The actual reason to go with shorter bolts it not so much conflict with the flange of the mental pan, but the fact they are just plain too long and could crack the aluminum when bottomed out. I use stainless bolts and they are perfectly compatible with aluminum and since they are not high torque, they are again also fine to use. Pretty cheap for a batch from Amazon. I get Alto pans, they are metal and the same as ZF, Alto probably makes them for ZF since its kinda what they "do". I then source my own gasket, always metal never the paper one, and filter. Filters are easy to source and I bought several.

 

Were you able to do this test?

I'm planning to do this service on my LR4 this Sunday.

Thanks!

 

Bringing this thread back from the dead.. any further conclusions on which fill hole to use?

I'm planning to do this service this weekend.

 

9/10 accounts I read used the factory fill port, with the only dissenting opinion coming from The CTSC. When I pressed CTSC for some more info on this, their reasoning did not add up for me.

Like everyone else, I used the factory fill plug and fill procedure. The new pan does have a slightly smaller reservoir, so you will notice you take out a bit more than you put in —around .5-1.0L.

 

One thing I really don't understand: if the steel pan is shallower, it will hold less oil. If it holds less oil, how are you at risk of OVER-filling by using the original fill hole? Wouldn't you be UNDER-filling?? What am I missing here?

 

Exactly the same question I asked The CTSC and their response didn’t answer the question. I posted a summary of this higher in the thread. Takeaway is that the factory fill plug has a documented record of success from multiple sources I trust, so that’s what I did.

 

makes sense. I’m at 133k mi and transmission has never been serviced. Vehicle is brand new to me so I guess I’ll go pick up a breaker bar. How hard was your fill plug removal?

 

I'd do it. At least the fluid.

 

Always fill at factory, because you have to since it defines the proper level. The sump has nothing to do with level, just capacity. Always open the fill plug FIRST before draining and mine was not hard to open. Pretty sure no breaker bar was involved. It is just in a silly spot when filling since you do it with vehicle running - and that exhaust is hot.

 

Nah, the fill plug released without trouble. The worst bolts to undo at the heat shield frame machine screws and the pan fasteners above the cross members. I bought some new SS machine screws from ACE that were a few mm shorter for reinstall, that helped a lot. For the pan fasteners, you’ll want a small ratchet with a 1/4” hex drive with a torx bit cut down short:

MulWark 20pc 1/4 Ultra Low Profile Mini Ratchet Wrench Close Quarters Screwdriver Set with High Torque - Right Angle EDC Tool with 90 Degree Mini Offset Reversible Drive Handle & Multi Hex Bits Set https://a.co/d/3cUYolu