Yr. 2000 with 4.4; changed the fluid at 110,000 mi.
Fluid: Pentosin with BMW part No. same as the green sticker on the bottom of the pan. Replaced fluid on a lift at proper temp. New filter and the magnets on the pan were very clean. Fluid was dirty. Shifted gears at idle to re-establish proper filling temp & volume throughout the trans. (I had access to the ZF Shop Manual, BTW). Held the proper volume within 4-6 oz.
Trans Failure at 114,000 miles.
Short Story: Pulled the trans and sent it to Fast Trans in AZ. after rebuild, shipping, R&R > $6,000.00.
The ZF Trans is supposed to be a marvel of German engineering. Plenty of examles of this. Mine was just not one of them. Currently at 166K Mi. and doing great. The Valve Body was updated with new & improved goodies, from what I understand. Intuitive features functioned noticable better after rebuild also.
So, in hind sight, as I was not the original owner & I was able to determine that it was a Dealership-serviced vehicle from 0-97K when i got it. Probobly never had the fluid changed. Perhaps it was but performed improperly. (Why did I not find
some Clutch filings on those magnets?)
Great Post. I recall a similar post about a year ago where someone had a bar chart of the variouse outcomes.
SKID