Just wanting to see what everyone is using and see what people would recommend..

oddly enough I have heard that the Honda ATF is great for the t-56 but i thought that was kind of strange.

what do you guys think?

 

I used just regular Dex/merc III, pretty sure it was panther **** haha. The brand was auto extra. Works just fine.

 

Haha so i guess its ok to go with cheap stuff.. on another note.. ive heard of guys taking off the shifter and pouring it down the whole rather than using the fill plug.. is this easier? im just worried about removing my shifter cause thats one of the things ive never done.. im assuming it cant be that difficult.. anything i should know with that?

 

I just use Mobile 1 synthetic ATF.

 

I use amsoil atf. I would not recommend mobile 1 i didnt have good luck with it. And yes you can just take the shifter off and fill it with 4qts its very easy, just use some rtv and seal it back update

 

search is your friend...
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...t56-fluid.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...-your-t56.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...l-support.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...ur-t-56-a.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...omesh-not.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...fluid-t56.html

 

I swear every time i use search I can never find anything haha

 

Penzoil synchromesh here. No complaints

 

For basic transmissions behind mild engines, I suggest a non synthetic ATF of your choice. In applications that are going to see a lot of abuse or behind engines making a lot of torque, I suggest a 50% blend of either Amsoil or Mobil 1 Atf with a special oil we started carrying about a year ago that has a special additive in it which allows the fluid to cling to the gears a little better under hard acceleration.

 

I used Mobil 1 ATF and haven't had any problems at all.

 

go advanced and search by section

 

I track and autox my camaro...i use the standard DexIII stuff. no issues. Just need to change it more often. There are minerals in the Dex III that are needed to lubricate the blockers (for the synchronizers) in the T56.

Obviously any synthetic will last longer but over time, the "ingredients" may accelerate the wear of those blockers, depending on the conditions the car is exposed too...

I changed blocker rings this year...I was running RP syncromax last year and since switched back DexIII...

That was my experience...

 

When i put my transmission back in this past spring, i poured the fluid down the shifter slot...its less messy than filling it from the fill plug underneath but more time consuming as you would need to remove the console, boot, and shifter...

if you're not changing the shifter, i would fill it from underneath seeing as how you will need to get under the car to drain the fluid anyways...

i highly highly recommend using a fluid pump...its inexpensive and you will not be required to curse needlessly.

 

I just switched to regular napa dex iii. I originally put mobil 1 atf in it, and it made my shifting feel very notchy. I read up online and switched to cheap dex iii and haven't been happier.

As far as filling it through the shifter, this is the only method I have ever used. I would recommend buying cobrabob's shifter gaskets instead of using silicone. It makes removal a lot easier and cleaner next time.

 

I was using mobil non-synthetic dex III in my rebuilt t56 and the 1-2 shift felt pretty notchy when cold...After reading a bunch of reviews on corvette forum I went switch redline d4 and it has def smoothed out the cold and warm shifts as well as quiet some of the gear noise down in the tranny. of course whether or not you can use synthetic depends on if you have the paper lined synchros or carbon ones... synthetic and paper dont mix.

 

I like Redline D4. I break em in for 1K miles with crappy DexIII any brand and then throw in the D4. I can definitely feel the shifting difference.

 

I've used regular Valvoline, Mobil 1 synthetic, and Pennzoil synchromesh and noticed zero difference between them. I will be trying Redline next since that's what I used in the Z28 and I did notice an improvement with it.

 

Redline D4 ATF synthetic...that is all I will ever put into my T56. It's expensive but my tranny has shifted like butter. I switched over to it 12 years ago.

 

listen to these guys. my t56 had a snatchy 1-2 shift when cold and even when warm sometimes. it would be notchy coming out of 1st and notchy going into 2nd. now even when cold coming out of 1st is smooth and going into 2nd it still a tad notchy at first but it slips right in with just a mechanical feeling. the d4 also has seemed to quiet the tranny down a good deal. it about 45 bucks for an oil change but if you only do it once every 30k its not a big deal lol

 

We like the Redline fluid a lot for someone that has the "notchiness" problem these trannies are known to have sometimes.

Also recommend Dex 3.