ZF286A Rotella T-6

[deraldlary]

I have a ZF 286A mated to a QSC 8.3 600.  I have been using Rotella T6 15w-40 in the engine.  Any problem with using the same Rotella T6 in the transmission?  Maybe it will help reduce gear chatter at idle?

Topic

[John]

I seem to recall T6 not being ideal for QSC at least.

Maybe someone can chime in.

[deraldlary]

Most of the oils listed in the ZF document are not readily available in the US.  Shell Rimula R6 10w-40 is a fully synthetic oil and approved by ZF.   I wonder if it is similar to the Shell T6 available in the US?  One of the few 15w-40 oils on ZFs approved and readily available in the US Rotella T-4.  I guess I can use that in my genset and my transmission and leave the T-6 for the motor.  

 

The latest ZF oil recommendations are dated Jan 2023

[Steve Lewis]

Tony’s Tips……………….

“The recommendation of the manufacturer should be followed”

To that end, there is an article in Tony’s Tips that indicates ZF Lube recommendations.  You can see that Tony took a screen shot of the relevant listing

ZF Marine Transmission Oil Specifications (as of JAN 2022)

Teach a man to fish…………..

 

[Gene Fuller]

The lubrication requirements for engines and transmissions are quite different.

Yes, both need protection from metal-on-metal abrasion, but that is about where the similarities end.

Engines run hotter and have to deal with various combustion chemicals that find their way into the oil. Transmissions do not need to deal with combustion products, but they need certain friction characteristics to support the basic plate-on-plate system.

Multigrade oils can be a special problem if they are not listed as acceptable. For example, 15W-40 is a 15 weight oil that has special ingredients to thicken the oil when the temperature rises. In an engine this works correctly. In a transmission the oil never gets very hot and the viscosity remains low. Full synthetics work in a similar manner.

Of course the transmission can be engineered to use almost anything. However, any given transmission model was already engineered and tested in a specific manner.

The recommendations from the manufacturer should be followed.

[Rob Schepis]

But the T6 is fully synthetic..

1 user thanked author for this post.

John

[Tony Athens]

It’s listed & approved

[John]

Don’t know about problems but it’s not listed on ZF’s list as an option to use so I wouldn’t use it.

[Author]

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