Per ZF instructions after you install the new pan and fill you are supposed to put in drive run up to 2000 RPM for 5 seconds brake neutral for 5 seconds reverse run up to 2000 RPM then park you have a window to add fluid between 86 to 122 degrease then you remove the fill cap and add fluid and let it drain until it drips not a steady run like you did. You want to make sure you run through the gears to remove the air in trans. This is why all 4 wheels must be off the ground and level. If you don't run through the gears you will short-fill the transmission very important steps. The best time of year to change the fluid is in winter or at least no higher than 75 degrees so you have time to run through the gears if it's 90 or more degrees to start you run the chance to exceed the temperature to fill due to the expansion of the fluid. I also replaced the pan with a PPE pan adds 2 extra quarts of fluid and you can replace the filter only the next fluid change for $25 Vs buying another cover. This job requires a lot of steps not unlike the old days of drain and fill but the dealer charges $1200 to change the trans fluid. I also used Amsoil fuel-efficient transmission fluid you will notice 2 gear shifts much smoother. Great video on set up
I did this a couple of years back. Your video was spot on, thank you for sharing. For anyone that is going to be doing this, get yourself a chemical strayer, take the nozzle off of the end of the wand and use that to fill the fluid. It will save you time and hand cramps over using the small quart pump shown here.
@@BLUECOLLARGARAGE i was gonna say if you spent 350 in oem parts... And the dealership wanted 600... Thats 250 dollars in labor.. not too bad to just have them do it since most people dont have the garage..jacks....stands..or tools... But if its 1k dollars... Then doing it myself would probably be the way to go. Thanks again
I have a 2014 Grand Cherokee, at 103k, was tempted to try this as it is a $650.00 charge at the Stealership! The part alone are about $400.00 dollars! So I sucked it up and paid! We have a lifetime warranty and didn’t want to risk any denial of a claim ! Great video , thanks for your work!
I ended up using the Dorman transmission pan since AutoZone was having a deal... unfortunately it didn't fit up quite like OEM (Bolt holes were aligned - but it was not seated flush on all sides when I fit it up by hand) but I still went through with completing the installation. It started leaking after a few days. I will be replacing it again but OEM this time... TL:DR - Get the OEM pan... not aftermarket.
Thanks for such a detailed video!! I am about to change the "lifetime" fluid in my 2015. I always like to watch a few videos beforehand, in the is case I just needed one... Yours!! Thanks
Very nice. I did to my bmw in 2020 (it's almost time again), really it's a pretty straightforward process, assuring that you have a couple of tools. And you'll save a ton of cash and extend the life of your transmission...
Such a good video! Solid content! I picked up a new filter from the dealer yesterday and got the fluid from Amazon the other day. Tackling this project today, might throw in plugs and the oil filter housing as well. Sigh... lol projects that need to be done.
Great video on the ZF transmission. Doesn't seem to bad and I think if you measure what you take out like you did that gives you a good idea of what needs to go back in.
Had my girl call the local transmission shop about doing this job. The guy talked to his distributor and a couple other people and they all said these transmission are designed to go 140k miles whether the fluid and filter are changed or not it’s not gonna last much longer than that. His advise was to trade it in when it hits 120k. He said he’d do it if we want to but it’s not gonna make a difference.
I think it all depends on how the vehicle has been driven. I disagree with some of that because I’ve seen these transmissions with well over 140k miles especially ones that have had the fluid serviced in the past.
I'm going to change the fluid and filter on my 2016 Grand Cherokee Laredo. I didn't like the answer I received from 3 Mopar dealerships near me; "forever fluid " response. Then the quote for the job: I'm not buying another Jeep, lol😂 I currently have 241,600 miles on mine. Maintenance is very important for longevity. Once again, your video was awesome, and you made this look much easier to do than others I've seen, including one guy removing motor mounts and jacking up the engine to get to the bolts above the crossmember😂😂😂. I just received my suspension lift kit from Rough Country, I can't wait to put it on! Thanks for another great video!!
