ZF Transmission question - temps

[Atcer2018]

Does the TMU exist on both variants (845RE & 8HP70)?

Yes, at least on my 2018 845RE.

 

[DILLIGAF]

The revmax kit is fine, so long as you use it properly. 'option 3' is the only real safe option.

However, if you go HERE and pick up this thermal bypass you'll save money and time on install while accomplishing the exact same end goal.

Sent you a PM, Your site aint working.

 

[Wild one]

It would be best to get the optimal operating temperature range of the transmission fluid from the manufacturer. My point was simply to be aware of the optimal temperature range.

I didn't know you could check the fluid level of the ZF, how is that done?

And just how do you get that information from the manufacture.What's actually the optimal temp,all they're going to tell you is whatever they've been told,i highly doubt you'll get the optimal temp even from the engineers,as they run the 8 speeds at differant temps,for differant applications.
If you haven't picked up on it yet,the 8 speeds in the 1500's run at 180 to 200+,while the 8 speeds in the HD 2500/3500's run at 160/165 ,the 8 speed in my wifes 6.4 Challenger runs at 150/155 on a summer evening cruise at 45/50 mph,so you tell me,what's the optimal temperature,is it 150 or is it 200+,or is it 122 which is the max temp for checking the fluid level,and who would you ask to find out that info
You're really stretching things,and if you didn't know how to check the fluid of the 8 speed till now,you should probably really stop with these impossible ideas you have.If you haven't seen this sheet by now,you must not be paying attention,lol

 

[BossHogg]

And just how do you get that information from the manufacture.What's actually the optimal temp,all they're going to tell you is whatever they've been told,i highly doubt you'll get the optimal temp even from the engineers,as they run the 8 speeds at differant temps,for differant applications.
If you haven't picked up on it yet,the 8 speeds in the 1500's run at 180 to 200+,while the 8 speeds in the HD 2500/3500's run at 160/165 ,the 8 speed in my wifes 6.4 Challenger runs at 150/155 on a summer evening cruise at 45/50 mph,so you tell me,what's the optimal temperature,is it 150 or is it 200+,or is it 122 which is the max temp for checking the fluid level,and who would you ask to find out that info
You're really stretching things,and if you didn't know how to check the fluid of the 8 speed till now,you should probably really stop with these impossible ideas you have.If you haven't seen this sheet by now,you must not be paying attention,lol

Have you tried asking them?

I haven't a clue what your rant is about outside of pushing back against the manufacturer's recommendations but trying to argue with me, or making snide comments toward me, and insulting me isn't going to get you the answers you seek. I'm not going to do your research, you do it.

Lubricants offer optimal lubricity in temperature ranges, you can't change that but it doesn't seem you can accept it either.

You can do whatever you want and that isn't an issue with me. I'm simply going to follow the manufacturer's recommendations throughout the 8-year life of my Maxcare service contract.

And I'm still waiting for you to tell me how I can check the fluid level in my ZF8 speed in my RAM.

 

[caulk04]

And I'm still waiting for you to tell me how I can check the fluid level in my ZF8 speed in my RAM.

I don't know what argument you're having, but the green picture floating around here in about 179 different threads, including this one, gives the procedure for fluid level checking. Or have I missed the boat?

 

[DILLIGAF]

manufacturer's recommendations

 

[Wild one]

Have you tried asking them?

I haven't a clue what your rant is about outside of pushing back against the manufacturer's recommendations but trying to argue with me, or making snide comments toward me, and insulting me isn't going to get you the answers you seek. I'm not going to do your research, you do it.

Lubricants offer optimal lubricity in temperature ranges, you can't change that but it doesn't seem you can accept it either.

You can do whatever you want and that isn't an issue with me. I'm simply going to follow the manufacturer's recommendations throughout the 8-year life of my Maxcare service contract.

And I'm still waiting for you to tell me how I can check the fluid level in my ZF8 speed in my RAM.

