Transmitter and Differential fluid.......

Patrick L.

Well-known member
A fella brought his nice 2dr sedan to the house and wanted the fluids changed.. I didn't know he ever owned an old car.. He had with him a couple old jugs of Model A vendor 600W that he said was used to fill the car appr 5 or so yrs ago.. I have no idea what that stuff was/is, but, what came from his transmitter and rear end was some of the nastiest looking stuff I've ever seen[maybe it got mixed up with u-joint grease].. I didn't have any kerosene so I ran it a few minutes with Diesel fuel.. I added some 140wgt that I normally use and suggested he come back in month or so and change it again..That is, after we find him a right rear radius rod that apparently must have fallen off somewhere due to rust.. So the car is sitting here in the barn for awhile.. I guess it pays to crawl around under these monsters every now and again just make sure all the parts are where they're supposed to be..:rolleyes:
 
Patrick - Wow! A radius rod missing due to rust??? Makes me wonder what else is rusted that might be important to the safe operation of the car.

As for the "nasty" TRANMISSION and rear end fluid, it pays in the long run (80 some years now) to replace said fluid. Things just last longer when they don't have to run forever in their own oil.
 
Ron, I'm looking the car over pretty good.. The owner is a driver, not a mechanic or maintainer.. So far it looks pretty good and I think the TRANSMISSION may have been full of u-joint grease.. The rear housing stubs even look nice.. Oh, almost forgot, I've already found the radius rod..This stuff is all over the place..I think I'll just spin the transmission for awhile since its up on stands and change the fluids again..The differential fluid did look slightly better than the transmission..
 
Most of the rearends I pull apart to salvage the good parts seem to be nasty. I have found that if I heat the rear axle hsg with a small propane torch for about 20 minutes it is alot faster to drain and cleans up easier after dissassembly. Rod
 
Pat, if you are talking about an A 2dr what you're expiriencing is normal. The 600W used in the rear end and trans was super thick- we're talking coal tar thick- basically black toothpaste! The A's were designed to use 600W. The trans isn't synchronised in the A's and the viscocity (thickness) helps to spin up the gears and match speed reducing the need to double-clutch. In the rear the goo strung and wrapped itself around the gears and shafts and stuck. Your friend was better off with that old stuff, than he is with the 140. The 140 will eventually spin up around the axles and "pump" out of the rear past the seals into the brake area. The thinner stuff will also tend to leak out of the trans front and rear. I made the mistake of changing out my original 600W for Snyders lighter stuff and was immediately rewarded with a louder trans and rearend. Newer trans oils, while far superior in many ways, lack the thicknes an A needs. Even the 600W Snyders and the like sell is only about a 250wgt. Mobil sells 600 XP 640 gear oil which seems to be suitable for the task, has a good range of modern additives and has the viscocity that an A needs. Some cut it with a thinner gear oil to match the 600W originally used. A good rule of thumb with A's is if you can pour it in without heating it up, it is too thin. Luke
 
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