@@mikebrown8065 Hi, great, and how did it go with the transmission after the oil and filter change? Everything okay? It would be important to know your experience with this.
Dealership quoted me 490 for the service without a new pan. They are charging me for 7 quarts of fluid. 1.4 hours of labor. Has me wondering what kind of procedure they are planning on following lol. I might try it myself. Thanks for the video !
This is a really great video with detailed explanation. If you plan on keeping the vehicle for a very long time it would be better to get the pan with the drain plug for future service.
Excellent video. Makes my F350 look easy. I am guessing, this is the wifes vehicle? Is that the Trailhawk, We got the Trailhawk, really like it, but am dreading when something goes wrong with the variable suspension. Got about 80k on ours, and one of the front rotors warped really bad, started squueking on a road trip, got both rotors turned, brakes are pretty straight forward except for the ridiculous 11mm(7/16) hex needed and the E bolts. I think i am going to invent a way to check the transmission fluid, i dont know something like an oil dipstick, I'll make millions! Thanks again, GOD bless, JESUS is King.
I'm hoping to do the same in the near future so many thanks for making this video. Your fill procedure was spot on and you took good care to get it right. The amount you put in compared to the amount that came out also balanced. What puzzles me is when you first took the plug out there was quite a gush of fluid kind of like it was overfilled. Is it correct to assume that this was because the engine wasn't running. When running that "excess" fluid would be circulating throughout the transmission. Would this assumption be correct?
My question is a simple one if you measure the exact amount of fluid that came out of the transmission and you put the same exact amount of fluid back why would all those procedures be even necessary?
@@djosbunObviously never used Max Life. Try it, you will become another believer. I actually think it's better than zf because it's made for extending the life of higher mileage transmissions.
@@indyrock8148can Maxlife be mixed in with the older ZF fluid in the next change? Or does the transmission have to be flushed completely before starting to use Maxlife?
@@djosbunall the towing guys don’t care and they still get 300k-500k miles out of their trans. I’m still using recomended mopar stuff as it was cheap on Amazon. Now I’m using valvoline atf+4 as it’s $25 a gallon/4quarts at Napa. Bought two and I’m set
Small print. Lifetime to them means 100k, when its out of warrantee. LMAO When it fails, BOOM $7000 to repair! Sinister yet genius. Just not very customer considerate at all!
Because the pan has an internal filter molded in it. The oem filter is non removable from the pan but Dorman came out with a pan that has a replaceable filter.
Pretty good video overall. I mostly followed it except for the part where you initially removed the fill plug prior to removing the drain plug and had fluid gushing out. I just loosened mine a few threads to make sure I could remove it later and then I removed the drain plug first. Seemed like less of a mess doing it that way. Also, what is the reason for removing the fill plug at all? If you're going to replace the pan I would think that just removing the drain plug would be sufficient and make less of a mess.
Well, you want to make sure you can actually take off the fill plug and you won't have any issues there so you can add fluid back in. This is step 1 of this whole process.
If you can loosen it you verify that you can remove it the rest of the way. By just loosening it you don't make a mess like he did in the video when he removed it completely.
@@RoadiJeff you will make a mess as everything is cooled down. Hey an empty oil catch pan ready, pull the plug, let it drain, put the plug back in, next pull the plug on the pan, next loosen all bolts, pull the filter inlet tube down in doing this you'll get more fluid in the pen, pull the plug again and drain it into the catch pan. This is what I did and I didn't have nearly a mess on my hands. If you have issues reply back and I'll do what I can to help.
@@JF32304 I changed mine out last year, mostly following this video. However, I did not completely remove the fill plug before draining out the fluid via the drain plug. I just loosened it to verify that I could remove it and my method did not have the mess of fluid running out the fill hole like it showed in this video. By draining the old fluid before removing the fill plug it does not make a mess. Watch the video at around 4:45 and you'll see what type of mess of fluid I'm referring to when that fill plug is removed prior to draining the fluid out the drain hole.
