Multi-grade gear oil; could this be the demise of Gulls...

[Colin]

I recently tried to purchase any amount of SAE 140 oil here in the Vancouver area. All I was able to find was multi-grade which is not much use in a Gull. I contacted the head office of every oil company in the country, only to be told it’s no longer produced.

I was able to get a couple of quarts from Sean in San Francisco (West Coast Contractors) and although his price is fair enough the cost of shipping, border brokerage fees and taxes will far exceed the price of the product.

With the production of multi-grade gear oils and Board Room decisions made by multi national companies, I can only assume what has already happened in Canada will be followed by oil companies internationally. I wonder if there is anything that can be added to 90 weight oil (still redily available) that will bring it up to the heavier 140 weight?

[rikanaka]

Try NAPA, ask them to order Stalube SAE 140 gear oil (SL24238).

This link is the the manufacturer's product info:

http://www.crcindustries.com/ei/content ... L24238&S=N. Get a gallon while you're at it.

It does have some additives, but I asked them to do a copper corrosion test last year and the results were acceptable (1B, tarnishing on prolonged immersion).

[Colin]

Thanks for the lead; I'll contact them in the morning and let you know how I make out.

[rikanaka]

You can also look for gear oils that are ISO 460 which is the equivalent of SAE 140 under the newer viscosity rating scale. Grainger carries it, at least in their online catalog: Mobil 634 which does have EP additives but 1B copper corrosion test results. I don't know if you have a store up there in BC but according to their website there is one in Bellingham, WA.

[Colin]

Thanks for the information.

I phoned the manufacturer, but they don't ship to Canada. NAPA in Canada don't carry it, but I'll send an email to NAPA and Grainger in the US and see if either will ship to Canada.

[rikanaka]

Don't know if this is available up your way, the straight mineral oil stuff, GL-1, no additives. I can get it locally from an oil distributor for about $60 USD/5 gallon pail (minimum order). Maybe you can ask a local oil distributor or someone else who deals in Chevron oil products to look up the P/N to see if they can get it for you. You may need to find other Seagullers to split a pail with you or be stuck with a several-lifetime supply! The following is from the MSDS sheet at the Chevron website:

Chevron RPM® Gear Oil

Product Number(s): CPS250403, CPS250408
Synonyms: Chevron RPM® Gear Oil SAE 140, Chevron RPM® Gear Oil SAE 90
Company Identification
ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants
6001 Bollinger Canyon Rd.
San Ramon, CA 94583
United States of America
www.chevronlubricants.com

Transportation Emergency Response
CHEMTREC: (800) 424-9300 or (703) 527-3887
Health Emergency
Chevron Emergency Information Center: Located in the USA. International collect calls accepted. (800) 231-0623 or (510) 231-0623
Product Information
email : lubemsds@Chevron.com
Product Information: (800) LUBE TEK
MSDS Requests: (800) 414-6737

This also from the website. Try contacting them for more info:

Chevron Canada Limited
1500 - 1050 West Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 3T4
Canada

Phone Numbers:
(604) 668-5300; 1-800-663-1650

FAX Number:
(604) 668-5559

Contact Name:
Peter Harrison

Contact Email for Sales Inquiries:
hpew@chevron.com

Alternate Contact Name:
Rob Spence

Alternate Contact Email for Sales Inquiries:
rgsp@chevron.com

Metropolitan Areas Served:
British Columbia

Here's a list of other distributors/dealers in Canada:

https://cpln-www1.chevrontexaco.com/lub ... a?openview

Good luck,
Bob

[Colin]

Thanks for that wealth of information Bob, I'm sure I should be able to get something from that in Canada.

[charlesp]

Nobody has answered the second part of your subject header - will this be the demise of gulls?

No. They'll go on for ever. In a hundred years the other Charles will still be mixing up special potions, and anyway third world nations like ours need goopy oil to keep all the antique tractors running.

