Let's talk Transmission Maintenance...

[Westlotorn]

I don't remember the plug being that difficult buy maybe my hands are smaller.
I did have the car quite high so I could extend my arms up comfortably. There is a lock inside the tranny, you pull the tab down to remove the plug and push it up when the sleeve is installed again. It won't lock up if the sleeve is not all the way in.
If memory serves me correctly I tried to install the new sleeve with the wire harness attached with no success. I pulled everything back out, got the sleeve installed and the locking clip back up in place and then plugged the wire harness back in. It worked on the second try and I have no leaks. Hope this helps.
Sometimes on the second try everything goes in like butter and you wonder why it was hard on the first try.

[Jarhed1964]

The sleeve was no problem. Like you, I tried plugging the harness in first, then putting the sleeve into the mechatroics unit. No luck. Trying to twist the plug into position with the sleeve attached was the problem.

So then, I put the plug into the trans, made sure it was fully seated and so on, then tried plugging the harness in. That is where I am right now... for the 4th time. The height is no issue, I just don't have the space to fit my hands around the harness to twist it so the tab in the sleeve fits perfectly into the plug. Even my 14 year old couldn't get his hands up there. I'm betting in the E70 3.0, they are going to drop the crossbar to get space.... which will still be tight up there to maneuver the harness plug. I would, but it's connected to the transfer case as well as the frame. I'm not playing that far.

Just hoping they don't rape me. They have two things to do:

1. Get the mechatronics harness plugged in
2. Finish filling the transmission with the 2.1 liters of fluid I have left.

The first cold fill is done according to the ZF instructions. Need to start the engine and run that in and fill again.

Originally Posted by Westlotorn

I don't remember the plug being that difficult buy maybe my hands are smaller.
I did have the car quite high so I could extend my arms up comfortably. There is a lock inside the tranny, you pull the tab down to remove the plug and push it up when the sleeve is installed again. It won't lock up if the sleeve is not all the way in.
If memory serves me correctly I tried to install the new sleeve with the wire harness attached with no success. I pulled everything back out, got the sleeve installed and the locking clip back up in place and then plugged the wire harness back in. It worked on the second try and I have no leaks. Hope this helps.
Sometimes on the second try everything goes in like butter and you wonder why it was hard on the first try.