ZF Transmission servicing
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 943
Likes: 309
From: Colorado
Just finished the transmission service. 2017 D5 Si6. 63K miles.
Was fairly easy, nothing to be afraid of.
1. Jacked car with 2 front jackstands, 2 jacks under rear running board mounts, 2 jackstands unsder rear suspension, and just for kicks, 2 jackstands under front suspension (not really under load, just there as backup). Light load on the floor jacks. Full load on the front jackstands and rear jackstands. Checked that vehicle was level using the dashboard offroad display.
2. Removed front under panel (skid plate), 15 mm socket and 10 mm socket.
3. Removed the skid plate behind this one, (8) bolts, 15 mm socket, and 4 bolts, 10 mm socket. Very straightforward. Watch out for dirt to spill off the top of it.
4. Removed thin panel beneath transmission, (6) bolts, 8 or 10 mm socket.
5. Removed mounting bracket for panel in step 4, (4 bolts, 8 mm socket). One of these proved to be the hardest part of the job trying to get it back in - patience and a deep socket without a driver allowed me to hold it and get it started. Also needed an 8 mm open end, or box end, or combination wrench for this small bolt.
6. Cracked the fill plug loose, 9 mm hex with a breaker bar, it was quite tight but eacy to access.
7. Drained the transmission by removing the pan's drain plug with a 10 mm socket. About 4.6 Liters came out. Must have been a bit low. Removed and discarded fill plug.
8. Replaces the pans drain plug so it wouldn't drip while I removed the pan.
9. Removed the 13 T40 Torqs bolts around the rim of the pan, tipped pan to drain a bit more, then removed pan.
10. It only dripped for a short time, replaced pan with BMW ZF branded pan said Hengst on it, from FCP Euro, about $70. Lubed filter O ring with fluid, then hand snugged 13 new bolts that were included. Torqued in sequence shown in FCP Euro DIY Blog to 88 inch pounds. Then went around the sequence a second time and added a touch more to make me feel good.
11. Filled until overflow with Lifeguard 8 fluid from FCP Euro, about $20 per Liter. Took 3 liters to fill to spill. Used Harbor Freight hand pump, $10, that fit the Lifeguard 8 bottles perfectly, and took about 20 or so pumps to almost empty a Liter bottle. No mess, no fuss. Replaced fill plug finger a few turns, not tight.
12. Warmed up transmission fluid, footbrake on, shifting through 1, 2, 3, R at idle, then Park at 2000 RPM for 30 seconds or so. I was unable to manually shift it to gears 4 through 8, and after a bit, also unable to get it to stay in 3 for more than a second. I used a V-gate OBD2 in the port, $20 at Amazon, and Car Scanner App on my phone to connect to the V-gate via Bluetooth. Monitored Gear Box Temperature in degrees C. When it got to 30 I continued to step 13. I hurried but really didn't need to as it turned out.
13. Removed fill plug, hand pumped 2 more Liters of fluid in before it overflowed. Replaced fill plug.
14. Dropped it off jacks and jackstands, test drove about 12 miles.
15. Jacked it up again to check my work.
16. Fluid temp was only 47 by the time I got back underneath. Removed fill plug and it was full and spilling a bit. Replaced and tightened fill plug and reinstalled all under panels.
17. Total time, a few hours, I wasn't hurrying and was being careful. Total cost about $210 with the hand pump, drain pan, fluid and pan (I actually bought 7 Liters of fluid and will return 1 unopened one, but I opened the 6th Liter and didn't need it, but I wouldn't suggest just buying 5 Liters unless you are willing to stop the job to go buy the 6th if you need it.
18. I'm glad I did this, it was my first transmission service. Local LR dealer wanted $1600. Independent was about $1200 last year on my BMW with same transmission, but different skid plates/access.
No, I didn't take pictures but will answer questions if I can.
Was fairly easy, nothing to be afraid of.
1. Jacked car with 2 front jackstands, 2 jacks under rear running board mounts, 2 jackstands unsder rear suspension, and just for kicks, 2 jackstands under front suspension (not really under load, just there as backup). Light load on the floor jacks. Full load on the front jackstands and rear jackstands. Checked that vehicle was level using the dashboard offroad display.
2. Removed front under panel (skid plate), 15 mm socket and 10 mm socket.
3. Removed the skid plate behind this one, (8) bolts, 15 mm socket, and 4 bolts, 10 mm socket. Very straightforward. Watch out for dirt to spill off the top of it.
4. Removed thin panel beneath transmission, (6) bolts, 8 or 10 mm socket.
5. Removed mounting bracket for panel in step 4, (4 bolts, 8 mm socket). One of these proved to be the hardest part of the job trying to get it back in - patience and a deep socket without a driver allowed me to hold it and get it started. Also needed an 8 mm open end, or box end, or combination wrench for this small bolt.
