What Gearbox Oil For Suretrac Diff

[feb 47]

As per title, I am getting different answers and the more I search the more I get confused.

 

Subaru recommends:

 

 

The question is, does the Suretrac fall into the mechanical LSD category?

 

Some people say that Subaru refers to mechanical diff they mean a plate diff and the Suretrac is not a plate diff but Torsen/Quaife type hence I need "normal" 75W-90 gear oil and not LS type oil.

 

Any advice is welcome as everyone seems to do their own thing.

 

Btw, I phoned Motul who recommended the 75W-90 GEar 300 LS that is specific for LSD's (as opposed to the "normal" 75W-90)

 

Decisions decisions...

 

All I know is that in the Quaife which is a torsen type 75W-90 is the recommended one so I am tempted to use the same one in my rear diff.

 

For what it's worth, in my last service the garage used 75W-90 for the gearbox/front diff and 90 PA for the rear one.

 

If it helps the link below shows what a Suretrac looks like inside: http://www.mycaterham.com/66828/117416.html

[Tom Fenton 1,526]

Would asking on a Subaru forum not be a better idea??

[feb 47]

Everyone in a Subaru forum has their own opinion and a few of the so called specialists use the wrong oil as I found out yesterday from the horse's mouth.

 

I called AP Racing who said to use a "normal" type oil (i.e. non limited slip one) according to the manufacturer's recommendation.

(The Suretrac is manufactured by Fujitsu Heavy Industries in Japan after buying the whole project from AP as I was told).

 

LS type oils are for plate diffs whereas Torsen/Quaife/Suretrac ones should use normal gearbox oil.

 

So 75W-90 GL-5 it is.

Edited March 22, 2012 by feb

[welshpug 1,627]

Fujitsu Heavy Industries make Subaru's too

[feb 47]

I know, they don't only make Subarus

Edited March 22, 2012 by feb

[Anthony 1,000]

For what it's worth, I ran the AP Suretrac diff in my old 205 on standard PSA spec gear oil (75W80) and it was fine.

 

Just run yours on 75W90 as recommended by AP.

 

To be honest, I suspect that Subaru dealers and most specialists just put in whatever gear oil they have in stock at the time rather than keeping multiple different grades on the shelf and selecting the correct one each time. Certainly from what I've witnessed in your average garage chain most of the time every single car that comes in for an engine oil change will recieve oil from exactly the same drum, no matter how oil or new, or what grade it is meant to take... you get the impression that the management don't care, and the trainee monkeys doing the work know no different.

[feb 47]

Anthony, you are absolutely right, it seems they buy bulk for the majority of cars they service without bothering to use the correct grade/type oil for your car.

 

E.g. later Subarus have DCCD and the Suretrac diffs have been replaced by helical diffs which are plate type, these need a LS type oil indeed but a lot of so called specialists even use a GL-4 oil when the manual recommends a Gl-5!

 

I realised you have to search for yourself and provide the fluids yourself to be sure or make sure the garage has what you are after.

[Chris H 10]

All std subaru boxes need to run a 75w90 non lsd oil no matter what front diff is fitted. If you run a lsd specific oil it wil have a detremental effect on the syncro shifting. Only time a lsd oil is used is if you have dog box fitted.

[petert 555]

I've been using Castrol Syntrax for many years with my AP but have just changed to Redline Shockproof.