303 fluid not-sold me starfire mef-3

4eyes

Member
So, I called my local auto parts store and asked about 303 utf because it will work in my ford tractor. He said yea just got a pallet in. I got 10 gallons today, noticed it didn't see 303 on the pails he brought from the back but payed anyway. Got home and the pails read Starfire MEF-3 lubricant. Does any one know what this will work in? It says provides protection for eaton vickers 35vq25a,m-2950-s and I-286-s. Should have went to TSC I guess.
 
I just did a Google search on it and here's a link to the Product Data Sheet (PDS):

Link to PDS for Starfire MEF-3 Lubricant

Not much info on there. It does say this:

Not recommended for equipment manufactured after 1974

It DOES NOT say that it meets any manufacturers specification. I would return it and let them know that it is not even 303 rated fluid.
 
The 303 topic was discussed last week. It is junk. get a UTF GL3 or 4 oil. The Starfire product is also a snake-oil product -avoid both at all costs.

Tim Daley(MI)
 


303 is not UTF. 303 is plain old hydraulic oil for all manner of simple hydraulic systems and for old tractors with no clutch packs. UTF is much enhanced oil and is needed in tractors built after 1974.
 
(quoted from post at 07:12:50 08/25/21)

303 is not UTF. 303 is plain old hydraulic oil for all manner of simple hydraulic systems and for old tractors with no clutch packs. UTF is much enhanced oil and is needed in tractors built after 1974.

Correct. Real 303 fluid doesn't even exist anymore, but when it did, it did not have the modern additives of a UTF. But some people insist that they buy what their father or grandfather bought back in the day and so they always ask for "303" fluid, and some fluid manufacturers over the years have accommodated them by using "303" as part of the name of their product. There are many different fluids that have 303 in the name, and most of them list various different manufacturer's specifications on the label that they meet or exceed and others do not list any specifications on their label. Some of them are actually good modern UTF fluids, while others are snake oil. Read the label to see what specifications they meet.
 
(quoted from post at 07:12:50 08/25/21)

303 is not UTF. 303 is plain old hydraulic oil for all manner of simple hydraulic systems and for old tractors with no clutch packs. UTF is much enhanced oil and is needed in tractors built after 1974.

The John Deere Special Purpose Oil (303 spec) was the start of oils with additives for wet clutch packs such as those in the John Deere reversers and wet brakes at the time. Sperm whale oil was a key additive in the 303 formula. With the Endangered Species Act removing sperm whale oil from the market, 303 went away.
 

303 is an old JD spec for wet brakes and clutches, but not for the higher heat of post '85 tractors. It crossed over to the m2c53 spec on the ford side and/or type f auto trans fluids. As said a million times before it, like type f, and m2c53, were no longer made due to the whale oil additive package being banned by world treaty in 1978 iirc. There are NO documented failures for using these fluids in the tractors of that period. Problem is... how do you make a 303 fluid when the additives are illegal? You can however make a 303 equivalent fluid without much effort but then there is no standard for this off spec equivalent fluid, so you pretty much can get anything from very very very good fluids to basic 20wt oil, having to trust the manufacture. There are many name brand oils sold that are "equivalent" oils which means they probably are not certified by api or other organizations. Again, your trusting the manufacture. Original 303 fluid was a 20wt oil with a viscosity improver. It did not allow friction modifiers that would make clutches and brakes slip or chatter. Later came anti oxidizers, anti foaming and many other additives. With the huge huge amount of group 3 blends of oils out there today, it would be difficult not to have a 20wt base oil not meet the m2c53 spec. Again, your trusting the label on the back of the oil container that your not getting a raw group II oil base. Remember that 303 was a pretty simply oil by todays standards and there were no documented failures from using these hydraulic oils in the pre '85 tractors. IF... you have a later tractor with super high pressures and super high heat, you MUST use a modern synthetic blend oil spec'ed for your tractor, or risk problems.
 

I took it back and they argued that that was what I needed. I read off that It doesn't meet ford M2C134D so he gave me my money back.
 
134d oil was spec'd for 6640 tractor. Your tractor required m2c53 or better. So any oil meeting m2c53, m2c134, mc2134a, m2c134b, m2c134c, m2c134d, e, f, and G will meet or exceed your tractors original spec of m2c53 fluid. The starfire did not seem to meet any of these specs or equivalents as the JD specs and other dealer specs that crossed over to the ford specs.
 

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