what Oil/fluid for my 5speed manual trans

i have a 2000 323i, the seals on my trans went bad so all the fluid drained out...
i drove for a bit not noticing it and 1st started singing to me then 2nd and 5th started giving me problems... i filled it with fluid and within 3 days it was empty its my only car so i ordered new seals and drove the car well long story short i got the parts 2 days late and the trans was broken, neutral became reverse and 1st-5th locked the trans... well i bought a new trans and i am trying to find what fluid to use in it, royal purple? any thing better?

if i recall correctly bmw uses a clear tranny fluid i'd for SURE talk to the dealer unless you want to buy another tranny. again this is from memory but i believe it's a very small amount of fluid like 1 oz

1oz? No....

Originally Posted by xixixi

if i recall correctly bmw uses a clear tranny fluid i'd for SURE talk to the dealer unless you want to buy another tranny. again this is from memory but i believe it's a very small amount of fluid like 1 oz

I use Redline.

mtf-lt2

Redline MTL, while you're at it RL 75-90 the diff.

so royal purple 75-90 isn't good?
and its about 1.5 quarts... 1 oz. is almost none...

MTL = Manual trans liquid ?
whats the difference between this and gear oil?

thanks, so i did it this weekend, i took out the old broken trans, took the used one i bought and put new seals on it cleaned it up bolted it up drained it and filled it with that Redline MTL stuff.. and yes it looked like ATF fluid!! lol,
i drained the differential and filled it with the royal purple gear oil i bought both trans and diff took about 1.5 quarts...
i had a few surprises when taking off the trans, one bolt was seized so i drilled it out/tapped it/thread insert/good as new, the other surprise was on of the bolts was missing!!! it was the hardest one to get to so i guess the mechanic that worked on it last thought it wasn't that necessary... i replaced the broken bolt and found a bolt for the one that was missing... on top of this BMW uses the oddest nuts and bolts!!! torques head nuts for the trans and a 20mm allen for the differential fill/drain plugs!!! and some of the bolts on that trans are hard to get to!!!!!
well all in all i'm a happy guy i have my car back and i got done early so i threw on some springs, my car sits a few inches lower an drives great!!!

Originally Posted by kami9a

MTL = Manual trans liquid ?
whats the difference between this and gear oil?

MTL is a gear oil - for the tranny. It's a GL4 so don't put it in the diff or else you'll be looking for a new diff. You need a GL5 for the diff. Use Redline 75W-90.

I've used MTL for years in the tranny of my E30 and in my E46. Simply the best!

Originally Posted by markusmarkus

MTL is a gear oil - for the tranny. It's a GL4 so don't put it in the diff or else you'll be looking for a new diff. You need a GL5 for the diff. Use Redline 75W-90.

I've used MTL for years in the tranny of my E30 and in my E46. Simply the best!

This backs up my #5 post. I would not steer the OP wrong!

thanks you guys!!! i picked up the Redline MTL at a shop (bullet performance) in Costa Mesa CA, great guys!!! they only work on BMW's!!!!
i used it in the trans and its been 4 days since i installed the gearbox and its running great!!! i ended up putting the Royal purple 75w-90 in the differential and it is silent so I'm happy there too!!
again thanks for all your help!!!!

Good to hear. I put the Redline 70w-90 in mine at 80k miles, now, at over 120k it still shifts like new!

I changed my manual trans fluid at 57,000 miles to Amsoil MTF Synchromesh. Shifts like new ever since. Glides into gears and not so chunky in the winter time either. The so called "Life Time" fluid was dirty when I drained it. Do not believe this Life Time fluid stuff. Do it every 40k - 50k and your synchros will last much longer. For those who have doubts on the weight, 5w30 is about the same as 70w80 gear oil. The newest BMW MTF Lifetime Fluid is thinner than LT-1.

Originally Posted by Pantera2000

I changed my manual trans fluid at 57,000 miles to Amsoil MTF Synchromesh. Shifts like new ever since. Glides into gears and not so chunky in the winter time either. The so called "Life Time" fluid was dirty when I drained it. Do not believe this Life Time fluid stuff. Do it every 40k - 50k and your synchros will last much longer. For those who have doubts on the weight, 5w30 is about the same as 70w80 gear oil. The newest BMW MTF Lifetime Fluid is thinner than LT-1.

Welcome to E46Fanatics.

I've always liked Redline D4 ATF for my BMW manual transmissions, as the MTL gets far too thick in the cold-ish winters we have here (avg30-34*F) and it doesn't get too slick during the summer, so it is, in my opinion, the ideal "all 'rounder". MTL was good in the summer (75-90F) but as soon as fall came about, I changed it. I've used it many times and have had no problems or disappointments, and it works fantastically in combination with a UUC v3SSK and DSSR with an OEM ZHP knob and UUC "Black" Transmission Mounts (plus RL 75w90 in the diff and PowerFlex/MeyleHD diff bushings/mounts).