89FourRunner
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Title says it all. You all cant seriously be spending $15 or $20 a quart on redline?
What cheap GL4 gear oil can I use? Stalube? Advice?
What cheap GL4 gear oil can I use? Stalube? Advice?
Manual Transmission Oil that is not $20 a Quart?
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Chuckles89
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Redline MT90 is the only thing I am ever going to put in my transmission again. It's great
89FourRunner
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No one sells that around here, might have to order it. I thought Amsoil Severe Gear was an option but its GL5..
89FourRunner
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The 1989 FSM states GL4 or GL5 in tranny. Is this GL5 stuff a myth? 75w90 GL5 us $5 a quart at tractor supply!
Chuckles89
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I have an R150F and I used synthetic valvoline 75W-90 GL5 for about 15k miles. It caused my sychros to wear a lot and grind going into 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. When I drained the oil, lots of brass particles came out. Redline fixed most of my grinding issues.
89FourRunner
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Where are you seeing it for $45 for three quarts? I cannot find it under $60.
SodiumFlouride
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Nothing wrong with MT90 but I'd first put in cheaper stuff that is GL-4 only and then drive with it for a thousand miles, and then after that, flush it out and put the Redline GL-4 in.
I wouldn't put GL-5 in but it depends on what your owners manual says.
89FourRunner
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My FSM for 1989 says the transmission should get GL4 or GL5 75w90 or 80w90. I think I will be okay with GL5. I am going to try it out, GL5 can be had cheap here, $4.70 a quart. I wouldn't run MT90 purely based on the price. Their motor oils are nothing to write home about based on BITOG, and I will be damned if I spend $20 per quart for GL4 gear oil. I don't care how much i love my 4Runner.
I cannot support a markup like that. I am willing to bet that the cheapest GL4 on the market will perform just as well in this tranny, you know? Someone has it laying around going to waste in a shop somewhere lol.
It is principle for me.
Just so this thread is not a waste of time - I will let everyone know how my tranny does on TRAVELLERS (Tractor Supply Brand) 80w90 GL5 gear oil.:cheers: I can do both axles, the transfer case and the tranny for $50. Maybe I will be eating my words!
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85straight
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I ran 80w90 in everything when I got my truck for a few years. Had no issues that I was aware of . But when I finally coughed up the cash for the redline, dam what a difference in performance . Won’t go back for sure
89FourRunner
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Thanks. I did not make the plunge yet, I went with something else.
89FourRunner
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I finished my drain and fill. I actually did everything (rear diff, front diff, transfer case and manual transmission) all with TRAVELLER 80w90 @ $4.70 cents a quart. It is GL5 MT1, so it should be yellow metal safe, as the MT1 rating has buffered sulfur. This stuff can be had at Tractor Supply Company. I am hard pressed to find gear oil any cheaper anywhere. It is manufactured by Warren (but labeled TRAVELLER) so it is decent stuff.
I did everything for $42.70 cents.
I only test drove it for a short time, but thus far it is just as smooth as it was, no shifting issues. In and out of all gears with ease.
I will definitely keep a vigil on possible issues but I find everything to be smooth and quiet thus far.
I would love to run Redline but I am not shelling out $60 for the transmission alone. It has almost 400,000 miles on it.
I did everything for $42.70 cents.
I only test drove it for a short time, but thus far it is just as smooth as it was, no shifting issues. In and out of all gears with ease.
I will definitely keep a vigil on possible issues but I find everything to be smooth and quiet thus far.
I would love to run Redline but I am not shelling out $60 for the transmission alone. It has almost 400,000 miles on it.
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SodiumFlouride
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I think my older Toyota owners manual lists 75W90 GL-4 or GL5 for the manual transmission. (I'm not sure about the 80W90 for the transmission - isn't that for the differential?)
The way I think about it is that the additives for GL-5 are known to hurt some yellow metal, and we know there is yellow metal in the transmission, and we know that the GL spec is for gears specifically and not transmissions specifically and we know that the GL-5 is for hypoid gears, which I don't think are in the transmission.
Some of that above could be wrong because I'm not looking this up as I type it, but if all those facts are the case, then it's hard to argue strongly for GL-5 even though it is stated as being ok in the owners manual.
My take is that GL-5 won't hurt the yellow metal because Toyota would have known that, but that it doesn't add anything of value either because the transmission isn't hypoid I don't think.
Hence, I'd buy GL-4 unless someone hands me GL-5 for free.
I think it's more important to flush after a thousand miles to get all the crud out, than the question of GL-4 or GL-5.
Seems reasonable since both 75W90 & 80W90 are about the same viscosity, where the only difference is a minor viscosity difference before the transmission warms up, and where both are about the viscosity of a normal 30-weight motor oil last I checked.
Toyota doesn't specify any brand - all they specify is the GL spec and weight so you should be fine - but do let us know how it works out because we learn from each other.
SodiumFlouride
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Just saw this.
Thanks for keeping us informed.
Your choice is reasonable and your decisions sound.
At $4.70/quart (versus $20/quart for Redline MT-90) you can also afford to flush at 1,000 miles if you wanted to.
So it seems like a reasonable choice to me.
89FourRunner
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I may just do that (flush). This truck has been very well maintained its whole life though, so when I drained the tranny fluid, which had around 80,000 miles on it it still looked pretty amber, which is a really good sign given that drain interval.
SodiumFlouride
New member
It's good to be amber!
It's too late now, but I like to make sure I have two buckets, both as clean as a whistle.
Then I put a fine window screen over the empty bucket and pour the first bucket into the second bucket, to look for "stuff".
I find plastic sometimes. Don't know what that is. But I find plastic. Little tiny pieces. Not many. One to five, really tiny. The size of a grain of sand most of them but some are as pick as a small paint chip. Never understood how they got in there or what they came from.
As for the flush, I LOVE this idea of a 5-dollar oil because redline is just too expensive to use as a flush fluid.
Where can we actually get our hands on this five-dollar stuff?
I've never seen it in the stores.
SodiumFlouride
New member
By the way, I wonder, out loud, is it crazy ??? to flush with motor oil?
You flush and then drive a couple of miles only.
And THEN you drain and refill with the good stuff?
You flush and then drive a couple of miles only.
And THEN you drain and refill with the good stuff?
89FourRunner
New member
It is called "Traveller" (the brand) and it is manufactured by Warren, so it is essentially re-branded, and of good quality. The newest batches are GL5 MT1, and that can be confirmed on the back of the bottle. Such a forumlation is safe in our transmissions, although it still may not be as smooth as a GL4, and probably not as good in the cold as redline. It is just a basic 80w90 gear oil.
It is even LESS than $5 a quart, it is $4.70 a quart lol. Even if you forget about the transmission, this is dirt cheap for your axles.
It is sold at Tractor Supply Stores.
SodiumFlouride
New member
Thanks! This is GREAT information because it can be used as a thousand-mile flush before the Redline goes in for the long haul!
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