LR4 Transmission oil change... mixed feelings.

[Bogwhoppit]

Did you by chance reset the computer? the adapted values? It could be that the change in friction of the new fluid is the reason?

Yeah, two adaptation resets. I'll probably try a third in a week or two. One thing that has improved is the kick down when you floor it lol

 

[Bogwhoppit]

The jerkiness is sometimes caused by the solenoids on the mechatronic body just inside the pan. I bought a $300 kit to replace all of mine and the jerkiness was entirely cured. It was so rough before that it was close to undriveable. I did this myself on my garage floor, no specialist tools or knowledge needed, other than a fluid refill pump.

I may resort to that if the third adaptation reset doesn't smooth it out. Where did you purchase your kit?

 

[spawnywhippet]

I believe I got mine from http://www.thectsc.com but FCP Euro and a bunch of others also sell them

 

[Pfunk951]

Spawnywhippet- That is huge information, thanks for posting that.. There isn't a lot of talk here of people getting into the solenoids or the Mechatronic plate, so there is very limited knowledge of what issues these replacements will fix.. The Mechatronic plate is as far as I have researched, beyond that lies the abyss of clutches, rings, and seals that (to my knowledge) involve removing the transmission.. That's were I usually stop reading and break out the single malt scotch, as things start getting very confusing/costly/non-fun..

If anyone else has swapped solenoids or plates, post up the results- I'm curious of what problems these can fix, and what these components contribute to the longevity of the transmissions..

Mike (out of scotch)

 

[Bogwhoppit]

Great stuff Spawnywhippet.

 

[gsxr]

The moto of this story - When LR say the tranny is sealed for life, perhaps we should trust them, no? Based on the old fluid alone, it could have easily done another 90K. In hindsight, I should have probably left it alone. Worth the 5 hours to do the job? - honestly no. Save your money, unless you know you have some tranny issues in the first place that might need correcting.

I don't recall anything about the LR4 (ZF) transmission being sealed for life. My owner's manual service guide indicates the transmission fluid / filter is due for replacement at 10 years / 120kmi, IIRC? I bought the metal pan kit from a forum member and plan to do this service in the near future. My only complaint is the lack of a torque converter drain so you are only replacing about half the fluid. Assuming the job goes smoothly I'll probably end up doing a drain / refill more often (maybe 30k?) and leaving the pan/filter alone.

About lifetime fills: they are a Very Bad Idea. Just ask Mercedes how that worked out when they tried it in 1996 with their new 5-speed electronic transmission, the 722.6 (aka "NAG1"). About six years later they quietly issued a service bulletin requiring fluid & filter changes, and AFAIK all models since then also have transmission fluid service intervals - no claims of "lifetime fill".

 

[eloist]

I did my fluids on my 2008 LR3 a while back at around 80,000 miles.
The old fluids looked fine as well, but I just didn't want to risk it.

A transmission failure on this truck would immediately mean I'd need to sell it, and I'd lose loads of money. There's no way I'm willing to put a $6000 - $7000 transmission replacement in this truck. I love the rig, but no way would I put that into a failed part repair. These trucks just don't hold their value well, and I don't know that I trust the vehicle to last me another 160k or whatever I would expect from the new transmission.

I did not pay a shop to do the work, I did it myself at my buddy's shop (he's an ASE certified tech), so that was a huge bonus for me.

Moral of my story: Better safe than sorry was my motivation, and I'm glad I did it. If nothing else, I now KNOW that my trans fluids and filter are good to go for at least the next 90k miles.

 

[gsxr]

See attached maintenance schedule from my USA-spec 2010 model, note that it specifies the transmission fluid be replaced every 10 years / 150kmi. The factory service manual (FSM) says the same thing. Definitely not "sealed for life".

Also of interest is the FSM specifies an engine oil change interval (OCI) of 7500 miles for standard service, 3,750 miles for severe service, outside of UK/Europe... but doesn't mention what the UK/Europe change interval is. Meanwhile the USA schedule pushes this to 15,000 miles standard service, 7,500 severe. Hmmmm.

 

[Huy Tran]

I had my 2010 transmission rebuilt a few months ago with less than 90k miles. It had the 2nd-3rd hard shift and would not shift into 5th when in hot stop-n-go traffic. I changed the fluid and replaced the mechatronic bridge and seals. Didn't helped. Might have made it worst.
Just decided to get it rebuilt with all new metals, bearings, solenoids, and seals. They kept my metal pan and replaced the filter and ZF fluid. Cost $4,200 and now shifts like new. The shop said that it was their first LR4 (they've done a few LR3). They do see much more BMWs with the same ZF tranny.
I think it was a worn stator bearing that allowed fluids to bypass and loose pressure on the E clutch. I was told the friction plates in the E clutch did not show excessive wear. The fluid was also fairly clear when I did the change.
Just bad luck I guess.

 

[Bogwhoppit]

Thought I'd update the group. I didn't complete a 3rd transmission adaptation, as she has appeared to have sorted herself out. I guess it just took a bit of time.