G50 oil

Hi, I need to store my G50 trans, can anyone advise on oil for storeage, (about 2x years the way my build is going!!).

Will any cheap engine oil do as this will be thrown away eventually, to be replaced with quaility oil...??

Regards

Dave
 

Lynn Larsen

Lynn Larsen
Since no one has answered I'll go along with them and say "to be honest, I just don't know if one is better than another." We used to pickle our seasonal engines with Marvel Mystery Oil, but I am not sure that applies. With the exception of the Chrysler Industrial Hemis which ran on LP and stayed pristine, the engines tended to run a tad rich and in fairly dirty environs (agricultural use) and the MM oil loosened carbon and sludge which was drained/flushed before the engines were put into use the following season.

What ever you use, filling it up as much as you can will help by reducing the amount of air that will expand and then contract with heating and cooling. Over long periods of time the issue is with the cooling/contracting air that brings in water vapor with it that can condense and collect. So, keep it in as constant a temperature as you can; spin it over, in gear, periodically and maybe every other time drain just a little oil to check it for moisture (water or milky oil.) Make sure drain is at lowest point and give it time to settle if you have moved it.

Regards,
Lynn
 

Lynn Larsen

Lynn Larsen
Mark and Dave,

Actually while it is in storage is the best time to find out if the seal around the input shaft leaks. Just plan for that possibility by putting plastic and/or kitty liter around it and check it fairly frequently at first.

The one drawback to the G50, and I am assuming you are going to run it inverted as virtually everyone does, is that the input shaft is below the oil level and is subject to leak with an old and/or damaged seal. So if it is weeping at all while in storage, plan on putting a new seal in just to be safe. If it does start leaking while in use, it really shouldn't take much time at all to pull the tranny and pop a new seal in it. Just remember to support the front of the engine!

Lynn
 
As daft as it sounds if it's got a good amount of gear oil in it, and you seal it up properly, just roll it around on the floor for a bit it'll be fine.
As long as the oil has had a chance to cover all the surfaces inside then enough will cling to keep the rust away.
If you're in any doubt go back in 6 months and roll it around again but it shouldn't really need it, we see gearboxes from classic cars that have been in `storage` for many years and as long as no damp has got inside and there was oil in there to start with they're usually fine as far as things like rust go.
 

Sandy

Gulf GT40
Lifetime Supporter
I have a trans that I was thinking of trying this on...

I have see some of these giant ziplock like bags for storing house hold items and you use a vacuum to suck out all the air (and moisture). They had a couple that looked very large, and I was going to see if I could stuff the gear box into it (without tearing the bag) and just suck the air out of it.

I can see the commercial now :)

Sandy
 
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