89 LXI Manual tranny oil / Click-crunch when shifting into 3rd

[kukerdan]

What do I use?

My mechanic who cleaned out my tranny and put in a new 5th gear for me (smoothed off one day no more 5th)
about 20k or so ago told me to get a nice 90W or similar and hed clean the tranny out and put the fresh oil in.
I went to auto zone, they looked it up and found 10w 30!
Ive read posts of some people going really heavy, and really light, like penzoil syncromesh.


I am getting a noticable click when i shift into 3rd under power, This can be avoided if I take longer time to shift into 3rd, or full double clutch, If i do these I do not hear the click.

One friend says its could be syncros, my mechanic thinks its the mesh of the gears, and that clean out and new fluid could help (bc/ theres probably still shit in there from the burnt out 5th gear).

All other shifts are usually great unless I mess up.

Any opinions?

[Joay]

One friend says its could be syncros, my mechanic thinks its the mesh of the gears
I'm not sure how that's different. If your mechanic meant that the gears themselves are making noise when they're engaged then I would expect it to make noise as long as you're in third. Synchros are more likely IMO; all it takes to ruin them is some gear-jamming from a previous owner. But your mechanic might have been talking about something else that I don't know about.

[MessyHonda]

think its common problem in the gear box...mine does the same thing

[ecogabriel]

If user manual asks for engine oil, go for it. If you want to go "heavy" on engine oil get 20w50, or single-grade 50 (there should be available somewhere).

Watch out with gear oil; most of them are GL-5 rated and you should not put it in your transmission. GL-5 additives may corrode the yellow metals in your tranny (e.g. sync rings) GL-4 gear oil is fine; if it says GL-4 and GL-5 then it is GL-5 (see previous sentence). Anyway, I think it would be way too heavy for a manual tranny especially if you live in a cold climate.

Third possibility: Honda oil for manual transmissions.

I can only tell about experiences with my Civic (5G, 93 manual)... my LXi is auto. I used both engine oil and syncromesh
I used engine oil (20w50). Works OK but in winter you'll feel that it is heavier to shift especially when transmission is cold.
I actually have Pennzoil syncromesh in the transmission. Works fine too and there is no heavy feel when shifting cold in winter.
I have no experience with Honda manual trans oil; but it should be fine

I'd go either way; I would stick to syncromesh because it gear oil whereas engine oil it is not.
But there is an additive that can be added to engine oil; it is the same brand as the additive for auto tranny (LXE, lubeguard I think). I got it at Napa when I asked the salespeople and she brought it from inside. Watch out costs though; Honda oil is not that much more expensive than the combination of engine oil+additive, which is by the way similar to the cost of syncromesh.

Hope it helps

[Dr_Snooz]

I think the consensus among the gearheads on here is that Honda MTF is the cat's pajamas.

[JFern]

Mine has the same problem and since it only happens when you are shifting it's probably the synchros going bad, i put the royal purple synchromax in my tranny and it made it a little less noisy( but not completely), but adding fluid alone won't make that noise go away :( so don't get your hopes up

oh and btw, putting gear oil in manual transmissions is something you do for older transmissions like the sixties and seventies cars, anything new and its motor oil or a type of SLF (special lubrication fluid)

[LX-incredible]

I am running royal purple syncromax and it's too damn thick. You really don't want too much lubrication, the syncros won't grab properly. Honda MTF is the way to go.