[DeTomaso] ZF temperatures

Boyd Casey boyd411 at gmail.com
Tue Sep 4 11:31:40 EDT 2012


If Lloyd Butfoy says's WD-40 " seals the pores" (as quoted in Mike Drew's
earlier post on this subject ) That would appear to contradict the
statement that "sealing the ZF cases" was  ill advised because the cases
need to "breath". All things being equal I would respectfully suggest that
Lloyd Butfoy has 1. the most experience with ZF trans axles ( among our
group at least) , has the most invested $$$$, and comes in contact with a
much wider cross section of ZF's then any of us could hope to dream of (or
have nightmares about as the case may be ) and if I had to choose one
source  for my information on the care and feeding of  a healthy ZF Dash 2
Trans axle I wouldn't hesitate for a nanosecond to choose Lloyd as the
source for the information I would use.  If Lloyd says sealing the pores in
the ZF cases is advantageous   ( A opinion that is  180 degrees divergent
from the  "Don't clear coat or seal the ZF cases because they need to
"breath" and  will (may) overheat as a result of such action)( as expressed
in the opening post.) I would not hesitate to use WD-40 on my ZF cases. On
a side note I think the idea of installing a temperature gauge in your ZF
is a great idea. There are no stock  systems in place to monitor  the ZF
for operating condition (temp, gear oil level) etc. I think the
introduction of one or more ZF monitoring devices is a great idea and money
well spent. Considering the fact that the ZF trans axle is the single most
expensive component in the typical Pantera and most problems are usually
indicated by a noise Humming synchros or "feel' (difficulty shifting ) and
these indicators are generally "too late" to prevent a problem altough they
may help initiate a repair before the damage becomes devastating and
requires a total replacement and a huge bill. If  I were building a "show
car" I would go with the complete polished  zf  as well as all the other
aluminum parts. I personally don't enjoy having a car just to look at and
as such my goal is to get the best performance I can afford. If I were
attempting to build my Pantera for serious driving (like the Silver State
or other similar events) I would add an external gear oil cooler which
would necessitate the addition of an oil pump. Besides being able to
monitor the ZF's operating temp  This would also allow for the installation
of a ZF oil pressure gauge which to me would be an invaluable addition to
one interested in protecting one of the most expensive components in the
car.  This is of course JMHO, yours may differ and you are welcome to it.

Boyd

On Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 10:02 AM, Dave <dave at damardirect.com> wrote:

> The easiest (and cheapest) way to clean up the discolored ZF is get a
> tube of silver leaf Rub 'n Buff from a neighborhood arts and craft store
> like
> Michael's.  A 1/2 oz tube ($3.99) will do 2-3 transmissions. I apply
> mostly with a tooth brush.
>
> Seems to look great for about 3-4 years. Your driving habits could cause a
> different outcome.
>
> Of course, clean the case very well. I used stainless steel stem brushes
> in a couple of diameters. IF you can find it, Simple Green "Automotive" is
> great. It is NOT the regular Simple Green.
> Every now and then I see if I can find it, not in the last 3-4 years.
>
> I'm sure others on this list have tried it and found it to be one of the
> BEST
> bargains available. I originally found out about it on the Ferrari forum,
> about 7 years ago.
>
> IndyDave
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Will Kooiman [mailto:will.kooiman at gmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, September 03, 2012 8:38 PM
> To: Keith R. Verges; detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] ZF temperatures
>
> I agree.
>
> I haven't done any tests, and I would defer to Lloyd Butfoy, but I have a
> hard time believing paint or clear coat would cause the ZF to run hot.
>
> I like the idea of using WD40 to clean the case, but I also *love* the
> look of John Taphorn's painted ZF (silver argent).  I don't care for
> polished cases.
>
> BTW, if you need the case to breathe, wouldn't it also weep fluid through
> the pores?
>
>
>
> On 9/3/12 6:45 PM, "Keith R. Verges" <KVERGES at figdav.com> wrote:
>
> >I lurk and saw some information that I thought was incorrect about ZF
> >cases needing to "breathe" and other stuff along those lines.  My ZF
> >was bead blasted and clear coated and I vintage raced and drove it on
> >the street.  I had no problems of any kind with the transaxle and do
> >not think clear coating can cause any harm.  If you are running
> >sustained high speeds such that you see high transaxle temps, IMO the
> >proper fix is to add an external cooler.  To the extent that painting
> >or coating can increase temperatures, the marginal increase can't be a
> >very big deal.  I was a huge fain of the clear coating, as it helped
> >make the engine bay very clean.
> >
> >I'll eat my words if someone has actual logged lubricant data with and
> >without coating.
> >
> >Keith Verges
> >Figari & Davenport, L.L.P.
> >901 Main St., Suite 3400
> >Dallas, TX 75202
> >(214) 939-2017
> >www.figdav.com
> >
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