Resolved The recommended transmission fluid for my 95 Eclipse GS from the dealer

[randizzle420]

okay I called my mitsubishi dealer, told them I have a 95 eclipse gs manual and that I need manual transmission fluid. They told me it was $15 something a quart. I asked them if there's any equivalent to what they're selling because I thought it was made by mitsubishi (because they're a mitsubishi dealership). They told me that they were going to sell me bg syncroshift II 75-80w. I doubt they sell this at autozone. Anyone know an equivalent?

 

[95TalonOwner]

Use ATF +4. You can get it at any parts store.

 

[DSM1G90]

You drop in any other stuff in that Chrysler made tranny and you can kiss it goodbye.

+1 with the ATF+4

-DSM

 

[randizzle420]

why are you saying don't use any other stuff? you just recommended ATF +4 when the mitsubishi dealership told me to use bg syncroshift II. Do you mean use either one because I doubt the dealership is lying to me about bg syncroshift II not being the right kind of transmission fluid, and I read the ATF+4 is for automatic transmissions not manual, and I have a manual.

 

[95TalonOwner]

ATF +4 is what you need to use. Not gear oil like the dealer said.

 

[artindsm]

ATF fluid all the way unless u like spending extra money and time looking for the (special) trans fluid. I already did this mis sealed my axle and had 30 bucks worth of special trans fluid dump all over the garage floor wasn't willing to dump another 30 bucks in trans fluid..... ATF is cheaper and works perfectly

 

[96_killer]

ATF+4!

When i got my MTX for my swap form a wreck 98 Talon, it had some kind of gear oil in it. it look new so i left it in till i can flush it (ran out of money ) it ran good but it was sometimes hard to shift and it won't go in gear as smooth, when i flush't it with cheap ATF+4 and top off with Mopar Nvt-350 fluid I found and it made a big difference!!!

both my Gs's used ATF+4

 

[randizzle420]

putting automatic transmission fluid in a manual transmission???? Seems like something is bound to go wrong...I called the mitsubishi dealership again and they said as long as it's a synthetic 75-80w manual transmission fluid it'll work.

 

[slinarez25]

I've never heard about putting ATF in a manual tranny. I would go with what the dealer says to put in it, after all they did MAKE it. Im sure they know what belongs in it. Gear oil and ATF are totally different, i wouldn't trust it.

 

[hhuricane]

By the manual the correct fluid is the NV T350 manual transmission fluid. Don't use anything else or you risk ruining your transmission. Any Chrysler dealer will sell it.

 

[gordonbradford]

I've never heard about putting ATF in a manual tranny. I would go with what the dealer says to put in it, after all they did MAKE it. Im sure they know what belongs in it. Gear oil and ATF are totally different, i wouldn't trust it.

The trans cannot use gear oil. It needs either the mopar specific fluid. Or the amsoil synthetic manual trans lubricant. I just went thru this ordeal with my 98. And did find plenty of people using atf4 in their trans. But I prefer to stick with the required fluid. The reason for needing atf is the trans has a fiber or something in it like an automatic. If you look at the fluid that the dealer sells or amsoil sells. They look like 5-20 motor oil thickness. 5-20 vs 75-80? Big difference. I suggest using atf or buying the amsoil fluid. Gear oil is a mistake.

 

[95TalonOwner]

Gear oil is wrong. You need the dealer fluid or ATF +4 or it will eat away at the fiber syncros inside.

 

[randizzle420]

"the dealership fluid" is bg syncroshift II which is synthetic 75-80w. The dealership said that anything that is synthetic 75-80w will work, which can be bought at auto zone or any auto parts store. If you guys don't believe me here's the dealership address and number Dick Smith Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Lincoln, Mercury : 825 Congaree Rd. Greenville, SC 29607
(864) 284-7772
You can call them and they'll tell that any synthetic 75-80w manual transmission fluid is equivalent to what they're selling for my 95 eclipse gs manual.

 

[slinarez25]

Gear oil is wrong. You need the dealer fluid or ATF +4 or it will eat away at the fiber syncros inside.

The dealer ship fluid is gear oil. Read the post.

 

[slinarez25]

I just used Redline 10w30 for my manual tranny and it worked amazingly.

 

[420a_turbo]

atf is a hydraulic lub. It is a detergent. I wouldnt use this in my gearbox. I always stick to the dealership specs when it comes to this kind of stuff. They test this time and again before they ever endorse it to there vehicles. I would only use the dealership specific fluids in any tranny. Just because you save a few bucks on ATF+4, well to be honest, what if its bad? Worst case scenario isnt worth the couple saved dollars.

Thats my opinion anyways. Just like buying a no-name tensioner for your T-belt. Can it work, sure maybe. Is OEM more reliable-no two ways about it for sure it is. And when the worst case scenario in question is catastrophic, I use OEM rather then save a couple dollars....

 

[JEFFREYCASTGSX]

You had better use a ATF4, or else. I recently used the Valvoline ATF4 and it was pretty good, i paid like 5 a quart and its the stuff your SUPPOSED to use, not gear oil. I would call that dealership and see whats up because they obviously dont know what their telling you, are you sure told them its a N/T?

 

[rbwtrans]

As a former Chrysler tech, I can tell you that pre-98 trans came with the synthetic gear lube as a factory fill. Post-98 trannies came with the ATF +4 (which is also a synthetic). ATF+4 didn't come out until late 98. The real clincher is the "synthetic" part. The synthetic fluids will bond to the fiberous parts of the syncronizer blocker ring.The BG is a good product, but both have their pro's and con's. The ATF+4 will give smoother shifts, but cause a bit more "whine" from the gear train. The BG will quiet down the gear train whine, but cause a bit stiffer shifts. Both are acceptable. Your product of choice should be based on your driving style and preferences.