I measured mine and i pulled out 5.5 qts and I'm at 4 in. Could it have been overfull? I'm letting it sit over night and I'll check/add more tomorrow. Be sure sure and turn off traction control! It shifted into 2nd nice and smooth, I didn't do 5 seconds, I'll do that tomorrow. I can hear the solinoids activating just fine. Thank you for the well done video!
@@TheCybercrash yep, the next morning I got back down there and added another 1.55 qts totaling 5.5 in just as I was hitting the end of what I had I saw the drip start. I processed the above procedure and it's done now. I took the oil to my local shop for their container and it was real dirty, not burned or anything like that, just filthy and needed to be changed.
I haven't checked, but most Chrysler product vehicles, from what I have seen, transmission fluid must be checked in "Neutral" while running. Not sure if it applies to the newer Chrysler products...
Cough cough... mine has 130k on it and to my knowledge the trans fluid hasn't been changed. Is it worth it or should I just drive it until it's done and save up for a trans replacement here in x amount of months?
just had Valvoline quick change suck out and replace 9 qts of transmission fluid. 2015 jeep grand cherokee 3.6 115k. so far so good 17 miles later. I think this was original fluid looking at carfax. Valvolline does not change filters.
I’m under the impression that you’re supposed to check level at the transmission pan rail. The transmission is lower at the rear when the chassis is level.
I wish someone would answer this because I can not get the rear high enough without considering blocks and other dangerous things under the jack and the front wheels still be off the ground. I read the ZF transmission procedure and it just says vehicle horizontal, it doesn't say trans itself, but others say Trans itself. So I am sitting here the the Jeep jacked up trying to figure out if I should move forward even though the rear is down still by 13 degrees at the transmission. The vehicle is slightly lower at the front itself.
@@nicksmith8095 Hi, were you able to find out if it was the jeep or the jeep transmission that was leveled? Would it be good to know what you did in the end?
@@NanoDiaz777 So I did a lot of reading and it came down to most people saying it really doesn't matter. One suggestion is if ZF was saying level the trans, then level the trans and not the vehicle since the Trans goes in various vehicles. Most people said "do you think mechanics take the time to level the trans, they just put the vehicle on the lift and move on." I ended up leveling the Trans as it wasn't that big of a deal to go ahead and do that.
So I was reading some comments on change intervals. Iv always been told change it around every 35 to 45 thousand miles depending on how you drive and never do a transmission flush. Ever. Simply change. Also if you have gone for so long with out a change like 65k plus or 100k plus 😅 u might want to just add and not change and again no flush at all. Some mechanics will add the old fluid back in and just top off. But if ur at that point get multiple opinions and find a pro they will know if you dont.
Im at 125k. Unfortunately, my dealership never did it when it was under extended warranty. 2016 chrysler 300. Would you recommend flushing it? Or just leave it alone?
@@OscarGarcia-sx6tx do not flush it what ever you do. I would probably leave it alone. But if you can find a mechanic that knows what they are doing they will check the fluid and depending on how it looks or smell might change it or might just put the old fluid back in and then just top it off. But me I would leave it alone at 125000 mi's and start saving for new transmission or new car. Unfortunately Chrysler aint the best when it comes to transmission and engine's. I know I own a 21 grand cherokee.
8 litros es la cantidad que le cabe a la transmisión si fueras a reemplazar todo el fluido. Con éste método se saca bastante pero tengo entendido que siempre se queda fluido en el sistema.
Thanks for this video! FCA claims lifetime oil, but did you notice any malfunctions on the transmission behavior that pushed you to change the oil ? I have a 2018 GC 3.0 Diesel and it is 110k miles now. I recently noticed a malfunction when driving at high speed: the car speed is blocked at 185 km/h, the gear speed stays on the 7th gear and does not shift the 8th. Do you think this may have something to do with oil state ? Thank you
They claim it’s lifetime fluid but I have a hard time believing that. No issues with the transmission owner just wanted to keep up on the maintenance. As for the transmission staying in 7th and not going into 8th I have heard there was a tsb on this and some of the Jeep GC got a reflash.
