Transmission Service & Valve Body Wiring Harness Replacement
 

Success! I did the wiring harness and it made a world of difference. Had to cut flat head rivets it the old bolts to get them off. That took about 2 hours. Then clean the pan, scrape off the liquid gasket the aholes that were suppose to do the job failed to do. That is a whole other story. New magnets the old ones had about an inch of shavings all around them. The chocolate milk looking oil around the magnets was like running your finger through wet sand. Again, the pos's at this "European Specialist" garage fail to at least clean the magnets. They said they put new oem oil. BS, they used the same oil. Only topped it off with ZF fluid when they had to tow it back because it was leaking 24hrs after I got it back. No leaks when I was done and I just used an oem gasket after a thorough cleaning of the pan. Replaced all The bolts and oem fluid. Drives like a dream. All the problems I've been having have vanished!

Well done, Sean!! Inspiration for the rest of us - especially those of us with concerns about opening up a ZF transmission!

Thanks so much! I hope it is! Besides a few bumps in the road like the pan bolts and plastic breaking off the old sensors into the little grooves they slide in and having to fish out little pieces, it really wasn't all that hard. Id say 3 out of 5 difficulty.

Well, you're a long way from that evening, broken down on the road on the return trip from Florida!! :thumbup:

Ha, that's no joke! Thanks!

BTW, my ZF GA6HP26X is mostly fine and I'm not intending to open it up any time soon, but I guess the mechatronic connector seal is getting on a bit (not weeping much - yet) and I do occasionally get the hard 2-1 downshift. No way to service the mechatronic connector seal without dropping the pan so I'd likely replace the bridge and jump seals, along with the pan gasket, oil and filter and hope that the as yet unserviced transmission doesn't develop worse issues afterwards...

If you do open it up and do all that, my recommendation would be to do the wiring harness. I don't know your mileage, but it definitely wouldn't hurt and would most likely improve and shifting issues. Those sensor connecters on each valve are just plastic and with all that heat they weaken and crumble. Just my advice.

Thanks for the "heads-up". I'll certainly be looking closely at the wiring if im ever in there.

My car has not long clicked over 200,000kms (125,000 miles) and it's in a pretty decent condition - partly because of the diesel power. The diesels run pretty cool (compared to the V8 anyway) and so plastic parts last a lot longer. Add to that the fact I live in a temperate location (a hot day here is anything over 20C and it doesn't get much below 0C) and my cooling system parts look like new, even after 200,000kms and 12 years.

I'm hoping that also means the trans runs a little cooler than on the V8 cars, given that the oil is "cooled" by the same system as the engine, although thermostat control may dictate that they run the trans at a similar temp. :dunno:

Watch this space... ;)