I can see that Don B has done a very thorough job of researching this matter but, as someone who has worked on maintaining these ZF gearboxes over many years now, my advice would be that if you have used any fluid which only meets the Dexron 3 spec and does not specifically meet the LT71411 spec, then I would drain it out.

I would not go to all the trouble of removing the pan but, ideally, I would do the drain and refill a couple of times within a few dozen miles. This will obviously not remove all the Dexron 3 fluid but it's not a difficult job and I believe that it will remove enough of it to preserve the life of the gearbox.

It would be a shame after you have done such a good and difficult job to not ensure the best possible life for the "new" gearbox at this final and simple stage.

Richard

 

^^ +1
Totally agree.

 

Ay, there's the rub. LM states in that brochure that TT1200 meets BMW LT71411 specs. Presumably it is backwardly compatible with Dexron III. So, are they wrong? Are they being dishonest?

 

Ah yes, I can see that LM recommended TT1200 for use in gearboxes that need BMW LT 71141 spec fluid, which will be the same spec as the Mobil LT 71141 oil that I use. As you say, it must be backwards compatible with Dexron 3 but meets a higher spec.

My personal choice has always been to use branded LT71141 for the 5 speed boxes and the specific Lifeguard product for the more recent gearboxes. However, I know that garages which I have talked to seem to use one of the cheaper alternatives to the ZF product unless the customer specifically asks for the more expensive option and I've not heard of any specific problems when the alternatives have been used.

I guess that my conclusion would be that although I would use the Mobil version (or Lifeguard 5 now that it is available), I'm sure that the LM equivalent, which clearly supersedes Dexron 3, will be fine.

Richard

 

Like other third-party fluidmakers, LiquiMoly wants to sell as much fluid as possible. So, like Valvoline and Castrol and others, they may state approvals or "suitable fors" that, in some cases are true, but are not always true. The example I posted of ZF's fluid specifications for the 5HP18 suggests that, in certain cases, ZF considered Lifeguard 5 to be backward compatible for some gearboxes for which Dexron III had previously been specified. But to this day, ZF still specifies Dexron III, and not Lifeguard 5, for most of its 4- and 3- speed transmissions. And ZF makes it very clear that Dexron III is not to be used in gearboxes for which Lifeguard 5 / LT 71141 is specified.

Third-party fluidmakers are able to claim wide application or in some cases even "universal" application by making compromises in the forumulation. A fluid that is "good enough" for a variety of transmissions for which very different fluids were originally specified is probably not optimal in any of those transmissions.

I would hope that LiquiMoly is not as shameless as Valvoline and Castrol - I have proven many times that those companies' claims about the wide applicability of their fluids are completely implausible and contradict the specifications of many transmission makers.

I know I come across as too insistent or fanatical, but fluid-related transmission falures can take tens of thousands of miles to manifest, so owners don't realize anything is wrong until it's too late. One of my missions in life is to save as many Jaguars as I can, one transmission at a time...

Cheers,

Don

 

Hi all can I get a clear recommendation for the proper fluid for an early 4.0 xk8 and xkr. This was a very confusing thread.

 

Which car do you actually own?

For the XK8, you need Esso or Mobil LT71141 or ZF Lifeguard 5. Use whichever of these you can buy for the cheapest price.

The XKR has a Mercedes Benz gearbox and will need a different fluid.

Richard

 

...and see this post of zray's for the XKR Merc box:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...9/#post2841849

 

For the Normally-Aspirated X100 with the ZF 5HP24 5-speed automatic transmission, these are the fluids known to be correct:

ZF Lifeguard 5
ESSO LT 71141 (now branded Mobil LT 71141)
Mobil LT 71141
Pentosin ATF 1
Febi Automatikgetriebeöl (ATF) Nr. 29738
VW/Audi G 052 162 A2
Ravenol ATF 4/5 HP


For the supercharged X100 with Mercedes-Benz 5G-Tronic W5A580 / 722.6 5-speed automatic transmsission, the following fluids are known to be correct:

Mercedes-Benz ATF MB 236.14
Fuchs Titan ATF 4134
Liqui Moly Top Tec ATF 1600
Mobil ATF 134
Motul ATF 236.14
Pentosin ATF 134
Ravenol ATF M 9-Serie
Shell ATF 134
Shell Spirax S6 ATF 134M
Valvoline ATF Pro 236.14

Cheers,

Don

 

Hi , Richard I have a 97 xk8 and a 2000 xkr

 

re your 2000 XKR, I’ve used the Fuchs Titan ATF 4134 and the Shell 134. They both appeared to perform identically.

don't know about your part of the globe, But the USA has the Shell 134 as the lowest priced approved fluid for the Mercedes 722.6 transmission that our 4.0 XKR’s use.

whatever you do, don’t use the same fluid in both your 4.0 XK8 and the 4.0 XKR

Z

 

Thanks I am in Canada