Quote:
Originally Posted by stovie
Does any1 know what the viscosity of lucas oil additive is because it says if u put all lucas in ur differential it will iliminate wear and if it's about a 65w when ur supposed to use 90w i'd say it's definently worth it????
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The original Lucas Oil Stabilizer is quite thick, well over 90 SAE weight, Lucas Synthetic Oil Stabilizer is thinner than the original but still thicker than 90 weight. I know because I've put both in manual transmissions that required 75w90 oil. But they're not really an oil, they're a slick sticky substance, I believe they coat the moving parts when added to oil. I put original into my Corolla, which required 5w30 engine and 75w90 gear, mixed with synthetic oil and I swear it made the car slower to start when cold in the winter (nothing serious, just a few more turns, still started reliably), but Lucas advises against using original in lighter oil. So with my Yaris I used the lighter synthetic, but used less than the 20% called for on the label, I think around 10% in the engine and 10-15% in the transmission and haven't noticed any problems, even in cold weather.
Racers and off-roaders seem to like Lucas Oil Stabilizer, but then again, they push engines and drivetrains to the max, unlike us daily drivers.
Also the fact the engine and gear oil use different weight scales makes sense. 75w90 gear oil seemed way thinner than what a 75w90 engine oil would be, but it's really the same weight as 10w40-50 engine oil. And about using thinner fluid than called for in a transmission seems like a bad idea, unless there's evidence to back up its use, like the Suzukis and Synchromesh. So, I'd say, unless there's a problem with your transmission and you think it might be too thick fluid, stick with the recommended weight. A new transmission, or a rebuild, costs a lot more than the few more miles you can squeeze out of a tank with lighter fluid. Damage or wear may not be apparent right away, it might take years and thousands of miles for problems to show up.