Castrol TRANSMAX Axle EPX 85W-140

Worth knowing

Under the ZF approvals, Castrol’s data sheet gives three registration numbers, ZF002148, ZF002177 and ZF002173; the Ukrainian product page now shows only classes. The current editions of ZF lists 05, 12, 16 and 21 lack these numbers: there the oil appears as CASTROL AXLE EPX 85W-140 under ZF000910, and in TE-ML 12 in class 12S, not 12E. Which units these lists are meant for, and where to find the list itself, is explained in the article on ZF TE-ML approvals for gear oils.

The TRANSMAX line has two more oils of the high-temperature grade 140, and neither repeats these codes. Axle Long Life 75W-140 has only API GL-5 and Scania STO 2:0 A, with no ZF classes, while Limited Slip LL 75W-140 has the ZF classes 05C, 16G, 18 and 21C and the MB 235.61 approval. This oil shares the most codes with Axle EPX 80W-90: 05A, 21A and 12E, though here 12E is only Castrol’s claim. But the 80W-90 oil has no 16D, and its viscosity at 100 °C is 14 mm²/s against 26 here, so it is a different SAE grade, and where the unit’s maker specifies 85W-140, it does not meet that requirement.