Synthetic Oil

[Zack02]

Glad to hear it working out for you thus far @16RamHemi

 

[Hemi395]

hey guys....finally some time to respond. thank you very much for everyone who was able to help. i appreciate it all. i have never done anything like this before. after doing it (and im sure anyone else who has done it) looking back it is pretty straight forward and simple. but i was second guessing everything i did. and once done, the service stabilitrak, trac control, and service 4wd lights went out.

so after getting the pan off, i gently pressed on the rest of that plastic breaking any remaining pieces that was already cracked or compromised. wasnt much more than those pics. got the new pan on and filled her up. ended up taking 1 gallon. i put it through the paces that are in the ZF manual. after this i also went and drove it to get it up to the 175 or so for the cooler bypass valve to open (the tech in the Weber auto vid mentioned this). came home, parked it on a hill to get the trans level and let it cool to 122. then checked fluid level again. for some reason some came out like it was over filled (i quickly put plug back in...lost maybe 3 tablespoons).

checked driveway this morning and no leaks. drove to work fine. i dont feel anything different. no worse driving but not better either. ill continue to monitor this. one thing i did notice is when i started manually shifting (about 2 miles from leaving my house from a stop sign) i could hear this woosh like sound behind the dash cluster (weirdly like a turbo blow off). wasnt real loud but enough that i could hear it. it did this as the truck shifted. was louder 2nd to 3rd and got quieter as gears got higher. after driving 10 minutes or so this went away.
it also seems like my trans temp was a little higher than usual. peaked at 192 and held 18t to 190 most of the trip (once it got up to temp). typically it had been spending most time around 175 to 180. ill keep my eye on this (i watch the screen with the 4 temps constantly amyway).

so i think i will give it a little time (myself as well) and do another drain and fill. i still have one gallon of D6. may get one more quart to be sure. like others have commented, that oil was dark. it did not smell at all tho.

as far as the FN exhaust.....man. it must be hit or miss whether you get an inch or 2 under there. watching John (Boosted on youtube) his pan slid right out. if this truck was low mileage, one of the first things i would do (after switching to redline amd RP filter) is fix the exhaust. then i could use the drain plug and the pan drop would be super easy. if i didnt go with the atp pan i would have been screwed. a stock pan wouldnt have gone back on, unless i broke off the remaining plastic i guess.

anyway, sorry for the novel. thanks again for everyones help.

Awesome man glad you got it back together [emoji106]

How bad was the fluid fill procedure?

I'd drive for a few days as long as it's shifting ok and then check the level again. That way any air in the trans and cooler/bypass valve will have a chance to bleed out....

 

[16RamHemi]

Great , now all you need to do is install the thermal bypass mod to drop those tranny temps about 30° [emoji1360][emoji1360]

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

oh great another thing to do. do i dare ask how one does that?

 

[16RamHemi]

Glad to hear it working out for you thus far @16RamHemi

so far so good. thanks. the first time doing anything in depth is tricky. now having changed rear diff, tramsfer case and trans, its all pretty simple. biggest issue is the dumb exhaust pipe. makes me wonder what a dealer would have done in that situation. i bet that messing with the exhaust isnt in that $1200 or so price for the swap.

 

[16RamHemi]

Awesome man glad you got it back together [emoji106]

How bad was the fluid fill procedure?

I'd drive for a few days as long as it's shifting ok and then check the level again. That way any air in the trans and cooler/bypass valve will have a chance to bleed out....

i was wondering if i was hearing air pushing out when shifting this morning. as far as the fluid filling, thats simple. i bought a $10 pump at harbor freight that screwed onto the gallon jug. worked flawlessly. would not do a fluid service again without one. again, the exhaust is the worst thing. between not being able to get pan off to burning myself twice just trying to do the final fluid check, it went well. but i would recommend not going with oem pan unless you either change exhaust or measure your clearance. now having the atp pan on, changing it again will be much easier. unfortunately their drain plug is in the same pkace, so its useless and will be.a mess getting off. but get some cardboard and make a big area to lay on. i will also say this. my truck is lifted 4" and made these fluid swaps MUCH easier. stock height would have been more frustrating.

and to echo a couple guys on here, i had to jack up the rear about 10" off the ground to level trans. i was also on an incline, which helped. if on level ground you are talking over a foot off the ground. maybe close to 2.

 

[Burla]

I would be trying to find a uoa or voa of zf tranny fluid, we need to know what is in there when we see all that plastic. Surely no way is a lifetime fill a good idea, the entire truth of the matter is fca considers the 8 speed a disposable item. Not judging or comparing, just making the statement, maybe in totality is still is an upgrade from the rfe's. However, I am judging the interval, that is whack.

 

[U&A]

Found an informative video on the ZF trans....

[emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]



Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[U&A]

Great , now all you need to do is install the thermal bypass mod to drop those tranny temps about 30° [emoji1360][emoji1360]

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Correct me if im wrong but isn’t it not so easy to remove the bypass on the ZF 8 speed?

