Which brand gearbox oil

mgdavid

A._Badger wrote: »

Exactly. Despite what the know-it-alls say, even the oil manufacturers refer Honda owners to Honda oil for this application. I know because I own one and have been down this path already. Honda tend to be better at engineering than 'some bloke off the Internet', after all.
There's nothing to be gained by going off-brand in this instance.

As we don't know the engine size, neither do we know 'this application' with any certainty but it's likely to be a PG1 box.
Refer to my post #9; the Honda-designed PG1 gearbox needs MTF94 specification oil, brand does not matter. This gearbox is used in many other vehicles, MG Rovers, LR Freelander etc, all having their roots in the BL/Honda collaboration back in the early 80s.

JustinR1979

A._Badger wrote: »

Exactly. Despite what the know-it-alls say, even the oil manufacturers refer Honda owners to Honda oil for this application. I know because I own one and have been down this path already. Honda tend to be better at engineering than 'some bloke off the Internet', after all.

There's nothing to be gained by going off-brand in this instance.

Many cars share many parts, and use their own oils. It's the spec, not brand, that is important.
Do Land Rover and MG garages send customers off to Honda if they need gearbox oil?


For this box I would use Amsoil or Redline.

A._Badger

JustinR1979 wrote: »

Many cars share many parts, and use their own oils. It's the spec, not brand, that is important.
Do Land Rover and MG garages send customers off to Honda if they need gearbox oil?


For this box I would use Amsoil or Redline.

The OP has said that gearbox oil of that spec is not on offer from Castrol (one of the biggest in the business) nor is it from several others. That means the OP can either do the simple, sensible, thing and buy an oil which he knows meets the spec and which costs about the same, or he can take a guess at what is the right product, based on what 'a bloke on the Internet' says.

Where the specification of a lubricant is know, as it is with engine oils, buying any brand that meets it makes sense. When you don't know what that spec is, it does not.

epninety

MTF94 was specifically made by Texaco for the application, for Honda and Land Rover - because the gearboxes it was targetted at share some design.

It does seem to offer improved gearshift in the boxes where I've used it, even over Castrol SMX-S which is a good match for the datasheet parameters.

I buy online from Smith & Allan.

Gloomendoom

^^^^ I suppose with your username you should know what you are talking about.

JustinR1979

Amsoil make a replacement for mtf94.
Many use it to improve their changes.

xyz123

Thanks everyone. I have definitely learned a thing or two.

Just to be sure I have decided to stick to Honda oil. Will ask them how much I need. One of the manufacturer's websites mentioned above said it was 0.6 litre. But will check.

mgdavid

A._Badger wrote: »

The OP has said that gearbox oil of that spec is not on offer from Castrol (one of the biggest in the business) nor is it from several others. That means the OP can either do the simple, sensible, thing and buy an oil which he knows meets the spec and which costs about the same, or he can take a guess at what is the right product, based on what 'a bloke on the Internet' says.

Where the specification of a lubricant is know, as it is with engine oils, buying any brand that meets it makes sense. When you don't know what that spec is, it does not.

Neatly contradicted yourself.
If the spec isn't known then how is it known not to be offered by Castrol?

mgdavid

xyz123 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I have definitely learned a thing or two.

Just to be sure I have decided to stick to Honda oil. Will ask them how much I need. One of the manufacturer's websites mentioned above said it was 0.6 litre. But will check.

You could help yourself even more by telling us what engine size and specific model your Civic is.

JustinR1979

In freelanders it's 2 litres. But yours is an unknown as yet.
http://www.difflock.com/evolution1