SAE90 gear oil in an LT230

[rick130]

Can anyone see an oil feed problem in using some 90LSD oil in the t/case at this time of year ?
It can get down to -7*C here overnight.

I dumped the fluid last night, grabbed a container of 75w-90 Castrol Multitrax and found a fair bit of, well, shit in the bottom of the container. Grabbed an unopened one and it had the same stuff in it.

It looks like a bacterial growth similar/same as breeds in diesel.

Yes, both containers were'nt bought last week. It was old stock from our old Patrol, could be 5 years old.

I dumped some fresh 90LSD in, now I'm stressing if it's fluid enough to feed the shafts and bearings on a cold start. Yes i know that the L/R manual says it's OK to -10*, but who really trusts their engineers to get it right ?

Any thoughts ?

Rick.

[daddylonglegs]

Unlike the LT95, there are no fine needle roller bearings or bronze thrust washers on the intermediate gear in an LT230, so gear oil will be ok.
Bill.

[rick130]

thanks Bill,

I'm so used to using multigrades, I'd forgotten how thick a 90 mono was when cold until I started to pump it into the 'case at 5 O'Clock and about the same degrees last night.

Then I started to worry, even though I couldn't see any needle rollers on the drawing in the manual. (I've never had one apart)

Didn't slow the bloody oil leak around the input shaft, though. There's just as much dripping there tonight as there was lastnight before I washed it off.

Rick.

[daddylonglegs]

Those input seals are a pain to change with the gearbox in situ. It is very difficult not to damage the new one again when offering the transfercase back up. many people in the trade apply silastic to the back face of the gearbox and front face of the transfercase as extra insurance that they dont get oil leaks from this area. Of course by doing this you may get some oil transfer from the transfercase into the gearbox, but it shouldn't be enough to worry about.

Bill.

[Nick (in the Falklands!)]

....You should'nt have any problems with using 90 in your t-box; our 110 had it in its one from new (& GTX 20/50 in gearbox) & thats whats reccomended in its handbook.

To be honest, I don't know of any LT230s around here with multigrade in the T/box.....but no doubt there are..!!!