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I just drained my transmission and added this Scotty's Cocktail that I'd heard about on Nabisco. Folks seem to know about it here but I couldn't find a post specific to reviewing it.

Uh, it seems to be working - 2nd gear sychro grinding problems are now totally gone. Only reverse is a tad harder to get into but heck I'll take it! I was pricing new transmission and what not but I think this one will be fine now.

I don't know who this Scotty is but I'd could just kiss him. Don't let the curmgeons here 'explain' why this works and talk you into to doing anything else. I'm sure other things work but about 20-30 folks on Nabisco have benefited from it - never heard bad word one on it.

Here's the thread but I've taken the best bit and pasted them here so you don't have to suffer through the 100+ posts.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... 2+cocktail

Cheers, Adam

From thread on Nabisco....

Uncle Scotty's Cocktail for Subi Tranis:

1qt Redline lightweight shockproof
1qt Pennzoil Synchromesh
2qt Castrol HypoyC 80w-90

Uncle Scotty says...

" ...juust do it....and remember.....do NOT dump 4 qt in the tranny!!!!!!!!

That WILL overfill it---bad juju.

Add ~3.3 - 3.4...drive the car---check....repeat a couple times....make SURE it isn't too much before ya add more.

Add the lube SLOWLY into the dipstick tube or you WILL get more UNDER the car than IN the tranny

...and the rear diff can use GL-5 whatever.....I'd use a syn like M1"

Example Costs:

LW Shockproof: 8.99
Castrol 80w90: 4.29 x 2
Penzoil Syncromesh: 6.09
RL 75w90 for the diff: 8.99

Grand total: 35.13 w/ tax

Question: Do we use Red Line SuperLight ShockProof or just the LightWeight ShockProof?

Answer: Lightweight NOT SuperLight

Here is the Official Scotty's Cocktail Pouring Order

1. 1qt. Lightweight Shockproof

2. 1qt. Pennzoil Schromesh

3. Finish with the remaining Castrol Hypoy C but only fill to the Full line on the dipstick. Do not dump in both remaining quarts. I believe total volume for the tranny is 3.4 - 3.6.


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The only thing that Im wondering is if this is an actual fix, or a coverup.

hmmm. that's more of a point of view question. Uh, yeah, it's covering up 4-5 previous owners, 13 years of use and 135k miles. Sure it's a cover up. But it also helps the inherent weakness of are cars, the tranny...Check it out...

http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/A_0943/article.html

So if you have a wad of cash stashed to buy an OEM WRX tranny and add hardened internals, cryo everything, etc...Then by all means go ahead and fix...

My rig needs a new exhaust and some minor body work and then I'm going to start with gages and boost. So this has saved me major bucks and kept my project on schedule...

I would wait a few thousand miles before posting a review of gear oil fixing synchros. Everything feels better when you first put it in there.

Good point. Aaahhhl, be back...

It's been in my trans for a while now.....it works!

O.k. checking in after my track day. Probably only got 500miles on this gear oil but yesterday 5 x 20 minute track sessions were flawless. The track day prior to this it was my tranny that was the weak link. I had continual grinding downshifting into 2nd in corners when the tranny got hot. That was in 60 degree weather. Yesterday it was 85 here and all shifts were flawless. The course at Bremerton "International" Raceway was 110 mph straight to a big left hander with another straight broken up by three sweeping "autocross" turns 50 to 60 mph. As people hit the cones they'd move out making the course even tighter. I had to dump the car into second and stay on the throttle for a power slide in some of these (track oily from drag racing) to keep from going off the track (and for fun!!) and could do so EVERY time. I never came close to grinding my gears not even once, using the car hard, chasing old 911-924s, catching and passing spec Myatas, etc. Basically I'm taking the tranny off my list of to-do's...Now just have to cure the inherent understeer with a massive front swaybar<grin> So far so good tho with the cocktail. I'll update as this mix ages further...

Thanks for reading!

Adam

I've put over 6,500 miles on Scotty's Cocktail.

I was not particularly impressed at first, but have come to appreciate it. My transmission is smoother than ever.

Current mileage: 121,000
Mileage at time of purchase: 82,000

I'll put the cocktail in my Impreza when it's due for a gear oil change.

