budget oil and grease alternatives - Model Railroader Magazine

I know some swear by ATF, however in my opinion, many of the small idler gears do have emormous amount of play. Real heavy "goo" for grease doesn't help except to dry out and almost bind. The ATF seem to be the other extreme, I feel that the slick #106 allows for great gear mesh but still stabilizing some of those loosely fitting (wobble) in the gearcase. I have tried ATF and ,sure, it worked great, Don't know if too much was used or the extreme light viscosity allowed to travel out of the gearcase and to places not needed or wanted. Some nosier, higher speed running, especially in older Athearn trucks. The heavier viscous #106 grease quieted them considerably. Go figure? Like reponses to those using ATF and what are your findings.