OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Tech Talk Alternative grease for transaxle

I am wondering if there is an alternative grease that can be used instead of the Bentonite Grease that is supposed to be used in a Peerless/Tecumseh transaxle. If so what is it?

The Bentonite grease is not chemically compatible with most other greases, and it theoretically has some advantages in that application in relation to resisting washing off and withstanding fairly high temperatures. Getting some Bentonite grease is likely to be the easiest and most satisfactory solution.

Do you know the companies, and specific name of product, that supply the bentonite grease? Thanks

I don't - perhaps Bruce will. He may even have it listed in the on-line store - he has most things. Essentially bentonite is a type of clay, whereas most greases (by no means all) are soap-based. To switch from clay-based grease to soap-based grease would involve dismantling and degreasing the transmission, and might involve a reduced transmission life after you did it, so it is not a good solution unless all else has already been found to be impossible. I'm told all Peerless and Tecumseh transmissions use the bentonite grease, and it is readily available in the US.

Hi Grumpy, reading the former posts on greases tweaked my interest. I realised I know nothing about the subject, so I decided to do a little research on the subject. I came across this article which may be of interest to our members.
Click HERE

Thanks for posting that, Deejay, it is a good summary. His description of bentonite grease is perhaps a bit jaundiced - its proponents seem to claim superior wash-off resistance and high temperature performance, and he does not address those claims - but in practice I've always used soap-based greases for mainstream purposes. The actual lubricating properties are determined by the lubricant (oil, perhaps assisted by graphite, lithium or molybdenum disulphide) contained in the thickening medium (soap or clay), not by the thickening medium itself, but where the main problem is dealing with, for example, possible water entry, special circumstances may apply. I'm told Tecumseh had a long-term enthusiasm for bentonite greases.

I think the key point for members to remember is that soap and clay greases are incompatible, so changing from one to the other can be a bit of a project.

Bamby, if you don't mind doing a little research I think there is a simple solution for you. There is a clay (bentonite) grease that is readily available in Australia, called Castrol HTB (which stands for High Temperature Bearing). It is intended for use in the front hubs of vehicles with disk brakes, so it does not melt and doesn't even become mobile in the hub under considerable heat. I have read on the net that the reason for Peerless/Tecumseh recommending a bentonite grease is that they are concerned to have a very thick, non-slumping grease even at high temperatures, and they also want water resistance, and HTB should provide both of these properties. If you can compare the basic viscosity (stiffness) of HTB with your old grease at room temperature, and if they are about the same, you should be good to go with the HTB.

Thanks to you both, I've taken all on board and can now make an informed decision.

No probs Bamby, we're glad to have been of help, best of luck with it, mate.