pilotb777_300

Just to give you guys an update... I thought I might E-mail Torsen and get their take on using oils with friction modifiers. Ofcourse as expected I got the most politicaly correct answer possible !

We are the first to admit that we are not lubrication specialists and always recommend that you use whatever your vehicle manufacturer suggests however, the Torsen T-2 is able to operate in a wide variety of oils that you should have no trouble operating it in the oil of your choice.


Thanks for the question and interest in Torsen!

So I've decided best course of action now is to run my Nulon SAE90 in the diff for maybe 2 weeks and get it circulating well then flush it out again as the diff probably needs a good flush anyway with fresh oil after what came out of it in the first place. I'll then try and hunt down some redline 75W110 and see if that helps then try the 75W140.... Although have many of you run such a thick oil in the diff long term with no negative effect ? I would think oil at 140 viscosity may not flow as well through the gears as the thinner oils ?

Bror Jace

pilotb777_300, Does Nulan make a thicker oil? How hot is it in your part of Australia? If it's very warm, you could do well using a XW-140 gear oil ... try a conventional lube first to see if the higher weight can do anything to quiet down your diff.

I no longer believe there's anything 'magical' about synthetics. They flow better at temp extremes and resist shear a bit better, but for short intervals of about 10,000 miles, I think conventional gear oils will work just as well at minimizing wear.

pilotb777_300

hey buddy,

Nulon have this oil which is also just a basic mineral oil

http://www.nulon.com.au/products/85W-140_G...fferential_Oil/

I belive this one here isnt to be used in LSD's but I assume this is because it doesnt contain any friction modifiers... they also make the same grade oil specifically for LSD's again most likely WITH friction modifiers. Seems like either one would work in the S2000 diff... do u guys think its too thick ?

I'm currently in melbourne but have lived in LA for a little while and can say melbourne summer is quite similar to LA summer give or take a few deg... and coming into summer now I guess it will be getting quite warm for the next few month.

rjmcmillen

So I stopped by the local Honda to pick up some diff fluid and they said they didnt have any other than the 5 gallon drums. They also told me I needed to add an LCD additive. What was this guy talking about, do I need this additive?

spets

Be careful, Honda does not have a Honda brand diff fluid for the S2000. The Honda brand diff fluid is for the CR-V and will screw up our differentials.

He probably meant LSD, not LCD. And no, Torsen diffs don't need a special friction modifier or additive.

Bror Jace

"They also told me I needed to add an LCD additive."

Sounds like they have taken too much LSD additive.

"Honda does not have a Honda brand diff fluid for the S2000."

Really? Usually Honda doesn't miss a trick. They are the KING of OEM fluids. Years ago I asked Dave Granquist of Red Line Oil which of their fluids would be the replacement for Honda dual-pump fluid. He said Honda never released a spec for it ... so he couldn't suggest any. What a bunch of crap!

Pilotb777_300, for very warm-weather operation in a worn differential (the howling you referenced previously), I do not think a 85W-140 is too thick for any street rear-end. I think your only other choices are to live with the howling, waiting for the eventual end or a pre-emptive rebuild. How many miles on your unit?

pilotb777_300

I have just over 50K miles on the car... I would have thought the diff would last way longer than that ! I have never abused the car and its only had one previous owner for the past 8 years before I got a hold of it... he was a mature age guy who looked like he took really good care of the car... so not sure how or why the diff is wearing out ! I'm happy to live with the whining the way it is now.. u cant really hears it with the roof down or the radio on... I'm just worried about it getting worse. but I may try the thicker oil for the summer and see how that goes before I start forking out big $$$ on a rebuild... I may lay off the Vtecing for a while as well untill I see how this eventuates over time....

rjmcmillen

Yes I did mean LSD.....Sorry...... Thank you for the help everyone!

pilotb777_300

ok guys... quick update. I changed the oil again today to some Nulon 80W140 full synthetic. The oild oil that was in there for about 2 days came out a little blacker but no metal particles was found on it or on the magentic drain plug. I filed up the new oil in there and took it for a drive. Its hard to tell if there was any improvment really. the whine that was happening while slowing down in neutral has definetely disapeard or has been greatly reduced however I still get the diff whine at exactly 3000 rpm in 3rd 4rth 5th and a little in 6th It only happens now under light throttle loadings only and its almost non existant under heavy acceleration. I worked up the courage to rev out to 8000 rpm a few times in 2nd and nothing has blown up as yet ! fingers crossed it continues that way for a while. Overall I'm fairly happy with this oil and will leave it in there for a few weeks and see if things get worse or not.

I would like some clarification though.... I thought this is thicker oil than the SAE90 I originally had ? however looking at it in the bottle it looks and feels to be around the same viscosity as the 90 grade... This might be a dumb question but shouldnt it be really think to start with than become thinner when warm ? or have I got it back wards ?

CarbonCrew

This oil is thicker at 100 C. 100 C is the temperature at which SAE determines the grade of the lubricant for a predetermined kinematic viscosity range. The 80W-140 is a multigrade and should be less viscous at cold temps, as 80W indicates that it meets the low temperature requriements of SAE J306. I ran the viscosites of the oils at various temperatures and the 80w140 is slightly thicker at room temps, 20-25. At 15 C the SAE 90 becomes more viscous.