Master
SubscriberHi all,
Have been using my wet saturday researching transmission flushes - have read Robbie's Guide To ZF8 Auto Transmission Oil Change and all 14 pages in the Disco3UK forum topic - fascinating - however I don't have the facilities to do it myself.
There are machines that perform a fully automatic flush and refill which are no doubt used by many workshops - such as pic below.
Attachment 184994
When I read Robbies Guide, I see a multi stage operation with precise instructions -
Qte ...
First fill the gearbox until fluid starts to drip from the fill port before retuning to the driver's seat. The ZF8 needs to draw fluid to all the key components for the oil level check to be valid. Failure to follow the correct steps may damage your gearbox. The gears, clutches, torque converter and oil cooler system must all be allowed to fill
12. The ZF8 gearbox uses a small chain-driven vane cell pump, mounted to the rear of the TC to circulate the oil. It is a very efficient unit and places very little load on the gearbox; it too must be allowed sufficient opportunity to prime correctly
- Start the engine (to draw oil from the sump and pump it around the gearbox).
- With the engine still running slowly add more oil through the fill port until it starts to drip again.
Return to the driver's seat and with a firm foot on the brake and checking the EPB is still applied:
- Select Reverse for 5 seconds.
- Select Drive for 5 seconds.
- With the flappy paddle select 2nd Gear for 5 seconds.
- Select Neutral.
To fully fill the torque converter the vane cell pump must run at a higher rpm:
- Throttle to 2,000 rpm for at least 30 seconds.
- Select Park.
- Allow engine to idle normally
13. All the components of the gearbox will now be fully primed with transmission fluid, with the exception of the oil heat-exchanger system. This system is thermostatically controlled. For the oil to prime and circulate correctly the thermostat must be fully open. Using either a thermometer on the sump or a suitable diagnostic tool, monitor the gearbox oil temp until it exceeds 69 deg C. This can take a while, so you can get a brew. Temp shown on IID, bottom right value indicating 68 deg C
14. Having hit the magic temp I consider it good practice to repeat the gearbox selections above, but it is not called for in the workshop manual.
- Replace the fill port finger tight for now.
- Turn off engine.
15. Having primed all parts of the system correctly the final level check requires the gearbox to cool-down to below 30 deg C. Even on a cold afternoon I managed to eat my evening meal, do some other jobs and drink my first beer before it was cool enough for the level check. Having achieved below 30 deg C:
- Start engine again.
- Remove fill port plug.
- Slowly fill with ATF until a fine thread of fluid leaks from the port.
- Replace plug and torque to 35 Nm.
- Wipe area clean and inspect for leaks.
- Double check that the temperature has not exceeded 50 deg C during the filling (if it has then allow to cool and repeat the fill check).
- Turn off engine.
- Replace undershield and 5 x 10mm bolts.
- Remove catchpan, tools and the safety stands.
- Clean any spills.
.... Unqte
So my question is this - when using this Auto Machine, are the steps above necessary, and are they the standard practice for LR Indy's and specialist transmission centres who use them?
Many thanks in advance!
2016 Firenze Red Disco 4 TDV6
2018 Firenze Red Disco Sport
... plus many previous!
Fossicker
SupporterI’m still tossing up which way to go. I got a quote from an Indy to do the job but I (stupid self) forgot to ask how they do it but I’m also considering doing it myself when I upgrade my reader to the iid tool . The link you provided is the same as various other tutorial videos including the one put out by a ZF specialists as for the machine flush I have no idea as to it’s procedure.
ChatterBox
SubscriberI've done the flush on the ZF6, only differences I read is the temperature in the ZF8 is higher. Cycling through the gears is good, as this ensures each line in the valve body and the torque converter is correctly filled. A diagnostic tool is essential as thr temp sensor is inside thr transmission, an infrared temp gun will not give you the correct reading.
A manual flush is easy enough to DIY. Don't forget to also flush the cooler separately, as otherwise you're pumping old fluid from there into new fluid in the transmission. Using the machine, I'm not convinced they get all the old fluid out .
Fossicker
SupporterHi Eric,Originally Posted by Eric SDV6SE
I'm looking to do a manual flush of the transmission fluid (don't have a machine). How did you flush your transmission fluid from the sump?
And, did you extract it from the cooler using a different/same method? Any pointers would be fantastic.
Thanks very much
ChatterBox
SubscriberOn the ZF6 i rebuilt the valve body, new solenoids, sealing plate and a zip kit and replaced the plastic pan with a steel one, plus a new neoprene gasket, filter and all seals. Been a while, but i remember with the plastic pan theres no drain, you have to drill a hole or bash the plastic off, catching as much old fluid as you can. Steel pans come with a drain plug making life easier.
Car up on rated jack stands on all four corners, has to be level..you need plenty of room under the car. I let it drain for a long time and by disconnecting the hoses to the front cooler, you can get more oit. There will inevitably be some leftvin the torque converter. Once all back together, with engine off and hoses connected to the front cooler, fill via the port on the rhs (i think) of the box, use a manual fluid transfer pump, or an electric one if you have access to one. Once fluid comes out the fill hole, start engine, and with someone sitting in the car, continue to fill, as with the engine running, the intergral transmission pump uses what you filled into the sump with the engine off to fill the torque converter pretty quickly. Have the person in the car cycle through all the gears, including reverse and park, pausing at each one. Foot on the brake to allow the shifts. Having you gapiid tool or similar plugged in and keeping an eye on transmission temp, continue to fill the transmission until the temperatures indicates 35deg (from memory, need to check) and atf comes out of the fill port. You wont get fluid out of the fill port when at temperature. Refit the plug, turn engine off and get the car off the stands after all the bash plates etc are back on. Go for a slow test drive, cycle through the gears, there should be no error codes of youve done it right and transmission should shift crisply, no flares between shifts and no lag either.
If the old fluid is greenish with a metallic tinge, this is a sign the bronze bushings are worn/wearing, evidenced also with clunks in shifts or rapid throttle off - throttle on applications, as this is the slop in the complete drive train.
Hope this helps.
Wizard
SupporterNot all do -my steel pan doesn't have a drain plug
Shane
2005 D3 TDV6 loaded to the brim with 4 kids!
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members-rides/220914-too-many-defender-write-ups-here-time-d3.html
ChatterBox
SubscriberHmm, some bmw and mercs use the same ZF6spd, the pan, filter and gasket i bought was for BMW and included a drain plug. Mine was a ZF6HP28 box, not the 26, due to the SDV6SE spec engine.
I bought from mj products:
Land Rover ZF 6HP26 6Spd Auto Trans Steel Metal Sump/Pan Conversion Kit (META... | eBay
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