Clue me in,who do you ask,got a phone number besides your sons phone number.You operate under the idea they pass out phone numbers to the engineers,and to this day i've never seen or found a phone number to the engineers themselves.
You're the one blabbing about contacting them,so provide us with a way to contact them,seeing as how you're so smart.Not all of us have an in with a son,so get him to pass out the engineering departments direct line
Gotta admit some of your ideas and tips make me laugh,lol
It's common knowledge transmission and hyd fluids degrade fast above 160F,unless you have something that disproves that,you're just talking into the wind.
As Caulk stated ,you must have seen the "green" sheet by now,if you haven't here it is again,this time around read it.
It tells you exactly how to check the fluid in your 8 speed,just follow the diections.Knowing you,you'll try to claim this isn't gonna work

 

[BossHogg]

Clue me in,who do you ask,got a phone number besides your sons phone number.You operate under the idea they pass out phone numbers to the engineers,and to this day i've never seen or found a phone number to the engineers themselves.
You're the one blabbing about contacting them,so provide us with a way to contact them,seeing as how you're so smart.Not all of us have an in with a son,so get him to pass out the engineering departments direct line
Gotta admit some of your ideas and tips make me laugh,lol
It's common knowledge transmission and hyd fluids degrade fast above 160F,unless you have something that disproves that,you're just talking into the wind.
As Caulk stated ,you must have seen the "green" sheet by now,if you haven't here it is again,this time around read it.
It tells you exactly how to check the fluid in your 8 speed,just follow the diections.Knowing you,you'll try to claim this isn't gonna work

As I said before, my son has never been involved with the 8-speed program, he is in the medium-duty program with ZF. His comments were from his time at Chrysler Powertrain where he worked in the EcoDiesel group. Obviously the transmission is part of powertrain.

All I did was echo his response to a few questions, if you don't like his responses, move on. No one is forcing you to do anything, service your vehicle at a level that makes you comfortable.

As far as that green sheet, is it the one that has no time or date stamp nor any mention of its origin? I'm not likely to pay much attention to something that isn't authoritative.

Please share with me the list of my ideas that make you laugh. I believe the only idea I have which isn't an idea at all, is to simply follow RAM's published maintenance schedule.

In your years of education when you were asked to do a research project, did you push back against your teacher this way? By researching, you will discover answers to your questions and you will also discover additional information that may spark your curiosity causing you to continue down the path of discovery. Eventually, you will get to the line where you are satisfied with what you discovered. Learning is fun, at least for me.

Seeing that you continue to ignore my question about how to check my transmission fluid level which I believe is not something that a typical owner can do, I consulted my 2022 owners' manual, and here is what it says;

"Fluid Level Check
The fluid level is preset at the factory and does not
require adjustment under normal operating
conditions. Routine fluid level checks are not
required, therefore the transmission has no
dipstick. An authorized dealer can check your
transmission fluid level using special service tools."

 

[BossHogg]

Clue me in,who do you ask,got a phone number

Let's discover the transmission fluid characteristics together, or at least try and find as much as we can.

I searched for "zf 8-speed transmission fluid requirements" and my search engine came up with a reference to this ZF-published product data-sheet.

https://aftermarket.zf.com/remotemedia/master-content/zf-services-portal/oils-data-sheets/pc-1/lifeguardfluid-8/pds-zf-lifeguardfluid-8-it.pdf

The product data sheet is fairly revealing but doesn't answer the question of what is the optimal lubricity temperature of the fluid but does reveal viscosity with respect to the fluid's temperature.

Would you like to take the next step and see if you can uncover more information?

 

[DILLIGAF]

I believe is not something that a typical owner can do

Because you cant figure out a simple maintenance procedure, dosent mean the rest of us that live in the real world cant.

 

[EdGs]

I'm simply going to follow the manufacturer's recommendations throughout the 8-year life of my Maxcare service contract.

And I'm still waiting for you to tell me how I can check the fluid level in my ZF8 speed in my RAM.

The manufacturer of the truck (Chrysler) says "sealed for life", but the manufacturer of the transmission (ZF) says "~80k kilometers, sooner if severe duty"

If you have a service contract, great, but I doubt the dealer will do a trans service because they say it is sealed.

Also, if the trans dies, it's "life" is up whether 50k or 250k miles. I personally would opt to follow ZF's recommendations over Chrysler here.

