GL-1 Gear Oil Alternative

[SteveKuhn]

I didn't realize that the NAPA was on the thicker end. I always thought 90W was 90W. I did look at TSC Ford/GL-1 but when I saw that they had the 40W/non-detergent, I decided to give it a shot.

I had seen quite a few good Internet user reviews on the Traveller, and several in-the-aisle testimonials when I was shopping for Rotella made me feel a bit better about trying an off-brand. One guy who uses it in rental pumps & generators swears by it having years of 24/7/365 machines without oil-related breakdowns. There was one critique I found based on its chemical makeup.

I'll take another look at the TSC Ford/GL-1, though. I'm not able to get out there until Wednesday to pick it up so I have the time.

Thanks.

Steve

 

[chagen]

Mike W. How did the Rotella work out for you. I am going to finish up my < input Shaft > rebuild this weekend and wanted to know your thoughts on the Rotella switch from the GL-1?

any information would be helpful as i am going to purchase the gear lube this afternoon or tomorrow.

Chad

 

[mikew]

I've put 20,000 miles on my truck since I bobbed it and I've had 30w in the transfer case for most of those miles... and it hasn't exploded! I haven't switched over the transmission, for very technical reasons, the fluid is clean and I'm too dang lazy and cheap!

I had to rebuild my transfer case because of surface rust on the bearings and input shaft that ultimately trashed the bearings. That's what motivated me to look for lube with a rust-inhibitor package.

Over the miles I've run, I've had no problems.

 

[swampangel]

Im new to this site, and realize there is a lot of information on here as i have read a lot of it concerning the types of fluids to put in your truck, so please don't bash on me if i repeat things I'm just trying to tell people what i have done and learned so here it goes

Doing all the research i could except calling rockwell as some members have i was going to stick with what the military originally called for when i went to change all the fluids, engine, transmission, transfer case, differentials. Now i went to many a part store to try and find GL-1, most people tried but couldn't find it in there system but the recommended GL-5, i turned them all down as none of the GL-5 the carried had the MT-1 rating which is for the yellow metals, finally it dawned on me that i work right next to a oil company, Doolittle Oil Company, it has a website Home | Doolittle Oil, but i will give you some information, its located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, phone number is (515) 573-4221. Any additional information feel free to call them. That being said i went in there asking many questions about GL-1 and GL-5, this is what i learned, they still make GL-1 lots of it in fact he had an entire pallet stacked high with it, he said here in iowa many farmers or tractor restorers only use this stuff in there old tractors because thats what they oringinally had, GL-1 is basically just mineral oil, now to GL-5, there are many different kinds and i wont get into those, i will tell you the one a bought and put in my deuce, its a brand they sell and its called

Xtreme,
high performance, extreme pressure, 80W-90 API GL-5 Gear Lube

These are some of the ratings on the back Meets or exceeds: API GL-5, GL-4, MIL-2102D, E, Mack GO-J, H and New API "clean gear" rating MT-1

the MT-1 rating is the one for yellow metals, hence yellow metal friendly

i bought 5 gallon pales and a hand pump for roughly 70 dollars a pale, as far as the engine goes i used the rotella t 15w-40

I hope this answers any questions you have on some of the fluids your deuce uses, thank you

 

[swampangel]

Im new to this site, and realize there is a lot of information on here as i have read a lot of it concerning the types of fluids to put in your truck, so please don't bash on me if i repeat things I'm just trying to tell people what i have done and learned so here it goes

Doing all the research i could except calling rockwell as some members have i was going to stick with what the military originally called for when i went to change all the fluids, engine, transmission, transfer case, differentials. Now i went to many a part store to try and find GL-1, most people tried but couldn't find it in there system but the recommended GL-5, i turned them all down as none of the GL-5 the carried had the MT-1 rating which is for the yellow metals, finally it dawned on me that i work right next to a oil company, Doolittle Oil Company, it has a website Home | Doolittle Oil, but i will give you some information, its located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, phone number is (515) 573-4221. Any additional information feel free to call them. That being said i went in there asking many questions about GL-1 and GL-5, this is what i learned, they still make GL-1 lots of it in fact he had an entire pallet stacked high with it, he said here in iowa many farmers or tractor restorers only use this stuff in there old tractors because thats what they oringinally had, GL-1 is basically just mineral oil, now to GL-5, there are many different kinds and i wont get into those, i will tell you the one a bought and put in my deuce, its a brand they sell and its called

