Sterndrive Gear Oil - Alpha 1 Gen 1 3.0 140hp

1985 Century Mustang

1985 Century Mustang

Chief Petty Officer
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Mar 9, 2023
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Hey all, I purchased this gear Oil (pic below) for my Merc A1-G1 Sterndrive. I didn't realize it, but it wasn't the blue colored gear oil like I had in it previously , I put it in anyhow. Is this ok? Is the blue gear oil better?

Screenshot_20250421_220002_Chrome.jpg
 
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Pmt133

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Chances are that's what was in it when new. At one point there was a warning to not mix the two types but I don't believe that exists anymore.
 
Scott06

Scott06

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Pmt133 said:
Chances are that's what was in it when new. At one point there was a warning to not mix the two types but I don't believe that exists anymore.
Click to expand...
Agreed when gen 1s were new they took the premium gear lube (golden brown). At some point the labeling on the premium change to 75 and lower..
 
Alumarine

Alumarine

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As far as I know, that drive calls for the High Performance gear oil, not Premium.

If I can't get the High Performance for a good price I've been using Synthetic 75W90 for a number of years based on Bondo's recommendation.
 
A

airshot

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Alumarine said:
As far as I know, that drive calls for the High Performance gear oil, not Premium.

If I can't get the High Performance for a good price I've been using Synthetic 75W90 for a number of years based on Bondo's recommendation.
Click to expand...
I use the bottle that states "for mercruiser stern drives"....right on the bottle !
Not sure what the difference is, but for a couple bucks difference why not go with what the mfgr recomends....they know best !
 
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Pmt133

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Scott06 said:
Agreed when gen 1s were new they took the premium gear lube (golden brown). At some point the labeling on the premium change to 75 and lower..
Click to expand...
When the bravos came out and merc had to warranty a bunch of them, the high performance came out and became the reccomended fluid. Per dad anyway but that was a long time ago. I use the high performance because I think green is cool. I've also used nearly any gear lube under the sun in a alpha 1. The gen 1s will run on about anything I have in the garage at the time lol.
 
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