Thread: Disco 3/4 Automatic Transmission FAQ - 6 Speed

Originally Posted by Tombie

Fuchs also does a correct spec fluid,
As does Liqui-Moly

I've tested the 4134 in my own car and while values and pressure showed all good after 5000k there was a little flaring between gears, worse when cold , did another flush with lg6 (14 litres ) and after another 5000k pressures and values pretty much the same but no flaring and feeling better
So while these alternatives may work fine for a box while the clutches are well within spec , I suspect they mightn't cut the mustard on older boxes.

On another matter I have had the opportunity to drive 2 other 2005 D3's (march and may) in sport mode over 110 kph,( not towing) both held 5th for the whole time (around 5-6 minutes), so there must have been a tcu update some time that year

I had a fluid change by my local transmission guy and he put the nulon in. The worst thing for the box. It caused snatching and flaring between shifts. The gear changes were sometimes very harsh and moving along in slow traffic every time I accelerated the transmission would take up with a bang and jerk. Often there was a pause after selecting drive and then a big clunk as it engaged. It got worse and I took it back to the guy expecting a box out repair/overhaul.
The old fluid was flushed out and the genuine was put in, it felt like a new box again with silky smooth shifts. I will now always use genuine ZF fluid.

I see my post created a flurry of feedback. Good to see. Thanks for all the great feedback. No good to hear that some of you have had a bad experience with Nulon.

Feedback from Nulon: SYNATF is fine.

Feedback from me: Gearbox is getting better with every km. I understand that the computers are adapting to the new fluid. Also, I found Dr Tranny on the shelf at Bursons, Sugar Rd, Maroochydore. I bought the last two tubes, but they are getting more in. I'll probably provide more feedback after I have finished my next fluid change and done a few km's. Hopefully the Nulon works out, but if not I'll be sure to let you know.

Finally, if you're interested; LVSYNATF is (just about) exactly that; SYNATF, but with different viscosity improvers, thus it's thinner. And (from three different sources) Fuchs 4134 may not be available for much longer as it contains an additive which is no longer allowed in Aus. I haven't done any further research on this yet and it may be rubbish news.

Cheers,
Adam

And LVSYNATF is listed as meeting the specification whereas nowhere in the SYNATF content does it mention ZF6 or Shell M1375.4 specification, so why not use the right one?
Anyhow, I look forward to long term feedback.

The wheel goes around and around - as I indicated in a post of mine above, the Nulon product was discussed (along with others) a couple of years back on the old AULRO site - initially Nulon were saying it was suitable but on deeper investigation elsewhere on their site it was found not to be a match - someone used it and it was Ok initially but then issues started.

Save a few dollars on the oil and maybe spend big dollars on a new gearbox. I hope not but why not learn form people who have gone before.

Garry

I agree with Garry Ol .
Here's why - I went down the ,service ,new pan / filter tcm update route - using genuine zf parts n fluid .
It lasted 15,000km .
Gearbox failed in the middle of a trip in SA ,towing my caravan .
Limped home - this involved a lot of stopping and resetting tcm !!!!

Gearbox has been replaced by A&B Trans in Dandenong - fantastic service and a great result , box is smooth , responsive and just like new !
No ,it wasn't cheap .
However the car was not as expensive as some others and I assumed it would require a replacement. When I purchased it 18 months ago .
It had been serviced and incorrect spec oil and parts ( ford ) had been used , at a guess to 'save money' .
Yes , it failed !
If it's buggered ,it's buggered and no amount of oil,filters pans ,additives will bring it back . You might get 15km or 15,000km like mine .

Originally Posted by WhiteD3

I have to disagree, sorry My D3 has done 97k without a shudder or any other transmission issues. I've never towed anything so maybe this towing is a qualifier re the timing of the ATF change?

oops, I also disagree - my D4 SDV6SE has done 170,000km with no issues. SLR told me only at 274,000km (odd number i know). Just had the fluid/flush/filter/steel pan upgrade done, A$1,100 drive away. I have heard that the D3's had a lot of issues, one service centre told me that if you havent changed fluid at 150,000 its all over. I finally bit the bullet cause im towing a fair bit more now...

Hello everyone, I have just purchased some Lifeguard-6 @ $36.00 per Litre (ex. GST) from Motospecs in Eaglefarm (Brisbane).

Before this, I was quoted approx. $120 / L from REPCO, then $64 / L from Ford and then I went to an automatic gearbox overhaul shop, where they put me onto Motospecs.

I will be replacing the fluid in the next couple of days, hopefully without too much drama.