8 speed fluid change

[chrisbh17]

There are now FCA transmission plants in Indiana making the ZF 8 speed.

As far as the drain plug goes, to my knowledge it is not reusable. It's also right above the damn exhaust crossover pipe. I am going to try to suck out and fill through the fill port. I have services the sealed tranny on our 4Runner a few times and it's a pain with the temp procedure but at least it has a reusable steel pan and fill/drain plugs.

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Do they make the 8HP70 there?

Or just the 8HP45?

I'd also bet my bottom dollar that there is no way the dealer will follow each one of those steps . They always tend to skip steps to make the process less time consuming and more profitable for them.

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This is my worry.....even if I sucked it up to pay the outrageous dealer rate to do it, do you seriously think they are going to take a level to the transmission pan and raise the truck "just right" for it to actually be accurate?

Hell I wouldnt be surprised if they just parked my truck in the back for a while then claimed the fluid was changed and collected my $$$$.

Of course, I have MaxCare Lifetime so if I DIY the fluid change, either "sorry, warranty void because thats lifetime fluid" or "sorry, warranty void because you must have done it wrong".

 

[Limeybastard]

Do they make the 8HP70 there?

Or just the 8HP45?



This is my worry.....even if I sucked it up to pay the outrageous dealer rate to do it, do you seriously think they are going to take a level to the transmission pan and raise the truck "just right" for it to actually be accurate?

Hell I wouldnt be surprised if they just parked my truck in the back for a while then claimed the fluid was changed and collected my $$$$.

Of course, I have MaxCare Lifetime so if I DIY the fluid change, either "sorry, warranty void because thats lifetime fluid" or "sorry, warranty void because you must have done it wrong".

Let's not be too harsh now , they'll probably just suck out and put some back in for that money [emoji4][emoji1787]

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[madtrucker2016]

My sons 13 big horn 2wd just went past 100k. Dealer told me fluid is lifetime. Plus told me it would be over 800.00 to do it. I've always been a 50000 mile type. What's yall's opinions?
Getting ready to do the the major service

Go ahead and buy the replacement trans pan it comes with the new filter .Go on you tube and watch a bunch of video,s also go to the Mopar site and buy the five QTS of tranny fluid and knock it out your self. Fill it till it runs out just a small amount ,cap it with foot on brake put it into all the gears then take for a short 10 min trip. Go back and refill till it starts to come out again. Unless you got 800 and change for the dealer to do it the money you save can put towards your car insurance for the year. that's how I look at it.

 

[kurek]

The ZF 9-speed is an abomination and has ruined every car it was installed in. Everyone at ZF and every other company that touched that thing should resign in shame and work as receipt checkers at the Walmarts in rough neighborhoods, or some other job they can't mess up. I mean that quite seriously too. We all make mistakes periodically in our lives but that thing stretches the definition of mistake past its limits.

As for the 8 speed, it seems like basically everyone loves it right up until it needs to be serviced. I agree that $800 service procedures are just obscene... even if it offers Lamborghini performance (well it's literally in the Lamborghini Urus..) it's still a disservice, in my opinion, to put that in a truck that's ostensibly still built for utility where the cost of the total life cycle is crucial to the buyer's bottom line. FCA says it's lifetime fluid but it's hard to guess what they mean by lifetime and with the length of loans people are taking out these days I wouldn't be surprised if there are folks putting new transmissions in trucks they're still making payments on.

The 86F temperature thing is a bit of a puzzle for performing service in the South... plenty of 115F+ days in Arizona, I'm sure there's some cooling in the service bays of most dealerships just to be humane to the men and women who work out there but they can't be keeping it down in the low 80s with those bay doors open to let cars in/out and exhaust fumes out.

 

[BenWade]

Did pan/filter replacement and new fluid at 100k for $600. The transmission has worked flawlessly. Plan to service it again at 200k. If you plan to keep your truck for less than 200k miles then there isn't any value to do the trans service.

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[rsdata]

I changed my '14 RAM 8 speed fluid at 52,600 miles almost two years ago, in Jan 2018. I supplied a new aluminum trans pan and the fluid to an independent garage. They charged me less then $150 to do the work.

