Redline MT90 vs Motul Gear 300

[Blacksheep]

I’ve been using Redline MT90 with Nulon G70 additive in my gearbox for the pass 10,000kms and decided to try the Motul Gear 300 transmission fluid as I’ve heard a lot of positive feedback from it especially from 86 enthusiasts.  It’s a GL-4/GL-5 rated fully synthetic oil and boasts Ester technology found in Motul’s top of the line 300v motorsport engine lubricants.  Before I go into a brief review I should probably should give a rundown of my Sportivo.  It currently has 168,000kms on it with a heavy duty stage 1 Exedy clutch setup and lightweight chromoly flywheel.  When I bought it 2 years ago from a mature driver it was bone stock.  The condition of the gearbox was good but as we are all aware it’s a major weakness in the Sportivo and will crunch if you don’t get the shifts on point.  If your timing was off, 2^nd and 3^rd would sometimes refuse to go in and at high rpm I would experience a slight crunch in 2^nd or 3^rd.  On cold mornings shifting felt a little notchy until the car warmed up.  Upgrading the clutch helped immensely along with changing the transmission fluid to Redline MT90 with the Nulon G70 additive.  All these issues were addressed with the modifications and only on the very rare occasion I would experience a slight crunch going into 2^nd at high rpm.

The filler spout that comes with Motul bottle means there's no need for a separate pump when refilling transmission fluid.  I went ahead and changed the drain plug to a magnetic piece off a Toyota Landcruiser.  Should capture any metal shavings floating around the gearbox.  Part no. 9034118057.

I didn’t expect to feel much or any difference switching to Motul Gear 300 but I was pleasantly surprised after a week’s driving through twisty roads and through traffic.  Gear shifting felt noticeably smoother and quieter.  I’m not sure what’s in the Motul lubricant but the mechanical noise from the gearbox when shifting hard seems to be a lot quieter.  Not that it was loud at all to begin with but the change was noticeable.  No signs of any crunching or notchy shifting either on cold mornings.  I didn’t add Nulon G70 to it just so I could test Motul Gear 300 on its own.  Driving the car now is a lot more pleasurable with smooth shifts especially when pushing it as it instills confidence in the gearbox resulting in a better overall driving experience.  I will review it again at a later stage once I’ve clocked more mileage on the car but so far Motul Gear 300 gets a thumbs up from me.

 

Edited October 31, 2017 by Blacksheep

[Ron Swanson]

Hey mate ripper article.  Just got my sportivo so I'm a bit wet behind the ears.  Just a couple questions for you or anyone else who wants to chip in.  What difference did the lightened flywheel make?  How much should the heavy duty clutch and lightened flywheel set me back?  My car has just clicked over 150k and I do have some doubts about the clutch.  It's good, I just have some doubts about it haha.

The gearbox has me often missing/crunching into second gear if I hit lift in 1st.  Look, the car is just a runabout to work and back, with a bit of fun.  I shouldn't even be worried about it, but since the car performs so well it'd be nice if it ticked all the boxes and I didn't miss 2nd.  Could just be my driving, but is Motul Gear 300 fluid likely to make a difference, and how much fluid does the gearbox need?

Thanks bros.  It's great to own my first Toyota!

[Blacksheep]

What I immediately felt with a lightened flywheel was the ability for the engine to rev quicker, but this also meant the revs dropped faster so you have to shift fast.  It does make the car more lively being able to rev freely.

It will take you some time to get use to the gearbox and learn to shift smoothly on the sweet spots.  However if you're still experiencing crunching it could mean your syncros are worn and may need replacing but changing the transmission fluid would be the first thing I would try to see if it helps.  You will need 2.3 litres of transmission fluid.  Motul Gear 300 goes for $35 for a 1 litre bottle from memory.

[Squalled]

Awesome article man! I'm definitely considering this the next time I need to replace my gearbox oil. Haven't had issues with Penrite so far but.

On 18/11/2017 at 10:56 PM, Ron Swanson said:

Hey mate ripper article.  Just got my sportivo so I'm a bit wet behind the ears.  Just a couple questions for you or anyone else who wants to chip in.  What difference did the lightened flywheel make?  How much should the heavy duty clutch and lightened flywheel set me back?  My car has just clicked over 150k and I do have some doubts about the clutch.  It's good, I just have some doubts about it haha.

