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Thread: What fluid to use in getrag 260/6?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Richmond, Virginia
    Posts
    1,683
    My Cars
    '88 735i, '06 RSX

    What fluid to use in getrag 260/6?

    I think the fluid in my trans is original, I will have a buddy of mine drain and refill with clean fluid. Can I use Maxlife ATF or do I need something more specific to the G260? I'm not looking to use super high end oils.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Japan
    Posts
    54,655
    My Cars
    11/88 E32 750iL+98 E36M3
    https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...a-Getrag-260-6

    quote:
    Lubrication
    Lubricant 85W Gear Oil
    single grade HD motor oil SAE 20/30/40 (owner's manual 01 47 9 780 737)
    The Bentley BMW 5-series E34 Service manual declares the oil capacity of the 260/5 and 260/6 transmissions to be 1.25 litres. Manual transmissions installed on the E34 are normally filled with Dexron III Automatic Transmission Fluid (DX3 ATF), though alternative fluids may be used depending on shifting effort and gear noise.
    Some 80W-140 oils promote themselves as a suitable alternative where DX3 ATF is specified by the manufacturer.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getrag_260_transmission

    http://www.exx.se/maintenance/gearbo...ge/index.shtml
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
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    1,683
    My Cars
    '88 735i, '06 RSX
    So it is safe to use Valvoline full synthetic ATF since it meets dex3 yes? Also 75w140 full synthetic gear oil for the LSD as well? Fluids are probably original...long past being needing to be changed. Is it safe to do so at 200K miles?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Romania
    Posts
    110
    My Cars
    1994 BMW E32 730i M30
    For 3 years I own a 1994 E32 730i w/ M30 engine and Getrag 260/6 manual gearbox. In the past, I had for 10 years a 1986 E28 535i which also had the manual Getrag 260/6 gearbox.
    Bottom line, I have 13 years of Getrag 260/6 experience.

    When the weather is rather cold (e.g. below 18 deg. C / 65 deg. F), shifting becomes difficult on Getrag 260/6, particularly 1st to 2nd gear shifts. If you put ATF oil in the gearbox, shifting effort at cold improves a lot
    However, when outdoor temperatures jump over 32 deg. C / 90 deg. F and the gearbox gets hot, the ATF oil will make shifting hard (particularly shifting into 1st gear from a stand still), and the gearbox may sound harsher.

    Therefore I recommend gearbox mineral oil (85W, or 80W90, or 80W) at all times, except maybe in the winter. Although, even in winter time, if you are gentle with your shifts until the gearbox heats up, the mineral oil would be just fine.

    Since I doubt very much that Getrag redesigned gears and/or materials inside the 260/6 in order to cope with the specs of ATF, I strongly believe that ATF oil was specified instead of normal manual gearbox oil just depending on the climate of country of destination. Therefore, you may want to play a bit with gearbox oils until shifting matches your taste.
    Just make sure that you don't put API GL5 oil inside, because it contains sulfur and will damage the synchros. Also, stay away from synthetic oils, or you may enjoy oil leaking, particularly from rear seal (ask me how I know).
    Last edited by RobertRO; 03-21-2018 at 10:12 AM.
    --
    1994 E32 730i M30 manual
    ex- 2006 E86 Z4M Coupe
    ex- 1986 E28 535i

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