 

[bullettdsm]

"the dealership fluid" is bg syncroshift II which is synthetic 75-80w. The dealership said that anything that is synthetic 75-80w will work,
You can call them and they'll tell that any synthetic 75-80w manual transmission fluid is equivalent to what they're selling for my 95 eclipse gs manual.

Oh boy, here we go again; first off your dealership is wrong. I know that they tell you that, but (can you believe it?) they are not correct. Mitsubishi's/Chrysler current recomendation for fluid IS the ATF+4 (I'll get back to that later)

By the manual the correct fluid is the NV T350 manual transmission fluid. Don't use anything else or you risk ruining your transmission. Any Chrysler dealer will sell it.

This fluid I would love to have back, but is no longer available. BUT there may still be some stock out there, so if your dealership has it, feel free to grab it. It should run in the neighborhood of $15 a quart.

The reason that you wouldn't use just any synthetic (without going into great detail and descriptions, I'm giving you the Cliff notes version) is because of the needed modifiers for our fibrous/paper-like synchros. They will break down if they don't have the modifiers. Not all synthetics have that. That's why Mopar did a specialized oil for the NVT-350 tranny.

As for the ATF+4 switch out, it was apparently a cost saving measure for the car companies. I do not like ATF-4 and will not use it in my car unless I really have to. I use the Amsoil synthetic

I could ramble on forever as this topic has been discussed many times on many different forums. But here is a thread that seems to cover quite a bit (make note that some posting to this thread are Chrysler or New Venture employees). You really need to read through the whole thing to get the total of the information out of it. You may want to just skip the first page (pay attention to mach 1 terry posts in this thread, he works for New Venture. The maker of the tranny that is in our cars);

www.neons.org • View topic - atf+4 for mtx?

For those who didn't make it through the whole thread, here's a quote from Terry;

"The Amsoil Synchromesh full synthetic 5w-30 MTF is recommended by the engineers at NPG. The engineers worked with Amsoil developing this oil. If you look on the bottle the first tranny listed for use is the T-350. It's also recommended for the T-850. You don't have to use the friction modifier in either tranny when you use this oil. I have it in all my tranny's and it works great. I noticed the difference right away switching from the Mopar T-350 oil. They shift considerably smoother. NEVER USE ATF+4 unless you have no other option. That oil sucks for MTX's and was only used to save money!"

And here's Amsoil's claims it on their site;

https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/mtf.aspx

And even a former chrysler employee said that the ATF+4 was a cost savings measure (I can't find that quote right now. Too hard to search for).

I have personally felt the difference between the ATF+4 and the Amsoil in 2 of my cars. It is clearly a better fluid and the ATF+4 is clearly inferior.

Give thought to this; if the ATF+4 is the correct fluid, why then did they even bother insisting that we use the specific "Liquid Gold" for all these years and say that we shouldn't use something else, then all of the sudden, its ok to use an automatic tranny fluid that just so happens to be in use on the assembly line. Wouldn't it have made sense to use that in the first place (even at the factory).

And you certainly can't take the position of "because Chrysler recomends it" we all know how many mistakes they have made over the years. Plus they have no need to worry about the longevity of these tranny's. It doesn't help them any. On the contrary broken parts help them.

Well, I hope this isn't all too confusing (with the Mobil 1 referencing etc), but there is a lot to this conversation and I just tried to get it all into one post

MB

 

[hhuricane]

This fluid I would love to have back, but is no longer available. BUT there may still be some stock out there, so if your dealership has it, feel free to grab it. It should run in the neighborhood of $15 a quart.
MB

Strange it is discontinued in the States because it is still available in Canada.

 

[boosted97RS]

Where do you recomeened getting the amsoil from? Online?

 

[randizzle420]

What evidence do you have that Mitsubishi's/Chrysler current recomendation for fluid IS the ATF+4?

I've called a dealership and Mitsubishi and Mitsubishi said Texaco, but I told them I can't find that so they said to call a dealership which told me to use BG. For now I wouldn't expect anyone to use anything other than what a dealership recommends it's more likely "some guy" off the internet is gonna lie about transmission fluid than someone who works for the Mitsubishi dealership, and yes I'm absolutely positive about telling both Mitsubishi and the Mitsubishi dealership that it's non turbo.

 

[bullettdsm]

What evidence do you have that Mitsubishi's/Chrysler current recomendation for fluid IS the ATF+4?

I've called a dealership and Mitsubishi and Mitsubishi said Texaco, but I told them I can't find that so they said to call a dealership which told me to use BG. For now I wouldn't expect anyone to use anything other than what a dealership recommends it's more likely "some guy" off the internet is gonna lie about transmission fluid than someone who works for the Mitsubishi dealership, and yes I'm absolutely positive about telling both Mitsubishi and the Mitsubishi dealership that it's non turbo.

Well, your all set then. Knock yourself out.


I get my Amsoil from NAPA

MB

 

[hhuricane]

OK, I DO work at a dealer and I can tell you with 100% certainty that neither Chrysler OR Mitsubishi approve of the BG Synchroshift. They will only approve the OEM fluids and BG isn't one of them. The T350 transmissions are pretty picky about what they use so use whatever you want at your own risk.

 

[NeMiZiS]

How many threads on this does there have to be!
I wouldn't use ANYTHING but the Mopar fluid designed for the transmission.