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Hey guys. After spending an hour on here looking through all the "what gear oil to put in my 9 bolt" threads, I decided to get some 80w90 oil without limited slip additive for my car. Went to the parts store...... Every bottle of gear oil has " with limited slip additive" or "friction additive included" on the bottle. Every brand had the same thing on the label... The only brand that didn't have that on the label wa Lucas... But it said "works with limited slip" on the back of the bottle... So, what brand are you guys using for your 9 bolt and DONT use the limited slip additive?? It seems like all the gear oils today automatically come with the additive already in the oil...
I actually have 2 brand new bottles of Red Line 75w140 that someone gave me. Unfortunately, it does have the limited slip additive... Can I still use it?
Apparently GM came out with a bullitin in the 90s stating not to use the additive in the 9 bolt rears. The bearings in the 9 bolts are different and they don't need the additive. There are numerous threads on here about the subject
The additive is not for the bearings. The additive helps the cones in the differential slip smoother so that the rear end doesn't pop and jerk when turning corners.
The bearings in the Borg Warner rear end are just standard tapered roller bearings. There is nothing special about them. They are the same bearings that are used in just about every other rear end in the world. The Borg Warner rear end had Koyo bearings instead of Torrington bearings, but that's just the brand. There is nothing different about them.
i am going to change the fluid in my 9 bolt also .. when you do a search it seems like everyone one has a different answer .. any proven gear oil that will work with the 9 bolts and not cause any problems ? additive or no additive ?
The '04 to '06 GTO used the same type of Borg Warner differential that was used in the 3rd gen 9 bolt. The only oil that has consistently worked in that rear end is the Torco oil. I experienced this myself when I rebuilt the rear end in a GTO. I used Amsoil in it and it worked fine for a few months, and then it started making a lot of noise when turning corners. The Amsoil was drained and Torco was added and the problem went away. I never had any problems with Amsoil in any rear end except the ones that used cones instead of clutch plates.
The '04 to '06 GTO used the same type of Borg Warner differential that was used in the 3rd gen 9 bolt. The only oil that has consistently worked in that rear end is the Torco oil. I experienced this myself when I rebuilt the rear end in a GTO. I used Amsoil in it and it worked fine for a few months, and then it started making a lot of noise when turning corners. The Amsoil was drained and Torco was added and the problem went away. I never had any problems with Amsoil in any rear end except the ones that used cones instead of clutch plates.
thanks for the reply .. can you tell me what torco gear oil to buy and how many ?
My 84s owners manual calls for 23 ozs. of GM PN# 1052271
GM gear lubricant
No mention of either the Aussie 9 bolt or US GM unit difference
nor to add any GM specific limited slip additive.
(Unlike my old Pontiac 12 bolt which has a metal tag on the pumpkin
cover stating the GM limited slip additive is required.)
From Drain 98s sticky "EverYTHING i KNOW ABOUT 9 Bolts article" sticky
He calls for -Torco 85w140 RGO Mineral Based Gear Oil (2 required), 1 Bottle of Torco F Type Friction Modifier (Recommended for Cone Type LSD Units).
My 84s owners manual calls for 23 ozs. of GM PN# 1052271
GM gear lubricant
No mention of either the Aussie 9 bolt or US GM unit difference
nor to add any GM specific limited slip additive.
(Unlike my old Pontiac 12 bolt which has a metal tag on the pumpkin
cover stating the GM limited slip additive is required.)
From Drain 98s sticky "EverYTHING i KNOW ABOUT 9 Bolts article" sticky
He calls for -Torco 85w140 RGO Mineral Based Gear Oil (2 required), 1 Bottle of Torco F Type Friction Modifier (Recommended for Cone Type LSD Units).
Your manual wouldn't state anything about the 9-bolt because it wasn't an option in '84.
My 9-bolt has the tag as well, which is why I say use the additive.
yup. or just use this, it's a total package deal. (looking at it I'm pretty sure this is what I used...unfortunately the bottle is not in my garage, so I can't confirm).
06-24-2015, 01:04 PM