I used this pan and this Valvoline trans fluid




I am now almost 40,000 miles down the road with no issues. I tow about 5,000# or 1,500# either/or almost all the time, so I wanted to make sure the tranny was taken care of.

 

[BenWade]

I changed my '14 RAM 8 speed fluid at 52,600 miles almost two years ago, in Jan 2018. I supplied a new aluminum trans pan and the fluid to an independent garage. They charged me less then $150 to do the work.

I used this pan and this Valvoline trans fluid

View attachment 188807 View attachment 188808


I am now almost 40,000 miles down the road with no issues. I tow about 5,000# or 1,500# either/or almost all the time, so I wanted to make sure the tranny was taken care of.

I considered going this way on my '14 RAM as well but couldn't find reviews from someone that went your route. I stayed conservative and went OEM. Glad to know this is a quality & more affordable option. Will try at my 200k interval

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[rsdata]

I got the idea to use Valvoline from a couple of youtube vids like this one

 

[PoMansRam]

I'm at 45K miles on my 2017 Ram 1500 with the 8HP45 / pentastar.

If I ever get the ambition and grow the stones to do it, the first things I'll do is mail order a new pan and have a suitable fluid on hand.

I'll then pull the drain plug on the pan (cold) to see how much comes out, then make the determination if I want to just do a spill and fill and call it a day or do I want to swap pans now too.

Either way, once I measure how much fluid came out (cold), that's how much has to go back in. I'll put as much as I can get in with the truck off, then jack up the fill side of the truck if I need to, idle the engine and add the rest of the ATF in.

I would use a garden sprayer to add fluid unless I win the lottery at some point and want to buy a real pressure fluid pump like the pros use.

 

[Hemi395]

I'm at 45K miles on my 2017 Ram 1500 with the 8HP45 / pentastar.

If I ever get the ambition and grow the stones to do it, the first things I'll do is mail order a new pan and have a suitable fluid on hand.

I'll then pull the drain plug on the pan (cold) to see how much comes out, then make the determination if I want to just do a spill and fill and call it a day or do I want to swap pans now too.

Either way, once I measure how much fluid came out (cold), that's how much has to go back in. I'll put as much as I can get in with the truck off, then jack up the fill side of the truck if I need to, idle the engine and add the rest of the ATF in.

I would use a garden sprayer to add fluid unless I win the lottery at some point and want to buy a real pressure fluid pump like the pros use.

This was my thought as well, jack the fill side of the trans up to put the amount of fluid in that came out...

 

[chrisbh17]

I think "drain and fill" could work as long as the temps of the fluids are close. If you can ensure that, then what comes out should be what goes back in, assuming the starting level was correct.

 

[JS4024]

Leave it

 

[madtrucker2016]

The ZF 9-speed is an abomination and has ruined every car it was installed in. Everyone at ZF and every other company that touched that thing should resign in shame and work as receipt checkers at the Walmarts in rough neighborhoods, or some other job they can't mess up. I mean that quite seriously too. We all make mistakes periodically in our lives but that thing stretches the definition of mistake past its limits.

As for the 8 speed, it seems like basically everyone loves it right up until it needs to be serviced. I agree that $800 service procedures are just obscene... even if it offers Lamborghini performance (well it's literally in the Lamborghini Urus..) it's still a disservice, in my opinion, to put that in a truck that's ostensibly still built for utility where the cost of the total life cycle is crucial to the buyer's bottom line. FCA says it's lifetime fluid but it's hard to guess what they mean by lifetime and with the length of loans people are taking out these days I wouldn't be surprised if there are folks putting new transmissions in trucks they're still making payments on.

The 86F temperature thing is a bit of a puzzle for performing service in the South... plenty of 115F+ days in Arizona, I'm sure there's some cooling in the service bays of most dealerships just to be humane to the men and women who work out there but they can't be keeping it down in the low 80s with those bay doors open to let cars in/out and exhaust fumes out.

They put this 8 speed to gain on the gas mileage not because they wanted to do so.

 

[Greif]

If you use OEM pan and fluid would they ever know in future that it was changed diy and hold it against you in warranty?

 

[chrisbh17]

If you use OEM pan and fluid would they ever know in future that it was changed diy and hold it against you in warranty?

