Manual transmission oil recommendations and discussion
#1
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Manual transmission oil recommendations and discussion
Okay, this is a place to post your experiences with different manual gear oils, and for us to develop a list of recommended gear oils for different Hyundais. Please post your experiences and they will be integrated into this list.
One of the first things to realize is that not all manual transmissions or transaxles are the same so there is no one "right" gear oil, even throughout the Hyundai/KIA lineup. Some of the transmissions are very similar designs and respond well to the same gear oil. Some are very different designs and will respond entirely differently to any given gear oil.
Accent
1996-2010 (X3-LC-LC2-MC) 5 speed
Elantra
1990-1995 (J1) 5 speed
1996-2010 (J2-XD-HD) 5 speed
Excel
1985-1994 (X1-X2) 4 speed
1985-1994 (X1-X2) 5 speed
Genesis Coupe
2010-Present (BK) I4 6 speed
2010-Present (BK) V6 6 speed
Santa Fe
2001-2006 (SM) I4 5 speed
2007-2009 (CM) 2.7l V6 5 speed
2010-Present (CM) 3.5l V6 6 speed
Scoupe
1990-1992 5 speed
1993-1995 5 speed
Sonata I4
1988-1994 (Y2) 5 speed
1995-1998 (Y3) 5 speed
1999-2005 (EF) 5 speed
2004-2010 (NF) 5 speed
2011-Present (YF) 6 speed
Tiburon
1996-2008 (RD-RD2-GK-GK F/L-GK FL2) I4 5 speed
Tucson
2004-2009 I4 5 speed
2009-Present I4 5 speed
XG/Grandeur
1986-1992 5 speed
One of the first things to realize is that not all manual transmissions or transaxles are the same so there is no one "right" gear oil, even throughout the Hyundai/KIA lineup. Some of the transmissions are very similar designs and respond well to the same gear oil. Some are very different designs and will respond entirely differently to any given gear oil.
Accent
1996-2010 (X3-LC-LC2-MC) 5 speed
- Recommended: Redline MT-90
- Not recommended: AMSOIL
Elantra
1990-1995 (J1) 5 speed
1996-2010 (J2-XD-HD) 5 speed
- Recommended: Redline MT-90
- Not recommended: AMSOIL
Excel
1985-1994 (X1-X2) 4 speed
1985-1994 (X1-X2) 5 speed
Genesis Coupe
2010-Present (BK) I4 6 speed
2010-Present (BK) V6 6 speed
Santa Fe
2001-2006 (SM) I4 5 speed
2007-2009 (CM) 2.7l V6 5 speed
2010-Present (CM) 3.5l V6 6 speed
Scoupe
1990-1992 5 speed
1993-1995 5 speed
Sonata I4
1988-1994 (Y2) 5 speed
1995-1998 (Y3) 5 speed
1999-2005 (EF) 5 speed
2004-2010 (NF) 5 speed
2011-Present (YF) 6 speed
Tiburon
1996-2008 (RD-RD2-GK-GK F/L-GK FL2) I4 5 speed
- Recommended: Redline MT-90
- Not recommended: AMSOIL
- Recommended: Redline MT-90
- Not recommended: AMSOIL
Tucson
2004-2009 I4 5 speed
2009-Present I4 5 speed
XG/Grandeur
1986-1992 5 speed
#2
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Some people claim it is inferior to Redline's MT90, but I have had good results with Royal Purple's Max-Gear GL4/GL5 compatible synthetic in my Elantra.
https://www.hyundaiaftermarket.org/f...s-redline-mt90
https://www.hyundaiaftermarket.org/f...s-redline-mt90
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Vehicle: 2010 Genesis Coupe 2L track
I'm using Redline Lightweight ShockProof in the Gen Coupe
Whatever the dealer uses in the 2008 Accent
Whatever the dealer uses in the 2008 Accent
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I'm an idiot, I accidentally bought a gallon of GL-5 gear oil for my accent. I used it for a couple of changes and noticed metal flakes in the oil when I drained it, both times. Shoulda read the packaging instead of being blown away by shiny 'semi-synthetic' labels.
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I'm a fan of syncromesh, smooth shifts even at redline. i've used royal purple before and it was good, but not $20 a bottle good. lucas is the worst, i got grinding in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th from that junk, but it was the only GL4 the store had at the time.
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Vehicle: 2003 hyundai accent
Bought a 2003 Hyundai Accent with 122000 miles on it. Not sure when the 5 speed tranny fluid was changed. Bought 3 quarts of Master Pro 75W-90 GL5 full synthetic gear oil. Is this oil going to cause me any problems? Thanks!
#8
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Vehicle: 2010 Genesis Coupe 2L track
I took out the lightweight shockproof. It worked OK for 10k or so but started getting hard to shift. The stiuff is very hard to get out of the trans and I had to flush it with solvent. Then filled with Redline MTL. It's about an 80w synthetic. Used that for a year and am now using Redline 75w85 which is the recommended weight.
be sure to use the right spec. GL-5 is generally not recommended for transmissions but rather GL-4.
be sure to use the right spec. GL-5 is generally not recommended for transmissions but rather GL-4.
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Vehicle: 14 EGT 2.0
Some people claim it is inferior to Redline's MT90, but I have had good results with Royal Purple's Max-Gear GL4/GL5 compatible synthetic in my Elantra.
https://www.hyundaiaftermarket.org/f...s-redline-mt90
https://www.hyundaiaftermarket.org/f...s-redline-mt90
Comparison to MT-90 in my XD Elantra - Cold weather (and this is "cold" weather in Southeast Texas) made it feel like crap relative to the other and after putting it in I had bearings start to sing that never stopped. It still does that to this day. Third gear deceleration was the worst with the BEeererRerRRRREeeererereeEERRRR noise. Maybe the XD ran a slightly different trans than the older ones? I know the gearing changed. Also GL4/GL5; why not use the GL4 it calls for instead of a universal?
m a fan of syncromesh,
Email them and ask about if you should put that in a hyundai transmission. The manufacturer claims to stay away from it as it doesn't meet some of our requirements. I had some concerns so I thought I would ask.
2003 Elantra XD stared with Royal Purple then switched to MT-90; the biggest issue I saw was whatever it has that the synco's love lasts about 30k then I recommend a ra fluid change. While its working well the transmission loves it and feels better than brand new. It doesn't start to grind after 30k, but you notice that butter smooth feeling starting to slip
2010 Genesis Coupe - MT-85; didn't have as big of an impact as this transmission is crap, but it did help. I had a 5th gear sort of lock out to anything lower problem this corrected. Same issue around 30k it starts to lose the smoothness and needed to be changed.
Note: If you are in Houston ProAm on Richmond near the 610 loop sells it cheaper than you find it online (jegs, etc) before shipping. He also has just about every other rare to find in store oils. Amsoil, all of the RP stuff, etc