2004 M62 ZF5HP24 95K miles Maintenance Questions.....

[RRHSELux]

Hello All:

Turning 95K miles with no problems, but only had it since 89K, so thought I would tackle a few things now that I am back home and can work on it... Most of the 6K miles since purchase have been highway... and last 1,000 miles was towing 5,000lbs... Surprisingly Stable Towing Machine!

This is what I have planned:
*Mann Oil Filter & Air Filter
*New BEHR Radiator (VERY small leak along passenger side of radiator)
*Coolant Reservoir to Thermostat Hose (at some point, this hose was left unclipped and rubbed up against a pulley, but luckily did not burst... I noticed the deep rub marks while inspecting the bottom of the engine)
*FEBI Transmission Filter, Pan Gasket, & O-Ring

FLUIDS:
Engine Oil: Mobil 1 0W-40
Transmission Oil: Mobil LT71141
Coolant: BMW Blue Coolant
Coolant Additive: Redline Water Wetter

QUESTIONS:

1. Front & Rear Differential Oil: AMSOIL Severe Gear 75W-90 or ??? How much for drain & fill?

2. Transfer Case Oil: Castrol BOT 26 FMB 1 or ??? How much for drain & fill?

3. Transmission has never been opened... Perform a "regular" transmission fluid & filter change (~5 qts) or "complete" by draining from cooler return hose as well (closer to 10 qts)?

4. DIY instructions for COMPLETE coolant flush & bleed including heater core & drain through block plug? (I've looked for this & can't seem to find the complete flush instructions)

5. Anyone fitted a better-than-stock transmission oil cooler?

6. BONUS POINTS QUESTION: Correct bolt size to secure the power steering hose bracket which runs from the pump to the gear? Attached just behind the transmission cooler...

THANKS!

[RRHSELux]

APOLOGIES!!! Please disregard the question list above... Once my newly-downloaded RAVE was working CORRECTLY, I realized there is A LOT more information in there than I originally thought... And, of course, many of my questions have been answered...

A few still remain:

1. Still a bit confused on trying to order Sealing Washers... RAVE says Transmission, Rear Differential, & Transfer Box HAVE sealing washers on Fill & Drain Plugs, but Front Differential plugs do NOT have sealing washers? Many How-To's in this forum say there are NO sealing washers on the Transmission... Anyone know which have, which do not, & part numbers?

2. Still wondering if anyone has fit a better-than-stock transmission oil cooler.....

3. Need correct bolt size to secure the power steering hose (the one with an attached bracket) which runs from the pump to the gear? Secures just behind the transmission cooler on the steering rack... Dealer parts department was useless on this one & bolt is missing on mine... found a temp fit, but tightened loosely because I can tell it is NOT the correct size...

Thanks....

[RRHSELux]

BONUS QUESTION ANSWER: M6 x 12mm

Local LR Parts guy insisted that Blue Lock Tight and no sealing washers are used on all of the drain & fill plugs for the front differential, rear differential, transfer box, transmission, & engine block coolant drain plug... CAN ANYONE CONFIRM THIS??? It seems like that would be very ineffective considering the amount of oil on the threading for almost every one of those plugs/bolts.....

[03rangiemark]

Page 119 of the RAVE manual says Land Rover part # STC 50552 for the front diff oil filler/level & drain plugs. It may translate to blue Loctite.

[RRPhil]

The transmission level/filler and drain plugs are both hex. socket plugs with built-in seals - hence the whole plug should be replaced.

The front differential level/filler and drain plugs are tapered plugs to which Loctite 243 Threadlocker should be applied (i.e. STC50552).

Phil

[RRHSELux]

Thanks Mark & Phil...

I have both RAVE & Microcat working correctly now...
Slowly collecting parts for a good Saturday of work on the RR.....

1. Having trouble locating ZF-made transmission filter because some have stated use ONLY a ZF filter... many FEBI Bilstein filters available... Will the FEBI work as well as the ZF filter?



This may or may not help anyone else... Part numbers for BMW engine L322 various fluid drain & fill plugs & sealing washers/gaskets:

Transmission:
Drain Plug... UYP000070
Fill Plug... TYB000040

Rear Differential:
Drain Plug... TGZ000030
Drain Plug Seal... RYX000020
Fill Plug... RYP000150
Fill Plug Seal Ring... RYF000050

Front Differential:
Drain Plug... TYP000220
Fill Plug... TYB000010
Thread Locker... STC50552 (As stated above by Phil)

Transfer Case:
Drain Plug... IYB500010
Drain Plug Gasket... IYF500010
Fill Plug (same)... IYB500010
Fill Plug Gasket (same)... IYF500010

Coolant:
Cylinder Block Plug... LYB000110
Cylinder Block Plug Ring... VYX000050
Radiator Plug... LCM000010
Sealing Washer to Transmission Oil Cooler... PYX000070
(I believe two of these are required, although Microcat only shows one)

[RRPhil]

Febi are ‘reboxers’ as the parts they supply don’t always come from the same source. They supply the independent spares market and are not OEM suppliers. Personally I would stick with the Filtran product as the quality is guaranteed.





