M38a1 Oil and Fluids

[jeeplvr247]

I am looking at replacing most of the fluids in my jeep before I attempt a long trip up north. My TM's all show old types of oil and lube that are not produced any more. What are most of you guys using for the engine. transmission, transfer case, and diffs. Also does anyone have a good source for rear wheel bearings?

 

[Beacher425]

There had been lots of discussion on fluids on other forums. here is what I use in my M38A1:

Steering box: 140w gear oil
Engine: Rotella T straight 30w
Trans: Redline MT-90 or Royal Purple MaxGear (must be safe for "soft yellow metals"
Transfer: Same as above
Diffs: 90w hypoid gear oil

Don't forget to oil your distributor with a small drop in the center.

Rear wheel bearings I believe are part number 706857 or Kaiser Willys 52800.
Lots of suppliers have them. Try Rapco or CSE Offroad among the others.

I have no local supplier fo the MT-90 so I order from Amazon.com

 

[jeeplvr247]

Thanks. I have not been able to spend too much time on the other forums because of my busy schedule. It is good to bring info like this to SS though, it seems like we are a little light on some of the M38A1 stuff. One more question, can you get all of the seals for the diffs and transfer case through local parts stores or is there a difference between the military dana axels and the civi's?

 

[Beacher425]

I am pretty sure they are the same. Do an internet search and you can find lots of parts suppliers. I havent had any trouble with the civi parts.

 

[mikes47jeep]

i get most my oils at NAPA
i get their off the shelf

80w-90 for the trans/transfer and rears

and 10W-30 for the engine

on these old machines it dosent seem to matter too much, because its way better lube than they would have had back in the day


on an other note i have used rotella 15w-40 diesel oil in my jeeps as well they like it just fine

 

[jeeplvr247]

From what I have seen it looks like the civi parts for the hubs will work but I just want to make sure I don't get everything torn apart just to not have the right parts on hand. I have a feeling it has been a very long time since anyone has been in this hub so it could be fun getting apart.

 

[jeeplvr247]

I went to get my gear oil today and quickly discovered that everything is GL5. I don't want to mess up my jeep but I cannot find GL4 for the life of me. I did see a GL1 gear oil, would that work OK in the trans, transfer case, and diffs?

 

[wilfreeman]

For some reason, nobody serviced the front ales on these things! It's not really a hard or expensive job either. I'd much rather clean and grease them than have to replace the bearings!

 

[foxmike]

Was reading on one of the other boards about folks using GL-1. NAPA has gallon jugs of it.

 

[JGBallew]

For some reason, nobody serviced the front ales on these things! It's not really a hard or expensive job either. I'd much rather clean and grease them than have to replace the bearings!

Cause it's messy, and a lot of people are afraid of that kind of work.

 

[wilfreeman]

Yeah, I was too - once I did it, I saw how easy it was.

 

[jeeplvr247]

Does the GL1 offer an acceptable level of protection or do I need to wait to find GL4? I want to so it right so I don't have to replace anything

 

[foxmike]

Hopefully linking to another forum is OK.
Willys M Jeeps Forums-viewtopic-Gear lube

 

[jeeplvr247]

That is helpful but it did not really say if GL1 will work or not. I will probably go with the NAPA GL1 for the trans and transfer case. GL5 is fine for the diffs right? I have not seen anything about them having yellow metal.