LR4 Transmission Fluid Change: Pan Swap Option

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Michael Gain

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See page 3 for initial fill.

See page 4 for the rest of the procedure. The procedure is in Celsius and is a range. You definitely want the thermostat to open, and you definitely want to check level after it cools to between the specified range.

I know it's confusing, but after holding rpms at 2000, you need to hold reverse for 10 seconds, drive for 10 seconds, then shift into D1 for 10 seconds, and then D2 for 10 seconds.

Then, you check temp. If within range, you speedily top off the pan before it gets too hot.
 

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txfromwi

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Thanks, all the little steps are fine it's the "cool down" loop on page 4.
It's just not going to cool down from 69C to 30C while still running.
But the flow chart implies that it must be left running.
So ????

And about that "overfill with 0.5L" on page 3.
That's going to make quite a mess because at least some of that is going to come back out before I can get the filler plus in place.

I submitted a question to ZF. I will let you know what they say...
 
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Michael Gain

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Thanks, all the little steps are fine it's the "cool down" loop on page 4.
It's just not going to cool down from 69C to 30C while still running.
But the flow chart implies that it must be left running.
So ????

And about that "overfill with 0.5L" on page 3.
That's going to make quite a mess because at least some of that is going to come back out before I can get the filler plus in place.

I submitted a question to ZF. I will let you know what they say...

It makes a wonderful mess lol and half will run out. As far as cooling down, just shut it off and let it sit until cool (er). Then start her back up and continue the flow chart.
 

txfromwi

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2016 LR4 HSE - EIGHT (8) Speed Transmission Oil Pan Replace Procedure
Transmission oil cooler = Yes

Three attachments at end.

Completed!
Clunky shift into D seems to have been fixed.

Probably more than you care to read:

As nearly as can be determined
4.0 liters out
4.0-4.2 liters in
Plus spillage
Recommend at least 6 liters on hand​

I did this in stages over several days:
Preparing the new pan - see photos - 1/2 hour
Removal of large "skid plate" under the engine and transmission shroud and bracket removal - 30 min - 1 hour
Actual procedure - 11 hours including 3 hours of cooling time
Final clean ups, final leak checks - variable
Cool to dead cold - variable
"Skid plate", shroud and bracket reinstall - 30 min - 1 hour​

Unless you have an amazing tool box you will need to obtain some tools.
If I purchased them for this project I give the info about what I purchased - not a recommendation, just for reference.


TOOLS LIST

Procedure from ZF - attached below
Fluid from BA (ZF8), it stinks.
Pan from dealership (comments above on this discussion thread state that aftermarket pan gasket is not as pliable)
Pan includes built in rubber gasket, integral filter, 13 new pan bolts, new filler plug

IID Tool
The procedure from Rover and ZF requires that you preliminarily overfill and then run it until transmision oil temp is between 69C and 75C
You need the IID tool for this
The procedure also requires final fill temp to be between 30C and 50C
This is best done with the tool​

Leveling Blocks (Camco 44510 - pack of 10)

Standard 3/8" drive socket wrench and metric sockets

8mm hex bit socket (Male) to fit the drive on your
Breaker bar - for the FILL plug

10mm hex bit socket (Male) with 3/8" drive for DRAIN plug - or just drill it out - any size drill bit up to 3/8"

1/4" drive socket wrench - small (6")
8mm socket with a 1/4" drive
You might be able to substitute a 1/4" socket wrench with a swivel head
Small (6") Crescent wrench

T40 2" bit with a 1/4" 6 sided shaft (i.e. a standard shaft) (Makita A-96780)
T40 1" bit, cut down one of the 2" or buy a pack
T40 long Torx bit socket

