Metallic looking gear oil. Tell me its normal.....

[gokorn1]

So I changed my gear oil in my 2003 Conquest last night. I drained it into a ziplock bag. I know a little metal is normal however it looked like metallic paint. I don't think that its normal but hope it is.

[Buzz]

sounds like it hasn't been changed in a while. Wouldn't hurt to fill it up again, drive around for 30 minutes and repeat the drain/fill just to help clean it out. It's probably just fine.
I'd refill using amsoil severe gear 75w-90

[srfnson]

I changed my transmission oil in my 04 bigfoot last week and it was not metalic looking at all...more like the amber colour it is when you first put it in.

I'd second the recommendation on the amsoil gear oil!

[Rock Doctor]

I've never seen mine come out with the Metalic color, but I change mine fairly often (spring/fall).
I also like the Amsoil.

[ARGOJIM]

How high is your idle set ( and or wait for it to idle down before shifting as it gets expensive). Gear clash is the main source of shavings in a Argo transmission, part failure is next but gear clash is more often seen. If you have to force it in gear the idle is set to high.

[Buzz]

No doubt it's not what you "want" to see, but I wouldn't be overly alarmed just yet. If it's working fine and sounding fine anyway. Hopefully you're not seeing large "shavings" or "chunks." I don't know how many times I've seen the "metallic paint" look in 4-wheeler differentials. Fluid level is usually low too at the same time. I'm guessing that was the first time it's been drained. Probably previous owner's lack of maintenance. A quart or two of gear oil is cheap...I don't know why anyone wouldn't do it often.

[Model Citizen]

[ARGOJIM]

Bridget, Argo gears are straight cut, if the trans is engaged at anything other than an idle they will clash (grind) causing possible low gear and input shaft wear. If this happens long enough it will round or sharpen the straight cut gears causing at first excessive whine and later enough vibration that it will come out of gear usually when letting of the throttle and later under load. Hopefully he is not at this point, some metal is normal in the Argo transmissions though it's usually caught by the magnetic drain plug.
High idle is an Argo enemy, they run next to no backlash.
Hopefully it clears up and the trans is fine after an oil change or 2, Argo recommends changes at 100 hours with 85w90 gear oil.

[gokorn1]

I did grind the gears a several times when I was helping a buddy who got its mudd ox stuck . Anyways I thnk Ill give her a few more hours and try again.

[Rock Doctor]

Ya, just check your input and output shafts, if they are tight and it's not jumping out of gear on you.......
I would change the oil a couple times, then drive it.

RD

[Moosetalker]

Argo Mech told me to shift into reverse first then into high. when starting out with a machine running at idle for a bit.

Always thought having a brake on the input shaft would help reduce a lot of trans wear and tear.
My old 93 Polaris quad is PVT and the rear foot brake stops the trans and clutch rotating making shifting a non grinding affair.

Scary thing is my Buddy's just recently acquired early 90s 8x8 had this show up. We were both new to Argo's in 96 He showed me the silver trans oil 2 days into a 2 week hunting trip neither of us were wise to this.
2 days later the trans calved. Bad timing Took 3 weeks to get it rebuilt.

[akranger72]

I changed the gear oil 4 days ago on my 750 HDI with 48 hours. I pulled the plug and to my surprise the oil didn't look like gear oil kind of a grey silver metallic and thick I made a couple calls and found out that ODG puts that grey gear oil in for the initial break in. I ran some clean 80w-90 in it for a couple hours of use and changed it again. Now it has AMSOIL 75w-90 synthetic gear oil in it.