@@BLUECOLLARGARAGE thank you ! I did not find this TSB, but when I will perform the oil change, the dealer will do something on the TCM in order to reset the software to take into consideration the fact the oil is new. I hope this will solve the 8th gear engaging issue.
ZF as an OEM recommands the partially change of the fluid every 80 to 120.000 km depending on your drive style. The dealer will not recognize your new oil condition in the gear box.
I asked my Jeep dealer to replace the transmission fluid with my 100,000 mile service. They refused to do it. They said it was a lifetime fluid and in many cases the transmission will start to slip with the new fluid.
@@BLUECOLLARGARAGE Thats what I was thinking. Since I am nervous over those hard to reach bolts, blocked by that structural beam and the sequencing needed after the change etc., I am opting to get it done. Found a highly recommended Transmission Shop. If I buy the parts and fluid. They'll do it for $250. Thats rather reasonable all things considered. I sure hope more shops get on board with these kind of reasonable alternatives. Mom and Pop spots can make some bank and save us all from Dealership BS.
@@BLUECOLLARGARAGEyou actually don't need to do that! Pull the fill plug and take a flexible hose and use an evac pump. I was looking at this when I dropped my pan for the next interval. Silicone hose is very flexible!
Nice video. Does the Jeep in the video have an external transmission cooler? The ZF instructions say to add an extra half a liter (16 oz) of fluid if it does, but how could that be done except for tilting the vehicle after the trans is filled with it on the level?
There is a thermostat that won’t open until the transmission fluid reaches 170 or 180 degrees Fahrenheit I believe. So if your just doing a drain and refill you don’t really need to worry about that unless you had to replace the transmission cooler or lines because there will already be old fluid in it and once you do the drain and refill that fluid will just get mixed in when with the new once it get hot enough and that thermostat opens up.
Therefore you saw the orange sticker in the beginning. I have performed this procedure already at 60.000 miles, after 15.000 I am going to donit again.
I would never go to ebay for auto parts especially for a Mopar. I would go to a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership to buy parts that are genuine Mopar Parts. better safe than sorry.
Great video & explained. BUT how when you removed the “refill plug” a bunch came out. So that means when you refill it you just refilling it until it drips out BUT when you removed the plug literally almost a quart came out. I need answers lol
When you refill it the engine has to be running to get the proper level and the fluid has to be within certain temperature range. It's all in the video. When he removed the fill plug the engine wasn't running and no fluid was circulating in the system, so a lot more was just sitting in the pan. To avoid the fluid mess my suggestion in a previous comment was to just loosen the fill plug to see that it could be removed if necessary and then remove the drain plug.
Thanks for the video, nice job. But, I’m bothered by the fact that oil drained from the fill hole when you opened it. Tells me the vehicle wasn’t level because there’s no way to overfill that much fluid past the fill hole. Also, why don’t you check the service manual to see how much fluid that trans is supposed to hold instead of measuring what was in it? I love this transmission, ZF did a great job on it, but the filter being built into the pan?! That’s really stupid in my opinion. What a waste to have to buy an entire new pan. Thanks again, and nice job.
The reason it came out of the fill plug at first is because the vehicle wasn’t on so the pump was running. I measured what came out as a reference because the transmission was working and shifting fine before hand so if I add the same amount of fluid it should be fine. Plus with just a drain you won’t get all the fluid out there will still be some leftover in the torque converter and lines so you can’t really go by the owner manual capacity. I agree with you on the pan and filter but Dorman makes an aftermarket pan with a replaceable filter.
Great video, question for you, I have a 2018 chrysler 300 awd with 45k on it, do you think it would ok to just change the fluid and not the filter since it has low miles? Thank for the reply back
Yeah you don’t have to change the filter every time you can just do the fluid. My daughter has a 2016 300 awd with 65k so I might be tackling this job soon and a few others which I’ll probably record.
