# Manual Transmission oil discolored



## ChicagoCruze2012 (Jun 30, 2015)

I have a 2012 manual transmission Cruze Eco. ~59k miles. I recently changed over to Amsoil synchromesh transmission fluid ~35k miles. Filled 2.5 qt as recommended on the DIY tutorial. Noticed a improvement in the clutch feel when the oil was changed.

Recently I have noticed what feels like a sputter or loss of power in second and third gear in higher rpm's (around 3-4k rpms). Seemed to go away after the car was warmed up, but not always. Not sure what this could be, the clutch slipping? Misfire in one of the cylinders? Not sure. I am by no means a car expert.

Recently changed the transmission oil wanting to see if that would improve the issues. I have attached a picture of the oils on a paper towel. the transmission color that I drained out has me worried. The fluid on the left hand side is new amsoil syncromesh fluid. the fluid in the middle is the fluid that was just drained. The fluid on the right hand side is the original fluid I drained out at 35k miles. luckily I still had it around. I have no idea exactly what type of fluid this is since it was the fluid in the car when I bought it used. Highly likely that is OEM fluid since I bought it with 30k miles on it.

I did a quick run around the neighborhood after the fluid change and I don't notice the engine sputtering. I will update after I have a few hundred miles on the new fluid to see if I still notice the sputter.

The fluid just drained looks gray. Has anyone else seen this in transmission fluid? Is it the wear of the gear metal? A indication of some other problem?

Thanks for the responses.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Based on my experience with motor oils, I'd say that the discolouration is a result of two different oils being combined. If you were able to do another two or three drains and refills with the same oil I think that you'll achieve a color stability.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

What does the transmission oil have to do with an engine sputtering ?


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## ChicagoCruze2012 (Jun 30, 2015)

I am wondering if it is the clutch slipping or something wrong with the transmission. Since it appeared when I switched oils I wondered if it is related somehow. It feels like slight power loss that usually happens in specific gears at higher rpms. I don't notice any unusual sounds or inconsistencies at idle or when reving the engine in neutral.

@ Tomko

I will see if on the next fluid change if the color is still off. I will increase the change schedule also to try and flush out the original fluid.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

This maybe the first signs of your dual mass flywheel seperating and or clutch slipping .
Look up info about these flywheels .


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## Farmer (Mar 6, 2013)

Amsoil failed in my manual after 35k miles of use. Had all kinds of transmission issues for 1-2days until I changed out the fluid, then it was fine again. Switched to Pennzoil Synchromesh and that came out gold at 25k miles of use. Pennzoil is alot cheaper and available local. Amsoil Transmission fluid just doesn't seem worth it.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

Farmer said:


> Amsoil failed in my manual after 35k miles of use. Had all kinds of transmission issues for 1-2days until I changed out the fluid, then it was fine again. Switched to Pennzoil Synchromesh and that came out gold at 25k miles of use. Pennzoil is alot cheaper and available local. Amsoil Transmission fluid just doesn't seem worth it.


Well that's not encouraging. Just put amsoil synchro 5w-30 in mine. Was planning on following the reccomended severe duty change after 30k miles though. Guess if something happens at least it's easy to get to and change out.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Farmer's issue was that after 35,000 miles, it seemed that the friction modifiers had begun to break down and he began grinding into gears. Of course, this was also following a shift to driving habits as an Uber driver. I noticed Synchromesh getting a bit notchy after 30,000 miles, which is when I switched to the GL-4 75W-90, but didn't notice the grinding issues. I have noted in other thread on this forum in the past few years that our transmissions are very hard on oil, and I maintain that statement. 

Pennzoil Synchromesh is not synthetic, which means it won't even come close to offering the protection of the OEM fluid, let alone a synthetic MTF. I would be very surprised if it lasted anywhere close to 35,000 miles. 

I have several customers who have come back repeatedly for fresh changes to new fluid, in addition to a fellow dealer that went 78,000 miles on a change of AMSOIL Synchromesh, and got an analysis report of it (he's a courier), which did not show any alarming signs of breakdown or unusual wear. With the OE fluid breaking down within 10,000-20,000 miles, I honestly believe 30,000 miles to be a more appropriate service interval for this transmission fluid, using *any* fluid. Filling to 2.5 quarts also seems to help, according to reports received from customers. 

IMO, sure beats spending $35 a quart on the OEM fluid. If it works well for 30,000 miles, I'm quite content having spent half the price of the OE fluid and being able to go longer in my driving conditions. I've seen no reason to be alarmed about how this fluid will perform.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

ChicagoCruze2012 said:


> I have a 2012 manual transmission Cruze Eco. ~59k miles. I recently changed over to Amsoil synchromesh transmission fluid ~35k miles. Filled 2.5 qt as recommended on the DIY tutorial. Noticed a improvement in the clutch feel when the oil was changed.
> 
> Recently I have noticed what feels like a sputter or loss of power in second and third gear in higher rpm's (around 3-4k rpms). Seemed to go away after the car was warmed up, but not always. Not sure what this could be, the clutch slipping? Misfire in one of the cylinders? Not sure. I am by no means a car expert.
> 
> ...


I strongly doubt your fluid is at all related to these issues. I would look at flywheel/clutch related problems, or problems that might cause misfire. Check the coil pack boots - look at the springs/resistors inside and look for corrosion. Check the spark plug gap to see if it expanded. This doesn't at all seem to be transmission related unless your clutch is slipping.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I put in AMSOil Synchromesh at 45K. I'm just shy of 84K now and I did some hard pulls today with no issues. Normal shifting, both up and down, is still very smooth.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, still up in the air on this subject, go back to my 1984 Honda Accord with a transaxle manual transmission, can go back a lot farther than this. Just used conventional engine oil of all different velocities, just stuck with 10W-30 conventional engine oil, something like 50 cents a quart back then.

Had both a bottom drain plug and a side fill one, still have that pump, just filled it until oil started to leak at the top. Recommended changes were at 30K miles, seemed to soon, was still nice and clean, 50K miles seemed more than sufficient. Put over 220K miles on that car with zero transmission problems.

Road salt again was the key reason to get rid of it, put a fair price on it, must have received over a hundred calls, first person to call took it, said it was already sold, don't sell it, I will give you 500 bucks more!

So how is the Cruze transaxle manual transmission any different? A full synchronous transmission just like the Honda. And what is this bit about having to pay 40 bucks a quart at dealers prices for that GM part number? 25 bucks was the cheapest web price I could find.

Let the Cavalier slip by, way too much body rust, but over a 150K miles on it, never touched the transmission oil. One key difference between the Cavalier and Honda, linkage was far better lubricated than the Cav, Cruze is the same way.

Just saying, really need some good education on this subject. From what I can tell on my Cruze, just tossing synthetic engine oil in that thing, but why 40 bucks a quart?

Royal Purple was the only manual transmission oil I could find that claimed to be fully compatible with the GM part number, but was told on this board, it is crap. Also told GM 40 bucks a quart MT oil is crap. But one thing for sure, for 120 bucks for a change, sure in the hail is expensive.

One thing I do know for sure, if the clutch free play is more or less than one inch of freeplay, difficulty in changing gears. And that linkage needs constant lubrication.


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