[DeTomaso] ZF oil capacity

JDeRyke at aol.com JDeRyke at aol.com
Sun Feb 22 15:35:02 EST 2009


In a message dated 2/21/09 12:25:19 PM, davel at emspace.com writes:

> What's the oil capacity of a type 2 ZF?
> What's the torque spec for the 2 bungs/plugs.
> 
> I looked in the owners, service and ZF manuals.
> I can always fill to the side hole level,
> but starting out with the right amount would be nice.
> 
The reason it isn't in there is, there's TWO possible lube quantities- one 
completely undefined. For a reconditioned ZF that has been taken apart, cleaned, 
fixed and reassembled, 100% of the lube is removed. In this case, the ZF 
holds 3.5 liters (7.5 pints) of 80W90 gear oil (pg 2 in the ZF overhaul manual), 
preferably with a slip-agent for the posi-clutches.

If the drain plug is removed and lube is changed, no matter how long you 
allow the old stuff to drip out, you can only remove maybe 75-80% of the old lube, 
due to baffles, passages and bulkheads inside the cases. I once removed the 
front seal assembly on a ZF and positioned it on its nose over a bucket for a 
whole weekend, to drain as much lube as possible. And when the gearbox case was 
separated from the diff case, I found there's still enough lube left inside 
to cover an average 1-car garage floor.... That's why for a lube drain & 
replace, the factory manual says to add fluid until lube drools back out the side 
fill port. And the 'add' phase thru the side port should be done three times, to 
allow time for the thick lube to spread throughout the three cases with their 
bulkheads, baffles and passages. Finally, remember that under-filling is 
worse that over-filling. 

Second question: there is no preferred torque for the two plugs. The drain 
and fill plugs are metric tapered pipe threads.   You tighten tapered-thread 
plugs until no leaks occur- preferably with teflon plumbers tape on the threads. 
Each time bare tapered thread plugs are tightened, a little wear occurs. And 
if at some time in the past The Incredible Hulk tightened a plug without using 
pipe tape, that badly distorted plug-hole in aluminum might not ever again 
seal drip-free unless tape is used copiously. For those who don't have one, ZF 
overhaul manuals are still available quite reasonably from all the vendors, with 
lots of info even for non-pro mechanics. Good luck- J DeRyke




**************
A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy 
steps! 
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1218822736x1201267884/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID
%3D62%26bcd%3DfebemailfooterNO62)



More information about the DeTomaso mailing list