I just got my 94SS back yesterday with the new JDM 4.11 tranny and rear 4.11 LSD. The transmission was a low-mile take off and should have under 50k on it, and I have no baseline here as I started with the cocktail in there, but WOW. This transmission shifts better than any other I've ever driven now. I can get into first gear at 20mph and it doesn't seem to bother anything. I no longer have to shift into 2nd gear before I can get into Reverse either.

Oh, I opted for the Redline Heavyweight Shockproof fluid instead of the Lightweight stuff, as some others on Nabisco have chosen to do. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly.

I was able to order everything from Amazon.com, and two companies shipped the order - Midway Auto Supply and Horsepower Freaks. There was some shipping confusion, initially I received a catalytic converter instead of the shockproof...

One more thing to note that isn't included in Adam's original post up top here - this cocktail is only good for about 20k miles or so. It's effects will degrade quickly after that point.

--I highly recommend Uncle Scotty's Subaru 5MT cocktail.

Still working for me!

Didn't know about that 20K mileage figure - was that in the thread. What's the rational there?...

Yeah, Uncle Scotty himself says that in the thread. I forget the rationale but he explains it.

Good to know! Thanks!!

Scotty is god, bless his soul!

Scotty is actually a tool, but the cocktail does work well.

I recently got a 91ss, and I was trying to get the stuff together to make the cocktail but I can't seem to find the synchromesh and hypoy c in ontario. I tried ordering from amazon but they wont ship that stuff here. Is there any other alternatives that will give a similar result? I'd like to get rid of the 2nd and 4th gear grinds or at least mask them for a while.

You should be fine using any good syn gear oil to replace the hypoy c. I used some sweco 80w90 instead of the hypoy c.

Have you gone on castrol's site to see if where the nearest vendor is? You may even be able to call and talk to someone and ask where you could find it.

Same goes with the penzoil synchromesh.

any sort of similiar or otherwise setup for an auto tranny?

Nope,

Just run a good synthetic dextron 3 fluid.

Redline D4 is good ATF fluid.

i useed the cocktail in my 91 5mt and it made a huge difference.

+1 4 Tranny Cocktail

I did "a" coctail recently.

Approx 2.7qt Pensoil 75/90 Dino
1qt Amsoil Syncromesh (direct replacement for the Pensoil/GM/etc.. it's light, 5w-30)

The original fluid (89kmi) was black and stunk badly (gear oil smells anyhow), but luckily the magnetic drain plug only had very fine metal sludge on it (no big chunks )

While not following "the" coctail of choice, the car is 100% better. I can actually shift when temps are <10F (was horribly stiff before).
I can regularily shift into 1st while rolling (as much as 20mph), before I had to usually be at a standstill to get it into 1st.
And just generally - the tranny feels sooo much smoother, as does the car under power.

It's been 500mi or so, but it has gotten better and better since I put it in.

-Chad

Hmmm... may have to try this... *has to buy fluid for a tranny swap this weekend*

smh0101 wrote:Hmmm... may have to try this... *has to buy fluid for a tranny swap this weekend*

That's funny...I am also doing a tranny change this weekend

You can buy the cocktail "pre mixed" now...

Grimmspeed for $38 plus shipping. I had to hit three stores in Seattle to get this stuff...

http://www.grimmspeed.com/catalog/produ ... ucts_id=76

So I just got the tranny in... GOD DAMN that was a beotch... and ran into problems with ghetto-assed wiring from the PO... Ass

Anyways, I went to NAPA and bought a similar mix...

1qt Royal Purple Max-Gear High Performance Syn
1qt Royal Purple Synchromax
2qt Valvoline High Performance 80w30

Only used about a quart and a half of the Valvoline stuff...

First, the Max-Gear, then the Synchormax, then the Valvoline

All I can say is WOW!

The other fluid was about a month old, and 2nd gear would grind, as would first... SOOO smooth now.

The RP Max-Gear i figured was equivalent to the Redline... The Synchromax I figured was equivalent to the Pennzoil... and the Valvoline equivalent to the Castrol.

Seem really good, and Very Very smooth, not bad for 150k mi on a tranny!

I used the coctail when I pulled the tranny to swap the clutch about a year ago, and things are still great. Absolutely no more second gear grind (and it was bad since I bought it). Still haven't done the rear diff lube yet. Shame on me.

Oh, and I used the heavyweight shockproof, as suggested by scotty for older cars.