Question On Gear Case Oil
- Thread starter maddogwfo
- Start date
I have heard of many using ATF. I used standard motor oil for one ride with no isssues.
S
Sleddingfarmer
Member
my dad's edge has had a similar chaincase leak and I just check it and fill it before each ride. I just use some cheap gear oil, i bought a 3-4 buck bottole of I think its 80-90w and away we go.. Did it last season and planned on finding and fixing the leak this past offseason but had absoultly no down time from work..Have put over 1200 miles like this and its been fine...
Chaincase oil is thinner because it is lubricating a chain and sprockets. Gear oil is thick because gear to gear contact requires greater shear strength in the lubrication. Gear oil works ok most of the time, but it will rob power, especially when cold. Gear oil may not lubricate the chain as well as a more appropriate lubrication because it may be too thick to get into the parts of the chain. If the case is leaking, I would find the leak and fix it rather than going to a thicker lube.
jmho
jmho
Good point - AND - Remember, your gear oil is lubing both of your right hand side drive and jack shaft bearings!!
Synthetic 10/30 motor oil Castrol or like.Think about it ...,the chain and gears look like a auto timing chain. I would not use trans. fluid.
As long as you keep oil IN IT, it really doesn't matter what you run.
On a simple transmission consisting of 2 gears, 2 bearings, chain, and some tensioning device(or planetary drive on the A/C), it's amazing how some people feel a "special" oil is required...............all you have to do is look at all of the different types of oil people are using with little or no problems.
On a simple transmission consisting of 2 gears, 2 bearings, chain, and some tensioning device(or planetary drive on the A/C), it's amazing how some people feel a "special" oil is required...............all you have to do is look at all of the different types of oil people are using with little or no problems.
The T case in my truck uses gear oil.
G
Gimpster
Guest
A few issues using gear oil
1- in cold weather it is real hard on your belt. After it has been setting all night in sub freezing weather, the gear oil can get a little stiff. Gear oil would be ok if it were synthetic
2- Gear oil, as thick as it is, will have a tougher time getting to the pins within the plate chain. It will get to the pins in a larger chain like in a trucks transfer case. When your sled sets overnight, only the bottom portion of the gear/chain is submerged in oil. The rest of the chain will loose lube as the sled sets unmoved, hence letting the lube move away from the pins in the chain. When you ride the sled, sure it will eventually get lube but it runs dry in sections of the chain that were in the upper part of the chaincase while the sled sat unused causing premature wear until it does finally get the thicker oil worked back into the pins.
A lighter oil is better as it will lube the pins faster. Any oil is better than no oil. Keep in mind that a chain oil should really have a polymere base as it becomes compressed as the plates of the chain pass over the gear. Regular motor oils are designed for slippage in an engine, like pistons against the cylinder or rod bearings on a crankshaft. The oil is not compressed and does not need the molecular structure enhancer (polymeres) as gear oils demand. Another point is the oils cleanability that is knocked down with the thicker gear oil
Best off using ATF or factory chaincase oil. Doing some research you may find some suitable weights for your type of riding.
I have experimented with different oils in chaincases in the past and have even used hypoid gear oil. The hypoid gear oil I recommend for chaincases would be Bel Ray hypoid. It is a thinner oil which works well in a chain case yet has capabilities of its bigger brother's (like regular 80w-90gear oil) specified ratings of GL.
----- Gimpster -----
1- in cold weather it is real hard on your belt. After it has been setting all night in sub freezing weather, the gear oil can get a little stiff. Gear oil would be ok if it were synthetic
2- Gear oil, as thick as it is, will have a tougher time getting to the pins within the plate chain. It will get to the pins in a larger chain like in a trucks transfer case. When your sled sets overnight, only the bottom portion of the gear/chain is submerged in oil. The rest of the chain will loose lube as the sled sets unmoved, hence letting the lube move away from the pins in the chain. When you ride the sled, sure it will eventually get lube but it runs dry in sections of the chain that were in the upper part of the chaincase while the sled sat unused causing premature wear until it does finally get the thicker oil worked back into the pins.