Low range torque wrenches:
Torque wrench (Pro Bike Tool, 3/8"drive, 10-60Nm) - for FILL plug
Bit-Head torque wrench (Summit Tools, 1/4"drive (to fit the T40 bit), 0.74-14.75 Ft Lb (1Nm-20Nm)) - for PAN bolts
The Summit tool is an electronic wrench - I would rather have had a mechanical but this was all I could find.
The size of this wrench is perfect for this job.
Wrap the wrench at all times in a plastic bag to keep it clean and dry
Final clean up with an alcohol wipe works well
Note that there are TWO different models I purchased the READ-OUT-ONLY version. For an additional $70, there is another model that you can set and will beep at the correct torque.
Beeper would have been easier, but the read-out-only was OK for this job, you will need a small mouth-held flashlight as lighting on the screen needs to be just right and the numbers are small
and you will need to read it upside down at times.​

Fluid catch pan - I used a 2.5 gallon plastic bucket
Fluid Extractor (Mighty Vac MVA6852)
Welding Gloves (Cuwiny 1112F, 16" long) (I didn't use them.)

Large sheet of plastic or tarp 5'x5' or larger- it's going to be messy and this stops the fluid from getting into the garage floor
which will require you to scrub down the floor and unstink the house - trust me....


HIGH LEVEL PROCEDURE and COMMENTS

Prepare the new pan:
See the photos below
Label the torque order with blue tape - I also added alignment lines that I used to locate the bolts (not hugely additive, but I did use them at the beginning to get my bearings)
Label the torque order with a paint pen as shown - I used both top and bottom labels at different times due to visibility​

I did all my work in the garage.
Place the leveling blocks and use the leveling blocks to both LEVEL AND to RAISE the vehicle.
For me that was 1 block under the front and 2 blocks under the back.
Raise the vehicle to off-road height​

Cool it down and mind the catalytic converter - stays hot alot longer than the exhaust pipes
Use the welding gloves if you think you need them, but in the end I did not use them - plenty of space, just move purposefully.

Remove transmission shroud - 4x10mm - easy
Crack open the FILL plug - use breaker bar - easy - no sense going any farther if you can't get this open!
Remove the large protective "skid plate" under the engine 8x13mm - easy
Remove transmission heat shield bracket - 4x8mm - drivers side front bolt requires the 1/4" drive/8mm socket and is a PITA, drivers rear bolt uses the Crescent wrench, ratchet on the other 2.

I suggest you take the time and label the outgoing pan with the torque order.
Because, interestingly:
Bolts 1-6 use the 2" T40 bit and
Bolts 7-13 use the 1" T40 bit
(Once I figured this out the world became a much brighter place!)
Easily accessible bolts use the long T40 at removal and at re-install, then the T40 2" on the torque wrench
While there is more scooting around if you go in torque order, in the end it will be faster and easier than changing bits if you go in a circular pattern - because, of course, you never have the correct bit for the situation​

Preliminarily loosen, but do NOT remove, the pan bolts - no sense going any farther if you can't get ALL these out. - Not too bad if you go in torque order as above.
Using the small (Summit) torque wrench in reverse is the easiest option - I tried several methods

DO NOT remove bolt #1 and 2.
Remove all other bolts

I could not remove the DRAIN plug so I just drilled it out - AFTER I was sure I could loosen ALL the PAN bolts.
Be sure to place your drill inside a plastic bag so the fluid won't ruin your drill
Be cautious as the drill bit engages the plastic and pulls through!​

Drain pan

Place catch pan, at drivers rear location
Remove bolt #1
Loosen but do not remove bolt #2
Pop off pan and lower the drivers rear corner, progressively loosening bolt#2, draining as you go
Remove bolt #2 and completely drain

Wiggle out pan - note the location of the drain plug for future reference on the install - it's a 90 degree counter clockwise rotation
Practice install with the old pan either now or later, or both - (so you don't bugger up the gasket on new pan install)

At this stage there is fluid on everything and dripping from the transmission

Use a new bolt to clean the threads - PITA.
In my case not all the threads were cut to the same depth so you are trying to determine cleaning the threads vs bottoming out
Threads needs to be perfectly smooth - not so much for the torque but because the bolt install is mainly by finger tips because clearances will not allow tools at the start
And it's all slippery from fluid - no matter how you try to keep it clean - wash your hands and the bolt often, Dawn works very well.
The ones that needed cleaning the most for me were the corners - hardest to get to - of course
You will be using the torque wrench to clean the threads - absolutely cover that torque wrench in a plastic bag!​

