Chrysler Grand Voyager 2005 2.8 CRD automatic 217,000 miles.

I decided it was time to change my auto gearbox oil and filter. Read the threads on this forum and it worried me about how to get the pan to seal again, anyhow this is what I did hope it helps someone.

I changed the oil about 18 months ago at 180,000 miles by sucking out through the dip stick tube, no filter change. Prior to that it was a dealer oil (leaseplan warranty requirement) and filter change at 120,000 miles, normal dealer interventions before that.
Bought 2 X 3.75 Litres of ATF4+ and filter (Wix) and gasket fron Jeepchrysler parts.

1. Car on ramps and remove the undertray.

2. Suck out oil through dipstick tube with a suction pump ( about £50 ish from machine mart, I had had to buy this because some one had overtightened the sump plug on my daughters mini, it is a veryuseful tool, a Pela 6000 I think).

3.Slacken and remove all the pan bolts, some were quite tight due to the amount of RTV in the threads!

4.Position my engine oil bowl under the pan to catch the remaining oil.

5.The pan did not want to come off! Light tapping with rubber mallet wouldn’t budge it.

6.Used a scalpel blade to slice through the RTV seal.

7.When I got the pan off I discovered how much RTV the dealer had used, it was everywhere!

8.I also found how the dealer had removed the pan before.......hammer and chisel (or screwdriver) I could see the score marks on the face of gearbox housing and the pan was slightly distorted!

9.So, it took about an hour to remove all the RTV and to straighten the pan.

10.Clean the pan and the little magnet in the pan.

At this point I thought there was no way the crumpled up rubber gasket that I recieved with the filter would seal so I went and bought a tube of RTV.

11.Anyway, put the gasket on the pan and then inserted all the bolts through the pan and the gasket which hold the gasket in place and then offered it up to the gearbox.

12.Tightened the bolts finger tight.

13.Small ¼” toque wrench set to 40 inch pounds, tighten a bolt and then count around to the 6th bolt and then tighten that, then the next 6th bolt and so on. I think you have to go round three times before you hit them all.

14.Then repeat with 80 inch pounds.

15.Then repeat with 120 inch pounds.

16.Leave the undertray off and then re-filled with Mopar ATF4+

Went for a drive (15 miles plus) and then back on the ramps.........sump was dry as a bone..no leaks.

17.Sucked out the sump via the dipstick and then refilled again.

18.Put car on level ground and checked oil level again, engine running, through all gears etc as per manual.

Left undertray off for a few days and checked pan for leaks daily....absolutely none, didn’t quite believe this.

The hard bits.
1.Getting the pan off...be patient

2.Cleaning the pan and gearbox faces of the RTV.

The difficult bit
1.Getting the oil back to the correct level. Probably took me 10 – 15 goes to get a “clean” reading. If anybody knows a good way of doing this, please tell.

Things to know
1.Don’t do this on a windy day if you are on the drive on your back under the car, you dont want dust blowing into that exposed gearbox.

2.It took 4 quarts (3.875 litres?) to fill after the oil and filter change (first time around)

3.It took just under 4 quarts with just the oil change (second time around). I think I have about 50-100 ml left in the container.

4.With the pan off (while you are cleaning it, a lot more oil drains out, more than ½ litre in an hour)

5.Don’t forget to put the magnet back into the pan.

The result.
1.There is a flat bit of road about a mile from where I live, before the oil change I could just (from cold), with light throttle settings get it into top gear at 40 mph.

2.After the oil change it would get into top gear at 36/37 mph, about 10% difference.

3.My fuel consumption improved by about 5-10%, I couldn’t measure this accurately because a week later it got 5-10% worse! And then I realised we had just moved to winter diesel!

4.The gearbox changes are “nicer” this could be all in the mind, but I don’t think so.

The surprise to me was that the rubber gasket sealed the pan perfectly. Which means the next time I change the filter it should be an awful lot easier.

I have put a photo of the magnet, it had about 10 thou of what felt like grease, but I’m sure its fine metal particles, held together by magnetism and oil. If you have ever used “Graphogen” to rebuild an engine, it feels like a thinner version of that. I would appreciate your opinion of what you think the condition of the gearbox is. I was pretty happy with it, but would appreciate your views.

The photo of the inside of the pan is a bit misleading, it looks prett gunky but was in fact quite clean, just need a wipe with a shop towel to get it spotless.

I’m going to change the oil and filer every 30,000 miles from now on. I think it could be cheap insurance, I don’t fancy changing a transmission change.

Hope this helps someone

 

At least the Magnet is not looking like an Affro hair style with metal particles which means there's not much wear taking place. The main material that you get in the oil is brake band dust and if you were to ignore oil changes it would clog the valves. Many of the big brands like BMW say their auto boxes are sealed for life and don't need fluid changes, but professionals that know better change it.
I'm new to this word RTV sealant, but on bolt threads it should be a type of studlock.

 

An excellent how-to-do posting with lots of detail Rodger. Perfect for this website.
About ZF so-called "sealed for life" autoboxes. Some american wag on a U-tube video described them as "sealed-for-death" which made me smile for several minutes -- and that just about sums it up. There must be some really red faces at ZF...

Leedsman.