A lighter oil is better as it will lube the pins faster. Any oil is better than no oil. Keep in mind that a chain oil should really have a polymere base as it becomes compressed as the plates of the chain pass over the gear. Regular motor oils are designed for slippage in an engine, like pistons against the cylinder or rod bearings on a crankshaft. The oil is not compressed and does not need the molecular structure enhancer (polymeres) as gear oils demand. Another point is the oils cleanability that is knocked down with the thicker gear oil
Best off using ATF or factory chaincase oil. Doing some research you may find some suitable weights for your type of riding.
I have experimented with different oils in chaincases in the past and have even used hypoid gear oil. The hypoid gear oil I recommend for chaincases would be Bel Ray hypoid. It is a thinner oil which works well in a chain case yet has capabilities of its bigger brother's (like regular 80w-90gear oil) specified ratings of GL.
----- Gimpster -----
Last edited:
Gimp nailed it.
I run CaseIH Hy-Tran in mine. Have for years and have never had a chaincase failure.
L
LRD
Well-known member
I started running Mobil One gear oil a few years ago, I think its 75/90 for extreme pressure. It seems to have pretty good pourability (viscosity) in the cold. Went to it trying to make my aluminum bottom gear last longer. When looking at gears aluminum or steel and the chains all the wear seems to be on the chain teeth where they contact the gear teeth and the same with gear teeth. Wanted a lube that might withstand the pressure between the two and hopefully make for a little less metal to metal contact. Seems to work, easy to find in any automotive store, no more expensive than OEM synthetic chain case lubes.
Good Luck
Good Luck
I agree with everything Gimpster said - but with that stated, I ran 85/90 gear oil for years and never had a problem, though I saw a few chain case problems on friends sleds in cold weather when the oil was thick. the older Yamaha manuals called for gear oil - don't know what they call for now. Now days I use amzoil since I can drive up to the factory and pick it up.
M
Maxwe
Member
Keep in mind that gear oil is designed for gear to gear applications or chain to gear application. Gear oil such as 75-90 is a semi-synthetic as this is the only way the oil manuf can get that 15 point spread. Where as 80-90 is convential oil. All the snowmobile manuf are using a min of 75-90. You also can get a 75-90 full synthetic which is more stable and lower pour point than the semi.
It is mentioned above in a previous post about GL. This is the rating they use with 5 being the highest they have but there is recently some newly designed oils that are above 5.
Gear oil 75-90 is like 10-30 oil when you look at the chart.
Gear oil also has a trait that when it is really cold out it will flow in to the valley that gear has cut through the oil where as engine oil just stands there.
The chain-gear arrangment does not see the loading that a gear etc does in a bulldozer etc. The wear we see in snowmobiles chain cases is a result of the quality of chain and gears that the manuf supply us.
If you have a leaking chain case you can use STP as a temp measure as it is exteremly thick and does not run out as fast.
It is mentioned above in a previous post about GL. This is the rating they use with 5 being the highest they have but there is recently some newly designed oils that are above 5.
Gear oil 75-90 is like 10-30 oil when you look at the chart.
Gear oil also has a trait that when it is really cold out it will flow in to the valley that gear has cut through the oil where as engine oil just stands there.
The chain-gear arrangment does not see the loading that a gear etc does in a bulldozer etc. The wear we see in snowmobiles chain cases is a result of the quality of chain and gears that the manuf supply us.
If you have a leaking chain case you can use STP as a temp measure as it is exteremly thick and does not run out as fast.
if you are racing and want that last 2 horsepower, then use atf.
if you want to run your sled for a few years without swapping gears, use 5/30 or somehting synthetic engine oil.
atf does not lubricate. engine oils of any kind do. gear oil works also, leaks slower, and eats an additional .23 horsepower.
if you want to run your sled for a few years without swapping gears, use 5/30 or somehting synthetic engine oil.
atf does not lubricate. engine oils of any kind do. gear oil works also, leaks slower, and eats an additional .23 horsepower.
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