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This topic is to archive a few DIY lessons learned since many are probably coming up on, or in the 50,000 to 80,000 miles or 8 year fluid interval and the service costs around $1500.
DIY total cost is about $285 packaged with a new pan and 7 quarts of OEM fluid. If you splurge for a 3rd party metal pan make sure it includes a new filter and new magnets, although you might clean and swap your old magnets.
Amazon has several sellers and package options for the ZF8HP700, though some might be listed for other compatible cars. The special fluid runs from $45/quart for OEM, to $15/quart for Amsoil Signature series and $8/quart for Amsoil standard, both prices are after signing up for a free instant Amsoil membership and resulting discount. There is also Ravenol ZF8 fluid for around $28/qt. The pan with filter, magnets, gasket and new bolts without fluid runs about $85.
The procedure is easy, but not necessarily easy to pull off depending on your access to a lift and/or home garage tools. I'll cover that later.
The F-Type has a transmission side cover that first needs to be removed to obtain ZF8 filler cap access. You only need to remove the passenger side cover which is held on by three Torx 27 bolts. You'll need full underneath access, meaning the ability to slide you head under the transmission, to find the forward most bolt. The F-Type cats and exhaust pipes run within an inch or two of the fill port, so a cool car is essential. Gloves will either sacrifice dexterity or not provide much heat protection.
Next loosen the filler cap with an 8 mm allen wrench to make sure you can fill the transmission once drained. The cap is on the passenger side, about 3" from the rear corner of the pan and about 3" above the bottom of the pan. There is a warning label under it.
Once the filler cap is loose, open the drain port with the same 8mm wrench. The drain port is a very odd plastic plug that breaks free to operate, so it is one time use, although it will reseal in a pinch. Think of it like a plastic bottle cap that breaks the ring to open, but can be screwed back on unsealed.
After you drain the pan, there are 13 Torx 30 bolts around the pan bottom which are all easy to find and remove. Jag, however, blocked one front bolt with a wiring harness and that must be unclipped. It is easy to unclip, but you'll want to zip tie the plugs in an up-and-away stowed position so nothing gets flooded by dangling.
The pan then wiggles off easily. There is one interior fitting that directs fluid through the filter, so make sure the o-ring comes off on the pan-side of the fitting or remove it from the transmission-side of the tube connector. Your new pan should have a new o-ring pre-installed.
With the pan off, wipe off the metal gasket mating surface around the perimeter of the transmission. The new rubber gasket is part of the new pan.
Install the new pan after rubbing a little new fluid on the perimeter gasket and the o-ring. The 13 new bolts are only tightened to 10 ft-lbs, so make sure you have a reliable low setting torque wrench. Next reclip the wiring harness over the front of the pan
That is all easy.
Filling the transmission is easy too, but being German (did I write that or just think it?) the detailed temperature requirements create procedural delemmas that are borderline comical.
First, you "sort of" need a transmission temperature OBD II reader. I say "sort of" because the end result is you have to move as fast as you can, regardless. The phone app TorquePro plus a $10 Bluetooth OBD II scanner dongle works fine to read the transmission temp, if you would like to know for sure. If the transmission gets too hot you will know because 130-140F fluid will start to back flush out the fill port when the transmission cooler diverter valve opens.
With the new pan installed, fill the transmission with new fluid unitil it drips back out of the fill port. With most transmissions thats where the fun ends, but with the ZF8 this is where the fun begins.
Here is the delemma. Once the preliminary fill is complete, you need to start the engine and run the car through all available gears for 5 seconds each, then top off the fluid with the engine still running and the transmission temperature below 122F/50C until, again, fluid drips from the fill port. Replace the fill cap and you are done. The engine running top-off adds a little more than 1 more quart, so it is critical to complete properly.
It sounds easy enough, and it is, the difficult part is completing the top-off before the transmission temp exceeds 122F/50C. To succeed, I found I needed to begin the top-off with a stone cold car, or I ran out of time and had to wait for the car to cool down again.
The effect of this temperature requirement is that you can't really rent a lift and complete the service in one day.
And to do the best job, it really takes two nights of cooling down then repeating with a second top-off. That is because the only way to flush the fluid in the torque converter and transmission cooler and piping is to top-off after warming the car up with a drive at operating temperature. No doubt, the dealer service probably omits a second top off which also saves a quart+ of expensive fluid.
The alternative to a multi-day lift rental is to change the fluid in your garage. To do this you'll need to raise the car on four jack stands to keep it level. My solution was to back the car onto two 6" high race ramps (Amazon $40 for 18,000 lb capacity) then alternate jacking the two front wheels up adding a section of 2" x 10" wood board stock under each front wheel, alternating sides until four boards (6") were under each front wheel. This method avoids twisting the car a lot and gives about a foot of working room under the car, which is just enough. Always use jack stands and back-up jack stands on all corners.
