Couple of queries from a newbie

[Colin Wilks]

Looking through the 1934 Austin Seven Handbook, I notice a couple of anomalies between it and the very welcome advice I have received so far, both on here and from fellow PWA7 club members.

Firstly, gearbox oil - the handbook advises against using "thick" gear oil as this will lead to bearing seizure, but today most people seem to recommend GL-4 EP90 for the gearbox? Apologies to the old hands who may be yawning at this subject being brought up again, but reading the "Engine Oil" post from October last year it does seem that there are two schools of thought about what to use in the gearbox.

   

Secondly, upper cylinder lubricant - the handbook advises its use, but nobody has mentioned this to me as being worthwhile. Am I missing something, or is this recommendation just Austin doing a bit of promotion for the oil companies' products? (I've always considered things like Redex etc to be on a par with snake oil).

   

[Steve Jones]

I don't think you can buy traditional Upper Cylinder Lubricant any more. Certainly, what is sold today as Redex is different stuff and has an advertised different purpose to what was traditionally sold as Redex. A shot of self-mixing two stroke oil to each tank full of petrol doesn't do any harm and might keep the valves lubricated. Engine oil is fine in the gearbox but 75w90 Semi Synthetic transmission oil is much, much better. Something like Millers TRX but there are, of course, others.

Steve

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Hi Colin,

I have only ever used 20/50 in the gearboxes of all my cars and only ever unleaded fuel, all without any sort of additive, since around 1990. In that time I have driven a combined mileage of about 250000 miles without any issue I could attribute to them..

I was concerned about the negative predictions when ethanol was included into the fuel mix but have yet to suffer any problems, in my Austin Sevens.

Hope this helps.