Volvo Penta gearbox oil

[Plevier]

VP have gone through a confusing shift on gearbox oils, this is the MS10 reverse gear not saildrive.
For my MD2020D they say ATF or specification CD 15W-40 engine oil giving you a choice.
For early D1-20, the successor very similar engine with apparently the identical gearbox, they say ATF, no option of 15W-40.
For the latest D1-20F they say 15W-40, no specification given, no option of ATF.

This inclines me to use 15W-40 in mine rather than ATF.

Any comments from gearbox or oil experts please?

 

[pvb]

Either of the recommended oils would be fine your your gearbox. These gearboxes don't run fast or have huge loads.

 

[vyv_cox]

ATFs have a considerable loading of anti-oxidant and anti-foam, needed for automotive gearboxes but much less so for a marine one. Most engine oils have sufficient anti-wear additives for marine gearbox use. Your problem now is buying any oils to API CD and you may be forced to use something else, maybe API CF.

 

[Plevier]

ATFs have a considerable loading of anti-oxidant and anti-foam, needed for automotive gearboxes but much less so for a marine one. Most engine oils have sufficient anti-wear additives for marine gearbox use. Your problem now is buying any oils to API CD and you may be forced to use something else, maybe API CF.

Yes, CD was specified for my model 2002 engine and the gearbox in my previous boat (must change my user name to Troubadour, how do I do that?!) and I could never get it.

Does the spec matter for the gearbox?
For my 2020D (year 2002) they are specifying 15W-40 CH-4 or E5 for the engine and 15W-40 CD (or ATF) for the gearbox. Wonder if the CD was deliberate or accidental carry over?
For the latest D1-20F they are specifying 15W-40 CH-4 or E7 for the engine and 15W-40 for the gearbox but without a specification, from which you might assume (a) the same as the engine or (b) it doesn't matter.


What sort of viscosity is ATF, isn't it a lot thinner? Is ATF multigrade?

I know you feel strongly about CD for old diesels, what do you think of them now specifying CH-4 or E7?

Just found another thing. VP specified Dexron II or III. Both are now superseded by Dexron VI for automatics BUT GM warn this is not suitable for some manual transmissions that should now use something different! Wonder if that could be connected?


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb222/Z15_34396/New Auto Related/IMG_0433.jpg

 

[vyv_cox]

Volvo seem to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach for their engines. Their own branded oil is CH-4 (I think) and no doubt this is ideal for the big, turbo-charged mobo engines they make. It surprises me a lot that anyone would specify the same oil for every engine in the range, no oil company would say the same, but I'm not going to argue.

Several ATFs are multigrade 15W/40

Can't answer the Dexron question but I can tell you that oil companies change their products considerably, while keeping the same names. Some Shell examples - Rimula X and Tellus T current products are totally different from what they were 10 years ago.