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It's personal preference I suppose, I could sleep better at night knowing I had the German made 8HP. No real proof there is anything wrong with the 845re but it's newer and not nearly tried and true.
Its lifetime fluid, so just add it to your will so whoever inherits your truck can worry about changing it when your dead.
There are two plugs on the transmission. A drain plug, the one you see in the plastic pan, and a fill plug. The fill plug may be on the side or on the tail end of the transmission.
This is from ZF's documentation. The procedure from Chrysler is likely the same:
Transmissions fluid level checking.
1) The transmission fluid temperature must be between 30°C and 35°C before checking can begin. Use test equipment to determine the trans temperature.
2) The vehicle must be level with engine running at idle speed and air conditioning turned on.
3) Step on the brakes firmly, apply parking brake fully and shift to D and R, briefly pausing in each position before shifting back to the Park position.
4) With the engine running at idle speed and the selector in Park position, remove the filler plug. Monitor the transmission temperature, if a small stream of oil runs out at 40°C, the fluid level is correct.
5) If no oil runs out when the filler plug is removed, the fluid level is too low and oil needs to be added until it overflows.
6) With engine running, install the oil filler plug and tighten to proper torque.
I will just trade mine at a100k , just like I've done with the last 4. Problem solved. That looks like a pain in the ass to get that right.
Sure, it's not as easy as the old dipstick. A little more time consuming, but it's
not tough. After servicing, add fluid until it just starts to dribble out. Start the truck engine. Add more fluid until a little bit dribbles out. Put the fill plug in. Take the truck out and drive it around until the trans is at operating temp. Park on level ground, remove the fill plug and check/adjust as necessary.
I e-mailed ZF on this matter a year ago! I wish I had saved the reply... I was told since I tow our TT during the summer months... ZF recommend dropping the pan and replacing fluid as well as the pan & filter since it is one unit @ the 60k mile mark and there after every 60k miles repeat...
The reason for buying the 2015, Hemi was for the German 8PH70, ZF transmission as opposed to the Chrysler manufactured 845RE , 8 speed , licenced from ZF mated to the V6 Penastar.
Actually preferred the Penatar V6 with 3.55:1 differential to the hemi , but bought the hemi\8PH70 ZF truck for the transmission.
Some research showed the 845RE transmission valve body was totally replaced for 2015 model year, but even some of the early 2015 Penastar\845RE had the previous 845RE valve body. The is no way of knowing what valve body was assembled with the 845RE transmission, even by Vin #.
The 2012-2014, 845RE transmission had many issues. It would cost $1800 to replace the updated valve body,
which was the adder to go with German 8PH70 ZF 8 speed.
There is a commercial grade video posted on U- tube showing the8PH70 ZF operation.
The transmission goes not have any conventional fiber material clutch plates.
Therefore, the ZF transmission fluid is not contaminated with clutch material particles, requiring conventional fluid changes.
However, the transmission is only 100k warranty. Now have 200 k on 4 cylinder Honda transmission, but changed fluid on 60k OCI.
Agree, transmission level should be checked based on previous post.
That was also back when people took pride in their work, now not so much.My BMW 525 has a ZF 5HP70 transmission which I serviced at 75K. The fluid is expensive, and by all accounts any other fluid will ruin the transmission in short order. The servicing is straightforward and no more difficult than any other AT.
Also, a little clarity (courtesy of Wikipedia) on the "german built" transmission in our trucks.
"By 2013, in parallel with Chrysler Group, ZF had set up a new transmission production plant in Indiana, USA, where the 8-speed transmissions are to be produced. ZF Friedrichshafen and Chrysler Group have reached a supply and license agreement for ZF's 8HP 8-speed automatic transmission. Chrysler Group is licensed to produce the 8HP at the company’s Kokomo Transmission Plant and the Kokomo Casting plant, production began in 2013.".
BTW, the location of it's manufacture in no way diminishes my personal opinion of the transmission. Americans (employed by Packard) built every single Rolls Royce Merlin that went into the more than 15,000 P51 Mustangs built during WWII, and another 40,000 engines for the British Spitfire, Hurricane, and Mosquito during the war. USA, USA!!!
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Also, a little clarity (courtesy of Wikipedia) on the "german built" transmission in our trucks.
"By 2013, in parallel with Chrysler Group, ZF had set up a new transmission production plant in Indiana, USA, where the 8-speed transmissions are to be produced. ZF Friedrichshafen and Chrysler Group have reached a supply and license agreement for ZF's 8HP 8-speed automatic transmission. Chrysler Group is licensed to produce the 8HP at the company’s Kokomo Transmission Plant and the Kokomo Casting plant, production began in 2013."......
The v6 and v8 have 2 different transmissions, that is why it says make or buy next to the transmission on the sticker on the earlier trucks and still probably says it on the build sheet. The v6 gets a lighter duty version, which is a variation of the 8hp45 that chrysler modified and then called it the 845rfe.I wouldn't trust Wiki on that info as they did not mention the 6/8 cylinder variations. I have read articles that said the original ZF was installed in the hemi models and the Chrysler built (licensed from ZF) 8 speed went in the v-6 models. (Early V-6 models had valve body problems.) Chrysler was to eventually produce all 8 speeds in the future under license from ZF. I don't think they're doing that yet....
Anyone else have any info on this?? 2016 Window stickers still differentiate between the 2 models. V-8 models list 8HP70 and V-6 models list 845RE.