Xtreme high performance extreme pressure 80W-90 API GL-5 Gear Lube

These are some of the ratings on the back Meets or exceeds: API GL-5, GL-4, MIL-2102D, E, Mack GO-J, H and New API "clean gear" rating MT-1

the MT-1 rating is the one for yellow metals, hence yellow metal friendly

i bought 5 gallon pales and a hand pump for roughly 70 dollars a pale, as far as the engine goes i used the rotella t 15w-40

I hope this answers any questions you have on some of the fluids your deuce uses, thank you

 

[stumps]

I'm sure the oil you bought will work ok. The whole point of this thread is the manufacturer of the transmissions and transfer cases still says not to use Extreme Pressure (EP) gear oils in their boxes. They recommend using plain old SAE50 motor oil.

Why is this? Mostly because the EP oils are designed for a different kind of friction motion than occurs in the transmission/transfer cases, that being a sliding motion characteristic of the hypoidally cut gears found in modern differential gear cases. Because of the extended (over, say, bull gears) sliding motion in hypoid gear sets, you need a high pressure lubricant that won't wipe away, and has additives that reduce friction and prevent galling. Sounds ideal, right? It would be if those additives weren't a whole bunch thicker than plain old motor oil. EP oils are more like a liquid grease than a motor oil.

Many of us have switched out the "one size fits all" GL5 EP hypoid gear oil used by the government for the motor oil specified by the transmission manufacturer, and have found that our transmissions are quieter, shift more easily (synchronizers), and seem to do less damage to the ever prone to failure 5th gear idler bearing. Some are even using SAE30 motor oil with good results. I'm using SAE40 motor oil.

As always, your mileage may vary...

-Chuck

PS: Don't make the mistake of thinking that SAE50 motor oil is thinner than SAE90 gear oil, it isn't. There are multiple SAE scales with overlapping viscosity ranges...

 

[m16ty]

Stumps is right. Your trans oil can be too slick. I've heard of shift problems when people switched to synthetics.

 

[swampangel]

thank you stumps, i apologize for my ignorance, i should have been more thorough before posting. I want to get this straight, Stumps you put sae 40 in, but what about the summer and winter months like here in iowa, should i run 30 in winter 40 or 50 in the summer? also what kind(brand) do you run? do i look for certain designations, like non-detergent? To further clarify if you would, engine oil 15w-40, in my differentials it is ok to run the xtreme 80 90 gl-5? but in my transmission and transfer case is where i would use the motor oil regular sae 30, 40, or 50?

 

[stumps]

thank you stumps, i apologize for my ignorance, i should have been more thorough before posting. I want to get this straight, Stumps you put sae 40 in, but what about the summer and winter months like here in iowa, should i run 30 in winter 40 or 50 in the summer? also what kind(brand) do you run? do i look for certain designations, like non-detergent? To further clarify if you would, engine oil 15w-40, in my differentials it is ok to run the xtreme 80 90 gl-5? but in my transmission and transfer case is where i would use the motor oil regular sae 30, 40, or 50?

What I do, and you can take it with a grain of salt, is run Rotella 15W40 in the engine, GL5 in the differentials, and Traveler (tractor supply) brand SAE40 detergent oil in the transmission and transfer case. I use silicone brake fluid, and the latest revision of GAA grease for the chassis and hubs.

As to cold weather, you get a more extreme winter than we do here, you may want to run SAE30 year round. Others do and are happy. There are two things that Meritor (the latest owner of the brand) recommends against in the transmission/transfer case: EP gear oils, and multi-viscosity oils. Naturally, Uncle put both in the deuce! And clearly it does work... Perhaps not optimally, but it sure simplified logistics for Uncle.

-Chuck

 

[Deuce007]

What I do, and you can take it with a grain of salt, is run Rotella 15W40 in the engine, GL5 in the differentials, and Traveler (tractor supply) brand SAE40 detergent oil in the transmission and transfer case. I use silicone brake fluid, and the latest revision of GAA grease for the chassis and hubs.

As to cold weather, you get a more extreme winter than we do here, you may want to run SAE30 year round. Others do and are happy. There are two things that Meritor (the latest owner of the brand) recommends against in the transmission/transfer case: EP gear oils, and multi-viscosity oils. Naturally, Uncle put both in the deuce! And clearly it does work... Perhaps not optimally, but it sure simplified logistics for Uncle.

