The Transmission Oil Mystery

It appears that Toyota changed their recommendations for transmission oils for the MR2 over the years. Here are some scans from various Toyota BGBs. Note that the thumbnails lead to some quite large .gif images, so if you have a slow connection (like me) they may take a few moments to download.

BGB Model Year BGB Cover Transaxle Scan 1 Scan 2 Scan 3
1991 1991 BGB cover S54 1991 BGB, page MT-2 1991 BGB, page A-19 1991 BGB, page MT-4
1992 1992 BGB cover S54 1992 BGB, page MT-2 1992 BGB, page A-16 1992 BGB, page MT-4
1993 (Aug. 1992-) 1993 BGB cover S54 1993 BGB, page MX-2 1993 BGB, page MX-6 1993 BGB, page MX-17
1994   S54      
1995   S54      
1991 1991 BGB cover E153 1991 BGB, page MT-2 1991 BGB, page A-19 1991 BGB, page MT-4
1992 1992 BGB cover E153 1992 BGB, page MT-2 1992 BGB, page A-16 1992 BGB, page MT-4
1993 (Aug. 1992-) 1993 BGB cover  E153 1991 BGB, page MX-2 1991 BGB, page MX-7 1991 BGB, page MX-18
1994   E153      
1995   E153      

Since it looks like Toyota changed their recommendations over the years, I'd appreciate people emailing me scans of the same pages from the BGBs missing above, as long as they are different from those above. Please include full-size page scans at 72 dpi, converted to .gif format and make sure you include the front cover. I'll compile this information into the table below. If you can help, please email your scans to me at cars [at] noegruts [dot] com.

BGB Model Year Transaxle Oil Capacity (w/LSD) Oil Capacity (w/o LSD) Oil Viscosity Oil Grade
1991 S54 N/A 2.6 liters/2.7 US quarts N/S “ATF Dexron II” (?)
1992 S54 N/A 2.6 liters/2.7 US quarts SAE 75W-90 API GL-3, GL-4 or GL-5
1993 (Aug. 1992-) S54 N/A 2.6 liters/2.7 US quarts SAE 75W-90 API GL-3, GL-4 or GL-5
1994 S54 N/A 2.6 liters/2.7 US quarts SAE 75W-90 API GL-3 or GL-4
1995 S54 N/A 2.6 liters/2.7 US quarts SAE 75W-90 API GL-3, GL-4 or GL-5
1991 E153 N/A 4.2 liters/4.4 US quarts N/S “Transaxle oil E50 or equivalent”
1992 E153 N/A 4.2 liters/4.4 US quarts N/S “Transaxle oil E50 or equivalent”
1993 (Aug. 1992-) E153 3.9 liters/4.1 US quarts 4.2 liters/4.4 US quarts SAE 75W-90 or 80W-90 API GL-3, GL-4 or GL-5
1994 E153 3.9 liters/4.1 US quarts 4.2 liters/4.4 US quarts SAE 75W-90 or 80W-90 API GL-3, GL-4 or GL-5
1995 E153 3.9 liters/4.1 US quarts 4.2 liters/4.4 US quarts SAE 75W-90 API GL-3, GL-4 or GL-5

Thanks to Avery for supplying the 1991, 1994 and 1995 BGB data, to Edward for providing the 1991 BGB scans and to Terry for providing the 1992 BGB scans. If anybody can provide scans from the 1994 or 1995 BGBs, please email me.

Redline Transmission Oils

So, from this information, what Redline gear oils are appropriate for the 1991-1995 US-spec MR2s? I've made a series of recommendations below. Your feedback is appreciated - just let me know what you think by emailing me at cars [at] noegruts [dot] com.

For 1991-1995 S54 transmissions: Redline MT-90. I think that the BGB specification of ATF for the 1991 transmission is a mistake. Since the 1992 BGB specifies a 75W-90 gear oil MT-90 should work just fine.

For 1991-1992 E153 transmissions: [need to figure out what “Transaxle oil E50 or equivalent” is exactly...can anybody provide more info?]

For 1993-1995 E153 transmissions: Redline MT-90. I've used this in the transmission in my 93T and it worked great.

Note that the fact that your MR2 may have the limited-slip differential option is of no importance in selecting the appropriate gear oil for the transmission. The reason for this is that on the MR2 the differential is separate from the transmission itself and has its own oil supply. The only thing it changes is how much fluid you need - E153 transmissions with an LSD need a little less than those without.

Redline MT-90 is a 75W-90 weight, GL-4 rated, gear oil. See http://www.redlineoil.com/ for definitive information on Redline lubricants and my MT-90 page for information on where to obtain this oil if you can’t locate it locally.

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