Practice pan install with the old pan -is the drain plug in the correct location? - it's a 90 degree clockwise rotation with lots of wiggles

With a very clean cloth remove drips from transmission so they won't drip on the new pan gasket as you install it
Clean mating surface
Lubricate filter O-Ring on new pan with fluid
Position New pan
Quickly install bolts #1 and #2 to hold it up - use long T40 socket

Loosely install all bolts until seated on the pan - PITA
Preliminarily torque in correct order to 5Nm
Full torque in the correct order to 10Nm
Check torque in correct order
Again:
Bolts 1-6 use the 2" T40 bit and
Bolts 7-13 use the 1" T40 bit​


FILLING the TRANSMISSION:

See the ZF instructions.

I highly recommend a helper

There is plenty of room around the catalytic converter but you need 4 hands to do this (unless you have a fully pressurized system with a rigid dispenser handle/end fitted with a one hand actuated valve)
You hold the tubing and your helper pushes the syringe handle and refills the syringe.
Fill slowly to allow fluid to run down into the pan - as filling too quickly results in fluid coming out even when it's not full.
Helper needed especially for the overfill step - catalytic converter will be at full temperaure - you need to contain as much of that overfill as possible as it gushes back out! - you will be busy with that and you don't need to mess with a filling system.

And the Mightly Vac tool is hard to use with this fluid

(Not how I did it, but how it should be done - I missed this leak check opportunity here)
Complete steps of the procedure that call for the preliminary fill and overfill and sealing of the system - torque the fill plug 30Nm
Turn it off.

Mind the catalytic converter!
Clean thoroughly everywhere, all the way around, as if this was a leak check step - because it is.
Alcohol wipes do a good job removing fluid.

Once it's clean then run it to the required temp 69C-75C

Then cool

Leak check at some point as it cools
It takes a long time to cool from 69C to a useful the final fill temperature
I waited 3 hours at 71F ambient
dual ceiling fans running
box fan under engine
hood open - top plastic shroud removed
And my final fill temp was 49C, barely inside the 30C-50C requirement
Highly recommend an overnight cool or doing this when ambient temperature is no more than 65F​

Now... the final level check and fill procedure calls for opening the system and either letting it run out or continuing to fill.
In my case it gushed out! (guess my overfill was successful)- and it was a considerable amount, maybe 300mL?
Just be prepared for a possible gusher!

It's properly filled when it drips out rather than streams out.

Torque fill plug 30Nm

Clean up
Wipe, wipe, wipe
Prepare gasket area for final leak check
Alcohol wipes again​

Run it
Leak check

Test drive
Leak check

Cool to totally cold because re-installing the bracket requires you to be in contact with the catalytic converter
Reinstall "skid plate", bracket and shroud.

Labeling.JPG


Torque Order.JPG
 

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16FujiDisco

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@txfromwi great write-up! I was actually going to post something similar as I just did this today.

Next question, GAP IID says that transmission adaptive values should be cleared if the fluid is changed; thoughts on if this should be mandatory, suggested, or user discretion?
 

txfromwi

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I did not clear the adaptive values and it's shifting very well. I have seen opinions on other discussion boards that seem to indicate that clearing adaptive values is a bad idea, but I have no direct experience myself. Would be nice if there was clear guidance...
 

ryanjl

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I believe the adaptive values are meant to accommodate the parts inside the transmission that wear over time. Changing the fluid does not replace those parts, so you shouldn't reset the values if you've only changed the fluid.
 

16FujiDisco

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I believe the adaptive values are meant to accommodate the parts inside the transmission that wear over time. Changing the fluid does not replace those parts, so you shouldn't reset the values if you've only changed the fluid.

This is what I thought as well, and why I hadn't done it before posing the question to the group
 

16FujiDisco

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Also wanted to note that at 67.7k miles, there was almost no visible clutch particles or debris in the pan. I have 0 confidence that the PO changed the fluid prior, so that was a good sign to me.
 

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