8HP70/75 Trans Fluid Never Changed? What's your miles?

[joesstripclub]

I finally got around to cutting the filter out of my old Pan. The last transmission service I did was on a Mercedes Van with the 5 Cyl. diesel. It was the first service at 30,000 miles. I was very surprised to see a ton of assembly junk and metal wear caught in the filter of the Mercedes. I mean a whole lot. That transmission was functioning perfectly at 76, 000 miles when I sold the vehicle. Compared to that experience what I found in the RAM transmission was almost nothing. I was surprised to see so little debris caught in the filter. As stated in my last post the magnets did have the usual grey fine sludge that I could wipe off with my fingers. If I passed another magnet near them I could get some "fuzz" to stand up. I don't think I would be eager to use an after market pan without magnets. JMO
The filter is made of some very tough and dense material. It is not thick but the material is very robust. You cannot tear it and it is difficult to cut.
I have seen questions regarding reusing the OEM drain plug. The plug does have wording and arrows for open and close. There is a torque Spec. stamped on the plug. It is an O-ring sealing mechanism. No crush or compression type of gasket. I was able to reinsert the plug and snug it without difficulty. For those who have contemplated a drain and fill if your plug is like mine I would imagine it could be done at least once. Note that it does say "open only" on the pan. The replacement Mopar / Filtran pan I used does NOT have a drain plug.
The few flecks of metal in the filter can be seen in the attached photos.
Edit: The straight cut seen in the filter is where I passed trough with the cut off wheel I was using to cut the interior filter / pan housing.
View attachment 505645View attachment 505644

Did the mercedes van have the ZF 8 speed as well? What was the mileage on the pan you cut open from your truck? Fluid dirty I assume since the filter looks fairly grey?

I have a cheapy ebay pan that is actually a V6 part number. It came with magnets, but I believe the OEM magnets are fairly easy to remove and transfer to the new pan if not. Also I have drained mine 2 or 3 times and had no issue with leaks on the plug. I didn't know that was a issue people were having?

 

[Different Drummer]

Did the mercedes van have the ZF 8 speed as well? What was the mileage on the pan you cut open from your truck? Fluid dirty I assume since the filter looks fairly grey?

I have a cheapy ebay pan that is actually a V6 part number. It came with magnets, but I believe the OEM magnets are fairly easy to remove and transfer to the new pan if not. Also I have drained mine 2 or 3 times and had no issue with leaks on the plug. I didn't know that was a issue people were having?

No, the trans. in the Mercedes was a Mercedes. I believe a 722.6 series. I think they were used in other Mercedes cars, Chrysler 300, Crossfire and some models of Jeeps.
Like the ZF Trans. it was initially stated it was a lifetime fill and no service required. It was also a shift by wire and had the "Tip shift" mechanism allowing it to be used like the ZF as far as selecting the gear range. Also, no dip stick though it did have a tube that one could purchase a "diagnostic dip stick for. Servicing was done in a VERY similar manner as our ZF 8 speeds.
I mentioned it solely because of the VERY large amount of material I found in the filter and on the magnets. I really thought that the transmission would fail sometime during my ownership. However, with another service at 60, 000 miles it remained functioning flawlessly when sold at 76,000 miles. Point being, I guess these transmissions are capable of making a lot of metal and continue to go down the road.
My RAM transmission was virtually sterile in comparison.
The mileage and the UOA on my transmission fluid is in post #58 of this thread.
I was unaware of anyone who actually reused the OEM drain pug. I did see people questioning as to whether or not it could be re-used. That is why I posted my findings.
Interesting that you V-6 pan has a drain plug that you have been reusing. The new Mopar / Filtran pan I just installed does not have a drain plug. As far as the color of the filter material it looks to me like it might have been a grey color since new. Maybe not.

 

[joesstripclub]

No, the trans. in the Mercedes was a Mercedes. I believe a 722.6 series. I think they were used in other Mercedes cars, Chrysler 300, Crossfire and some models of Jeeps.
Like the ZF Trans. it was initially stated it was a lifetime fill and no service required. It was also a shift by wire and had the "Tip shift" mechanism allowing it to be used like the ZF as far as selecting the gear range. Also, no dip stick though it did have a tube that one could purchase a "diagnostic dip stick for. Servicing was done in a VERY similar manner as our ZF 8 speeds.
I mentioned it solely because of the VERY large amount of material I found in the filter and on the magnets. I really thought that the transmission would fail sometime during my ownership. However, with another service at 60, 000 miles it remained functioning flawlessly when sold at 76,000 miles. Point being, I guess these transmissions are capable of making a lot of metal and continue to go down the road.
My RAM transmission was virtually sterile in comparison.
The mileage and the UOA on my transmission fluid is in post #58 of this thread.
I was unaware of anyone who actually reused the OEM drain pug. I did see people questioning as to whether or not it could be re-used. That is why I posted my findings.
Interesting that you V-6 pan has a drain plug that you have been reusing. The new Mopar / Filtran pan I just installed does not have a drain plug. As far as the color of the filter material it looks to me like it might have been a grey color since new. Maybe not.

I had seen some other people mention the V6 and V8 pans were the same so for $30 off ebay I gave it a shot. I did have to replace the gasket with an OEM one, and found out the only different in the pans is where the alignment pin for the gasket is located in the pan. I have actually used the aftermarket pan drain plug multiple times and it still holds. I'm surprised your replacement doesn't have a drain plug.

 

[Different Drummer]

I had seen some other people mention the V6 and V8 pans were the same so for $30 off ebay I gave it a shot. I did have to replace the gasket with an OEM one, and found out the only different in the pans is where the alignment pin for the gasket is located in the pan. I have actually used the aftermarket pan drain plug multiple times and it still holds. I'm surprised your replacement doesn't have a drain plug.

In my search for an OEM pan I discovered that the parts seem to have undergone multiple revisions. Or, at least the part numbers have. Sometimes I was told a gasket was included and sometimes I was told it was not. I also came across OEM "kits" that were supposed to have new pan bolts and in some cases a new fill plug. Other places replied negatively to my queries about pan bolts , fill plug and gaskets.
I ordered an OEM pan that I was told did not have a gasket. So I ordered an OEM gasket from another supplier as the pan supplier did not have gaskets in stock. I also ordered a new fill plug and new pan bolts from the same place that I got the gasket. This particular supplier specializes in diesels and lists diesel parts only. I simply ordered parts for a diesel and I own a Pentastar. When everything arrived the pan ( which was supposed to be without a gasket ) had a gasket in place. The diesel parts arrived and the gasket was identical to the gasket on the new pan ( no alignment issues ). The diesel pan bolts and fill plug was identical the the ones from the factory on my truck. Everything fit nicely and I have no leaks.
Now I have a new gasket that I did not need to buy. I probably will use it with a PPE aluminum pan down the road and will use the metal inserts I saved from the original pan. Looking at my original gasket I really cannot see why it could not be reused for those considering doing so. If I did not have a new one sitting in an unopened package, next transmission service I most likely would reuse one of the two that have been installed on the transmission.

 

[jafgreen]

Completed my first service at 190k. Trans is still running strong. Went with bluaparts lifetime fluid and pan/filter kit.