I'm also planning to change the fluids in the trans (6 speed manual) and my rear end. Is there any particular brand of gear oil for my tranny that might make shifting a little smoother? Dont want to start a which oil is better war. But I have used Lucas in my little rice burner and it seems to smooth up the shifts. So I was just wondering if the same may be true for the truck.

 

I am a fan of Mobil synthetic oils and would recommend Mobil 1 ATF for your manual trans. I have had excellent luck with it in my automatic and powersteering/hydraboost. I also use Mobil 1 Synthetic 75W-140 in my differential. Others have had great results with Redline products, especially in the F450's and up.

 

Like Roland said...Mobil 1 if you can find it. ATF is 10 bucks a quart so many choose a cheaper option.

 

I have Mobil 1 Synthetic in my tranny and power steering and I have Royal Purple Synthetic 75W-140 in my differential. Saw improvements with both compared to whatever the PO had in them.

 

I've tired Mobil 1 synthetic, Valvoline synthetic, brand name regular ATF, and generic regular ATF. None of them made any noticeable difference in how my truck shifted, and all of them came out looking shiny red at 50,000 miles when I drained it.

I'll hit 425,000 miles on my factory 6 speed in a few days. When it reaches 450k, I'll just use the generic stuff again. Years ago, several folks tried different combinations of fluids or additives to smooth out the shifting or minimize gear rollover. Some reported improvements, others didn't see the same results.

Good luck with whatever you decide to try, let us know how it works. And for the rear end, if you have a LS rear end, be sure to get the additive or use a fluid that already has the LS additive in it. Synthetic is recommended for the rear end.