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For the engine use any good-quality engine oil appropriate for your climate. I use 10W-40 because that's pretty close to the original recommendation, and I'm using Valvoline brand because it's easy to get in case lots at the local speed shop. As for quantity, four quarts is usually about right depending on how much you spill when replacing the filter. Basically, as long as you use good oil and the weight isn't too far off, you should be fine.
The gearbox is a LOT more critical. The specs call for SAE 80EP GL-5 gear oil, which isn't easy to find nowadays. What you've got to NOT do is use anything thicker than 80 -- this is a three-axis transaxle (three gear shafts arranged in a triangle, instead of the usual two shafts) with the shafts running in needle bearings -- if you use oil that's too thick, not enough of it will get flung off the shafts to lubricate the bearings on the upper shaft. I'm nervous about even using the 80W-90 gear oils that seem to be the easiest thing to find in the auto parts stores. I've had good luck with Red Line MTL (luv that yummy red color!) and other people here recommend Bel-Ray Gear Saver, which you probably can find at a motorcycle shop. The Red Line is kinda pricey, but what the heck, the box only takes 1.8 US quarts (it's okay to go ahead and dump in two quarts so you don't have a bottle left over with 0.2 quart of stuff in it.)
As to your gratey noise, I wouldn't fool around with additives -- I'd find out what's causing it and fix that. Possibilities:
1 -- Is the gearbox low on oil? (Take out the little square-headed plug on the front lower face of the gearbox -- easier to reach from underneath -- and make sure the oil is within a couple of mm of the hole. Or just add more through the top plug until it starts to dribble out the hole; then put both plugs back in.)
2 -- Is your clutch freeplay set correctly? (Flip back the rubber "condom" over the end of the slave cylinder on the transaxle housing, and try pushing forward on the linkage inside. Yes, it's very stiff, but you should be able to push it forward about 4mm. If it's too much or too little, adjust it via the square-headed bolt on the opposite side of the transaxle housing; there's a locknut underneath it, and don't forget to retighten that locknut after you're done!)
If neither of these helps, either your clutch is wearing out or there's something wrong inside the gearbox, and when it gets so bad you can't stand it the drivetrain is going to have to come out -- so HOPE one of these gets it!
Okay, one other thing -- if your car has sat around for a long time and/or you don't know the last time the transaxle fluid was changed, it may just be full of grunge. Here's a recommended procedure I read on this board, and I tried it and it seemed to help hold the fort until I got around to changing the gearbox. To use it, get a few quarts of ATF (automatic transmission fluid), which is cheap, thin so it swishes around easily, and has lots of detergents. Drive the car until it's warm, drain the fluid, and put in a couple of quarts of ATF. Now drive the car once or twice around the block -- NO MORE -- to get the ATF all sloshed around. Now drain out the ATF and put in new clean MTL or Bel-Ray and your box should be as good as it's going to get for now.
posted by 204.76.11...
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