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Fluid Brands for 2005 Jeep Wrangler X

2K views 22 replies 5 participants last post by  T.Wagner 
#1 ·
Hi All,

I'm am going to do a total fluid change on my Jeep pretty soon and I want to know which brands you all prefer to use with your Jeep. I have a stock 2005 Wrangler X with the NSG370 6-speed and the D30/35 setup.

So far I have found that Zerex G-05 is a great option for coolant, so that is what I will probably go with.

As for the engine oil, I will probably go with Pennzoil Platinum or Mobil 1 synthetic.

What brands and types of fluid do you like to use for your manual transmission, transfer case, and axles? I have heard transmissions can be a little picky with fluid, so I want to be sure I get something compatible.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Personally, I'd be happy with any major brand of lubricant. I normally run Valvoline but would be just as happy with other brands like Castrol, Pennzoil, Mobil, Shell, NAPA, etc. There's no way I'd pay extra to run some expensive "boutique" oil like Royal Purple, and I wouldn't run Amsoil because I hate their (my personal opinion) deceptive and misleading dealer and website claims.

For those of us who live in temperate climates like you and I do, I would not and never have paid extra to run synthetic engine oils. I would in the dead of winter in places like Minnesota where synthetic is definitely a better choice but that's it.

Not to mention many axle manufacturers like Currie and Dynatrac changed their warranties several years ago to require their customers only run conventional gear lubes in their axles to keep the warranty in effect. It was surprisingly discovered that the gears inside an axle run cooler when lubed with a conventional gear lube. They were having too many gear failures on extreme use axles that were filled with synthetics. True. Not that many of us here would have problems running a synthetic gear lube in our axles, it's just an interesting data point. :)
 
#3 ·
Personally, I'd be happy with any major brand of lubricant. I normally run Valvoline but would be just as happy with other brands like Castrol, Pennzoil, Mobil, Shell, NAPA, etc. There's no way I'd pay extra to run some expensive "boutique" oil like Royal Purple, and I wouldn't run Amsoil because I hate their deceptive and misleading dealer and website claims.

For those of us who live in temperate climates like you and I do, I would not and never have paid extra to run synthetic engine oils. I would in the dead of winter in places like Minnesota where synthetic is definitely a better choice but that's it.

Not to mention many axle manufacturers like Currie and Dynatrac changed several years ago to require their customers only run conventional gear lubes in their axles to keep the warranty in effect. It was surprisingly discovered that the gears inside an axle run cooler when lubed with a conventional gear lube. They were having more gear failures on extreme use axles that were filled with synthetics. True. :)
Ah Jerry, we meet again. You might as well just give me your phone number so I can call you every day with all my questions :)

Thanks for your input. I just want to make sure I do the proper stuff to take care of everything. My Jeep is 11 years old and squeaks a ton (probably because the bushings have never been replaced and are all dry by now) but she only has about 18k miles so the engine and trans should last me a looooooooong while!

I have my checklist of things I want to do. First is replace all the fluids. Then I have to check out my rear control arms because there's a click when loading or unloading the rear axle. Then I have to check everything else :p
 
#5 ·
Yup! A California car, purchased in Escondido and stayed there her whole life. Must have been a weekend car or something!

I wasn't really looking when I decided to buy her a few weeks ago, but I saw the miles and it was just too good to pass up... To me everything seems to be in great shape besides a couple squeaks.
 
#8 ·
Wow OldPueblo, interesting research! Would their conventional oils have the same additives as well? I'd love to save the money if I could! Jerry mentioned that synthetic may not be necessary for me. I've always heard that synthetic was better than conventional, but I've never really seen any direct comparisons or analysis.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I'm not looking for an argument but my personal opinion is that extra zinc, while absolutely required for high performance high compression engines with high tappet pressures on the camshaft, is absolutely not needed for a standard low compression Jeep engine.

To most people, that would be easily self evident from the lack of problems with our engines being run on normal high quality engine lubricants like Valvoline, castrol, etc.. If we all were having abnormal lifter/tappet/camshaft wear we'd all be screaming our heads off. Are we? Nope. It's a non-issue except to a few conspiracy theorists.

