I'm replacing my 2008 TDV6's transmission pan with a filter conversion kit - Britpart DA2142. (long overdue)
The new pan has what I believe to be a refill port - ~30mm diameter, beside a much smaller ~8mm drain plug - covered within by a white plastic cap (pics attached). I've read but not personally confirmed that the replacement pan is shallower than the original plastic, and that as such reduces the transmission capacity by about 1L, and that the oil should only be refilled via the pan's refill plug and not the one in the transmission itself (ref, original source?). If the original port is used, you'll apparently overfill the transmission.
Sound right? I ask as this seems to almost never have been mentioned by anyone who's installed the replacement pan, and there's only the one assertion above, and that's from a BMW forum
On the white cap: what's the purpose of this cap? Seems like some kits don't provide it.
Ta,
Ben
8th Apr 2017 3:44 am
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10368
I don't think it changes the fill capacity.
These are for BMW's really, which I understand, it is difficult to gain access to the level plug on the side.
THerefore that white thing replicates the fluid level required.
When fitting to a landrover, just ignore those plugs (although one will be very useful for draining in a couple of years time)
and use the landrover methods as stated by this forum
8th Apr 2017 11:01 am
af3556
Member Since: 12 Dec 2011
Location: Sydney
Posts: 27
As You fill the auto box, untill it spill out of the filling hole, it is not of importance, except that You might want to knos problably, how much more You will need to have of fresh oil.
Few weeks ago, did this myself.
Warmed up the motor by simply driving it, to especcially warm the gear box oil.
Then spilled it with the method of bypassing the oilcooler ( aka filo method) collecting it into a jerry can.
Then refilled it, with the given method, by refilling it through the filling hole, while motor is running.
Drove it again, first carefully, to make sure the first refill i did was quite ok, then normal, for approx. 10km.
Then did a spill again, but just by using the bottom hole of the plastik pan ( its re-sealable)
Refilled again
Drove again
Spilled again
Then leleased the 20somthing bolts of the pan
Needed to take out the bolt of the transfer box to gain enough space to do the hacksaw job with the filter snorkel. Managed to be carefull not to hurt the mechatronics, that You can't even see, but know they're there.
Then rotate the plastic pan a rubbish bin.
I bought the same set You seem to have.
Preparing myself I found out, there was no gasket, comming with the set. If You don't have this gasket You would be pinned now.
But You will have one, I'm sure.
I changed the mechantronic cable plug than.
Had no problem by opening the white lever, but took some time to fiddle in the plug back in and even more to have the courage to push back in the white thing back in, where it should be.
Then cleaned a little bit, the autobox oil will drip and drop for hours...
And put in the filter. ( read somwhere the tip to take care, you take out the o-ring on top of the snorkle...if its not coming out, You will push in a second oring, where is only space for one oring....)
I'm sure You will take care for that...
Then place the gasket, I'm sure You will wet it with auto box oil, an then place the first bolts.
I'm sure You know that there is a certain choreograghy for tightening these bolts, aswell that You know, that the torque for the bolts with the steel pan is different to the plastic pan.
When You tightened and doublechecked all bolts regarding the right torque, You can lower and reinstall the big bolt for the transfercase.
I'm sure You have a 3litre pressure Gardenhose, because its a nice gadget to have for refuelling. But You found out before, while doing the previous refills.
I used mannol ag55, following a comment of one of the KNOWING...
The effect was stunning, and I was happy having done it with this amount of time and material having spent.
Bought 2 x 10 litres of that oil, so I did not have to worry about how much I spent during the flushing.
Have to thank all previous howtos being send before, that gave the impression that I was prepared enough to do it on my own alone.
Maybe this helps someone else again a little bit.
Ah, and the car must be on flat ground, not parked on the boardwalk with one side, I'm sure You did that?!TDV6MY07-automatic-LHD-noDPF-iidbt-ffrrMod
13th Apr 2017 6:20 pm
af3556
Member Since: 12 Dec 2011
Location: Sydney
Posts: 27
G'Day Markland,
I have an IIDTool, so was able to get the gearbox to the right temperature just by idling the car until it warmed up to the right range (min 35C, max 40C as I recall), then did the level check. Not sure why you seem to have refilled before changing the pan? I just drained as much fluid as I could per the "Filo method", then removed/cut out the old pan - got another ~1L from the pan, then installed the new one, then went through the refill procedure. Consumed a little over 7L of ZF fluid in total. I went with the official stuff as I found a 30%-off sale at Repco, a local auto parts supplier here in Oz. Next time I'll switch to something more economical.
