WarrenK

Moose, Which Ford dealer did you take the car to. WarrenK

I bought a new FG ute in June and to my suprise the interest in them selling me a new car was limited. They took forever getting back to me and a coulple of dealers didn't email me quotes as promised. On dealer gave me a price on a page from her scribble book, wouldn't give it to me on a letter head fom the dealership. There were next to no cars to look at except a couple standard utes and FPV's(becausev the economic downturn they only keep limited stock and make to order most cars). They told me I would have to have it made(4 - 6weeks). After trying every ford dealer within an hour from my place (there were 11) one dealer had a XR6 Turbo auto(I was after a XR6 na manual), at least in the colour I was after. In the end I bought the Turbo auto about $400 cheaper than N/A manual(better discount because it was a march build). I could not believe the experince buying a new ute would have been so hard. I did check out the local Expensive Daewoo dealer. Quote emailed next day, car and colour available and $9000 discount. I just couldn't lower my standards enough and buy it. WarrenK

I went searching for recommended oils for Ford ZF gearboxes and found Shell(this is the one that Ford use) and the Penrite(attached file)one that Trevs posted. Still looking, but haven't any other recommened oils yet. Back to Evil F6's question about metal fillings in the gearbox. Sorry I don't know what would cause the metal fillings, maybe the flaring is causing a wear issue. If you don't want go to Ford talk to a reputable auto shop. They might be able to help with some answers and recommendations on what to do. ATF_DX_VI_1_.pdf ATF_DX_VI_1_.pdf

Do I need a point. I passed on information that might have been relevant to someone. If you don't want to listen to the information that there is no oil on the market that dosn't even come close to meeting the miminum specification of the ZF oil it dosn't worry me. I am not the person paying for the repairs. If ZF think Transmax is no good for gearboxes with standard levels of torque through them, then why would it be any better for gearboxes with higher torque levels. Like I said before any other lubricant other than was originally designed for well works well for you that is good. I am not trying to stop anyone from using anything, just giving people another point of veiw. If anyone has any any written information on the suitability of Transmax from Castrol post the link please

If you using Transmax and have no issues that is good. My brother (over 30 years working on auto transmissions. He is the one that the "credentialed tranny shop" phones up and asked to help sort out issues) has worked on these transmission since Ford introduced them. The major problems he has seen has been with oil that is not specified by ZF to use(Transmax being one of them). F6 Tornado. You mention that you tell ZF Techs you using Transmax. The ZF tech(I think he is based in Sydney and flies from state to state as the ZF trouble shooter and trainer for dealships that use ZF gearboxes in their cars )that deals with by brother is the only person that has software to diagnose problems in these gearboxs. This is the person you should be talking to if want to know the facts about the oil. Xtreme F6. You mention that you rebuild ZF gearboxs and use Ford parts(relabeled ZF parts). How do you get the gearchange back to the same quality as it should be without the correct software to communicate with the computer in the gearbox? Isn't the input shaft of the gearbox the torque limiter(twisting or breaking) Oil level should be checked when the gear box oil is at temperature of somewhere between 35 deg and 40 deg(when I get the exact temp I post it. Please don't think I saying don't use whatever you are using, I am just telling you the information that is not a Ford or ZF point of veiw, but from a very experienced automatic technication who works on the boxes when I was about to buy a new car(FG XR6 Turbo auto ute). From this information I will service my car accordingly. In the end it is the person own responsibility what he/she uses when sevicing these boxes and they are the ones that pay for the repairs if they get it wrong. I know what dealers are like and I found if you talk to them nicely and annoy the crap out them, and when I say annoy, really anoy them thinks do happen for the good. I hope my new ford dosn't have any problems, but if does I have someone on the inside that might be able help.

I am not defending Ford. If you only talk to the people at the front counter you get the answers you are getting. My brother is one of the people that work on the cars. He is only telling me the experiences he has had and what the issues he has seen. By the way when they say it is sealed for life they mean the life of the transmission which is 150000klm which is expected life before it needs a rebuild. Any life after that is a bonus.

I have a brother who is an automatic service specialist at a major Ford dealership. He a completed training ZF training courses. He states that the ZF is a very good gearbox with rarely any problems except when people change the type of oil they use in the gearboxes. They do not require oil change for the life of the gearbox(150000klm). Like I said if you want a good service life from your gearbox do not use anything other than the recommened oil. If the so called experts say there are other oils that can be used ask them for a written guarantee that the new oil won't do any damage to the gearbox. I bet they wont. Phone ZF and talk to them, they are experts, not independant auto shops , tuning shops etc. The computer that is built into the valve body has every bit of information stored in it since the car left the dealers showroom. It can tell the ZF tech every gearchange, torque through the gearbox and even your driving style. If you make a warranty claim they can download the info from computer in the gearbox and they can verify it or reject from this information. These gearboxes are a couple levels above anything else in technology and expensive.

Because the viscoity of the oil is different. This causes the clutchs to absorb the new oil and alters the characteristics of the friction material. As the computer is calibrated in micro seconds for shift quality to suit the correct oil, the use of other oil will cause slippage of the clutches(flaring), harsh shifting which can lead to transmission failure. Even after an expensive oil flush with the correct oil it cannot guarantee the reversal of the problem.

Trev, By using Transmax you oil you have more than likley stuffed your gearbox ($5 - $6000 exchange from ZF) and any remaining warranty that you might have had for the gearbox from Ford is now void. There is only one oil specied by ZF to use and only this oil should be used. There is only one company that makes the oil specified by ZF to use in their gear box. This is available through companies like Ford, Motor Spec etc. The first thing ZF will do when determining if it is a warranty will test the oil. Wrong oil, no warranty. Do not believe anyone that says otherwise. Remember they are not the ones paying for the repairs.

Mac, Picked up an XR6T on Friday(19/6). Auto with a XRsports, hard cover, H/D towbar plus the carpet mats, mudspats, plastic bits etc for $40,000 drive away. Feb or Mar build and even the colour I wanted. Went looking for a N/A manual XR6 ute, drove away in a auto turbo ute a couple hundred dollars cheaper. Started looking at the end of May and it appeared then that any XR ute is as scarce as rocking horse p**p.