I drained the M46. Pumped in the new synthetic Type F. No wonder Volvo mandates type F. Woo-who....down shifted into first at 50!! (no I didn't let the clutch out...until 20 something).

Shifts the best of any fluid I have tried. OD works flawlessly.

Paul,

Does changing from standard ATF fluid to synthetic type F actually make it easier to shift gears. My daughter uses my brick and often complains that it is hard to shift, at least compared to other cars. Also, what effect would it have on the power steering?

How this for it an answer: It may!

But it won't help if the clutch is not properly adjusted (or worn, etc) or there is some linkage problem, or if the synchros are toast.

In a nutshell in a healthy tranny it will indeed improve all aspects of shifting, gear life, synchro life, effeciency, lube life and OD health.

I am going to try some of that synthetic type F. Any idea where I could get some?

Believe it or not there has been a run on the stuff - no not a bunch of M46 heads - more like a bunch of AT nuts (of all car species) that want rock solid, no slip shifts in their auto trannies. The juice is called: Supershift Racing Transmission Fluid. (Product # ART and will even work great in AW-70/71/72 for Volvo nuts who want hard, no slip shifts.)

Some Amsoil distribution centers, such as Portland, have run out, but should have received a big shipment on Friday at the latest.

To acquire some "ART" click on my link or call 800-956-5695 and be sure to use customer #515719.

Paul, I just put redline mtl in. Damn, now you tell me about this stuff. I'll be driving down to va. from ny in may, I will switch before then. Did you have the mtl in? Is it that much better. Cause when I put in the mtl, man did it shift smoother.........

Nothing wrong with MTL. I does shift GREAT. But it is not recommended by Volvo and there is a possibility (in the very LONG term) that the OD cone clutch could slip. I know many have run it for a few years without problems. But once I learned a little, (and learned from Duane) I think I want to stick with a product without friction modifiers, and of the type directly recommended. (to the point of withdrawing my original recommendation of the Amsoil series 2000)

Now that you have retracted your once esteemed recommendation of the Amsoil series 2000, you are going to owe a few of us a burger when we stop by! Are you also retracting your recommendation for muffler bearing lube? Duane had to don a fire suit when he made his famous post on lubricant for the M46/OD. You better go get one with your retraction.

I don't remember the details of Duane's post other than use Type F, right?

Actually crow tastes lousy even with Tobasco. A burger, now that's a different steak. I did run it without any problems at all, but some folks had some synchro fun in really cold weather. Amends have been made, and no mechanical parts suffered (in fact they probably wore less - but lets not go there) All you want is a burger? You sure?

Oh and I didn't even drop the rear cover to drain the OD. I had the car on ramps in front and four jack stands and a floor jack in rear....I just opened both the fill and drain plugs let it drain then ran the car off the ground very shortly and got over 2 qts out. Plugged and pump filled with ART, the fluids are fully compatible.

How about Amsoil Synthetic ATF? I understand not using Series 2000 85W-90, but does the universal ATF work?

The universal synthetic ATF will still work and does meet ALL the requirements of type F, but the ART is a better match for a manual tranny.