What Tranny fluid is the best for 03 wrx?

[blacksleeper]

I have seen some other guys posting about tranny and synchro oil and wanted to know what is the best? Currently I may get a slight grind in 4th gear if you shift too fast and I know it is because the fluid is crap....so any suggestions and what people are using would be a good help cause I will be changing it next weekend.

[fat angel]

i use the scotty cocktail mix and it works perfect.

1qt redline lightweight shockproof
1qt pennzoil synchromesh
1.8qt castrol hypoy c

[blacksleeper]

why the mix? is there more benefit to just using the synchromesh?

[RonnieMack]

Just run straight heavyweight shockproof b/c you have the crappy 03 tranny. My .02

[I'm Slow]

i use the scotty cocktail mix and it works perfect.

1qt redline lightweight shockproof
1qt pennzoil synchromesh
1.8qt castrol hypoy c

+1 works well especially on trouble tranny's and 02-03

[05_Flat_Faw]

when shold the fluid be changed?

[I'm Slow]

depends on how hard/much you drive. Service manual says like 25k-30k miles

[RonnieMack]

every 12 or 15K miles according to the manual. I can't remember.. but I think it's 15... or 12.. either one. It's not going to hurt to go 12. I'm actually thinking about doing it every 10 or so just b/c I like the feeling of the new fluids. The only thing is that redline stuff gets pricey!!

[05_Flat_Faw]

oh shiznit i got like 32k on mine better hit that up where can i get some of this fluid. do i have to do the rear diff also and what fluid is used for it?

[RonnieMack]

Well, I don't know where to get the redline stuff locally, but a bunch of websites have it. summitracing dot com has it and racerpartswholesale dot com is where i get mine.

There are a ton of different variations of what to use. Basically, go with what you think is best to fit your needs. Since I tend to do a lot of harsh driving, I run redline heavyweight shock proof. It's better for the gears, but not as good for the synchros. The most common combo for the people I run with is 3qts MT90, 1qt superlight for the front and 75w90ns for the rear.

Now, for the scotty's bandwagon folks. That stuff is proven to work great! It's awesome, but since you have an 05, you don't really have the "bad" tranny. It's still not the best, but it's not the worst. Scotty's is great, I mean great, for the folks w/ the tranny's that are starting to show a lot of wear.

But, like I said. It's totally up to you and your drving style and what you think is best for your needs. Check out Cobb's write up about gear oils. It's pretty informative. I can't seem to find it since Cobb went communist and changed their site all around.

[FastRaft WRX]

im going to do this, ive gone WAAAAY over the reccommended limit


is the redline oil the only stuff you have to buy online? Im assuming you can get the castrol and penzoil at advanced auto parts..

[RonnieMack]

Yeah, as far as I know, the internet is the only way to get a VARIETY of selections when it comes to RedLine. There's another thread on here that talks about where to get it locally, but there are no solid answers.

I'm sure there are places locally to get some stuff, but not other stuff. I think I paid 6.99/qt on racerpartswholesale dot com. I got my stuff in less than a week. Since you have an 04 WRX, you're going to need a T70 torx bit to drain the old fluid out of the front/center diff.

[FastRaft WRX]

woot thanks info

[blacksleeper]

are there any write ups on how to drain the front and rear diff. or is it fairly easy? and is there any special tools i will need for the 03?

[RonnieMack]

No.. just an oil pan and a 1/4" drive ratchet, I think. Check scoobymods dot com. There are some write ups on there. If you know how to change your oil, then you should be ok changing your tranny fluid. If you need/want help, PM me.

[fat angel]

you'll need a t70 torx bit if you have an 04- on
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/9574/transdh2.png

[fat angel]

well my computer is crapping out and i ccan't get the rear diff posted.

[blacksleeper]

i figured it was easy i just wanted to make sure there were no special tools i needed.

[RonnieMack]

I already mentioned the t70 torx bit in an earlier post. He's got an 03, so mentioning it again to him didn't really fit.

[blacksleeper]

do you have to drain the rear too? or when you fill the tranny does the fluid distribute around to the front and rear? i am a little confused on this.

[RonnieMack]

You have to drain the rear also. There are two plugs in the rear diff. The lowest one is for draining, the higher one for filling. If you do not have some sort of a ciphon(sp?) pump, you might want to get one. Although not necesarry, it makes things a lot easier. They are everywhere.. I got mine at Wal-Mart for like 5 bucks.

[05_Flat_Faw]

You have to drain the rear also. There are two plugs in the rear diff. The lowest one is for draining, the higher one for filling. If you do not have some sort of a ciphon(sp?) pump, you might want to get one. Although not necesarry, it makes things a lot easier. They are everywhere.. I got mine at Wal-Mart for like 5 bucks.
i was gonna ask is that pump needed to fill the front also or you can fill it thru some sort of a filler tube

[fat angel]

i mentioned the torx bit for anyone else that reads this thread with an 04-on. the manual page is for an 02-03. you need a 1/2" ratchet for the rear diff, not 1/4". you don't need a pump for the rear diff, just take a quart of gear oil and squeeze it all in there. by the time the bottle is empty the diff will be full. i've always done it by just squeuzing the crap out of the bottle.

[RonnieMack]

The front is filled through the dipstick tube. I think there's an alternate place to fill on the 02-03's, but I'm not sure. Somewhere on top, but, like I said, I'm not sure.

[blacksleeper]

so should you use the same blend of oil in the rear as you do in the front? same weight? and how much total oil goes in the rear and total in the front? how many quarts?

[fat angel]

total for the front is 3.7 qts.( it's on the page i posted up top) rear is .8 qt.
recomended rear is 75-90

[blacksleeper]

thanks

[Alberto411]

I need to buy the Uncle Scotty mix myself now too. Is it pretty much settled that all the components of the 'mix have to be pieced together via internet, etc or is there a place local where I can pick up the mix?

I ask because the Redline 75W90NS in my trans is not working out for me - grinding in 1st and 4th. Definately not Kosher for the 02 tranny.

-Al

[enash99]

i use the scotty cocktail mix and it works perfect.

1qt redline lightweight shockproof
1qt pennzoil synchromesh
1.8qt castrol hypoy c

+1 i do as well this is a great mix IMO i can get into first with rev match at 20 mph.