105/115 Gearbox Lube/Milano experience.

[Tim Mills <tm_002@domain.elided>]

Digesti,

I purchased an '87 Milano Gold last summer and at the
advice of a good friend who happens to be a long time
owner, repairer and tuner of deferent Alfa cars
switched the gear lube in the transaxle to Shell
Spirax HD GL-5 rated 80w-90 oil.  Wow what a
difference it made in shifting! The 2nd gear crunch
went almost completely away; the crunch is still there
but much smoother than before the Spirax was added. 
After running with the Spirax for about 500 mi I
drained the transaxle again and added in fresh gear
oil to further flush out the old stuff.

Off topic, related BMW gear box experience:

My '71 BMW 2002 has been fitted with a 5 speed OD gear
box from an '82 320is.  I have been advised to use
only up to GL-4 rated gear oils in this box and the
older 4 speed boxes because they don't have the EP
additive as do many GL-5 rated oils. The EP additive
evidently contains a sulfate compound which corrodes
the brass/copper synchros over time.  I checked with
Amsoil's Technical department and they informed me
that even though their synthetic gear oil is GL-5
rated it does not contain the harmful sulfate
compound. At any rate I decided to go with Redlines's
MTL GL-4 rated synthetic oil based on the fact that it
is easier to get and many other owners have used it
for years with good results. 

I have been told the Redline MTL lube will not work
well in the Alfa Milano because there is too much
lubricity for the synchros. Some experienced BMW
technicians recommend using a blend of GL-1 rated
mineral based oil with Redline's MTL in the older gear
boxes.

Ouestions:

On the older Alfas (the ones with brass/copper
synchros, if I remember correctly) should one be
careful about using GL-4 vs. GL-5 oils due to the
sulfate factor?  Does the GL rating make a difference
regarding which model Alfa gear box the oil is uesd
in? Lastly, does anyone know what the synchros in a
Milano/GTV-6 are made of? TIA.

Ciao,

Tim Mills
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