NW_Jim

I have been real reluctant to post on this topic.

I contacted Amsoil via E mail on 11-12- 02 and asked what the preferred product would be between their TGR Series 2000 75 - 90, AGL 80 - 90, or AGR 75 - 90?

Their response to me (same day) was "you can't really go wrong with any of our gear lubes in this application. The Series 2000 is our premium top of the line product designed for high performance type applications. Some may classify it as overkill for non racing use, but it has become the top seller for nearly all GL - 4 and GL - 5 applications."

This still does not answer you origional question.

I do remember a post here on OSO not long ago dealing with this very topic. I do not remember exactly how it went but some of the ingredients of either GL - 4 or GL - 5 would do damage to brass. I am assuming the Bravo drive must have brass in it somewhere for this to have been an issue.

I hope this helps in your quest for the truth.

Mark

Sorry...I thought you where looking for a good lube, other than the Merc ****.

Back4More, You obviously did not read my first post.

Also I would question why you were running the "Merc $hit" when IMCO recommends "Torco"?

There are quite a few good lubes other than the Merc fluids. Some seem to think there is just one. So far I have heard the suggestions from two reputable High Performance Bravo Drive dealers.

1) IMCO apparently suggest using Torco
2) Teague Custom Marine suggests using Amsoil

I am not going to suggest anything at this time. I usually respect the opinion of other professionals whose very livelihood depends on the reputation of thier product. While many of you here may very well be professionals, I have no way of ascertaining that.

There does seem to be a little hidden agenda on the part of some in this thread though.

I would guess all the lubes mentioned in this thread are fantastic in their own respects and may very well be superior to others in some applications. I WILL NOT bad mouth any of them. See next post for the answer I got from Amsoil.

I spoke with Amsoil Tech department this morning about the Gear Lube question and this is what I was told.

The AGT/ALU 80W-90 GL-4 they recommend is for the everyday boater with a 4 cyl or small block fishing boat stereotype.

The AGL 80W-90 GL-2 thru GL-5 that Teague recommends is the one they said is best suited for High Performance applications.

The Series 2000 TGR 75W-90 will work good in High Performance applications too and should give a little better longevity but is slightly poorer in the 4 ball wear test than the AGL fluid and a little more expensive. If you are boating in -45° weather, the pour point would be helpful too. Brrrrrrr....

So, I think my question was finally answered to my satisfaction about the GL-4 vs GL-5. What you individuals want to run is up to you. I obviously DO have an agenda, which is selling Amsoil products. I just wanted to know which one to sell. Sorry this turned into a product war. It was not intended to be that way at all.

the following is a visible subliminal message:

RUN AMSOIL GEAR LUBE OR YOUR DRIVE WILL FALL OFF YOUR BOAT AND SINK TO THE BOTTOM.


Thanks for everyone's help, especially Redline Oil. They were extremely helpful and very courteous.

This is Wild Rose Racing's P5-77 Sunsation sponsored by Amsoil

NW_Jim,

I have enjoyed this thread about the drive lubes. I know things can get a little heated, however I think many of the guys who've posted within this thread have made good contributions on the topic of gear lubes and made it extremely interesting as well. My post was only to keep things in focus---gear lubes.

Jim, I know you have been a member here since 2000 as I have and I have respected your input. This thread has been extremely interesting and thought provoking, and I believe it's been one of the best tech threads to date. I respect you for keeping your nose to the grind.

I figured Merc gears...Merc lube.
I figured wrong

Understand, I would have thought the Merc stuff was still the best a few months ago.

Might not have been the lube at all though. Could have been metal fatigue. With 800+ HP in front of any Bravo, your asking for problems. That's what the SSM's are for.

If you are going to run Redline, it's probably fine, I would just change it often till I could ascertain how quickly it was breaking down. I believe there are oil analyzing kits for figuring that stuff out. You might be able to tell just from looking at it. Good luck.