[DeTomaso] ZF temperatures

Wed Sep 5 11:22:05 EDT 2012

Just as a suggestion, one of the best products I have ever bought was
"Diamond Clear" from Eastwood.  I was having some issues with fluid getting
on my manifold in my Tiger and staining it (finally solved them) . The last
time I had the motor out I coated the manifold with Diamond Clear.  It
smells horrible and goes on like water with a paint brush.  It does not
change the appearance of the manifold in any way but, when dry, you can wipe
ANYTHING right off with either wax and grease remover or in most cases a
clean rag.

No polishing, buffing or extra cleaning required.

Lynn

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
Behalf Of Boyd Casey
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2012 9:32 AM
To: Dave
Cc: detomaso at realbig.com; Keith R. Verges
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] ZF temperatures

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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