6. Cracked the fill plug loose, 9 mm hex with a breaker bar, it was quite tight but eacy to access.
7. Drained the transmission by removing the pan's drain plug with a 10 mm socket. About 4.6 Liters came out. Must have been a bit low. Removed and discarded fill plug.
8. Replaces the pans drain plug so it wouldn't drip while I removed the pan.
9. Removed the 13 T40 Torqs bolts around the rim of the pan, tipped pan to drain a bit more, then removed pan.
10. It only dripped for a short time, replaced pan with BMW ZF branded pan said Hengst on it, from FCP Euro, about $70. Lubed filter O ring with fluid, then hand snugged 13 new bolts that were included. Torqued in sequence shown in FCP Euro DIY Blog to 88 inch pounds. Then went around the sequence a second time and added a touch more to make me feel good.
11. Filled until overflow with Lifeguard 8 fluid from FCP Euro, about $20 per Liter. Took 3 liters to fill to spill. Used Harbor Freight hand pump, $10, that fit the Lifeguard 8 bottles perfectly, and took about 20 or so pumps to almost empty a Liter bottle. No mess, no fuss. Replaced fill plug finger a few turns, not tight.
12. Warmed up transmission fluid, footbrake on, shifting through 1, 2, 3, R at idle, then Park at 2000 RPM for 30 seconds or so. I was unable to manually shift it to gears 4 through 8, and after a bit, also unable to get it to stay in 3 for more than a second. I used a V-gate OBD2 in the port, $20 at Amazon, and Car Scanner App on my phone to connect to the V-gate via Bluetooth. Monitored Gear Box Temperature in degrees C. When it got to 30 I continued to step 13. I hurried but really didn't need to as it turned out.
13. Removed fill plug, hand pumped 2 more Liters of fluid in before it overflowed. Replaced fill plug.
14. Dropped it off jacks and jackstands, test drove about 12 miles.
15. Jacked it up again to check my work.
16. Fluid temp was only 47 by the time I got back underneath. Removed fill plug and it was full and spilling a bit. Replaced and tightened fill plug and reinstalled all under panels.
17. Total time, a few hours, I wasn't hurrying and was being careful. Total cost about $210 with the hand pump, drain pan, fluid and pan (I actually bought 7 Liters of fluid and will return 1 unopened one, but I opened the 6th Liter and didn't need it, but I wouldn't suggest just buying 5 Liters unless you are willing to stop the job to go buy the 6th if you need it.
18. I'm glad I did this, it was my first transmission service. Local LR dealer wanted $1600. Independent was about $1200 last year on my BMW with same transmission, but different skid plates/access.
No, I didn't take pictures but will answer questions if I can.
Last edited by ponderosajack; Mar 6, 2024 at 09:04 PM. Reason: Clarified step 5
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 943
Likes: 309
From: Colorado
How do you know it's dead? How do you know it's due to no oil changes? Maybe it's low on fluid or the filter is clogged or it's something else.
These ZF transmissions are pretty good. Doubtful they would be dead in only 86K miles unless they were abused or run dry.
I would have expected it to start acting up before going dead - poor shifting or something like that.
These ZF transmissions are pretty good. Doubtful they would be dead in only 86K miles unless they were abused or run dry.
I would have expected it to start acting up before going dead - poor shifting or something like that.
Overlanding
Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 18
Likes: 11
How do you know it's dead? How do you know it's due to no oil changes? Maybe it's low on fluid or the filter is clogged or it's something else.
These ZF transmissions are pretty good. Doubtful they would be dead in only 86K miles unless they were abused or run dry.
I would have expected it to start acting up before going dead - poor shifting or something like that.
These ZF transmissions are pretty good. Doubtful they would be dead in only 86K miles unless they were abused or run dry.
I would have expected it to start acting up before going dead - poor shifting or something like that.
the transmission workshops all say this comes from wear, perhaps the 1st owner was towing heavy trailers (bought my car at 70.000km, but in Europe 3,5tons is max, not sure on the US on this one). What all the approximately 10 transmission workshops said, is that you you should change the transmission oil every 50.000 to 80.000kms. Regardless of the car manufacturer’s service intervals. They claim these numbers come from ZF. Not sure if that’s true, perhaps they just want to make more customers. But then again you don't need these specialized workshops for a simple oil&oilpan change.
just brought my car in this Monday. Prices were from 3.000€ to 10.000€. Used transmissions on eBay are from 1.000 to 4.000€ (not refurbished). I’ll know more in 12 days- workshop said they’ll keep the car for 14 days. Anyone with the same problem I highly recommend getting the full repair manual for the Disco.
Last edited by Dostra; Mar 12, 2024 at 02:03 PM.