Great video. One question, I don't know the answer, so not being a smart a**. Should you not have leveled the transmission, instead of the vehicle? The trans does not sit level with the body of the Jeep. Thanks for the video
You can do it either way really is not going to make much of a difference because if you take it to the dealership they will put it up on the rack which makes the vehicle level.
I thought about this as well, as it sits the transmission is tilting towards the back fill plug and might not be allowing the proper amount of fluid in.
I leveled the body and drained 6.4 quarts, out of the original pan that had the pan drain plug. Installed new pan and could only get 4 quarts back in, after running several start/run procedures. Then I leveled the transmission, and the remaining went in with no issue. So I replaced the exact amount that I took out. Every video shows leveling the body, but so many comments saying the same thing, “won’t hold the amount that came out”. Im not a mechanic, so please correct me if im wrong!
@@user-hj6pd2jm3y you're wrong. I pulled out 5.7 quarts. I thought I could only get 4 in. I let it sit over night, I called ZF themselves and they said level the vehicle and not the pan. So, I kept the vehicle level, started it up, ran through the systems shifting again, you don't have to spin the tires when shifting into 2nd! You can just manual shift while holding the brakes! (This is what ZF told me, they said it's actually bad to spin the tires) I then went back down and added another quart, it was getting a little warm, shut it down. Came back in a few hours and did the exact same procedure and got almost another qt in and it began to drip. So, I put back in exactly what I pulled out. Praise Jesus! I was praying the whole way through this process. Installed the plug, made it good n tight, installed the cover, took it for a spin and all is good. No shifting issues at all, totally smooth, everything running as it should and completely happy with it.
Hey guys, I have a question. So my dealer ship never did the transmission flush to my 2016 chrysler 300. Now that I am no longer on the extended warranty, im on 125k miles, and im wondering if i should do it myself or just leave it alone.... if someone can help me and explain what i should do, i will greatly appreciate it. Thank you guys. Amazing video!
Chrysler claims the fluid in these transmissions is lifetime and never needs replaced which means the original fluid used is very high quality. So with that said you being at 125k you should have no issues changing the fluid and filter now. If you were at say 250k or something then I think it would be a different story I’d say just leave it.
The procedure I showed in the video is the only way of checking the fluid on this transmission it’s just another way for the dealership to make more money so they make it complicated for people to do it at home. It seems over filled only when it’s not running because the pump isn’t running that’s why you have to follow the procedure in order to check it with it running and being at the certain temp
I’m assuming you meant the transmission fluid pan. If you want to replace the filter yes because the filter is integrated with the pan or you can go with an aftermarket pan which has a replaceable filter. If your looking to just change the fluid then no you don’t have to remove the pan.
I have a 2019 Limited with over 60,500 miles. Would this be a good time to change transmission fluid?? I’m also planing to replace the transfer case fluid and 4x4, thank you
I hearing on my vehicle the transmission has to be removed in order to put replace filter..2019 Jeep Cherokee Latitude Plus . Dealership saying of course they can't service me because on my transmission it's a Lifetime oil and filter which is a bunch of lies to me! I have 92,000 miles on jeep. Should I change it now ? Go somewhere else?
I want to do this on my 2016 3.6. I bought it second hand with 48k kilometers (like 30k miles) and now it has 63k (around 40k miles) but its 7 years old. It wasnt driven much and was repoed. Sat in a lot for like a year or so. Am I still safe by mileage or is it recommended to do the service by the years it has? It has the original fluid and pan
@@BLUECOLLARGARAGE update on this. I just did the transmission service to my Jeep at 72k kilometers (around 45k miles). Everything turned out great, although some bolts were hard to get to and get loose. The old oil was in good condition (golden), and teh filter was kind of saturated. Magnets had fine sparkles but nothing out of the ordinary. It also took 4.5 quarts of fluid more or less. I have a quart unopened and a second one with a little bit of oil. The other more or less 300 mL got spilled, lol. Again, thank you for this great video. I would have never done it right without the proper guidance. Transmission shifts way smoother now.
