Friction Modifier
 

Hey all,

I'm planning on changing my transmission fluid to amsoil synthetic gl-4 in the spring time.
I have roughly 3.5k on the car now and would like to remove the initial metal from break-in and try to combat the hard shifts and diff whine.

I was reading on the amsoil webpage that with there synthetic gear lubes you usually do not require the addition of additives.

Does anyone have experience with there fluid? I was considering ordering with my fluid a small bottle of their "slip-lock" friction modifier to quiet and maybe ever further smooth the action of the transmission and lsd.

Would the friction modifier damage the transmission/diff?

Yes, I have the 75w90 Amsoil in my trans for about 25,000 miles with no additives, in fact the shifting is very smooth with no snags, grinds, or whines.

did you have any issues before the fluid swap?

No, the car had less than 2,000 miles on it when I changed it.

read this thread http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...n-cured-45288/

the ford fluid is the way to go

I had read that thread previous to posting mine. I was just curious to the nature of friction modifiers and if they were a good idea in amsoil. It seems to me that just as many people are getting results from synthetic fluid changes as changes to the ford fluids.

a) Neither the Mazda 3 Shop manual nor the Mazda owners manual specifies addition of friction modifiers to the manual transmission fluid.
b) The Ford Fluid is a synthetic
c) The 2010 MS3 manual specs a less viscous fluid (than the Gen 1) to aid shifting

Frankly, with all the concern these days for fuel mileage, building a trans spec'd for MTF is stupid. I think it was done because the hot climates these trans were made in don't have issues with hard shifting, etc.

There's absolutely no reason not to design the trans around a lower viscosity fluid like ATF. ATF has shear and heat resistance properties that laugh in the face of MTF, why more manufacturers don't insist on its use for manual transmissions I don't know.

I used Redline Mt-90 and, while shifting was ok, it wasn't slick, especially cold. The diff whine was driving me nuts so, I shot 4 oz of fricmod in there and the trans shifts better than ever, with no diff whine. Bear in mind, fricmod will reduce the life of your trans fluid, so you might have to change it out every 5 years instead of every 10, lol.

^^ I shot 4 oz of fricmod - can you give us some info on this ? type, brand, cost etc ? thanks, my tranny diff whine is gettin old and I'm running the mt90 fluid now

My 2010 has a real problem shifting into second gear until it's warmed up. I have to double clutch or skip to third (I try not to do this). Once it's warm, it's fine. All of my mt cars I have owned have been a bit tough to shift in the cold, but the MS3 is the worst. Once the car is warm however, it shifts like butter! I might try the different fluid and see if it solves my problem. My TL had a third gear engagement problem in the cold (very common with Honda transmissions), and a swap to GM fluid did wonders.

Friction modifier is available at any Ford dealer for a couple bucks. It was used in millions of Ford vehicles from the 70s through to today that have Traction Lok rear ends. It was formulated to reduce plate chatter in tight turns. It's also known as "fish oil" because it smells like rotting fish. Any Ford counter guy can help you out with this.

As for the 2010, try just letting the car break in a bit more before changing anything. It's not unusual for a trans to be pretty tight for quite a while when new.

I have used red line and amsoil and have used the friction modifier with both and have had no issuse. I recomend it because the diff does whine without.

So what kind of diff is our LSD? Friction modifier will not negatively effect anything inside the transmission?

I have read that the Mazdaspeed3 has this:

http://www.gkndriveline.com/drivelin...super-lsd.html

http://www.gkndriveline.com/drivelin.../Super_LSD.pdf

It talks about a conical clutch in the .pdf, generally clutch type LSD's require some friction modifier either added or already included in the fluid.
I just used the Motorcraft stuff and at this point can recommend it part number XT-M5-QS, no added friction modifier was required.
EDIT: I do have some LSD noise on cold first movement with tight turns, so maybe could use a touch of friction modifier. But seriously I am not going to bother with it. The shifting is much better than whatever was in there before.

It's a cone style diff, like an Auburn. It won't be harmed by a little fricmod, any more than a plate will. It will make it slightly less effective, as an LSD but, less grabby, which is what the noise is.

Jury's still out on mixing fricmod with the bronze blocker rings and bits in the box itself. Some hold they need a bit of extra grab to work but, I've noticed no indications of synchronisation issues, even with flat-foot shifting at the track.

I agree.... Fric mod generally is a noise reducer that shortens fluid life a bit. Neon SRT-4's are the same way.... If you are in the cold, add the fric mod and get less whine. But generally not needed... and they use ATF in the trannies as well. Amsoil ATF is what I used.