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The cocktail issues


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I have heard of bad things it has done to the new trannies.. and I have also heard good things with it to the older trannies...what is always failed to be remembered is it is used primarily in ones that already have a problem...it is not a fix, it may prolong the life of it or mask the problem for awhile. When I mentioned I was going to use the cocktail in my coupe cause I have a crunchy 3rd gear that likes to pop out..I got swamped with the links to the evils of the cocktail. But in all cases someone was looking for a cheap quick fix. I will run it until I can find a good FWD 5 spd for my EA81 coupe..

I know someone who uses it in thier RX and has for about a year now without any problems.

 

If there isnt anything wrong with yours then dont use it. But if there is dont expect it to be a repair.

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ran it in my RX tranny for about 30k miles.

 

shifting was awesome.....

 

 

then it developed some bearing noise last fall. I promptly drained it and switch to 4 quarts of straight Castrol HypoyC. shifting is harder (almost impossible below zero) when cold, but the noise went away. I think it's like running ATF in a manual: wonderful for cleaning, terrible for lubricating. for temporary use only. I will never use it again, if the synchros need better lubrication, I'll throw a little rislone in it, that I have had good luck with (saved 2nd gear in my dad's '94 LGT, no negative effects after similar mileage).

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Well I put it in and it feels awesome lol. IDK if my tranny had issues sometimes it was hard to get into 1st when doing more than 0mph lol. Fourth gear would occasionally pop out also :-\ Can I run this and just change it more often like every 12k or so to keep the oil from degrading? BTW my drain plug didnt have any chunks just very fine powder.

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my issue could have been a result of the oil breaking down. it did have some abuse (2 autoXs, lots of ice racing). but I've put standard oil through that without problems.

 

 

IMHO, seems like a steep price to pay to improve shifter feel.

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The coctail doesn't degrade - it seperates. And it does it every time the car sits for a few hours. Mileage doesn't matter. Ultimately it's a bad idea for quite a few reasons. I tried it, but I've now split a few transmissions and I can't say I would reccomend it or use it again myself.

 

Most syncro problems are related to dirty, varnished brass syncro rings. The coctail masks the problem for a while but creates MUCH bigger problems. The syncro's can be cleaned and the transmission reassembled relatively easily but if you instead use the coctail the rest of the components will be worn beyond use.

 

Run ATF through it about 3 to 5 times - leave it in for a full tank of gas each time. When it stops comming out black refill with decent synthetic such as valvoline.

 

Other than that, you can get ahold of (or make) a 35mm thin wall socket (no more than 45.5mm OD) to dissasemble the transmission and clean the synco rings by hand. This is most effective.

 

GD

Edited by GeneralDisorder
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Shouldn't there be a sticky saying all this? Seems like there is a million posts

saying how good it is and less than a dozen saying how dangerous it is...

 

That's because there's not many of us that pull transmissions apart. And people are going to continue using it regardless of what I or the few people that actually have some knowledge about these things say. It gives results (for a while) and like anything that gives results without any real work it's going to attract a following - like the Atkins diet.

 

Ultimately there's no talking to people that beleive in that kind of a remedy. They have to experience it themselves.

 

GD

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As I Said it Before: instead of that Cocktail, there is a Special Gearbox Oil that is Formulated with the Same Component from Heavy Duty Grease: MO2 (Moly) I Obtain it from Motul:

 

http://www.mandp.co.uk/productinfo/565279/Lubricants/Gearbox-oils/Motul

 

...Seems like there is a million posts

saying how good it is and less than a dozen saying how dangerous it is...

 

That must be due to the Fact that There are Lots of People Using that Cocktail, but very Few of them have taken their Gearboxes appart and Check the Damage it Makes.

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For me...having a known already damaged tranny..the cocktail is fine ..just to quiet it down and go into 3rd until a new tranny is located. I have stated earlier...that it is not a quick fix..it just masks a problem. And as others stated ..can cause more damage. I would never think of adding it to my coupes tranny if it was actually any good. No need to...regular gear oil is fine. But Like I mentioned I have a bad bad 3rd gear syncro and with this being a show car..nothing says show like grinding into 3rd in public :lol:.

 

There are definately other products out there better suited for maintaining a good tranny.

 

I will say it again...I am only using the cocktail until a known good FWD 5 spd tranny is located. Like GD stated..it will give results for a period of time at the same time it will finish the bad tranny off.. I also DO NOT drive this car daily ...well it hasnt been driven since maybe June of last year but even if it was in driveable condition...this car does not get driven but once every week or 2.

Edited by Bucky92
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