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Drain and Refill: ZF 6HP26

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6hp26 drain refill
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52K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  mylife1903  
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#1 ·
So I'm about to undertake a drain and refill of the tranny. I was planning on adding some pictures and notes to this thread for future reference but also wanted to invite comments. Best thread I've found for reference here so far is: http://www.rangerovers.net/forum/6-range-rover-mark-iii-l322/44034-zf-6hp26-teardown.html. I went with 7 liters of Redline D4 Fluid although I imagine 5.5L is about what will come out and need to be refilled but I don't want to be low on this! I've also found this page: http://www.disco3.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5059 and this write up about a jag: http://forum.roadfly.com/threads/12...eads/12832335-ZF-6HP26-Fluid-Level-Procedure?p=12832890&viewfull=1#post12832890
 
#2 ·
Cliff,

ZF Lifeguard Fluid 6 (Shell M1375.4) is the only fluid approved for use in the 6HP26. I’d warn against using a universal, inventory-reduction, aftermarket ATF that claims to be a suitable replacement for Dexron III (GM 5L40-E), Mobil ATF LT71141 (ZF 5HP24) and Shell M1375.4 (ZF 6HP26) all in a single fluid, especially as you’ll only get a little over half of the old fluid out during a drain & refill and therefore be mixing the two fluids.

Just my personal opinion, obviously :) – I just don’t think it’s worth the risk for the saving you’re making.

Phil
 
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#3 ·
I appreciate that comment RRPhil I think its an important point given how nice the tranny is. I personally went with Redline D4 because its cheaper, fully synthetic, and I've never heard anything but praise for it even by owners of high-end autos and oil "nuts" but I'm not endorsing it for others either.
 
#4 ·
Cliff the Master has given you solid advice to care and feeding of your machine and your not following along?

If you do more research about the different fluids you may find that certain fluids also contain additives that the universals dont.
Not to mention that you have now mixed two different fluid types .

This kind of servicing though at first may seem to be working , can cause issues down the road.

I would have to give this a ....WTF are you thinking....
 
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#5 ·
We've addressed the oil already let's try to keep this about the process especially if there isn't specific points or examples but I would be open to further reading if suggested.
 
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#7 ·
basically all went according to PDF's (tnx rrphil). I'd recommend loosening the filling nut with a T50 vs a 10mm Hex then emptying the oil, then filling up the oil till overflowing. Start the car run through all the gears with a few seconds of full engagement each. Add more oil if needed until it overflows once at 40 C (it really doesn't take much oil to drain and refill). I'm going to do another drain and refill after a month or so to try to get more new fluid in and eliminate clumping issues.
 
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#8 ·
as a follow up after second drain and refill here's what I've found (but ymmv and this is not advice etc): 1) the temperature measurement step (and running thru gears) isn't super important if you're in a temperate climate and the car is in garage you can just fill it to level and go and it will be at the right level from what I've seen. 2) I was surprised by how dark and dirty the tranny oil was after a drain and refill <4 weeks before. 3) I'd probably go for ZF Lifegaurd6 but not because of Redline D4 performance but you do this type of thing for piece of mind and there's nothing quite as comforting as using OEM. 4) I'd recommend disconnecting the battery for about 20 minutes-- much smoother shifting.
 
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#9 ·
Found this on the RRS section to reset Transmission ECU and can't edit old post- for future reference: 1. Turn the ignition key to the on (not start) position.


2. Press the gas pedal to the floor and hold for twenty five seconds.


3. Turn the key to the "off" position (don't remove the key), then release the gas pedal.


4. Wait at least two minutes for ECU to reset.
 
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#11 ·
Quick update to keep this thread relevant for future reference: For Fluids I believe Redline ATF nor any off the shelf "multi use" ATF is not suitable as stated by RRPhil and MrMerlin; however, Mercon SP should be a suitable replacement as it was made for the ZF 6 speed by Ford. I'd also check out this filling procedure by RoverGuy7 copied here: http://range-rover-l405-l322-p38.blogspot.com/2013/06/check-zf-6hp26-transmission-fluid.html and http://www.rangerovers.net/forum/6-...range-rover-mark-iii-l322/48975-checking-trans-fluid-temp-check.html#post398454 basically its similar to what I have above but you need to complete the tranny fill with the engine on in less than 5 minutes when its cool out. Tnx to RoverGuy7 /Dave Tallant for that info.
 
#12 ·
Good stuff, I'll be doing this shortly on mine. I'm convinced that changing my transmission fluid/filter every 50k miles in the 5hp24 in my '04 is what made it last for 160k miles (and still going as far as i know!). I'm near 70k already on the '07 and I'm sure the previous owner never changed it since it was serviced at the dealer and the dealer would never recommend it I'm sure (good for life they say).

Hopefully 70k isn't too late to start!

I also plan to use safety glasses to avoid the aforementioned stinging :mrgreen:
 
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#15 ·
rrphil, What do you think about Mercon LV? -- It doesn't seem to be an obvious replacement for SP and LG6. To confirm I've found Motorcraft Mercon SP at some O'rileys Autos for about 6.99 per here's a link they have designed their site with little regard for search engines so it's a bit hard to find. Linuxfreak, some of the docs Phil provided and others from LR talk about "double flushing" which you might want to consider if your tranny fluid is toasted (mine was from towing I believe).
 
M
#19 ·
Thank you RRPhil. We have Hyundai Dealer in my city. Yesterday i was at the Land Rover Sevice in Astana. Supervisor advice me to not change the oil in tranny. He told thay had some problems with transmission after changing oil. Then i asked him to change the filter and refill the oil.
Even he told me i can update the ECU and transmission software in Astana. He told me they couldnt give me guarantee for updates if any thing will be wrong on the process.
 
#21 ·
I’ve seen the following statement on another L322 bulletin board regarding the 6HP26 :
“If the oil is changed on a SC gearbox then it can lead to preload issues from the transfer box. Never get the oil changed and adaptions reset as it often causes premature failure”
advice which the poster claims was sent out to the dealerships by Land Rover.

I’ve also seen mentioned another consequence of the adaptions being reset on an older transmission saying that it can cause the clutches to become overloaded while they are learning the new slip times.

I just wondered if there are any Land Rover technicians on this forum who can confirm if they’ve received warnings like this from Land Rover?

Phil
 
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