There’s no way of getting it out. You could always do another drain and refill in 500 miles to help get more of the older fluid out but just doing this every 20-30k miles should be fine.
Dodge claims the transmission fluid is lifetime and never needs to be changed but I disagree with that since every type of oil or transmission fluid will eventually start to breakdown with heat and friction in my opinion with that many miles yes I would recommend changing it.
Hey , great video I have a question. I have 2019 Jeep Cherokee Latitude Plus .9-speed Automatic Transmission 92,000 miles.. No issues, but now I concerned should I get Transmission filter and change fluid to be ahead of the game?
@@BLUECOLLARGARAGE Probably to save a few cents. It's not too bad without it, you just have to be careful and have a large drain pan. The JL Wrangler transmission pans don't have the plug.
I have an 18’ high altitude 3.6 also I’ve been experiencing rough idle to the point you feel it in the seats inside and you can see the passenger seat vibrating. I’ve been to 4 dealerships and all say everything is normal. I feel like my belt tensioner is wobbling much more then normal. Any advice? I’ve changed idler pulley, harmonic balancer, ac compressor and have done 3 different belt tensioners, everything OEM.
Have you tried cleaning the throttle body? My parents have an envoy and it gets so bad that the car will shut off when you turn the ac on. Some carb cleaner and a toothbrush and it's good for another couple years. Also maybe plug a scan tool in and watch misfire monitors and fuel trims and look for anything out of whack.
@@BLUECOLLARGARAGE Thanks I think I’ll just do that. Mopar fluid is a little too out of my budget so I believe I’ll go with the Valvoline maxlife. I’ve read good things about it.
@@wilder211 no it was just a normal sized torx Allen style. You will want to jack the whole car up and put it on jackstands all the way around to make it level that will give you easier access
I did my wife’s 2015 Grand Cherokee today and I drained the old Fluid and did the fill method without changing the Pan. I then ran to operating temp then change the Pan and added new Fluid. I wanted to make sure I got as much of the original 125K fluid out. I used Triax Fluid that meets ZF and Mopar fluid standards and is only $75 for 6 Quarts on Amazon. Maybe a little over kill, but I feel better doing it. I also did the the same Drain/refills twice on the Differentials and Transfer Case using Valvoline ATF-4 and 75W90 Gear oil Synthetics
While we had my wife’s on jack stands and going through gears, all of the ABS, Serv 4wd, no park sense, BRAKE, check engine, etc lights came on and will not go off. Traction control was turned off and we have disconnected the battery, no luck.
Since all the fluid isn’t removed on a transmission fluid change can you use another brand of fluid Castro Valvoline or mobile one? Or do you have to flush the system to use another brand besides Mopar fluid?
Chrysler/Fiat claim it’s lifetime fluid and never needs to be changed out the life of the vehicle so they don’t give you an interval. In my honest opinion I don’t think any oil or fluid is considered lifetime and fluid will start breakdown overtime especially with heat. So I did this vehicle at 88k I believe it was.
If I have 117k miles, is it too late to replace the tranny oil? Dealer kept pushing me off saying 100k interval but now says lifetime and won’t even do it! I know on other cars with lifetime fill tranny that if too old the new fluid will actually cause it to slip
@John Marshall same here 😢. 125k and my extended warranty is no longer available. This sucks. Im debating if i should mess with it on just leave it alone.
It’s really tight to get in there but you will need to use the torx style Allen wrench to get in there once you break the screws free you should be able to loosen them with your fingers the rest of the way.
Have a question..I have a 2018 Grand Cherokee Limited 2WD..when I look online for the transmission specs it says..Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic (850RE)...it does not show a ZF designation as in ZF 8HP70 or ZF 8HP75....what transmission do I have? Is the service procedure the same. Thanks.
