I had the tranny and diff fluids changed to Red Line yesterday (MT w/1700 miles). I wasn't experiencing any tranny problems; I did it as a preventative measure.

As others have reported, shifting seems smoother, especially at start up (cold); easier to get into reverse.

I had a couple of other impressions I wanted to verify with others that have changed to Red Line:
1. The tranny seems to run quieter, especially when idling in neutral at stop. The high pitched “whine” at idle seems to be gone.

2. The tranny seems to run cooler. I gauge this by the temp of the tranny tunnel in the passenger compartment, which seems cooler. Also the temp of the console compartment/cup holder seems cooler. I charge my cell phone in the console while I drive to work and it can be pretty warm by the end of the ride. Seemed cooler today.

Just wondering if any one else has had similar imressions/experiences after changing to Red Line.

Cheers!
Bob

 

After I changed my tranny fluid to redline, the idling wasn't as rough and the shifting was a lot smoother. But after about 4k miles, it seems to have returned to it's stock form. Maybe I just got use to it? I don't know. The shifting is still pretty smooth, but it still idles rough and the tunnel is hot in my car.

 

I never had a heat problem in my center console, so I haven't noted any difference there, but the gear noise with the clutch engaged but in neutral (as you described) has been reduced considerably. Redline also helped tremendously with cold weather shifts (when temps were below zero, going from 1-2 was a struggle before I switched to Redline).

 

Are Redline products available in regular auto part stores such as Autozone?

 

Not usually... if you have any custom car performance or speed shops (car audio, accessories, performance parts type places), you might find it locally. Otherwise you can order it online from many places...

 

How much do we need and how much will it cost?

 

I think it was 2 quarts for the tranny, 2 for the diff... should be about $8-10 per quart, depending on where you can find it. Lots of good info in this thread:

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ht=diff+tranny

 

Thanks G8rboy and Soundave for responses. I'll monitor it an see how these effects play out over time and miles.

Rotary Rasp: I had the fluids changed by a local rotary specialty service shop. It ran about $90 for materials and labor for both the tranny and the diff. had the oil and filter changed at the same time and the whole bill was $123.

Bob

 

I've got Redline in both the diff and the tranny in my FC. The tranny shifts pretty well considering the 145k on it and it's not making any noises.

 

Nice looking FC! ^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Any idea on how much just the materials cost? I'd be doing it myself.

 

I was thinking of switching to Redline also. I have already been having the 1st to 2nd shift problem (high rpm's/grinding)like many other poeple. All other gears shift fine, even 1st to second(low rpm's). Dealer suggested to give the tranny a little more time to "break in" (only has 1200 miles). If problem continues over next 1000 miles to bring it in. In the meantime i would like to try Redline. I have a MX-6 for my daily driver so it may take a number of months to put the miles on.My only concern may be that I heard it may cause leaks. Has anyone had this happen after the switch. Thanks.

 

Hey Rasp, It'll cost you about 9 bucks a quart for the gear oil and the washers are about $1.50 a piece if I can remember. You only need the two drain washers on the trans and diff. Forget about the fill washers. 4 quarts of gear oil. I would suggest Royal Purple instead of Redline. Racing beat has been using the stuff for years and swears by it. That's good enough for me.

 

$20 for the tranny oil, $20 for the differential oil (assuming you do that at the same time, like most of us did), and a few dollars for new crush washers. You'll probably also want to buy a cheap fluid pump- $5-$10 at an autoparts store.

 

I bought a 12v pump to suck the engine oil out. I have used it on the 8 about 4 times now and it works great. Could I use that to suck the tranny oil out, or is it too thick?

 

There's really no need- just open the drain plug on a level surface (I used jackstands on all four corners) and you'll be fine. The pump I mentioned is to pump it from the oil container into the top fill hole...

 

You have to be under the car to drain/fill the tranny so why would you want to suck it out? Just use the drain plug to get the oil out and clean the metal filings off of the plug. You will need a pump to fill it.

 

gotcha

 

Or a clean 2 liter bottle, clear hose and a flotool. It's all in the diy's.