ZF oil quantity

[Dean Lampe]

I have searched the forum and there seems to be some varying opinions on hw much oil to put in. What is the right answer?

 

[steveirl]

About 7.5 pints or a little under 4.5 liters to fill a ZF. At least that is what my Pantera takes. If the ZF is mounted the opposite way in a GT40 it may be slightly different. Either way filling is just a matter of pouring in slowly until it begins to seep out of the filler hole. With Panteras it is thought best to raise the rear of the car a few inches when filling the ZF. Hope this helps.

 

[Mike Drew]

Cheers Steve!

This must be Steve Burke, right? After all, how many GT5-S Panteras are running around in Ireland? The De Tomaso world is a small world....

The thing to remember when filling the ZF is that there are numerous bulkheads within the case with relatively small orifices between each; if you just fill it up until it dribbles out the filler opening and then button it up, you will underfill it.

The thing to do is fill it until it dribbles, then walk away and let the oil inside settle. You will be surprised at how much more you can normally pump in.

 

[Mike Christian]

Dean,

From the SPF Ownership thread page 1:

" I noticed a small oil spot near the right rear of the trans. Dennis Olthoff said that in the upright position, these ZF boxes use 6 liters of oil. Inverted they use about 1.75 litrers. He fill them to 2 liters and they will percolate out what they don't need."

Regards,
Mike

 

[steveirl]

Cheers Steve!

This must be Steve Burke, right? After all, how many GT5-S Panteras are running around in Ireland? The De Tomaso world is a small world....

The thing to remember when filling the ZF is that there are numerous bulkheads within the case with relatively small orifices between each; if you just fill it up until it dribbles out the filler opening and then button it up, you will underfill it.

The thing to do is fill it until it dribbles, then walk away and let the oil inside settle. You will be surprised at how much more you can normally pump in.

Hi Mike
trust you are well, missed you this year at LeMans, I missed my sailing from ireland to France. I did make it but three days later. Did not take the Pantera as the water pump sprung a leak, managed to fix it by 2 am day before I was due to leave but decided against driving it as no time to test it.
So when you gonna take the plunge on a 40?????? Roger tells me you are a big fan. Both he and Phil dont really think its a good idea!!!
Steve

 

[Lee Patterson]

When Roy Butfoy rebuilt my ZF for the Pantera, he told me 4 Qts. of Castrol 80-90W Hypoy C gear oil. He was very emphatic about it being Castrol Hypoy C. He said change it once a year, every year. Been doing that for 17 years and have never had a problem.

 

[speed220mph]

Bob Putnam of ERA recommends filling inverted ZFs to the fill-plug level, or 2.7 qts., then after a 500-mile break-in refill it with 2.5 qts. with changes at 15,000-mile intervals. He also recommends using a mild EP oil, SAE 80.

I've found that it's necessary to check oil level at regular intervals and after hard runs. As Dennis Olthoff says, the excess will "percolate out", however it doesn't stop percolating once it gets to the desired level as evidenced by what ends up in the catch can. The cost of rebuilding or replacing the ZF is great incentive to do this.