If you can’t get one from Land Rover maybe you could try BMW (p/n 24341422673) ?

Phil

[03rangiemark]

Having trouble locating ZF-made transmission filter

I got an original Land Rover transmission filter ($41) from British Parts of utah (bputah.com) along with the o-ring ($1) & gasket ($21). They sell them as a kit ($63) or individually. They also have aftermarket equivalents, like the FEBI filter.

[Mrmerlin]

here is a how to on flushing out the trans fluid DIY

I suggest to get 11 liters of fluid on hand
http://www.google.com/url?q=http://w...49X5sGFvgn6owQ

[RRHSELux]

Thanks All.....

I will stick with the OEM transmission filter from LR or Atlantic British... As it is, I'm a bit nervous about the job because EVERYONE I've talked to in person has recommended either NOT touching the transmission or performing a drain & fill ONLY without changing the filter... I understand the arguments and I know they have been discussed at length on the forums, but at 95K miles, I figure it's now or never...

This next question may make some of you laugh... but after placing the vehicle on off-road setting & placing "insurance" jack stands, I have crawled underneath several times.. while there is enough room to do jobs, I wouldn't mind a bit more... Has anyone put their RR up on FOUR Rhino Ramps? I would be using 16,000lb rated Rhino Ramp Maxes (8,000lbs each)...

[ZUNDFOLGE!]

but at 95K miles, I figure it's now or never...

I vote for never. Seriously. I worked for Mercedes-Benz for 12 years as a mechanic. They also used a ZF electronic gearbox which was "sealed for life". After many failures reported to MBUSA from dealers around the country who had performed transmission fluid and filter changes on the 722.6 transmissions, MB then suggested a fluid/filter change interval of 40K miles (it was 30K miles in the good old days) with the addendum that if the gearbox had over 100K on it, that would be strictly at the owner's discretion due to cases of failure after servicing. The flip side of that coin is that we saw plenty of those 'boxes with 200K+ on them that had never been opened up and were still functioning beautifully.

My Rangie is at 107K. I change all of the fluids and filters religiously on it, but find that touching the gearbox is money lost, as my personal experience has told me that if enough cases show up of failure, changing the fluid (late) isn't really going to prolong anything necessarily and may, in fact, accelerate failure. If/when my 'box kicks it, I will put a new one in and will then stick with 30K fluid and filter changes.

[RRHSELux]

Thanks for that, Aaron...

I would feel a little better if I was trying to fix or improve something by doing this service... I've driven a number of 2003-2005 RRs and mine shifts PERFECTLY with no issues whatsoever... mountains, towing, or full throttle (which I avoid as much as possible)... I have read plenty of threads claiming unbelievably smooth "like new" shifting after a transmission filter & fluid change, but few long-term follow-ups... and the long-term follow-ups I do find state some slipping & gear hunting in strenuous situations...

I would like to make sure the transmission COOLER is working as efficiently as possible... I need to change the radiator soon & I'm planning to flush the COOLANT passages of the transmission cooler as much as possible before attaching to the new radiator... other than that, I can't think of much else to do with the stock system, but I have been searching for a more effective transmission cooler...

We can all agree that drain & fill on the front differential, rear differential, & transfer case are all good ideas, right? I'll be using stock Castrol BOT 26 FMB 1 on the transfer case, but have opted to use AMSOIL Severe Gear 75W-90 on the F & R Diffs....

[ZUNDFOLGE!]

Thanks for that, Aaron...

I would feel a little better if I was trying to fix or improve something by doing this service... I've driven a number of 2003-2005 RRs and mine shifts PERFECTLY with no issues whatsoever... mountains, towing, or full throttle (which I avoid as much as possible)... I have read plenty of threads claiming unbelievably smooth "like new" shifting after a transmission filter & fluid change, but few long-term follow-ups... and the long-term follow-ups I do find state some slipping & gear hunting in strenuous situations...

Agree. My '05 also shifts perfectly and I think you and I must treat our RRs similarly, as I also do avoid full throttle and unnecessary downshifting (which, from what I read on several RR forums, many owners do not and I seem to read the words "floor it" many times too ).

Additionally, I have also not witnessed many long-term follow up threads from those who have serviced their gearboxes, and when I have, much like yourself, I have found evidence of problems cropping up. I had a wild hair up my arse for a while when I first bought my RR (with 97,100 miles on it) thinking I'd do a transmission fluid and filter service, so I bought a Febi filter, two 5-litre jugs of Pentosin ATF1 (which is supposed to work fine in these 'boxes) and a new pan gasket, but they've all sat on the shelf and 10,000 miles later, that's where they'll stay (unless someone wants to buy that lot!!).

As I said, if/when I am in need of a new 'box, I will probably start out by using the Pentosin fluid since it is much easier to find and works fine in the ZF, and will change it, along with the filter, at 30K intervals. That should, IMHO, keep the box alive and well for a long time to come.