If its lifetime fluid why is this needed?

[Hootbro]

If it’s that complicated then I’m not sure that I trust a Jeep dealership to do a fluid change for me. They’ve been very hit or miss for me.

Really not that complicated, just the staging to do it has to be right since there is a time/temp variable to deal with. I have done it twice without issue.

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[NC_Overland]

Really not that complicated, just the staging to do it has to be right since there is a time/temp variable to deal with. I have done it twice without issue.

Well considering the horrible work that Jeep dealerships have done for me in the past, I’d say it’s way above their pay grade. I need to find a decent dealership near me….

 

[GladiatorPilot23]

ZF said the fluid is good for 60k? They call lifetime 150k in all of their other applications that I’m aware of.

I believe that is 150KM but the other doc and video they say otherwise 100KM which is 62kMiles

 

[GladiatorPilot23]

ZF tends to remove docs (when they need to be updated) and then repost them in a different place. If you run across the memo in the future, just DM it to me.

I haven't had the ATF for the automatic transmission changed yet. I never thought that I would encounter a catch-22 in which the fluid should be changed, but the dealer avoids performing this service like the plague. My vehicle has about 48K mi on it. I am going to check with a few dealers to see if they'll do it for a normal price.

Hmmm they fear something they might do wrong maybe? It is a bit tricky if not done right. At 48K its already somewhat dark. The filter as well but there will be full of fine particles on the magnets to clean out. Im at 2300 Miles and plan to do it soon to get out some of the break in particles. I wonder if I can do that pump method you posted up? I do all my own work as other will not the the job to my standard. I wrote on another thread how to do a Zerex HD Diesel EP full flush. Mopar coolant die very fast and goes acidic. It will eat away that EGR cooler.

 

[g2020]

Attached is a ZF document I have dated from 2016 on the 8HP and fluid changes. They recommend an 80,000 km (50,000 miles) to 120,000 km (75,000 miles) “depending on driving style”, listing high temperature towing, high speed driving and sporty driving.

I interpret that as normal service would be the 75,000 mile recommendation with severe service being 50, 000 miles if not sooner.

Here is the same doc published 6 years later.

In 2016: ZF included guidance on distance (km) and duration (years)
In 2022: ZF removed guidance on distance and duration (this doc is attached to post #29 in this thread, and has been added as doc #4 in ZF docs); page 1 of 6 is shown below

In 2021 (reposted on ZF website in 2025): ZF published the product data sheet for LifeguardFluid 9 (as we know, MOPAR 68218925AB is an exact equivalent) with service interval guidance of 150,000 km (93K miles, for normal driving); see doc #2 in ZF docs; also see Key Info for guidance on shorter service intervals (42K miles +/- 5K miles) for off-road, trailer towing, etc....

Page 1 of 6 (doc #4 in ZF docs):

 

[g2020]

The issue is that Jeep appears to disregard everything after the first sentence below. Also see doc #2 in ZF docs. 150,000 km = 93,000 miles (for normal driving).

From page 1:

 

[Stan H]

Has anyone flushed their transmission cooler ? Wonder how hard that would be ? Or if it's just one of those 50 dollar items a person should change when doing a transmission swap

 

[ShadowsPapa]

100 % right. I just looked it up.The auto trans for the gas job JT is built in Germany, shipped to the U.S. and installed in Toledo Ohio. The artical say's it's one of the best and strongest transmissions around. The American built one is in the diesel. The German built one is better.

The transmission behind the 3.6 is made in USA. The reason is ZF couldn't keep up with the demand. So FCA licensed the rights to make it here.

The diesel version is made in Germany, as well as the 4xe version. (even though Jeep EXPERT and master tech Scotty Kilmer says they are made in Austria)

Thsts correct it is a licensed (inferior copy of the 8HP50 made by ZF , licensed to Chrysler as the 850RE ( Royal Error...thats a joke) ,
I digress it isnt as strong as it should be I have been babying mine along for 45,000 miles . This year I am slapping a new transmission in it . Working on saving the cash up. I have 116,000 on mine.

Seriously? I guess you have no idea how that licensing and the rights work. FCA has to follow strict design parameters and manufacturing methods. They are required to contact ZF with any proposed changes before they were made. Since FCA used a plant that already had equipment to make transmissions, they did have to make some changes to the case to allow FCA equipment to work with that design. Otherwise, they are restricted to what ZF says.

People get hung up on that term "lifetime". The transmissions and fluids today are far superior to what we had in the past, and unless you get it HOT or abuse it, it's going to easily handle over 80K miles without effort or issues to be concerned with.
Towing, off-roading, any time you get it hotter than typical or normal, or if you are in hills and stupidly allow it to constantly hunt instead of using manual mode, then you will reduce the lift of the fluid.

but the idea with a semi-sealed unit is that unless you do something out of what a typical driver might do - it's going to last a very long time.

Do what you want - it's your rig, but I've done a lot of transmission work over the years and have seen vastly inferior transmissions go a "lifetime" without constant maintenance as long as they don't get hot and aren't abused.

