Zf Servicing

[Wenier]

Good to see ZF is able to scare people into only using their oil.

[GinjaNinja]

ZF lifeguard 6 WAS an aftermarket fluid "authorised" by ZF (the autorized list which has since been revoked) not sure if this one is as bad as Transmax but there has to be a reason why the genuine fluid cost 2X more than the others, you get what you pay for.

I rather be scared about using an aftermarket fluid than being scared of having to replace the gearbox.....again.....

BTW I did check out the filter locations and the filter openings on both the steel pan and the plastic pan and they are INDEED slightly different in design

But whatever you do, its up to you, the safest (but costly) way or cheaper (but fear of the unknown)

[GinjaNinja]

Hi, Just after a reputable place in Sydney Metro that does good work. Wanting to service my ZF box and replace plastic pan.

Thanks

Helbz

Mate have you tried Jaguar dealship servicing?? Our fords have almost identical gearboxes to that of the one fitted in the Jaguar, but they have a different design in the cooler system.

If Ford proves to be unreliable then maybe try Jaguar

[rednose]

ZF lifeguard 6 WAS an aftermarket fluid "authorised" by ZF (the autorized list which has since been revoked) not sure if this one is as bad as Transmax but there has to be a reason why the genuine fluid cost 2X more than the others, you get what you pay for.

I rather be scared about using an aftermarket fluid than being scared of having to replace the gearbox.....again.....

BTW I did check out the filter locations and the filter openings on both the steel pan and the plastic pan and they are INDEED slightly different in design

But whatever you do, its up to you, the safest (but costly) way or cheaper (but fear of the unknown)

Very glad there are guys like you on this forum, I was actually looking at getting this fluid from the states but if its not approved by ZF I'm not taking any chances. Do you know if anyone has had good results with the Gulf Western fluid?

[Paulie2256]

Im going to try the Gulf Western oil next month. I will post the results.

Currently running Transmax and although it does a brilliant job when at operating temp it is pretty hard to get it there on very cold mornings.

[rednose]

Awesome, also looking at this fluid but if no good will just do a flush with genuine. If I was just servicing I wouldn't be looking at alternatives but with a full flush it would be costly as I think you need at least 10 litres. What happens on cold mornings with the transmax?

[alpha2sam]

I paid $30 per litre of BTA it retails of ford for $59 ltr cheapest I could find in 20ltr was thru motospecs and is $698 trade and there steel pan kits are about $249 trade

ii purchased 6ltrs from BTA (ali) was a great help and after a basic pan swap and filter I had about a ltr left over I think its wel worth the exercise especially if car has a few kms on it mine has 110km and for oil lasting for life no need to service as ford says I will be still doin mine every 20k cheaper then replacing the box

Hi,

Did you do the service yourself? Was it easy to do without the hoist?

[GinjaNinja]

Altho I'm overzealous about using genuine stuff I would like to see how folks respond to this Golf Western or whatever it is, give it a year or two on some of these 100000rwkw 6T's and see if a gearbox rebuild will be required after all this

Transmax may be popular amongst peeps with big power figures but if some folks are experiencing problems with them don't u think there's something wrong here?

If it works perfectly then nobody should have any complaints

[Paulie2256]

Ginga, I don't think any of the zf failures are a direct result of the oil. The box wasn't designed to handle the power, simple.

If you want to use genuine oil no one is telling you not to. I think everyone is able to make up their own mind on which oil performs better.

Alpha, it is prett easy changing the oil on stands. However, that will not flush the converter.

Rednose, transmax is a bit thicker than zf oil so it takes a bit longer to bring up to temp. So it will flare on light throttle until warm.

Cheers

[chippa]

I have had the Steel pan conversion done...I have dropped the oil once and had TZ put in...and that was about 1-1/2 years ago and no probs at all.

It is going to be dumped again soon and filled back up with TZ...I think that if you stick to the same routine in regards to warming up your driveline as I do everytime before I open her up all should be good , I think that this the key to longevity but I'm realistic enough to understand that wear will happen no matter what.

My two cents