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SAE 30 for Trans

fastfrontier17

Donation Time
Hi all,

I've been trying to read through some previous threads on which oil would be best for an OD gearbox. I've seen a lot of people recommending straight non-detergent SAE 30. Are all non-detergent SAE 30's the same? I found a good deal on 6 quarts on Amazon wherein the title lists it as "motor oil", but people received "lubricating oil", and I just wanted some clarification if any knows...I assume its just straight up oil and not intended for modern engines, and is why people are saying to not use it as a motor oil...link below...

https://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-SA...d=1648475746&sprefix=non-deter,aps,290&sr=8-2
 

sunalp

Diamond Level Sponsor
That stuff should be just fine. Btw, the only place it says "motor" is in the Amazon heading.
Doesn't say that on the bottle or box, but you could use it in an engine if you wanted to.
 

beamdream

Gold Level Sponsor
Hi all,

I've been trying to read through some previous threads on which oil would be best for an OD gearbox. I've seen a lot of people recommending straight non-detergent SAE 30. Are all non-detergent SAE 30's the same? I found a good deal on 6 quarts on Amazon wherein the title lists it as "motor oil", but people received "lubricating oil", and I just wanted some clarification if any knows...I assume its just straight up oil and not intended for modern engines, and is why people are saying to not use it as a motor oil...link below...

https://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-SAE-Non-Detergent-Motor-Oil/dp/B00DJ4FKAO/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=non-detergent+sae+30&qid=1648475746&sprefix=non-deter,aps,290&sr=8-2

SAE 30 is the recommended oil, however 50 years on it's not always walk in available.

If you have an overdrive trans then you need to be a little bit selective, looking for a non sulphur content. The sulphur issue relates to the metasl within the OD components which can react with sulphur content oils.

There are a number of companies around that provide suitable 30W for OD trans.
 

fastfrontier17

Donation Time
SAE 30 is the recommended oil, however 50 years on it's not always walk in available.

If you have an overdrive trans then you need to be a little bit selective, looking for a non sulphur content. The sulphur issue relates to the metasl within the OD components which can react with sulphur content oils.

There are a number of companies around that provide suitable 30W for OD trans.

I've seen a couple people recommending wet clutch motorcycle oils (for which my 2-smokes have always just used ATF), and then some others suggesting to use GM Synchromesh. This non-detergent SAE 30 is cheap, so if it doesn't work out it won't be much to remove and replace.
 
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