Oil for early series gear box

[petejones]

I’m restoring a early series 3 gear box , is Shell spirax S4 AX 80w- 90 GL 4/5 compatible with the yellow metal bushings in the gear box.

[StuartC]

This is a post from a forum member of a UK Series 2 website.
This person is very knowledgeable and reputable....I'm not sure but he may have been employed at LR Solihull, England.
There is a section in the Series 2 manual re lubricant specs and I would think there should also be one in the Series 3 manual.
I would be surprised if LR made DRASTIC changes to lube specs from S2 to S3.....


"What lubricants to use for a Series 2 Land Rover is not rocket science.

Engine - use a 20W50 multigrade oil. If you want to spend more money then use one of the "special" blended and labelled for classic cars if you like.

Gearbox/transmission box - use EP90 to spec GL4. Now there's a lot of squit and hype banded about GL4 vs GL5 (a new spec with a different formulation) There's no hard evidence that GL5 oil will dissolve your gearbox contents away. But as GL4 is readily available at the similar price, why not use GL4 ???
Nowadays there is a multigrade EP80W90 commonly available. Use this to get a slight benefit in a lighter viscosity for cold conditions and still have all the properties at running temperatures. These oils tend to be at GL5 spec.

Some people like to use a heavier oil in the steering box and swivels - to prevent leakage and give a "firmer" feel.
Others like to use the CV liquid grease in the swivel housing - along with all the controversy as to whether the top swivel pin gets enough lubrication, with or without FWH.
Nobody has a definitive answer - except you won't cause any problems if you use EP90 as Land Rover specified.

As for grease - you won't go wrong if you use a good HMP (high melting point) as specified for wheel bearings and ball joints and UJs.

Which brand you use is your choice.
As mentioned ^^^ buying in bulk saves you money."

[red90]

The easiest choices for people living here is one of the Redline transmission fluids. They sell them in a variety of viscosities to fit what you want and are all safe for the white metal components. They also all have friction modifiers to aid in synchro performance.

Having a wider viscosity range is helpful if you are ever starting your truck outside in the winter versus traditional options like motor oil.

https://www.redlineoil.com/gear-oil-for ... nsmissions

[cbalme]

If you do not want to make an investment in expensive Redline oils only to have it leak out, there is a GL4 Spec 80w-90 available from your closest Phillips 66 Dealer for a reasonable price. They are only available in 20-litre pails but it does not go bad.

https://phillips66lubricants.com/produc ... -oil-gl-4/

[mepham55]

If you do not want to make an investment in expensive Redline oils only to have it leak out, there is a GL4 Spec 80w-90 available from your closest Phillips 66 Dealer for a reasonable price. They are only available in 20-litre pails but it does not go bad.

https://phillips66lubricants.com/produc ... -oil-gl-4/

I just ordered a pail of this from Cowichan Petroleum Sales for a total cost of $113.75