[DeTomaso] Gear lube

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/6/08 9:58:23 AM, eanderson at geotracinternational.com 
writes:

> I have heard (rumors?) that winter temperature fluctuations can activate 
> acids and other corrosives within the tranny fluid - and that most hardcore 
> Pantera owners immediately change their ZF fluid again in the spring. Is this 
> necessary?
> 
In a perfect world, yes. The ZF manual recommends changing fluid based on 
mileage (16-20,000 kms travelled), not time. Your '73-74 Owners Manual (red) does 
not address the Zf at all. The early (blue) '71-72 manual says the dealer 
will check lube during pre-delivery setup and at 1000 & 6000 miles. After that 
presumably you're on your own. Fwiw, most Pantera owners NEVER change the fluid 
unless something catastrophic happens or a leak occurs. This is not ideal, but 
the ZF transaxle is arguably the toughest part of the car (OK, maybe the 
351-C crankshaft is tougher....) so there seems to be no ill effects from most of 
this neglect. I'd guess that the same thing holds true for Corvette 4, 5 and 
6-speed trannys & diffs. In a properly-filled ZF, the liquid level is about 1/3 
of the way up the case. Let your conscience be your guide- J DeRyke



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