ZF fluid

nyteshades · Nov 27, 2010

Yes I know this has been beat to death, and everyone runs ATF. The reason I'm asking, is I was getting ready to fill the trans after the swap and I checked the book to see what the capacity was. The book said, manuals built in 87 used 85-90w. I happened to notice the build date, and the tranny is stamped 12/21/87. So....ATF or gear oil? For what it's worth, gear oil came out of it. Given that the upper rad hose was the original hose....I'm guessing this is the first time the tranny fluid has ever bee changed.

towcat · Nov 27, 2010

'87 was a year where you could get a t-19 or a ZF5.
if your D.O.M. is roughly 12/87, you're an '88.
ATF is your oil for the trans ;Sweet

alienturtle · Nov 27, 2010

A lot of people here will run the ATF as that is what ford said to run in the ZF tranny. Now people will run a synthetic ATF to improve it. People that do a SMF and encounter the gear roll over noise will run a straight 30wt, 40wt, and i have even heard of a guy on this forum run 50wt tranny oil (same that goes in a big rig tranny) with no problems. I have been experimenting with different oil as i have this nasty gear roll over noise. I tried 40wt oil which gave me harder shifts in the colder morning. I now am running Redline MTL. seems to be ok and helped with the roll over noise. Also have read of people over filling the tranny through the top as i do with a full 4 qts. couple things to think about.

nyteshades · Nov 27, 2010

Thanks guys...It was driving me nuts. I have the shift tower off anyway, it's easier to put the trans in that way, so I'll just dump a gallon in thru the top.

Goofyexponent · Nov 27, 2010

nyteshades said:
Thanks guys...It was driving me nuts. I have the shift tower off anyway, it's easier to put the trans in that way, so I'll just dump a gallon in thru the top.

That's all I did with a gallon of synthetic blend. A little over-full, but I got no noise when I idled it.

franklin2 · Nov 27, 2010

People that do a SMF and encounter the gear roll over noise will run a straight 30wt, 40wt, and i have even heard of a guy on this forum run 50wt tranny oil (same that goes in a big rig tranny) with no problems.

For the record, I had big problems running straight 30w motor oil. Cold weather starting out I had to double clutch to get it to shift at all. I now have 10w-30 in it, and it's tolerable but still balky on very cold days.

u2slow · Nov 28, 2010

My '95 owner's manual says regular ATF for gas ZF, and synthetic for diesel. I'm more inclined to think this spec is due to the extra loading from the diesel than any design differences in the trans.

I changed the synthetic ATF 40,000km ago. Synchro's have gotten slower when the trans is still cold (i.e. grind on a downshift to 3rd). I'm thinking of the redline MTL but not fond of the price.

FWIW, when I re-lubed the Getrag in my Dodge at 385,000km I decided on 5W50 synthetic and overfilled. No impediments to shifting and noise went down. ;Sweet

OE spec is for 10w30.

I'm debating trying a synthetic engine oil in the ZF soon.

stumpjumper3 · Nov 28, 2010

So idealy. Its best to put a full gallon in our ZF5's correct?

RLDSL · Nov 28, 2010

You don't want to use modern engine oil. It has additives that are not compatible with the synchros.
I'm running 50wt synthetic ATF and it runs great. That stuff is standard fill for heavy duty manual trannys. So far the coldest morning I've seen with it is about 25 and it's been fine. I was running 30wt synthetic atf before that and fired it at below -20 and it shifted great. Factory original is regular synthetic ( as mentioned before for diesels) ATF which is 20wt. but ZF has acceptable wts that crossover in the scale range all the way up to include the equivilant of a 50 wt in their lubricant chart

u2slow · Nov 28, 2010

I'm also interested in feedback on overfilling the trans... anyone?

RLDSL said:
I'm running 50wt synthetic ATF and it runs great. That stuff is standard fill for heavy duty manual trannys.

What brand are you finding that in?

RLDSL · Nov 28, 2010

u2slow said:
I'm also interested in feedback on overfilling the trans... anyone?

What brand are you finding that in?

I'm running Amsoil CTL , The 50 wt synthetic ATF is made by most manufacturers, as it is the standard fill for most heavy duty manual trannys these days, but you won't find it at auto parts stores, heavy truck dealers will have it.

bike-maker · Nov 28, 2010

The "DMF to SMF" thread in the tech articles section says to put a full 2 gallons in the trans; you have to remove the shifter and fill through the top to do this..........this is what I did.

franklin2 · Nov 28, 2010

u2slow said:
I'm also interested in feedback on overfilling the trans... anyone?

Why do you want to overfill your tranny? Don't forget the only reason we are goofing around with different oils, different weights, and different fill levels is to make the tranny quieter after a SMF conversion. If you have the stock DMF, fill the tranny according to the factory spec and drive on with no worries.

lotzagoodstuff · Nov 28, 2010

franklin2 said:
Why do you want to overfill your tranny? Don't forget the only reason we are goofing around with different oils, different weights, and different fill levels is to make the tranny quieter after a SMF conversion. If you have the stock DMF, fill the tranny according to the factory spec and drive on with no worries.

I think you are spot on for stock DMF applications, but I will also say that overfilling the ZF and turning up the idle a little bit makes for a much quieter SMF. I can't deal with the DMF's "grenade potential", so I deal with a little noise, but the initially noise was pretty freakin hard to take.

u2slow · Nov 29, 2010

franklin2 said:
Why do you want to overfill your tranny? Don't forget the only reason we are goofing around with different oils, different weights, and different fill levels is to make the tranny quieter after a SMF conversion. If you have the stock DMF, fill the tranny according to the factory spec and drive on with no worries.

I converted to a SMF 4 years ago... first time I have heard of overfilling the ZF.

My DMF was louder, but that may have been because it was on its way out.

ZF fluid

nyteshades

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towcat

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alienturtle

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nyteshades

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Goofyexponent

Mentally Unstable..

franklin2

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u2slow

bilge rat

stumpjumper3

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RLDSL

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u2slow

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RLDSL

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bike-maker

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franklin2

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lotzagoodstuff

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u2slow

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