Not having the gasket would have been pretty disastrous for me - I ordered the kit from Rimmer Bros in the UK to here in Australia, would have been a real pain to try and get a gasket replaced!
Glad it worked out for you too. Certainly an easy enough job once you've done it
Hi Ben,
Did the two-times flush-refill before changer the Filter, to try to get out more of the used oil.
As the the oil in the torque converter is not coming out by itself when opening the drain plug i had the theory of driving the car, then draining out as much as possible for two times and then with the last time changing the filter pan aswell.
Kind of a diy-nearly-mega-flush.
To anyone else I can report on this method, that even the first drain-and-refill had such a nice effect towards smoother shifting, that I was really surprised, the rest was just caring for the next 180.000km.
Nice to have exchange around the globe
Thanks everybody in here for sharing
CheersTDV6MY07-automatic-LHD-noDPF-iidbt-ffrrMod
18th Apr 2017 1:27 pm
Yankee_Rover
Member Since: 02 Jun 2021
Location: Seattle
Posts: 183
af3556 wrote:
I'm replacing my 2008 TDV6's transmission pan with a filter conversion kit - Britpart DA2142. (long overdue)
The new pan has what I believe to be a refill port - ~30mm diameter, beside a much smaller ~8mm drain plug - covered within by a white plastic cap (pics attached). I've read but not personally confirmed that the replacement pan is shallower than the original plastic, and that as such reduces the transmission capacity by about 1L, and that the oil should only be refilled via the pan's refill plug and not the one in the transmission itself (ref, original source?). If the original port is used, you'll apparently overfill the transmission.
Sound right? I ask as this seems to almost never have been mentioned by anyone who's installed the replacement pan, and there's only the one assertion above, and that's from a BMW forum
On the white cap: what's the purpose of this cap? Seems like some kits don't provide it.
Ta,
Ben
I’ve contacted both ZF and CTSC (source of the disclaimer) for more info. The BMW guys say the metal pan was developed for LR installs, and LR folks say it was made for BMW. BMW owners seem all agree that the 1L capacity loss is real, but LR owners think it is only valid for BMW installations. CTSC says filling from the side fill port will overfill the transmission by 1L and cause overheating. Of course, I’m not sure how using the same full level plug would cause overfilling, if anything it would UNDERFILL the transmission and run the risk of overheating.
As best I can tell, both ZF 6HP26x have the same fluid capacity (10L), so I’d think the issue is mutual.
Will report back when I know something more.2008 LR3 HSE, 4.4L V8
10th Mar 2022 7:13 pm
douglastic
Member Since: 31 May 2017
Location: SoCal
Posts: 33
I installed mine 50k miles ago - time for me to refresh the fluid
From memory, I filled from the bottom pan fill hole, til slow drip while running at temp
The white part must help with fluid fill level while running with plug removed
I did not notice any difference between drained amount and refill amount
I got the genuine ZF pan with gasket and all new shorter bolts
I used ZF Lifeguard6
The last 50k has been 100% trouble free for meDoug
2007 LR3 HSE - Chawton/Alpaca - SoCal
10th Mar 2022 10:13 pm
Yankee_Rover
Member Since: 02 Jun 2021
Location: Seattle
Posts: 183
Question to ZF:
“ I am replacing the transmission pan and filter in a 6HP26X, installed in a Land Rover Discovery 3 (4.4L V8 engine). Various parts retailers sell an aftermarket steel ZF transmission pan for this installation, however it is not clear to me if this is approved for use by ZF in my application. The two steel pans I have found for resale are:
ZF 1068 203 020
ZF 1068 203 042
The former (020) has a disclaimer from the retailer stating it holds 1L less fluid than the standard plastic pan with integrated filter. I cannot find either of the steel pans on the ZF parts catalog, nor can I find any ZF reference to the pan capacity. These steel pans do have ZF stamps in them.
