Direct drive transmission oil -- wrong weight?

[shanenc14]

I posted the text below in my previous thread, but decided to create a new thread, as this is off topic, and I need opinions on this kind of quickly

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I feel like an idiot at the moment... I was just finishing some cleanup from replacing the neutral drain pack yesterday, and realized I grabbed the wrong weight of gear oil.... 85w-140! Is this going to damage the gearcase? Should I drain and refill with 80w-90? **Sigh**

 

[qsd-dan]

85-140 oil comes in both synthetic and non synthetic varieties. Either way, it's generally thicker than standard non synth 80-90 when cold. If your washer is located in the house, run it without giving it a second thought. If it's out in the garage, it may be a bit too thick during the winter months.

 

[shanenc14]

It's inside the house, the gear oil I put in was SuperTech conventional gear oil 85w-140 from Wally world... After disassembling, cleaning every piece with paint thinner, re-assembling and installing a new neutral drain pack, and sealing with Permatex RTV blue, the machine seems to be running quieter than before...and actually neutral draining!

My only concern is the higher viscosity oil retaining too much heat due to it being thicker than it should be.

I'm not sure of the weight of the OEM Whirlpool gearcase oil, but everywhere I've looked online says to use 80w-90 conventional gear oil. Hopefully I don't have to pull and crack it back open...

 

[stricklybojack]

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I wouldn’t bother, it should be fine.

 

[shanenc14]

Thanks for the replies guys! If anyone else has input, feel free, I'm all ears. Just don't wanna do damage to the machine; they don't make 'em like that anymore, and never will, unfortunately.

 

[qsd-dan]

Thicker oil makes for quieter operation. I wouldn't give it a second thought if it's inside the house and the thicker oil will make it run a bit cooler, if it makes a difference at all. This isn't a differential on a tractor trailer hauling 80,000 pounds, it's just a washer. Relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

 

[combo52]

Oil For A DD Transmission

The heaver oil should not affect the life of the transmission much and does make it quieter running.

 

As long as the laundry room temperature does not get too low it should be fine, it will run a little hotter and the main motor will draw a little more power, but it is very doubtful it would hurt anything.

 

WP used a lighter oil because some washing machines are used in nearly freezing temperatures and with the heaver oil the motor may not even start at these temperatures.

 

John L.

 

[shanenc14]

I may end up draining and refilling with 80w-90 before warmer weather just to keep the transmission temp down and take some strain off the motor. There are days in warmer weather that the laundry area reaches mid to upper 80s due to no A/C ducting in that area of the house. Winter temps probably don't drop below 65 degrees, and that's during single digit cold snaps.

 

[shanenc14]

Spin up time

Would the heavier weight oil cause the machine to take a bit longer to reach full spin speed? Seems like it's taking a little longer than before. In the past the machine would be at full spin speed by the 2nd spray rinse in the final spin, even when doing a full load of towels, now I'd say it's taking an additional 15 to 20 seconds to reach full speed. I know it's not the clutch, as I put in a new one when I replaced the neutral drain pack.

 

[combo52]

Heaver oil will not affect spin acceleration, the clutch is the only thing that can slip, the motor is directly coupled to the transmission and the motor must run at full speed or it will cut off on the overload protector in less a minute, probably 10-15 seconds.

John L.

 

[shanenc14]

Maybe I should just go ahead and order OEM clutch, or better yet a OEM 6 pad HD clutch... The 3 pad I put in wasn't OEM, it was Supco...maybe it's made in China like most everything else...

 

[shanenc14]

6 pad clutch spring

If I was to order the clutch lining only for the six pad clutch, would I reuse the blue spring that's currently in the 3 pad clutch, or another spring? I have some green springs left over from previous 3 pad clutch kits.