I would think the only way they could tell is the pan/filter being "fresh". I suppose if you change it and put a decent amount of miles on it before they ever see it again, it would be harder to tell since the pan would be dirtied up.

Might be able to tell the pan bolts were removed, as well.

This is really the one thing that has me at "WTF should I do"....I have MaxCare Lifetime, so do I never change the fluid and just blindly trust that they would cover a trans replacement when it came down to it? Or do I replace the fluid and run the risk of them voiding allthethings just because?

 

[jvbuttex]

I think "drain and fill" could work as long as the temps of the fluids are close. If you can ensure that, then what comes out should be what goes back in, assuming the starting level was correct.

no thoughts about changing that filter... after 100k miles I'd want to get it out. Yes fluids are cleaner, assembled parts are cleaner, but thats good for a 10k engine oil change. Not 100k miles on a trans assembly. I too did the searching here on this forum, found the brand and Part # for the reusable pan replaceable filter type, bought the oil from the forum vendor. Changing it out is not so difficult. also for those fanatic about getting the vehicle, its not that critical. Get the vehicle level and check the level. if the vehicle looks level from 15ft away, side view, your good. no levels required. Took me couple hours start to jack it up, change, then warm up checking the temp on the dash, then recheck.... all good.

 

[El Huapo]

I also have a ZF trans in my 2004 BMW Z4. BMW also says "Lifetime fluid, no need to change it". ZF does NOT say that and the BMW motorheads all change their fluid at no more than 100K. The big thing to watch out for is if you can get the filler plug out before you drain the fluid out with the drain plug. This may not be an issue if your tranny is fairly new, but with age they can wedge themselves in and become near impossible to remove. Then refilling the tranny will be tricky as you might imagine.
NOTE: I am assuming the trannies in the Ram trucks is similar to one in my BMW and we know what "assume" means.... I'll roll under my new 2019 Warlock after daylight and see.
BTW: I've never had a pickup that handles as well as this one does in the corners up here in the mountains, I love it!

Yep, looks similar to the BMW, big fill plug on the side, allen wrench fitting. I stand by my earlier caution: make sure this one will come out before draining.

 

[chrisbh17]

no thoughts about changing that filter... after 100k miles I'd want to get it out. Yes fluids are cleaner, assembled parts are cleaner, but thats good for a 10k engine oil change. Not 100k miles on a trans assembly. I too did the searching here on this forum, found the brand and Part # for the reusable pan replaceable filter type, bought the oil from the forum vendor. Changing it out is not so difficult. also for those fanatic about getting the vehicle, its not that critical. Get the vehicle level and check the level. if the vehicle looks level from 15ft away, side view, your good. no levels required. Took me couple hours start to jack it up, change, then warm up checking the temp on the dash, then recheck.... all good.

Honestly if I were going to DIY this, I would take one of my 18 6" long bullet levels and put it against the transmission rail (per the factory instructions). It only takes a few seconds extra, then you can be 100% sure its level front to back and left to right.

The rest of the procedure doesnt seem hard at all...TEDIOUS, yes. Difficult, no.

 

[jvbuttex]

Wow, called out in factory manual, didn't know, but its been a few years since i had access to Mopar manuals in the shop. I've changed a few quarts of oil in my time, sometimes not on level ground, realized it upon refill, adjusted vehicle, and rechecked the level, minimal fluid required. I can see how it would be the best way. but I never have heard of this on any other level check.

 

[chrisbh17]

Wow, called out in factory manual, didn't know, but its been a few years since i had access to Mopar manuals in the shop. I've changed a few quarts of oil in my time, sometimes not on level ground, realized it upon refill, adjusted vehicle, and rechecked the level, minimal fluid required. I can see how it would be the best way. but I never have heard of this on any other level check.

The drain plug on the trans pan has a tube that sticks up from it into the pan.....if you tilt the pan to either side, the fluid will "slosh" to that side, then when you pull the screw in the drain plug to see if any fuel dribbles out, nothing will dribble out (if tilted away from the plug), which can lead to errantly adding fluid until something DOES dribble out. Then when you put the truck back on level ground, the fluid level is silently too high.

For traditional trans, etc I dont think it matters much....plus there was always the dipstick to make sure you were in range. Not anymore!