Is there a steel pan available for my 6HP26X with capacity equivalent to original? Are either of the aforementioned pans acceptable, albeit with a lower capacity?”
Response from ZF:
“ The original oil pan is plastic with a suction tube to the filter in it. When performing a fluid change, I believe you will need to lift the engine to remove the pan. Because of this, many people go the route of dropping the pan as far as possible, cutting the suction tube and then installing a separate filter and the steel pan. This saves time and makes the job much easier. ZF doesn't support this, but I know it is a common practice. I believe it is true that the oil capacity is lower with the steel pan. The steel pan and filter are used for BMW X series applications. This is the reason the components have a ZF logo on them..”2008 LR3 HSE, 4.4L V8
11th Mar 2022 3:32 pm
Yankee_Rover
Member Since: 02 Jun 2021
Location: Seattle
Posts: 183
True enough, Doug. As prevalent as this swap is, it seems that if there were a problem it would be widely discussed by now.
At this point all I wonder about is if the white fill port should be used or if the original fill port should be used. I just watched Atlantic British use the original port, and I know from talking to one other person they use the original port as well.2008 LR3 HSE, 4.4L V8
11th Mar 2022 3:46 pm
douglastic
Member Since: 31 May 2017
Location: SoCal
Posts: 33
I think it is either/or for the LR swap to steel.
Other applications with steel may not have an alternate/original side fill port.
So when adding steel, we get a belt and suspenders - your choice.
Both will dribble out the same at temp for proper fill.
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10368
I think the bmw exhausts are closer to the level plug. So much so, they need removing.
11th Mar 2022 7:09 pm
Yankee_Rover
Member Since: 02 Jun 2021
Location: Seattle
Posts: 183
ZF actually referred me to The CTC (US based ZF distributor).
My question to The CTC:
“ Is this disclaimer issued by ZF or only by The CTSC? It seems that if the original fill plug on the side of the transmission is used, the internal fluid level would be the same for either pan. Is there some other difference to how the steel pan and filter operate that requires 1L less fluid to be used to avoid damage?”
The CTC response:
“ The steel oil pan is more shallow, the filter is not part of the oil pan and is taking up room in the oil pan.
As the fluid expands when getting hot, the oil level has to be set that the transmission fluid does not reach the moving parts in the transmission.
If it does the fluid will turn into a mixture of fluid/air. This mixture is not able to produce a steady oil pressure resulting in transmission slippage.
To adjust the steel pan fluid level properly the overflow plug in the transmission oil pan has to be used.”
Logically, this just doesn’t make sense. The fill level established by the transmission fill plug is independent of the pan volume. Sure, a shallower pan will hold less fluid, but the internal level will be the same if the transmission fill port is used.
I agree with Doug and Pete that the plastic pan’s fill port was added to aid in filling BMW transmission installations where the trans fill plug was inaccessible. This checks out with some anecdotes I can across where certain BMWs need the trans lowered to access the fill port. Somewhere along the way, The CTC (only source for this rumor) “linked” it to a potential overfill scenario.
Further reading I have done suggests the steel pan and plastic pan actually hold the same volume of fluid, but ZF would not confirm this and The CTC stands by their claim that the steel pan holds less.
Considering the track record of the steel pan, it’s certainly safe to do the swap and most everyone continues to use the transmission port to no deleterious effect.2008 LR3 HSE, 4.4L V8
17th Mar 2022 3:12 pm
loanrangie
Member Since: 18 Jun 2017
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 601
In OZ the steel pan is mainly offered for use in the local Ford Falcon and Territory fitted withe same ZF6HP26 box but obviously BMW and LR owners saw them as a good upgrade.
Did mine early last year and was definitely easier in the TDV6 engined model as you don't need to touch the exhaust or any other components to replace.
18th Mar 2022 1:51 am
garrycol
Member Since: 06 Dec 2010
Location: Canberra
Posts: 1115
I also have the steel pan (be aware some do not have a drain plug) and doing a basic oil change, drain and refill - with engine running, fill plug out and gearbox temp between 30 and 50c my change works out at about 4 litres.
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