Thebusdriver
Junior Member
Hey y’all. Been a reader for a while and this is my first post.
Tackled a transmission fluid change in my 2014 Ram 1500 5.7L hemi with the ZF 8 speed @ 100k miles. Researched for weeks on how to do it, the information out there is somewhat confusing and incomplete but we were able to get it done.
Wanted to share a little bit about the experience…I bought 2 fluid pans, the aluminum PPE heavy duty one, and a cheap Chinese aluminum one from RockAuto. Installed the cheap one first to try and save some money and boy was that a bad idea. The cheap pan fit properly and bolted up just fine BUT it was about 1/8th of inch too shallow. It put pressure on the parking mechanism which didn’t allow it to shift into park properly. Major bummer. We had to remove and drain that pan and do the whole process again, this time with the American made premium PPE pan. It worked flawlessly and looks badass. It took about 7 quarts of fluid.
Here are some photos of the supposedly “sealed for life” transmission fluid vs the new fluid. Old fluid was a brown/grey color, yuck. I used Valvoline Maxlife ATF to replace it (it is rated for the 8 speed and it’s wayyyy cheaper than OEM). My transmission seems to be MUCH happier after a bath. She shifts like a dream now!
This is a very doable project. Most nerve racking part is getting the rear tires jacked up and having to climb under the truck while it’s running.
Tackled a transmission fluid change in my 2014 Ram 1500 5.7L hemi with the ZF 8 speed @ 100k miles. Researched for weeks on how to do it, the information out there is somewhat confusing and incomplete but we were able to get it done.
Wanted to share a little bit about the experience…I bought 2 fluid pans, the aluminum PPE heavy duty one, and a cheap Chinese aluminum one from RockAuto. Installed the cheap one first to try and save some money and boy was that a bad idea. The cheap pan fit properly and bolted up just fine BUT it was about 1/8th of inch too shallow. It put pressure on the parking mechanism which didn’t allow it to shift into park properly. Major bummer. We had to remove and drain that pan and do the whole process again, this time with the American made premium PPE pan. It worked flawlessly and looks badass. It took about 7 quarts of fluid.
Here are some photos of the supposedly “sealed for life” transmission fluid vs the new fluid. Old fluid was a brown/grey color, yuck. I used Valvoline Maxlife ATF to replace it (it is rated for the 8 speed and it’s wayyyy cheaper than OEM). My transmission seems to be MUCH happier after a bath. She shifts like a dream now!
This is a very doable project. Most nerve racking part is getting the rear tires jacked up and having to climb under the truck while it’s running.