Red Line vs. Swepco

[Rabbit16v@attbi.com (Rabbit16v)]

Here, let me open the can of worms a little further!  A while back (actually
about 2 years or so now) I was having a problem with the 2nd gear sychro in
my trans and was told that Red Line would not fix the problem but would help
to make it better so I used some Red line in the trans.  Not only did it
make my 2nd gear grind worse, but it leaked past all my seals so quickly
that I developed a whine (low fluid = bad bearing(s)) before I knew the
trans was low.  I replaced the sychro but wasn't about to replace all the
bearings to fix one light whine so I started running Mobil 1 and it helped
quite a bit but it still has the whine.  I posted this to the list and
everyone thought I was crazy to say that I wouldn't use "That over priced
red crap" in my trans again.  Thanks for this post because it not only
reinforces my feelings on Red Line in general but reminds me how
commercially wipped people are.  I like performance and durability and if I
have to pay a little extra for that then fine but there is also performance
and durability is things that are not name brand or something that isn't
pasted on the side of a Nascar or Rally car.  I think people get lost in the
hoopla myself!

Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: "Antaki" <wrack@attbi.com>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>; "Scirocco List" <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 9:48 PM
Subject: Red Line vs. Swepco


> Hi all, not that I like open this old can of worms, but -
>
> I used to love Red Line trans oil, run it in my Scirocco 16V, my Vanagon
> trans, and it seemed like the best available- **Until Last Night**!!!
>
> Background:
> While at S Car Go, (www.scargoracing.com) a shop in Marin county that
> prepares Porsches for racing, builds custom engines, headers, you name
> it! They have one that puts out 500HP at the rear wheels!. Indeed they
> are widely known in Porsche racing circles, and do most excellent work.
>
> The Point of this message:
> I noticed that the only kind of oil in their shop is Swepco. One of them
> had a transaxle apart on the bench, and I asked him his opinion of Red
> Line vs Swepco. He told me that Red Line breaks down into a chalky
> deposit on the parts, and leaves a thin liquid behind. He then showed
> me, on the parts he was working on, exactly what he just told me. He
> scraped the goo deposit off of a gear, and I could see that the stuff
> coating the parts was red, and there was a layer of what looked like
> watery oil on some parts. He also told me that he can take one look and
> tell what was run in a gearbox, and sees a lot of Red Line-lubricated
> trannys come in broken.
>
> They run ONLY Swepco oils and lubricants in these awesome, beautiful,
> hand built, ex-freaking-spensive machines.
>
> I'm sold. It's Swepco from now on for my trans oil from now on, and if I
> upgrade from Mobil 1 Synth in my engines, it will be to Swepco. I'll
> even look for their greases for the important stuff...
>
> >rant off
>
> Thanks for listning,
>
> Ron Antaki
> '88 Wolfsburg (das all-purpose machine)
> '86 Syncro Westy (escape machine)
> '88 Scirocco 16V 2.0L (yee, I say, yee haaa!!)
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of John Rodgers
> Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 9:01 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Manual Tranny Oil Change
>
>
> It's time to change the tranny oil on my 88 GL and I'm sticking with
> Redline MT90. I have been looking at the Tranny section in Bentley, but
> I'm dawgged if I can find a tranny drain plug in any of the pictures or
> drawings anywhere. Filler, yes! Drain, No!
>
> Can someone tell me where it is, and maybe point me to a picture?
>
> Thanks,
>
> John Rodgers
> 88 GL Driver
>
>
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