The gearbox has me often missing/crunching into second gear if I hit lift in 1st.  Look, the car is just a runabout to work and back, with a bit of fun.  I shouldn't even be worried about it, but since the car performs so well it'd be nice if it ticked all the boxes and I didn't miss 2nd.  Could just be my driving, but is Motul Gear 300 fluid likely to make a difference, and how much fluid does the gearbox need?

Thanks bros.  It's great to own my first Toyota!

The heavy duty clutch kit retails around $350-$400 range depending where you source it from. Flywheel wise, you may spend about the same amount as the clutch kit, maybe even more depending what brand you go for.

What's happening now with the clutch that is causing some issues? First recommendation, is perform the master cylinder clutch adjustment. There's a thread on here about how to do it. More than 90% of Sportivos have the master cylinder adjustment off causing gear crunching into 2nd gear. People commonly think replacing the clutch fixes the issue in which it does but, going for the adjustment can save a lot of cash initially and may fix the problem.

If you replace the clutch without doing the adjustment as well, there's still a high possibility that you will have the same issue engaging gears.

Another tip, best to always rev match when downshifting as the biggest downfall of our cars are definitely the synchros. 

If you need more info, feel free to PM me man.

[Blacksheep]

Good call Squalled but I think you're referring to the clutch pedal free play adjustment?  Toyota released a service bulletin back in the day with regards to this addressing gearbox issues.

 

[Squalled]

11 hours ago, Blacksheep said:

Good call Squalled but I think you're referring to the clutch pedal free play adjustment?  Toyota released a service bulletin back in the day with regards to this addressing gearbox issues.

 

That's the one haha. You're the man in the know for this 

[Ron Swanson]

Thanks you blokes, some great info here!  I've ordered the magnetic gearbox plug and I'll get the Motul 300 oil aswell.  I'll get it serviced and get the mechanic to change the gearbox oil for me I reckon.  Might do the clutch play adjustment myself first, the article on that is excellent!

Squalled there's no real issue with the clutch, the first week I had the car I went for a drive that ended up in heavy traffic incuding hillstarts and I was worried I burnt the thing.  Now I'm super paranoid about not riding it and I've gotten much more comfortable driving the car.  

Must admit I'm not totally sold on the idea of lightened flywheel and the benefits, so I'll be leaving that for now and just play around.  Probably do headers/exhaust soon.  Thanks boys.

[Squalled]

12 hours ago, Ron Swanson said:

Thanks you blokes, some great info here!  I've ordered the magnetic gearbox plug and I'll get the Motul 300 oil aswell.  I'll get it serviced and get the mechanic to change the gearbox oil for me I reckon.  Might do the clutch play adjustment myself first, the article on that is excellent!

Squalled there's no real issue with the clutch, the first week I had the car I went for a drive that ended up in heavy traffic incuding hillstarts and I was worried I burnt the thing.  Now I'm super paranoid about not riding it and I've gotten much more comfortable driving the car.  

Must admit I'm not totally sold on the idea of lightened flywheel and the benefits, so I'll be leaving that for now and just play around.  Probably do headers/exhaust soon.  Thanks boys.

It's a free fix really, just have to be careful on how much you adjust because if it is over adjusted, it can be just as bad as under adjusted really so it makes the clutch ride out a lot more.

If it's the standard clutch, my one had a tendency to slip a little on hills especially when I found out it was quite worn down too.

Most just get the OEM flywheel machined, including myself which will work perfect anyway. Feel free to PM if you need some ideas for exhausts, I got that all covered! 

[Blacksheep]

8 months now running Motul Gear 300 and the gearbox still feels good.  No complaints there.

Last weekend I managed to replace the oil control valve filters and lift bolts using the guide written up by Kenshin X back in 2011 https://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/31918-diy-servicingchanging-oil-control-valve-ocv-filtersstrainers/.  The lift bolts look worn and i'm glad I replaced them.  Thanks to Phil Gilbert Toyota in Croydon for the parts.  Top notch service as usual!

Rocker cover removed.

 

VVT OCV removed.  Had to loosen the drive belt and alternator bolts to access it.  The ventilation pipe which connects to the rocker cover had to be moved aside as well.