I remember talking about this and somebody found a way to do it it’s fairly difficult. I thought the bypass was built into that trans somehow


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[AFMoulton]

Correct me if im wrong but isn’t it not so easy to remove the bypass on the ZF 8 speed?

I remember talking about this and somebody found a way to do it it’s fairly difficult. I thought the bypass was built into that trans somehow


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

It is, attached to the side with lines into the case. You would have to buy another thermal core and then re-pipe it or re-do it internally.

It was easier for me to buy a 2500 that deal with that nightmare!


2018 2500 6.4 4x4 4.10 Amsoil SS 0w-40, Softopper
Black Rhino Armory 18x9 +12mm
Cooper St MAXX LT295/70R18

2016 Durango 5.7 AWD 3.07 Amsoil SS 4 Qts 5W-30 and 3 Qts 0W-40
1996 Nissan Altima 2.4 Amsoil SS 5W-30

 

[AFMoulton]

Oh yeah don’t forget about the three way thermal valve in the engine bay.


2018 2500 6.4 4x4 4.10 Amsoil SS 0w-40, Softopper
Black Rhino Armory 18x9 +12mm
Cooper St MAXX LT295/70R18

2016 Durango 5.7 AWD 3.07 Amsoil SS 4 Qts 5W-30 and 3 Qts 0W-40
1996 Nissan Altima 2.4 Amsoil SS 5W-30

 

[Hemi395]

I think if you bypass the three way valve for the 8 speed it will eventually throw a code. Not 100% sure on that but I seem to remember reading that somewhere.

The RFE trans are much easier to do a thermal bypass on because they’re totally mechanical...

 

[U&A]

I think if you bypass the three way valve for the 8 speed it will eventually throw a code. Not 100% sure on that but I seem to remember reading that somewhere.

The RFE trans are much easier to do a thermal bypass on because they’re totally mechanical...

I remember this too.

Though I swear there was somebody that mentioned there is something you can do with those bypasses to slightly lower the temperatures without throwing a code.

I don’t know if it was simply replacing it with one that had a lower temperature thermostat in it.

Either way,

ZF transmission pretty much backs you into a corner on this one.


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[grizzstang]

I am not to sure how necessary the thermal by-pass would be for the 8 speed.

I have read many times they don't like being cold. Mine seems to operate in the 180 to 200 range but it doesn't see 200 unless I am towing with my leg in it and even then it seldom happens.

A trans tech told me once the optimal temp for a trans is 180 degrees but the problem is keeping it there. Colder certainly doesn't hurt for most transmissions though. I had a trans cooler off an F250 SD on my F150 and it didn't seem to mind being lower than stock temps.

 

[joshuaeb09]

I am not to sure how necessary the thermal by-pass would be for the 8 speed.

I have read many times they don't like being cold. Mine seems to operate in the 180 to 200 range but it doesn't see 200 unless I am towing with my leg in it and even then it seldom happens.

A trans tech told me once the optimal temp for a trans is 180 degrees but the problem is keeping it there. Colder certainly doesn't hurt for most transmissions though. I had a trans cooler off an F250 SD on my F150 and it didn't seem to mind being lower than stock temps.

^^This. There's a reason paramount only goes down to 160 on their built 8 speed transmissions. IMO the best thing you can do is delete the shutters and go to a 180 T-stat. It keeps the stupid fluid heater nerfed and even below 190 the trans t-stat allows partial flow through the cooler. Mine rarely ever goes over 190 now and when it does it drops rapidly since the trans cooler always has airflow thanks to a lack of shutters. I know for a fact on mine the fluid heater is trying the entire time since the Tranny temp is in lock step with coolant until 190 and then the tranny cooler starts working. Ie if my coolant is 185, tranny is 185, if the coolant goes up to say 187 the tranny follows pretty quickly.

 

[HammerHead]

Y’all are going to love this. Lol

 

[U&A]

Y’all are going to love this. Lol

I would absolutely NEVER start that engine without a pan drop, valve cover removal, good cleaning, inspection. How do you get that **** out of the bearings and oil galleries.


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[Burla]

Did we ever get an update from the fella that had hemi tick a week or so ago?

 

[HammerHead]

I would absolutely NEVER start that engine without a pan drop, valve cover removal, good cleaning, inspection. How do you get that **** out of the bearings and oil galleries.


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

I agree; I was thinking coolant and transmission also.

 

[huntergreen]

I would absolutely NEVER start that engine without a pan drop, valve cover removal, good cleaning, inspection. How do you get that **** out of the bearings and oil galleries.

I would absolutely NEVER start that engine without a pan drop, valve cover removal, good cleaning, inspection. How do you get that **** out of the bearings and oil galleries.


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

That's a modern engine, imho, that sludge was caused by neglect. Other than chemical flushes, not much can you do clean out the bearings.

 

[Burla]

Something to look up, Castor oil not as a renewable 2 stroke but as a performance 2 stroke. It is degummed and mixed thus minimizing the issues with 100% Castor oil, but the other properties are intersting and worth a look.