As far as that green sheet, is it the one that has no time or date stamp nor any mention of its origin..........Seeing that you continue to ignore my question about how to check my transmission fluid level which I believe is not something that a typical owner can do

AFAIK, that sheet is from a brand new 8HP70 meant for the Ram truck. It has been posted copiously throughout this site.

As far as typical owner being able to do, if you have decent mechanical inclination you can do this. It is tedious, but doable, especially with help from the members here.

If you aren't comfortable DIY'ing, then have someone else do it, absolutely.

I decided to DIY mine after the dealer failed to call me back to give me a quote (twice). I knew what they would charge me for parts ($29/qt for fluid and $270 for the pan) I paid $170 for the OE pan and $21/qt for 7 qts. (used about 5-1/2ish) OE fluid at RockAuto 2 years ago. YMMV

If you have warranty, I would go with OE parts and fluid, just to be safe. Good luck and smooth repairs whatever you decide.

 

[Wild one]

As I said before, my son has never been involved with the 8-speed program, he is in the medium-duty program with ZF. His comments were from his time at Chrysler Powertrain where he worked in the EcoDiesel group. Obviously the transmission is part of powertrain.

All I did was echo his response to a few questions, if you don't like his responses, move on. No one is forcing you to do anything, service your vehicle at a level that makes you comfortable.

As far as that green sheet, is it the one that has no time or date stamp nor any mention of its origin? I'm not likely to pay much attention to something that isn't authoritative.

Please share with me the list of my ideas that make you laugh. I believe the only idea I have which isn't an idea at all, is to simply follow RAM's published maintenance schedule.

In your years of education when you were asked to do a research project, did you push back against your teacher this way? By researching, you will discover answers to your questions and you will also discover additional information that may spark your curiosity causing you to continue down the path of discovery. Eventually, you will get to the line where you are satisfied with what you discovered. Learning is fun, at least for me.

Seeing that you continue to ignore my question about how to check my transmission fluid level which I believe is not something that a typical owner can do, I consulted my 2022 owners' manual, and here is what it says;

"Fluid Level Check
The fluid level is preset at the factory and does not
require adjustment under normal operating
conditions. Routine fluid level checks are not
required, therefore the transmission has no
dipstick. An authorized dealer can check your
transmission fluid level using special service tools."

Seeing as how you think the green sheet isn't a documented sheet,here's a couple video's,that describe the procedure .You'll note they're virtually identical to the green sheet. BTW: the Green sheet came with my brand new truck specific 8 speed when i bought the transmission from my local dealer.I actually bought 2 transmissions,i started with a supposedly factory re-built,and sent it back when it was dirtier then the transmission i was replacing,and told the dealer to get me a "brand new" 8 speed,both transmissions had the Green sheet included with them.
If you want to research the 8 speeds fluid,"search" Burla's name,he's already posted up alot of information on the OEM 8/9 speed fluid,including that sheet you posted.
I'm about done with you,as you seem to have blinders on in regards to believing the green sheet,plus my heads getting sore from beating it against the wall,trying to explain things to you.

Part 1/2: Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram 8 speed 8HP70 transmission fluid level check

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Part 2/2: Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram 8 speed 8HP70 transmission fluid level check

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www.youtube.com

 

[Atcer2018]

ZF 8 Speed transmission fluid change procedure from ZF with their logo on the material. Note that one of the bullet points states:

*The vehicle is in a horizontal position on the platform.

To verify what this means I called ZF. I started with a call to the US regional headquarters in Verona Hills, Illinois. Phone number +1 847 478 6868. They directed me to one of their production facilities in Gainesville, Georgia . Phone number
+1 770 531 2800

After some time waiting for an engineer, I spoke with a gentleman named, Robert, I did not ask for a full name. A knowledgeable gentleman stated that all of ZF transmissions are build for specific purposes and in Ram trucks the transmission should be level as the platform is not conducive to a somewhat level attitude found in other platforms. He unequivocally stated the fluid change interval is 60K miles, less under severe use conditions. He was aware of Ram literature stating lifetime fluid and he professionally disagreed but conceded he’s only an employee of ZF and has no ability to change Ram information nor is he allowed to publicly contradict the claims of the automotive manufacturer. He then reiterated that I should follow my vehicles manufacturer recommendations and added that the recommendation per ZF is 60k miles. This was back in 2019.

https://aftermarket.zf.com/app/controller/ti/download/Binary/22f16dae-c571-11ec-a2e7-00505690da53.pdf

 

[El Guapo Phil]

I am ordering one. Seems to be a good feature to combat the heat in Belize.