 

VVT OCV removed and sprayed thoroughly with MAF sensor cleaner.

 

New VVT OCV filter fitted into bolt ready to go back into head.

 

Lift bolts removed.  Even though Toyota never released a service bulletin to replace the lift bolts like they did for the Celica I think it's still a good idea to replace them.  Note the wear on them after approximately 174,000kms.  Replacement lift bolts on the right.

 

Torque them down to 5.5 ft/lbs.

 

Now for the OCV filter on the VVTL side.

 

VVTL OCV removed and will be sprayed thoroughly with MAF sensor cleaner.

 

For some reason the new filter is made out of plastic whereas the original was metal.

 

New filter in and OCV gasket replaced.

 

Rocker cover back on and ready to go for a test drive.

Edited July 4, 2018 by Blacksheep

[Squalled]

Great pics man. I'm really loving the wheels and the valve cover colour too! Engine bay looks so clean.

[Blacksheep]

Thanks man.  I thought the valve cover would come out more silver grey but it definitely has a blue tinge to it.

[Squalled]

49 minutes ago, Blacksheep said:

Thanks man.  I thought the valve cover would come out more silver grey but it definitely has a blue tinge to it.

Yeah it definitely does, something different which is cool. Never seen that colour before.

[Peter19]

On 01/07/2018 at 6:48 PM, Blacksheep said:

8 months now running Motul Gear 300 and the gearbox still feels good.  No complaints there.

Last weekend I managed to replace the oil control valve filters and lift bolts using the guide written up by Kenshin X back in 2011 https://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/31918-diy-servicingchanging-oil-control-valve-ocv-filtersstrainers/.  The lift bolts look worn and i'm glad I replaced them.  Thanks to Phil Gilbert Toyota in Croydon for the parts.  Top notch service as usual!

Rocker cover removed.

 

VVT OCV removed.  Had to loosen the drive belt and alternator bolts to access it.  The ventilation pipe which connects to the rocker cover had to be moved aside as well.

 

VVT OCV removed and sprayed thoroughly with MAF sensor cleaner.

 

New VVT OCV filter fitted into bolt ready to go back into head.

 

Lift bolts removed.  Even though Toyota never released a service bulletin to replace the lift bolts like they did for the Celica I think it's still a good idea to replace them.  Note the wear on them after approximately 174,000kms.  Replacement lift bolts on the right.

 

Torque them down to 5.5 ft/lbs.

 

Now for the OCV filter on the VVTL side.

 

VVTL OCV removed and will be sprayed thoroughly with MAF sensor cleaner.

 

For some reason the new filter is made out of plastic whereas the original was metal.

 

New filter in and OCV gasket replaced.

 

Rocker cover back on and ready to go for a test drive.

What are the specs of the rpf1s mate? The car looks great!

[Hiro]

On 7/1/2018 at 6:48 PM, Blacksheep said:

Lift bolts removed.  Even though Toyota never released a service bulletin to replace the lift bolts like they did for the Celica I think it's still a good idea to replace them.  Note the wear on them after approximately 174,000kms.  Replacement lift bolts on the right.

 

 

 

The Celica TSB was only for 2000-2002 (TSB EG010-03) which was to replace the earlier defective lift bolt design (that was shorter and had no taper), what you've got there are the second and third versions (2nd gold, 3rd silver).  All Corollas should have at least the second version so aren't as prone to failure as the early Celica ones were (same goes for oil pumps), which is why they probably never released a TSB for the 03-05 Corolla 2ZZ.  Toyota kept the same part number for the bolt and just updated the design.

[Blacksheep]

On 7/18/2018 at 5:31 PM, Peter19 said:

What are the specs of the rpf1s mate? The car looks great!

Thanks man.  16x7 +43

[Blacksheep]

On 7/19/2018 at 6:27 PM, Hiro said:

The Celica TSB was only for 2000-2002 (TSB EG010-03) which was to replace the earlier defective lift bolt design (that was shorter and had no taper), what you've got there are the second and third versions (2nd gold, 3rd silver).  All Corollas should have at least the second version so aren't as prone to failure as the early Celica ones were (same goes for oil pumps), which is why they probably never released a TSB for the 03-05 Corolla 2ZZ.  Toyota kept the same part number for the bolt and just updated the design.

Good info.  Thanks Hiro