Where to buy gear oil

[REPLIC8]

OK, I've read all the info & it seems the oil of choice for the LT77 gearbox is Pennzoil synchromesh gear oil. This is what I want to use in my gearbox, but does anyone know of a stockist in the UK or someone who would ship to the UK? I've looked but can't find it anywhere. Cheers.

Andy
1981 UK SPEC TR8

[Odd]

I bought a box from my local (automatic) gearbox rebuild guy, he was pushing Pennzoil as a side business
- and didn't mind ordering in an odd product as long as I took a complete box (of 12)... Worth a try?

[FI Spyder]

Check your local auto parts stores. Don't know what the situation is like where you live but here in little Duncan the local auto parts store (which I have a cash discount account) will only order it in by box of 12 but down the street at Lordco a large auto parts franchize (where I get a discount of up to 40% through the car club) which carries a large stock I can just pick it off the shelf litre by litre. I never even checked at NAPA an international chain as I don't usually deal with them (out of the way slightly). As I say, don't know your local situation but I would think similar stores must be in you location as well.


TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[REPLIC8]

Found some on Amazon, £30 for 6 bottles, but shipping was £60!! plus I might have to pay import duty on top when it gets here. Don't think so! [:(!]

Andy
1981 UK SPEC TR8

[REPLIC8]

http://www.performanceoilsltd.co.uk/amsoil_transmission.html

How about this stuff. It's available in UK & seems to be a direct replacement for the GM synchromesh oil. Don't really understand all the technical data but it lists GM12345349 & GM12345577 as oils it replaces.

Andy
1981 UK SPEC TR8

[busheytrader]

Hi Andy,

I was about to buy this Morris Lubricants MTF gear oil when one of the good guys on the forum passed me some of his MTF which is now in the gearbox. My 7's still stuck in the garage behind the scaffolding so haven't tried it out yet.

http://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/scrip ... Product=66

It says that its particularly suited to the LT77 box but I don't know anyone that's tried it. When Grinnal was into his conversions, Morris's Golden Multi Film had to be used for his warranty. It looks like there are various stockists around the country.


Adam



TR7 V8 DHC Jaguar Solent Blue. 9.35cr Range Rover V8, Holley 390cfm, JWR Dual Port, 214 Cam, Lumention, Tubular Manifolds, S/S Single Pipe Exh, 3.08 Rear, 200lb Spax & PolyBushes all round, Anti- Dive, Strut-Top Roller Bearings, Capri Vented Discs & Calipers, Braided Hoses, 4 Speed Rear Cylinders, Uprated Master Cylinder & Servo, AT 5 Spokes and Cruise Lights, S/S Heater Pipes, Replacement Fuel Tank. No Door Stickers. Mine since July 1986, V8 from 1991

[trv8]

Pop into Halfords and get some of this...
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165750

work's fine in mine [:)].

[Odd]

Ouch! GBP 12.99 per litre!? Sounds expensive to me, and in parity with genuine GM stuff...
I paid roughly GBP 8.60 (including our 25% VAT) a bottle for the 12 bottles I bought (genuine US made/bottled stuff in 1 US quart bottles).

[Beans]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by trv8</i>

Pop into Halfords and get some of this...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I do agree with the oil, has the correct specification for the LT77 ‘box
And indeed it is a bit pricy, but as usually you get what you pay.

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1980 TR7 DHC (my first car, currently being restored)
1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)</font id="blue">
<b>[url="http://www.tr7beans.blogspot.com/"]<u><b><font size="2"><font color="red">My Weblog</font id="red"></font id="size2"></b></u>[/url]</b></i></center>

[Bobbieslandy]

I thought the LT77 used Auto Trans Fluid?

Rob.

[Shauniedawn]

ATF will be fine.

Shaun

[REPLIC8]

Thanks for the ideas, I've now got a choice of 3 different oils to choose from, Lodexol MTF (morris), Amsoil Synthetic MTF, or Castrol synthetic MTF. They all seem to be about £12/litre so that must the going rate. I won't be using ATF anymore, apparently it only cools the moving parts but it's lubricating properties are pretty useless.


Andy
1981 UK SPEC TR8

[Workshop Help]

We've been thru this argument before and this renewal of it will only be a re-beating of the dead horse. In other words, 'It's deja-vu all over again'.

The lesson to be learned is that using ATF is preferable to standard 90wt gear oil in the LT77 based on the learning curve some 30+ years ago. But, that was then, this is now. If you have just overhauled your gearbox and set the clearances a little on the tight side, ATF is a good initial fill to allow a break-in period of about 2500 miles. Note that ATF is highly detergent and will aid in flushing out the fresh swarf that flakes off during break-in.

Once about 2500 miles have passed and the gearbox is settling into it's working tolerances, flush out the ATF and the accumulated swarf. Refill with 1.5 US quarts of either the GM MTF or the Pennzoil MTF, then change the gearbox oil with every engine oil change or about every 5000 miles. This will enable the gearbox to pile on the miles like every other standard gearbox ever made.

The strength AND weakness of the LT77 is it's oil pump. Having lubricant force fed by the pump thru the bearings, synchros, and gears is a very good thing. Having no filter for the pump means the metal swarf will chew up the fiber oil pump gears and then grind into the bearings, synchros, and gears. This is a very bad thing. That is why a thorough flushing of the gear oil on a frequent basis is so important for our transmissions, because the natural occurring swarf must be removed.

Yes, I know the folks at British Leyland then JRT didn't put that in the owners manual, but we know better now. Don't we?

Mildred Hargis

[Odd]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> Originally posted by Shauniedawn
ATF will be fine.
Shaun <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> No, it wont.

It (ATF) was an emergency stopgap solution by BL some 30 years ago. Simply
because there weren't anything more suitable easily available <u>back then</u>.

But <u>this is now</u>, 20-30 years later
- and <u>now</u> we have a selection of <u>much</u> better lubricants to use in our gearboxes.
So, let's use them
and be gone with this old and outdated 'ATF was recommended' discussion...

<font color="red"><b>My two 1980 Wedges...</b></font id="red">

[Shauniedawn]

Hiya Odd.

"Ohhhhh, yes it will!"

I understand what has been said here - but I still disagree strongly that ATF 'won't do'.

I base this on my own personal experience of running a Land Rover Discovery with the LT77 for 180,000 miles using ATF only. I changed the oil every 10,000 miles religiously.

I can't say what the maintenance procedure was in the 70,000 miles before I bought the car, but it didn't appear to have a new gearbox fitted when I bought it. So, I make that a quarter of a million miles on ATF, without an overhaul and still going strong.

The gearbox seltected perfectly and got no noisier (that I could tell) to the day that I sold it.

I agree that you may get a slicker change with a modern oil, but you're going to have all you metal on to convince me ATF won't do!

I should add - there was a lot of towing miles in that too.

Shaun