Who Has Changed Transmission Fluid????
- Thread starter LRB
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I had mine changed by choice at 100000 km just for piece of mind as I do not buy into the lifetime fluid claim. The gearbox was much smoother after wards, not that it was bad before but over time it must have deteriorated from new.
The guys on Disco3.co.uk are changing theirs around this mileage also.
The guys on Disco3.co.uk are changing theirs around this mileage also.
JackMac
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I plan to change at 100k miles. BMW uses the same model ZF transmission, and they quantified "lifetime fill" as 100k.
Sure it can go farther, but for longevity it makes sense not to wait.
Sure it can go farther, but for longevity it makes sense not to wait.
I just changed my transmission fluid yesterday at close to 80,000 miles on my 05 LR3. The dealer fluids being way too expensive, I did some research and found what I think is close to if not the same fluid, Pentosin ATF1, at a very good price.
When I opened the fill plug, a lot of fluid poured out. I was able to catch most of it, but I was not expecting more than a small trickle to come out. The way that the fluid came out was not very even, so some of it splattered the underbody of the car as well as onto the ground. Opening the drain plug, I encountered a similar uneven pattern that got over some of the exhaust pipe and the crossmember.
I was able to pour in a couple of liters of fluid before it started to trickle out of the fill hole. I then started the engine and shifted the transmission through the gears. Once I turned off the engine, fluid began to come out of the fill hole, which made me confused because I clearly had drained more fluid than I had poured in. It took a bit of trial and error, head scratching, and internet searching, but I finally came to the realization that the engine needs to be idling while the fluid is being poured in. The fill plug also needs to be put on while the engine is idling, otherwise the fluid will pool into the pan and then spill out of the fill hole.
If anybody plans on doing this fluid change, I would recommend loosening the fill plug first, but not removing it completely. Then remove the drain plug and once all the fluid has drained, remove the fill plug.
The old transmission fluid was black but didn't smell bad. I probably could have waited until 100,000 miles to do the change, but one minor problem I did notice before the change was some slight hesitation when first engaging the transmission in the morning. After changing the fluid, the hesitation seems to be gone.
When I opened the fill plug, a lot of fluid poured out. I was able to catch most of it, but I was not expecting more than a small trickle to come out. The way that the fluid came out was not very even, so some of it splattered the underbody of the car as well as onto the ground. Opening the drain plug, I encountered a similar uneven pattern that got over some of the exhaust pipe and the crossmember.
I was able to pour in a couple of liters of fluid before it started to trickle out of the fill hole. I then started the engine and shifted the transmission through the gears. Once I turned off the engine, fluid began to come out of the fill hole, which made me confused because I clearly had drained more fluid than I had poured in. It took a bit of trial and error, head scratching, and internet searching, but I finally came to the realization that the engine needs to be idling while the fluid is being poured in. The fill plug also needs to be put on while the engine is idling, otherwise the fluid will pool into the pan and then spill out of the fill hole.
If anybody plans on doing this fluid change, I would recommend loosening the fill plug first, but not removing it completely. Then remove the drain plug and once all the fluid has drained, remove the fill plug.
The old transmission fluid was black but didn't smell bad. I probably could have waited until 100,000 miles to do the change, but one minor problem I did notice before the change was some slight hesitation when first engaging the transmission in the morning. After changing the fluid, the hesitation seems to be gone.
wcryer
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So mine has about 95K on it. I do get a bit of the transmission hesitation occasionally, nothing too noticeable or bothersome. I am the new owner of mine and am definitely wanting to take any steps to improve longevity now. The tranny fluid change sounds like something I should be looking into soon. How much should I expect to pay at the dealership/independent shops?
Somebody in this thread mentioned the dealer wanted $2600 to do the fluid change. Somebody in this thread mentioned $275 for the dealer to do ALL the fluids. The real price for a transmission fluid change is probably closer to the second quote. If you can do your own oil change, you can definitely do the transmission fluid change, though I did end up doing a tribute to the "Deepwater Horizon" in the garage with some of the fluid.
Houm_WA
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Hesitation can also mean a dirty MAF sensor. I got mine changed a while back and it was like having a new Rover again. I'm gonna just have it done at the 90k even though I'm not getting a REP message or CEL. Or I may put it off until 100k and have the tranny fluid flushed too.
I know my service manager is reluctant to mess with transmission fluid. ...something about not knowing what's going to happen when you drain the torque converter or some $hit. Maybe he was worried about over/under filling it??? Can anyone ascertain what he was referring to?
...but I agree that at 100k it'd be due for a flush and change.
I know my service manager is reluctant to mess with transmission fluid. ...something about not knowing what's going to happen when you drain the torque converter or some $hit. Maybe he was worried about over/under filling it??? Can anyone ascertain what he was referring to?
...but I agree that at 100k it'd be due for a flush and change.
ryan-in-oregon
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After having a tranny fail on another rig recently (Non-Rover) with only 70k miles on it. Fluid was changed at about 45k miles. I asked the tranny shop specifically what they recommend for changes. (Including the rover) The say every 30k if you plan on keeping the rig long term. In my LR3 the fluid was changed via the dealer at 45k. I am at 64k now and plan to change it again in another 10k miles...Fluid change is cheap compared to a tranny!!!