You can then do the top-off procedure cold the next day, running through the gears (making doubly sure the parking brake is set and you exit the car in Park), then going under the car to pump the first quart, some of the second quart, then screw on the fill cap handtight before 122F/50C is hit. It is doable with about 30 seconds of slop. Practicing rethreading the fill plug without touching the exhaust, having the pump set-up with a second quart ready to go is the key to success here.
If you use a lift, realize it takes two people to do the top-off: one inside the car to run though the gears and one under the car to pump the top off quart+. If you try to do it with one person, exiting, then lifting the car after you run through the gears will likely miss the temperature limit. And I don't like rushing any car lift.
This is why a simple fluid change costs $1500. The end result is worth it. Creamy, near instant shifts again and a nice clean ZF8. At 39,000 miles my fluid was very dark (new OEM fluid is clear light greenish) and my four magnets were coated with metal.
Changing transmission fluid is crucial in making sure you don't need to change transmission.
Agreed. Mine developed a squeak at gear changes which some kind forum members identified as low or beaten-up fluid. After the flush/fill its quiet and it shifts like butter.
I forgot to mention in the first post that the best option is to buy 2 times fluid, 13 or 14 quarts. Do a drain, keep the old pan on by removing and replacing it to initially drain the fluid, or reinsert the plastic drain plug for a few miles in the middle of flushes. Then, after the torque converter fluid mixes and the diverter valve mixes the transmission cooler lines at full operating temp, do a second full drain and top-off using the next batch of new fluid.
If you do a single flush with a single low temp top-off, the best you can change is about 6 qts of 9 qts. A second top-off drains another quart then adds a new quart, so you replace about 6.3 qts of 9 qts. The double full change changes about 8 qts of 9 total.
Since you only change the pan and filter with the final change, its only about $100 more to go from a 70% change (dealer cost $1500) to an 90% change (DIY cost $400).
Excellent write-up, my only complaint is the use of the term "passenger side" without making it clear which side your driver sits. Left or right is much less ambiguous (I'm assuming ZF doesn't make specific LHD and RHD versions!).
Here's my results - Please read and let me know your opinions
Hello Guys,
I did the transmission change today except mine wasn't like described and I'm stumped. I'm on flat ground using a Quickjack.
I drained the trans fluid and only 3.5 liters were removed from the F-Type. So I proceeded and replaced the pan and filter with the an OEM kit.
Filling the transmission fluid in the new pan only took 2.5 liters before it ran a stream out the fill hole.
So I continued with the F-Type on Quick jack doing the transmission exercise. I let it warm up to 86F then went to 'R', 'D', 'N' placed in Manual went to '1' then '2'. Back to 'P' and 'N' and repeated again.
So when I removed the fill plug, a lot more fluid came out of the fill port.
So, how come I only got 3.5 liters out and only 2.5 liters in with the change with new pan. Then after going through the gears more fluid was removed.
So, how does the 7 liters get removed and added?
I've also watched several youtube videos on changing the ZF8 transmission pan and fluid so I believe it was done right.
Even if I had owned an AT at one time, tackling any work related to one would have been off the table. Given the complexity (hundreds of parts versus a couple dozen for an MT) and the need to undertake something akin to a Native American rain dance to properly drain and fill the beast, I would never consider touching one.
Everyone so far has avoided the elephant in the room: If an improper fill has caused slippage, I am sad to say some amount of damage has likely already occurred.
Even if I had owned an AT at one time, tackling any work related to one would have been off the table. Given the complexity (hundreds of parts versus a couple dozen for an MT) and the need to undertake something akin to a Native American rain dance to properly drain and fill the beast, I would never consider touching one.
Everyone so far has avoided the elephant in the room: If an improper fill has caused slippage, I am sad to say some amount of damage has likely already occurred.
Especially if moderate to high revs have occurred.
Maybe so, but hoping for the best. There was no high revs, only slowly driving around with no more than 2000 rpm's.
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Went for a drive today and F-Type drove great. The transmission was smooth as ever. Maybe I got lucky but I also just drove slowly down the road and back when the F-Type was low on fluid.
Last edited by djyankees31; 05-11-2020 at 06:32 PM.
Reason: Provided Update
Those ATs are such magical devices, I just can’t get my mind around working on them.
Originally Posted by djyankees31
Maybe so, but hoping for the best. There was no high revs, only slowly driving around with no more than 2000 rpm's.
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Went for a drive today and F-Type drove great. The transmission was smooth as ever. Maybe I got lucky but I also just drove slowly down the road and back when the F-Type was low on fluid.
12-23-2019, 05:24 PM
F-Type DIY ZF8 Transmission Fluid Change