 

[caulk04]

I'm starting to wonder about the optimal lubricity temperature of a different fluid

 

[Wild one]

ZF 8 Speed transmission fluid change procedure from ZF with their logo on the material. Note that one of the bullet points states:

*The vehicle is in a horizontal position on the platform.

To verify what this means I called ZF. I started with a call to the US regional headquarters in Verona Hills, Illinois. Phone number +1 847 478 6868. They directed me to one of their production facilities in Gainesville, Georgia . Phone number
+1 770 531 2800

After some time waiting for an engineer, I spoke with a gentleman named, Robert, I did not ask for a full name. A knowledgeable gentleman stated that all of ZF transmissions are build for specific purposes and in Ram trucks the transmission should be level as the platform is not conducive to a somewhat level attitude found in other platforms. He unequivocally stated the fluid change interval is 60K miles, less under severe use conditions. He was aware of Ram literature stating lifetime fluid and he professionally disagreed but conceded he’s only an employee of ZF and has no ability to change Ram information nor is he allowed to publicly contradict the claims of the automotive manufacturer. He then reiterated that I should follow my vehicles manufacturer recommendations and added that the recommendation per ZF is 60k miles. This was back in 2019.

https://aftermarket.zf.com/app/controller/ti/download/Binary/22f16dae-c571-11ec-a2e7-00505690da53.pdf

Where are you,when guys start questioning the procedure that states to level the pan rail,and want to argue that point,lol
Great post Atcer

 

[BossHogg]

Because you cant figure out a simple maintenance procedure, dosent mean the rest of us that live in the real world cant.

I said a typical owner, it has nothing to do with "figuring it out", the procedure is well documented. I realize there are many very capable owners who not only have the equipment but also the skills to do the fluid check procedure. I'm envious of you and folks like you because I don't have the skill, equipment, or the physical ability to get under my truck outside of an oil change and fuel filter change.

 

[MegaHertz]

What is that operating temperature range? The 8 speeds in the HD's run at 160/165 unloaded and usually stay under 170 while towing in excess of 7,000lbs,back road summer evening cruising at 45/50 mph the 8 speed in my wifes 6.4 Challenger with a factory high stall convertor runs at 150/155F,so just what is the optimal temp??.
You check the fluid level at no more then 122F,so is that optimal temp?

I started watching my ECT lately due to some cooling issues, as you know @Wild one.

In doing so, I noticed my trans temp (8-spd) is running at about 210* cruising around town. Is that normal or do I need to phone Houston, cuz we have a problem?

P.S. I had my trans fluid and filter changed within the last year. Trucking is sitting at about ~80k mileage.

 

[Wild one]

I started watching my ECT lately due to some cooling issues, as you know @Wild one.

In doing so, I noticed my trans temp (8-spd) is running at about 210* cruising around town. Is that normal or do I need to phone Houston, cuz we have a problem?

P.S. I had my trans fluid and filter changed within the last year. Trucking is sitting at about ~80k mileage.

That's definitely on the hot side for just cruising around . The transmission thermostat has been known to fail,and the only way to get a new one,is to buy the complete thermal management unit,or install one of Jesse Caulks bypasses in place of the thermostat. For $h!ts and giggles check your transmission fluid level,as very few shops do it right,and you might be down on fluid. Follow these instructions,especially the very first highlighted paragraph about leveling the transmission,you need the rear tires in the air roughly 9" to get the pan rail level,then follow the procedure and don't try any shortcuts.The colder you can do it at,the better. According to ZF the ideal checking temp is about 100 to 110,the 122 is the max temp,not the ideal temp to check the fluid level.

 

[caulk04]

In doing so, I noticed my trans temp (8-spd) is running at about 210* cruising around town. Is that normal or do I need to phone Houston, cuz we have a problem?

That's getting past where I'm comfortable with trans temps. I'd suspect your thermostat isn't opening fully anymore. My bypass will fix that.