Anyone here reporting anything but 200—250k mile engine lifes before needing an overhaul? Anything but that is rare. To hear some, we should be experiencing engine failures just from not running synthetic engine lubes. Personally, I've never had any serious engine issues, no blown engines, no pistons through the block, no cam failures, or anything even close in 50 years of driving on nothing but conventional motor oils. :)
 
#10 ·
Jerry, why do you suggest that conventional is fine over synthetic based on climate? Does synthetic flow better when it's very cold, but being that we never experience real cold temperatures it's not necessary?
 
#12 ·
The 4.0 isn't a performance engine however. The lifter geometry is very poor. Google will show you destroyed cam lobes and lifters. The angle is wrong and the lifter do not redily rotate like they should.

Valvoline vr1 is a conventional oil that has 1400 phosphorus and 1300ppm zinc. I bought some from summit or jegs. I haven't used it, because I had to order it, and Walmart had rotella t6. (It took 2weeks for some reason for the case of oil to show up)... I decided on rotella t6 because it is synthetic and synthetic oil is superior.

I should tell you that I work in the oil industry as a process technician for a major refiner. .. not shell!!

Edit to add... oils labeled as race oil do not have to comply with epa standards as they are for off highway use... sounds great because you get high levels of zddp, but too much (in a worn engine) can lead to catalytic converter failure... not an issue with a true race engine since they don't have them.
 
#14 ·
Alright, got all my fluids just a little while ago.

-Valvoline Synthetic 10W-30 (price wasn't much more than Dino oil so I went with it)
-Zerex G-05 for antifreeze
-Valvoline Conventional Gear Oil 80W-90 for front and rear end
-Pennzoil Syncromesh Manual Trans Fluid
-Vavoline Synthetic ATF +4 for transfer case and power steering

What kind of brake fluid do I need to get? I know there are a few kinds and I can look through the service manual but I figure you guys probably already know :)
 
#15 ·
DOT 3 brake fluid is what is spec'd for our brake system. DOT 4 could be used in its place but it has to be changed more than a DOT 3 because it starts picking up moisture sooner. A combination DOT 3/4 would be fine.

A better transmission lube for your NV3550 would have been the fully synthetic Redline MTL vs. the conventional Pennzoil Synchromesh. Not everyone likes how their transmissions shift after filling them with Pennzoil or GM (same product) Synchromesh.
 
#16 ·
Cool, thanks.

As for the transmission I have the NSG370 6-speed. From what I can tell earlier models had different types of fluid you could use, but there are few offerings that meet the required type for the 6-speed tranny.
 
#19 ·
This weekend I changed my motor oil, transmission fluid, and transfer case fluid. I wound up using the Pennzoil for the tranny because I was unable to locate any of the Redline stuff and I love the way it shifts now. I think the fluid in there was really old so draining and refilling with the Pennzoil seems to have made a big difference.

This week I want to do my axles (I have gaskets coming in the mail sometime this week). Do you use RTV on the differential covers or do you just use the gasket?
 
#20 ·
I changed my front and rear differential oil yesterday. Rear looked fine, but front was contaminated with water.

Here's a question for ya. It seems like both the front and rear differentials have some kind of tube attached to the top of them. The rear one seems to run up to above the fuel tank, but right now my front one is just dangling and not attached to anything. I suspect that this is how the water got into my differential because when I moved it water came out. Are these breather tubes and are they factory equipment?

For the time being I took the front tube and ran it up the drivers side of the radiator and attached it to the top side facing upwards with a bolt that was already on there. If this is factory equipment and supposed to be mounted in a specific location maybe someone can post a picture of how it is routed and where it is attached so I can do the same.

Thanks!
T
 
#21 ·
The breather tubes are factory. The front differential breather tube comes up on the right side of the radiator right where you installed it. Ventilation is necessary to maintain seals since the air in the differential will expand with heat. The end of the tube should have a check valve that prevents water or other contaminant from entering the tube.
 
#22 ·
Very interesting! Mine does have a white valve on the end with a cap and everything. I think it was just too low because it was dangling and got fully submerged on my most recent trip out. I'm glad I found that and installed it properly though! Should be good to go with those bad boys.

I have 3 more fluids to change; brakes, power steering, and coolant! Then on to the next parts of the checklist :D
 
#23 ·
Brake fluid is done. It was pretty dirty and literally had little bits of dirt in there.

They feel more responsive now and all of the sudden this click that I had seems to have disappeared. I'll have to keep listening, but if it's gone that was a real easy fix.
 
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