bushing vs. bearing.

[MartyB]

Another that has had to replace the input shaft due to pilot bearing problems, at the last clutch replacment @ 180K miles. I have gotten about 90K miles per clutch.

I have also had to replace the tranny fluid every 50K or so, or I too also get sticky shifting problems. I have talked to folks with Dodge equals, and they too have ad to change teh fluid every 50K sor so if pulling on a fairly regular basis.

[odee]

So what is the right way to go about the oil in these trannys? I just put a nv4500 into my 80 model dually. Where are you guys getting the rebuild kits for the trannys? Is it pretty rough job to put bearings and seals in them?

[catmandoo]

my pilot bearing went south too.but i only noticed it because i lost a spring on the disc and it got wedged between the disc and the pressure plate ,driving down the road one day and come to a stopsign and pushin the clutch,only problem was clutch pedal wouldn't move,needless to say have to drive 80 miles with no clutch,i'm on the road all day and after this happened had to do some quick thinking on how to get home with the least number of stop signs.got it down to 2 but cost me another 20 miles.anyway when i took it apart the clutch was perfect i mean perfect the flywheel didn't have one mark on it,usually they have numerous burn spots,the disc also looked new,talked to the previous owner and the clutch had 95,000 on it,if it wasn't for that spring i could have got 150,000 out of it no problem.anyway the pilot was toast and i replaced the clutch with the supposedly right one,but when i fired it up it had the most hideous growl you ever heard,so get doing some digging and find they make 2 different clutchs for the 6.2 the one they gave me had a solid center for the input shaft and the one it needed has a plastic bushing around the center make sure you match them up,then i get to the pilot bearing and it was in pieces and went to put the bushing in instead of the bearing and it was really loose compared to the bearing so i put the bearing in but i would have still liked to put the bushing in as i have had terrible luck with pilot bearings dating back to the 65 olds 442 i had,god were they a pain in the a#* to get apart and back together.

[gwaidman]

Turbo Al, where did you get your input shaft re&re'd? Im in Port Coquitlam and think its about time as my input shaft was pretty bad last time I had the clutch out? Cheers

[Turbo Al]

Gwaidman,
Hi, I had Bert's in Surrey at King George Hwy & about 108, it is quite a small place but I was treated honestly and fairly (esp considering I did the Re & Re myself). I also noticed they were giving good advice to other customers. It did take a day to get the rebuilt shaft in from the place that repairs them.

Al

[gwaidman]

Thanks Turbo, I actually have delt with them a while back, think it was Wayne?? Anyhow, I will give them a shout!