Hi all

I have a 99 XKR with the original ZF gearbox.

I bought at 52k in 2009 and has done 101k now.

I have never used the J gate apart from once or twice in the early days to stupidly impress friends, oh dear.

I have never had any problems with the gearbox and it has never needed an oil change.

I have heard that the gearbox on the S1 is an achilles heal and fails often. Perhaps I have been lucky. Could it just be that over use of the J gate caused these transmissions to wear out and fail?
I am not an expert but it seems to me that manually forcing automatic clutch plates into position is not the best idea for longevity?
Just a thought? Bearing in mind that I have hardly ever used the J gate and the ZF still runs perfectly without ever needing an oil change.

 

Your XKR has the Mercedes W5A580 gearbox, not ZF. They may have the odd issue but generally pretty bulletproof.
All gear selections made on manual side of J gate are processed by the TCM, certainly not "forcing" anything.
A fluid change would not hurt even though you have no issues.

 

Fresh ATF in these old ZF units is always a good idea....

 

Changing the ATF fluid on the Mercedes gearbox is actually very easy. You just need to get a dipstick off ebay, a new copper washer for the drain plug and while you are at it you might want to change the electrical connector sleeve at the same time.

Its trickier if you decide you want to change the oil pan/filter as well, its too easy to round off the heads on the pan bolts, so make sure you have a spare set. Either way, even if you just change the fluid, its better than leaving 20 year old fluid in there. I used Fuchs ATF 4134. If you DIY the job, the parts are so cheap its a no brainer, whatever your mileage.

 

Plenty of info about the 722.6 gearbox on the internet.
Seems everybody has a youtube video of it.

 

Oh OK, I was not sure which one it was so cheers. Next service I will ask for a fluid change to be on the safe side ... Thanks for the advice 👍

 

Thanks Dibbit, way beyond what I am capable of 😄 But I will deffo ask my mechanic to do a fluid change next service. It makes sense, I agree with you and don't think there will be such a thing as a lifetime sealed gearbox, either auto or manual. Cheers 😀 👍

 

exact my thoughts. +1.

Fritz