Screwdriver viscosity test: Mobil 3309 is not OE ATF

[zanzabar]

Seriously, has anyone had good experiences with low viscosity ATF?

Apparently Maxlife is one of these: @40C= 28.8 cSt; @100C = 5.9 cSt. Maxlife seem to work ok?

[vtl]

The difference from what I gather from the googles is between kinematic viscosity (screwdriver test) and absolute viscosity (real measurement).

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Rea ... -viscosity

"The efflux time can also be converted to kinematic viscosities (centistokes, cSt) through the conversion equations"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscosity

[packetfire]

C'mon guys. What is this, the Donald Trump school of tribology?

Not that I am an expert in this stuff, but dripping off of a screwdriver obviously has little to do with viscosity measurements that describe a fluid's behavior inside an engine or transmission.

Yeah, try and lend a hand, and get shouted down.
A discussion of density would have to first focus on the density of the critics before one could discuss density of the fluids.

[vtl]

Seriously, has anyone had good experiences with low viscosity ATF?

Apparently Maxlife is one of these: @40C= 28.8 cSt; @100C = 5.9 cSt. Maxlife seem to work ok?

Worked really well being mixed with Mobil (drain Mobil & fill Valvoline). After third drain&fill gearbox started to shift worse, and it got better with another d&f, now back with Mobil. So, whatever Volvo puts into our transmission, it has viscosity in between Valvoline MaxLife and Mobil 3309.

So far, with one Aisin 0T4 d&f my 11 years old car shifts better than 2016 XC60 T5 we bought few weeks ago for my wife to replace her 2002 V70, which shifts the best among our 3 Volvos V70 has a refurbished valve body and is filled with Idemitsu Type-TLS, which has a bit lower viscosity than Mobil 3309.

[abscate]

I'm sure transmission operation is a function of kinematic viscosity at operating temperature which is a long way from the trademarked screwdriver test. Actual in use experience is the best guide.

[vtl]

I'm sure transmission operation is a function of kinematic viscosity at operating temperature which is a long way from the trademarked screwdriver test. Actual in use experience is the best guide.

Did you see any examples for two fluids, A and B, when cSt@40 A < B, but cSt@100 A > B?

[abscate]

I'm sure transmission operation is a function of kinematic viscosity at operating temperature which is a long way from the trademarked screwdriver test. Actual in use experience is the best guide.

Did you see any examples for two fluids, A and B, when cSt@40 A < B, but cSt@100 A > B?

basically that condition is the operating principle of early viscous couplers, but I think if fluids A and B are same purposed then I would think they trend together.

[zanzabar]

Seriously, has anyone had good experiences with low viscosity ATF?

Apparently Maxlife is one of these: @40C= 28.8 cSt; @100C = 5.9 cSt. Maxlife seem to work ok?

Worked really well being mixed with Mobil (drain Mobil & fill Valvoline). After third drain&fill gearbox started to shift worse, and it got better with another d&f, now back with Mobil. So, whatever Volvo puts into our transmission, it has viscosity in between Valvoline MaxLife and Mobil 3309.

So far, with one Aisin 0T4 d&f my 11 years old car shifts better than 2016 XC60 T5 we bought few weeks ago for my wife to replace her 2002 V70, which shifts the best among our 3 Volvos V70 has a refurbished valve body and is filled with Idemitsu Type-TLS, which has a bit lower viscosity than Mobil 3309.

What sort of qualities or shifting behavior do you describe as "shifts better"? I'm guessing you mean engages more quickly without any jolts, and no rpm flares or slipping...something like that? I will be doing the same experiment as you have done by mixing the Eneos ATF with Mobil in a drain and fill. I find that my trans (with 100% 3309 fluid) shifts fairly well in the higher gears but low gears seems to slip a bit in first when starting out and 1>2 shift is kinda slow.

[vtl]

What sort of qualities or shifting behavior do you describe as "shifts better"? I'm guessing you mean engages more quickly without any jolts, and no rpm flares or slipping...something like that?

"Better shifting" is how you shift your car with the stick when you own it for longer than two weeks: no one else in the car notices when you change the gear.