Hey guys, how is it going? Just wanted some recommendations on engine oil, transmission fluid and differential fluid for an 86' fc.. the engine has about 180,000 miles on it. The Transmission was replaced about 1 1/2 ago with a rebuilt transmission. And the Differential...well, I'm clueless about what the differential needs... I don't even know if its open or limited. ...anyhow, I would appreciate it if someone can give me some ideas on regular maintenance like these... on top, if you have any other suggestions or concerns about proper care and maintenance of an FC, please do let me know... I want to get this car running mechanically smooth first before any drifting occurs...

thanks

 

I do not think that drifting should even be topic right now for you. There would be a lot more work to be done to your 7 before something of the sort is attempted. Getting to run great is a top priority though. As for fluids if you are going to do it as best that you can going with synthetic type gear oil is highly recommended for your tranny and diff ie... Redline, Amsoil, Royal Pirple in a 80w90 or 75w90. If you do have a limited slip rear end you will also need to get some limited slip addative for it. As for motor oil the above mentioned brands are recommended if you are going to run synthetic oil. If you are going to run a conventional oil Castrol GTX has a very low ash content and that is one of the big things that you need to look for in motor oil for a rotary due to the fact that it has a oil injection system. Where motr oil is actually burned during combustion. High ash content oils wil produce a lot of carbon build up. As for the selection of weight gear oil will depend on what type of climate you live in. Do some resesarh and read the stickies as the top of this forum and the faq's to gain a lot of useful info about your vehicle.

 

he has an rx7 he is automatically a professional drifter, you didnt know that?

 

3 words... rear toe eliminators... they have helped me when i want to get sideways

 

Hey guys, thanks for the info. I pretty much have an idea of where I'm going to go with the oil stuff. Well, I live over in Long Beach here so the climate F**king changes all the time.. so I can't really tell anymore.. all I know is that when it rains, its time to have some fun with the rx7 . I'm just a regular drift-enthusiast like the rest of you.. we all start somewhere.. I started with a 240sx... got real tire of it and went rotary.. to see if I can unlock some secrets behind rotary power and drifting altogether...

Thanks dudes... I'll be sure to ask more questions as I go along...

 

I just go off what the FSM/Haynes say for all fluids and the like. I figured Mazda knows more then me .

 

This is what I use:

Castrol GTX Engine Oil 10W30(winter) and 20W50(summer)
Redline MT-90 Synthetic Transmission Fluid
Redline 75W90 NS Rear Differential Fluid


Castrol GTX non-synthetic can be purchased for cheap at your local Walmart store. The Redline fluids can be found online.

 

Speak for yourself...

 

searching is your best friend...
lets hope this doesnt turn into another synthetic v. non-synthetic war...

 

I use Rotella 5w40 motor oil from wallyworld and its a good year round oil. The oil is topped off weekly or at every fillup.
The rearend has Mobil1 75w90 GL5 gear oil.
The tranny has Redline MT90.
The PS has Mobil1 ATF.
The brake fluid is any DOT4 but usually Castrol/Valvoline/Prestone.
My coolant is either Prestone yellow bottle or wallyworld brand mixed 50:50 with distilled water.

My recommendations are:
Motor oil: any, that matches your weather conditions, changed every 3mo OR 3k miles, that you can afford. Filter used is your choice cause it is a useless appendage. Do not use oil additives ever.
Tranny gear oil--any 75w90 synthetic GL4 or dual rated GL4/5 fluid, or GL5 gear oil advertised as synchro safe. Do NOT use a GL5 gear oil that isn't safe for synchros.
Rearend-- any GL5 90wt gear oil. Use the best you can afford. Do not add any LSD additive until you verify LSD chatter.
PS--any synthetic ATF or PS fluid. Sorry, it lacks filtration and adequate cooling so, IMO, synthetics are the best with the steering.
Brake fluid-- DOT 4 or 5.1 bled yearly. DOT5.1 is too expensive. DOT4 is well performing and cost effective.
Antifreeze-- any antifreeze that is drained/refilled yearly or thoroughly flushed every two years. I prefer the simple radiator drain/refill every year. But, 'ANY' doesn't mean to play musical antifreeze brands. Buy 1 brand of coolant and stick with it always. And, distilled water is a must.
Fuel additives-- I like to use a name brand FI cleaner prior to every oil change. This will keep the injectors clean and help remove carbon deposits. Regane/Techron/Redline/BG44k/Ventilsauber/B12/Seafoam are some that I use. They all have their pros/cons so it takes me 2 years to run through a bottle of each before starting over.
If you haven't verified your oil injection system by testing the OMP output and oil injector function, you might want to add a little lube to the fuel. 4 ounces of 2-stroke oil, marvel mystery oil, lubrigas, lucas, or similar can be added to every full tank. This will not only lube the pump and injectors, it'll help maintain engine cleanliness and supplement the OMP until you can test it.

Do it yourself yearly cost:
4 oil changes = $60-$100 depending on brand
4 bottles of FI cleaner= $24
1 gallon antifreeze and 1 gallon distilled water=$10
1 quart of ATF or PS fluid =$5
1 quart of DOT4 brake fluid=$6
optional supplemental fuel lube=$20 a year
Do it yourself every 3y/36k:
Synthetic gear oil and tranny oil=3 quarts in the tranny and 2 for the rearend= $40-$80

 

s4 t2 has a clutch-type LSD, right? so if i were to get oil for it I will be getting the one with LSD friction additives? let say this one from redline 75W90 gear oil - with LSD friction additives?

 

Correct. 75w90 for lsd....75W90NS for nonlsd...atleast thats what I've been told.

 

i m sorry i m little confused, you mean 75w90NS for non lsd?? open differential? i thuoght it was for viscous-type / non-clutch type LSD.
correct me if i m wrong

 

ANY 75w90 will work with either LSD or non-LSD.

To keep it simple, just use any GL5 for LSD diff's. An open diff won't care if it has LSD additive or not. A viscous unit is sealed so it won't care if you have the additive or not.

A clutch or cone diff WILL care. It might chatter if using a non-lsd gearoil(unlikely in a wornout and tired 15+ year old diff). But, the LSD additives are sold at most dealers and autoparts stores if you experience chatter with the wrong fluid.

 

75w90 is fine in the trans too right?

 

i have the same question ^^^ because i purchased RoyalPurple synthetic for the tranny 75w90??
TwEaK

 

I don't recommend using a straight GL5 gear oil for the manual transmission.
A GL4, or dual rated fluid, is better for the tranny. The royal purple Maxgear is dual rated so use it. I use Redline MT90.

 

Castrol 20w50 summer,10w40 winter
Redline mt-90 tranny
Redline 75w90 rear end