After a bit of searching, I was able to locate some transmission fluid alternatives that may work well for folks not wanting to use the factory fluids.

For the transmission, Amsoil 75w-90, GL-4 full synthetic. Amsoil makes very high quality sythetics and this is one of the few that completely matches factory specs. $8.95/qt. from Amsoil.

For the center and rear diffs, SWEPCO 201 90W. A non-synthetic GL-5 alternative which matches factory specs. I have used this in Porsche transaxles with LSDs with great sucess. This product is widely used in Porsche racing circles with uniform success. $34.95/gal from Emailing porsche.

After I have some time with the new fluids I will write back with my experience.

 

any reason why u dont like the OEM fluids? there has been numerous failures do to wrong fluids, so make sure u do some searching! I stick with only OEM but ive heard synchromesh is one of the preferred aftermarket tranny fluids, just change more often!

 

amsoil for tranny and diaqueen in t-case

 

I used Mobil 1 75w90 in my tranny & diaqueen for the t-case & rear !

 

Diaqueen for diff and tcase, penzoil for the tranny

 

Ditto. Please do not mess with the TC fluid. I haven personally seen many blow apart due to simply changing to another type of fluid. It is wierd but true.

 

BG syncroshift in the trans. diaqueen in t/c and rear diff.

 

i used redline in my 03 8 and after about three months the t/c started whining like crazy, had it rebuilt under warranty. 2-3 months after that 4th gear started grinding and had to have that rebuilt also under warranty. now its nothing but BG in trans. and diaqueen in t/c and diff.

 

daiqueen in tc and rear diff, and bg sycoshift II in tranny for me.

 

I was using Pennzoil synchromesh in my tranny but just switched to Amsoil. The Pennzoil was a little smoother when cold, but after 3-5k miles it looked and felt pretty worn out. The Amsoil shifts very well and should provide more protection. I've only had it for ~2000 miles, so not enough time to make a informed comparison, but so for things seem to be going well. For the TC and rear diff I stick with Diaqueen.

-Paul

 

The reason for the switch is that the local dealers want $60 for the Diaqueen and I can't imagine there is something magic in that can. The concerns with the Redline and others probably has to do with the fact that they are not particularly well suited to slip units. The SWEPCO has proven to work extraordinarily well in very finicky older Porsche LSD trannys, so I am not concerned about using in the mitsu's.

As for the tranny fluid, I am going with synthetic because the factory stuff takes a while to warm up during the winter. The syncromesh from Pennzoil is not the correct weight. While Pennzoil does make a 75w-90 GL-4 sythetic, it is tough to get around here and the Amsoil was the same price as what I saw on the net.

I am not trying to imply that the Diaqueen is some how inferior, just that there are other acceptable options. After a bit of driving I will provide some feedback for the benefit of fellow users.

 

I paid 35 bucks for my diaqueen