[g52ss]

A bit more on the Sta Lube 140 gear oil. NAPA dealers are forced to take a case from their D P warehouse. The gallon botles (#SL 24238) come four to the case so they would be stuck with three gallons if they sold one. The same 140 oil is available in quart bottles as Sta Lube #SL24228.. Same problem though. The quarts are twelve to the case. Found a NAPA dealer here in Southeastern Pennsylvania who had eleven bottles on the shelf. They were there a long time & he was thrilled to sell me two of them.

Don

Try NAPA, ask them to order Stalube SAE 140 gear oil (SL24238).

This link is the the manufacturer's product info:

http://www.crcindustries.com/ei/content ... L24238&S=N. Get a gallon while you're at it.

It does have some additives, but I asked them to do a copper corrosion test last year and the results were acceptable (1B, tarnishing on prolonged immersion).

[CatiGull]

Ive had no problem getting single bottles of oil from NAPA locally - if anyone in NA is having trouble getting this PM me and we can work something out to ship.

[mfallon]

Why could you not use multi-grade oil that is simply on the heavier end of the spectrum? Or, is the issue here that there are additives in the multigrade which disagree with the metals used in the gearbox?

[RickUK]

Multigrades are thinner when cold, thicker when hot (I expect someone can go into detail over length of polymer chains etc.) - Seagull gearboxes are only ever at the cold end of things.

140 is used so that it just sits in the gearcase as a viscous blob, in consideration of the non-existent gearbox seals in all the earlier Seagulls.
I use an EP 140 which is easy to obtain here compared to the straight 140.
Supposedly the additives in EP are potentially detrimental to brass/bronze bushes etc., but I don't worry about this, also because of the low temperatures involved, and especially as most of the Seagulls I come across have not been shown the courtesy of an oilcan! Rick

[ALAN]

In the absence of a supply of SAE 140 could a concoction of say EP90 and a slug of grease to thicken it up do the job? I am not advocating that this could be the norm especially here in the UK SAE 140 is still reasonably available. Perhaps some more knowledgeable forumites could give their opinion. Afterall, the gunge resulting in the mixing of water, often salt water, and oil in a Seagull gearbox would make a modern engineer throw a wobbler!

Please note I am only advocating this course of action in the case of the absence of a supply of SAE140 and in the search of knowledge from somebody who knows about oils.

I trust that this post will promote an interesting debate.

Regards.

Alan.

[TCWest]

In the absence of a supply of SAE 140 could a concoction of say EP90 and a slug of grease to thicken it up do the job?

In the last week, I've had three people tell me to use the 90 and add some Lucas to it. I'm going to stick to spec, but it's interesting...the Lucas wouldn't necessarily thicken anything, but it's made to coat things.
I wonder how that would hold up under water?

[TCWest]

You can also look for gear oils that are ISO 460 which is the equivalent of SAE 140 under the newer viscosity rating scale. Grainger carries it, at least in their online catalog: Mobil 634 which does have EP additives but 1B copper corrosion test results.

There are two choices there, Rik.
The first is Mobil SHC 634, stock # 4ZF30.
Synthetic Gear Oil
SAE Grade 140
ISO Viscosity Grade 460
Viscosity Index 159
Viscosity SUS @ 100 Degrees Fahrenheit 2236
Flash Point 460 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Comes in a quart container for $10.35 USD ( weighs 2 lbs.)
**************************
The second is Mobilgear 634, stock # 6Y785.
Industrial Gear Oil
SAE Grade 140
ISO Viscosity Grade 460
Viscosity Index 95
Viscosity SUS @ 100 Degrees Fahrenheit 2493
Flash Point 450 Degrees Fahrenheit
Comes in a 1 gallon container for $12.49 USD ( weighs 8.3 lbs.)

Which is the one that most closely fits the WSPCL gear box? I'm not trying to be cute, but there's no straight-up "Mobil 634" listed. I do see minute differences in the makeup, but don't know the significance in this application. Anybody else know?