It will be real real black when drained.

If it's black, it's probably been hot. But dark isn't necessarily bad in reality.
You can also tell by smell. Clutch materials have a very distinctive odor to them when they've been hot.
The dyes also degrade with time and heat - so black may not mean a lot.
(those people are also selling services..........)

 

[ShadowsPapa]

ZF said the fluid is good for 60k? They call lifetime 150k in all of their other applications that I’m aware of.

They also have to assume the worst. If they say "100,000 miles" then people who tow heavy loads, let it hunt in the hills or do heavy off-roading" will take that to mean THEM.
People just get so hung up on the numbers and details of the numbers.

I'm not going to get concerned before 80K unless I get into heavy or frequent towing.
I've done too many transmissions to get too excited about it.
The biggest issue is HEAT.
Heat comes from mountain driving, towing in hills, or letting it hunt gears, constantly shifting down, up, down, up and so on over and over where clutch packs engage, disengage over and over, causing additional slippage - which generates heat. If you use manual mode in the hills, don't let it hunt, and don't get it hot - it's going to last without issue.
But with some vehicles and how I see them used - some people may want to consider every 20K miles! I've seen automatics go way over 100,000 miles before a fluid change, and I've seen people fry then in 5,000 miles.

You have to adjust for YOU. (and if it makes you feel better, change it - but no use scaring the shit out of people over it, either)

 

[ShadowsPapa]

If it’s that complicated then I’m not sure that I trust a Jeep dealership to do a fluid change for me. They’ve been very hit or miss for me.

The dealership here did a JLU 4xe full transmission swap and zero issues, zero leaks. Yeah, I'd be fine with letting that shop do such a thing. You should see what's involved in a full 4xe transmission swap. Special training involved.

Has anyone flushed their transmission cooler ?

Why? Just do a fluid change. I don't go for flushing anything, and unless you've taken it too far, it will be fine.

None of this is new or different from past decades other than we have vastly superior fluids, superior designs that allow a lot LESS slippage changing gears, and a semi-sealed design that doesn't allow the same crud in as in the past.
Do the fluid change as a couple of members here have outlined in the past (not sure if it was Hootbro or one of the others who did a GREAT write-up on how to do a fluid/filter change on these) but follow what they did and it will be fine.

 

[g2020]

The transmission behind the 3.6 is made in USA. The reason is ZF couldn't keep up with the demand. So FCA licensed the rights to make it here.

The diesel version is made in Germany, as well as the 4xe version. (even though Jeep EXPERT and master tech Scotty Kilmer says they are made in Austria)



Seriously? I guess you have no idea how that licensing and the rights work. FCA has to follow strict design parameters and manufacturing methods. They are required to contact ZF with any proposed changes before they were made. Since FCA used a plant that already had equipment to make transmissions, they did have to make some changes to the case to allow FCA equipment to work with that design. Otherwise, they are restricted to what ZF says.

People get hung up on that term "lifetime". The transmissions and fluids today are far superior to what we had in the past, and unless you get it HOT or abuse it, it's going to easily handle over 80K miles without effort or issues to be concerned with.
Towing, off-roading, any time you get it hotter than typical or normal, or if you are in hills and stupidly allow it to constantly hunt instead of using manual mode, then you will reduce the lift of the fluid.

but the idea with a semi-sealed unit is that unless you do something out of what a typical driver might do - it's going to last a very long time.

Do what you want - it's your rig, but I've done a lot of transmission work over the years and have seen vastly inferior transmissions go a "lifetime" without constant maintenance as long as they don't get hot and aren't abused.



If it's black, it's probably been hot. But dark isn't necessarily bad in reality.
You can also tell by smell. Clutch materials have a very distinctive odor to them when they've been hot.
The dyes also degrade with time and heat - so black may not mean a lot.
(those people are also selling services..........)

This is part of what I wrote in post #7 in this thread. It appears that ZF has stopped / will stop making the 8HP50 in Germany.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This is part of what I wrote in post #7 in this thread. It appears that ZF has stopped / will stop making the 8HP50 in Germany.

ZF may be stopping because of the new transmission they have come out with for the PHEV world - it's a heavier-duty unit with a lot more integration and newer technology electric drive motor - they likely needed some place to make it.
It's supposed to be the root of the 2026 Jeep PHEVs

 

[Jrgunn5150]

I never abused the ZF8 in my Ram with 445,000 freedom miles I never, ever changed a single fluid but oil every 10-11k in, that was the secret to it's long life.

 

[Hunter#1]

wrong, the other way around...rhe 875 is true ZF

Look back ,I corrected my post.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Has anyone flushed their transmission cooler ? Wonder how hard that would be ? Or if it's just one of those 50 dollar items a person should change when doing a transmission swap

Mine got a new trans cooler when the transmission was replaced under warranty.

Fluid was burnt and I'm guessing they didn't want to mess with getting contaminated fluid out of the old one.

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