-Chuck

I am wanting to drain and refill my differentials in my a3 this winter but I have been wondering what brand of Gl-5 do you recommend? After some looking I have found this GearPlus® SAE 80W-90 GL-5 Gear Oil and http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/8078227/ but I would like to know if either of these will work or not. I would prefer using http://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-80W-90-High-Performance-Gear-Oil-1-Gallon/16795067 because that would be the easiest to get because I could just go to my local walmart but I would appreciate any answers.

 

[stumps]

I am wanting to drain and refill my differentials in my a3 this winter but I have been wondering what brand of Gl-5 do you recommend? After some looking I have found this GearPlus® SAE 80W-90 GL-5 Gear Oil and Castrol HYPOY C 80w-90 Gear Oil | Product Details | Pep Boys but I would like to know if either of these will work or not. I would prefer using Super Tech 80W-90 High Performance Gear Oil, 1 Gallon: Automotive : Walmart.com because that would be the easiest to get because I could just go to my local walmart but I would appreciate any answers.

I'm not at all fussy about what I use in the differentials. They are open differentials, so there is no need for funny stuff like with limit-slip. I am perfectly happy with the stuff that is blended up for tractor supply, and I would imagine the walmart, or pepboys oils would be fine too. Just be sure that it is really GL5 and you will be fine.

-Chuck

 

[Deuce007]

I'm not at all fussy about what I use in the differentials. They are open differentials, so there is no need for funny stuff like with limit-slip. I am perfectly happy with the stuff that is blended up for tractor supply, and I would imagine the walmart, or pepboys oils would be fine too. Just be sure that it is really GL5 and you will be fine.

-Chuck

OK thanks for the input. I will be heading to Walmart tomorrow so I will keep my eyes open for some GL5.

 

[m16ty]

I don't get hung up on the high priced, big name fluids. The fact is, many of the brands come from the same place. I buy many NAPA branded fluids. I know their engine oils are Valvoline in a NAPA container for less price than the same Valvoline product.

If you think about it, I know several people that are lazy with servicing their vehicles. They will go way,way past recommended service intervals and use the cheapest oils they can find. They tend to get thereabouts the same service life on components as I do. I try to follow recommended service intervals and use a decent fluid brand but I sometimes wonder if I'm wasting money.

 

[Deuce007]

Yeah, I don't like to buy the most expensive oil because practically any new GL5 has to be better than whats in there already.

 

[sandcobra164]

I'll keep the fire going. I just changed my trans and transfer case oil this weekend with Non Detergent 40W per M35Tom's recommendation. Guess what, I got about 3 gallons of old oil to burn in the tank. My transfer case is much quieter and my transmission no longer grinds going into 4th. I'll likely upgrade to the taller overdrive when it warms up, I do like the drop in temps in my gear boxes after swapping to 40W motor oil and I stand by M35Tom's advice. Less heat and less gear whine can't be bad for anything. I guess I could pour some Lucas in it!!!

 

[Slate]

Lucas makes a synthetic Gl-1 50w transmission oil that is supposedly yellow metal safe. Has anyone else used this?

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[Slate]

Lucas makes a synthetic Gl-1 50w transmission oil that is supposedly yellow metal safe. Has anyone else used this?

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

Ok I read through the beginning Pat of this thread and holy stuff..... maybe I shouldn't have asked and now I am more confused than ever. I'll use something and I bet it will work.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[frank8003]

The transmission and the transfer case have no pumps and work in fine fashion when the nasties are allowed to drop out of suspension.
Don't get confused about it all.
Just put straight 30 or 40 weight in it which will not cause problems and alleviate problems, hot or cold.
Gee, did We beat this one all to death yet?

post 286 in here and many other places too
https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?85007-M35a2-oils/page19

If you just filled it with pee it would still work Ok for a while, but think about what it is. Think 55 Chevy gearbox.
Gee, how many gears are you flat-shifting into?
If you want it to last another 50 years than search around these forums,
It is the BEST place..............................

 

[mobileauto2000]

When this thread was hot I eagerly awaited daily updates. Hard to believe it was so long ago.

I run 50 weight motor oil in the trans and transfer case. The sincros started working better in a 100 miles or so. It was a daily driver back then. Now I look at it after work and it seems 50 feet tall so I drive the Lincoln home instead. Just part of gettin' old.

 

[sandcobra164]

When I posted in this thread I still had a Deuce! I did notice a positive difference when switching to Non-Detergent 40W oil in the trans and transfer. I used "Freds" cheap oil and the truck is still pulling peanut wagons just fine for the gentlemen I sold it to. I doubt he has changed it.