ZF 6HP19A tiptronic gearbox (A6 3.0 TDI Quattro)

[Badong]

The oil is correct as a lifeguard 6 alternative however, lots of talk that it would have lifeguard 8 on the later cars. It might be why you now have a slip if the wrong oil has been used.

You was right, I changed to ZF lifeguard 8 and it runs smooth now. Thanks for the advice Jubbly.

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[dengsx]

Hi all ,

Very informative thread here.

To niedzial1983: Do you have an update on your autobox rebuild? Very interesting to hear how the car is going now for you?

Thanks
Den

[audimees]

Can anybody tell,whats each software differences?

[niedzial1983]

Hi all ,

Very informative thread here.

To niedzial1983: Do you have an update on your autobox rebuild? Very interesting to hear how the car is going now for you?

Thanks
Den

No. I have not done anything yet... its noy getting any better or worse...lol

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[markirl]

Hi all,

This is a fantastic thread!
I recently bought a Jan-07 registered Audi A8 3.0TDI with a build date of November 2006. It's on 156k miles and there is no record of the gearbox oil being done. It is absolutely perfect when it's cold but when warm there is a slight harshness between 3-4-5 gears, especially on downshifts but I am confident that a filter & oil change will improve it. I have done this job previously on other cars and it is very do-able as a DIY project however I am struggling to decide what fluid to use. I do not want to do any software update ideally.

I plugged in the car and read the following to deem the software details:
Part No SW: 4E1 910 156 Q HW: 09L 927 156 A
Component: AG6 09L 3.0lTDI RdW 0020
Serial number: 4263615

From all of my research, I believe that my car would have come with the "blue" Lifeguard 6+ fluid (G 055162) and now ZF state that green Lifeguard 8 (G 060162) is the suitable replacement fluid.

I note there is significant amount of advice on here to use either ZF Lifeguard 6 or Ravenol 6HP which both effectively meet M1375.4 spec. I currently have 10l of M1375.4 spec oil which I was going to use (meets G 055005 as per lifeguard 6 & 6HP) but I am still not 100% that this is the correct course of action. On another website, I have seen the advice to proceed with Lifeguard 8 or its equivalent and I can do so without a software update.

Any guidance - should I proceed with Lifeguard 6 or 8 spec?

[Pitzury]

I believe we should try to replace as much as possible if not all of the fluid out of these transmissions. Since there is no drain plug on the torque converters, like Mercedes has, we need to find a way to push clean/new fluid through the converter and oil cooler.

One way is to replace the oil and filter with new ones and then use a flush machine like this one http://jiffylubecs.gradepoint.com/en...ech_Manual.pdf , hooked to the return line from the external cooler. Running this kind of flush machine should push the old fluid out of the converter through the oil cooler therefore replacing the fluid in both.As a side note, there are guys out there doing this by disconnecting the cooler line and running the engine for a few minutes at a time.The problem I see with this is that the fluid returning from the cooler goes to lubrication. Some argue that nothing turns when at idle with the converter slipping but that is not true.

Another way and this is the way I will do it on both a BMW X3 and a 2011 A6 3.0TDI could be using the oil feed to the converter through an oil galley on the side of the transmission found both on 5HP and 6HP ZF transmissions. On the 6HP you can find a plug just above the cooler fittings and it is marked WK AUF. Hooking up a trans fluid change pump under light pressure will push oil into the converter, behind the clutch and out the cooling outlet. I imagine this procedure will have more success if the trans fluid in the car is hot to reduce mixing. I plan to lift the car and remove the fill plug with the engine stopped to set the static level, leave the fill plug off, remove the 10x1mm plug to the Torque Converter galley and hook up the pump with an inline Magnom magnetic filter, disconnect the oil cooler return line and start pumping some of the extra 4L of fluid I bought beside the 7L included in the ZF kit. Most of the fluid should come out the return line and very little fluid should return to the sump.We'll see!
Once the fluid returning from the cooler becomes clear/clean,replace the cooling line, push a a few hundred ml more through if not all 4 liters are gone , stop and replace the 10x1mm plug with a new washer. Then replace the filter and fluid from the sump as per factory procedure.
What do you think?

[Pitzury]

Well... I just finished replacing the fluid, filter w/pan and harness sleeve included in the ZF kit on a 2008 X3 . We also decided to replace the valve body seals. After we did the trans adaptation that is very difficult but worth it. I am tired and still thinking about what worked and what not. I'll try to come to some conclusions and get back.

Overall happy with the results but could have done better.
If you want to replace the valve body seals too, 11 L of fluid is not enough. 7.5 L are not enough if you remove the valve body. I had to stop pushing the fluid through the converter after 4 liters because I did not want to touch the 7 from the kit. It looks like there is more fluid going back in the oil pan than I expected. Next time I will probably push through much slower, maybe even pour instead. Higher pressure seemed to push more fluid to the pan. So after 3.5 liters the fluid started clearing up, about 500 ml remained in the pump and lines. I wish I had at least an extra liter to get it even clearer. Another thing that I will do different next time is flush the cooler by itself to have less back-pressure to the cooling outlet to make sure most of the fluid is replaced in the converter. I tried to push some fluid through after replacing the return line but the lubrication restriction diverted more fluid to the pan so I stopped.

I then removed the old pan and filter, the valve body seals and moved on to set the fluid level. I RAN OUT OF FLUID! I had to drain the fluid from the 11 bottles, pump and lines which totaled 460 ml. I used a fluid bottle that has a funnel and a 10mm ID hose that fits snug in the fill hole that is on the side of the trans on a BMW and squeezed the last drop in the trans. When I removed the hose the fluid was at 46*C and it came out rushing. I installed the plug and stopped. By then it was 2:45 AM so I continued the next day.

This morning the tester was reading 27*C so I had little time to set the level since the trans fluid is heated fast by the engine coolant. At 35*C tester reading, yet I could not find a reading with my heat gun higher than 30*C, except the oil cooler/warmer return line which was 35*C, there was no dripping. At 45*C tester reading and about 40*C max with the heat gun the first drops started so I replaced the fill plug and went for the drive and reset the adaptation.

[54A4Avant]

Nice write up Pitzury, is it the same gearbox as per thread title in that Z3? Or a two wheel drive version? (sorry don’t know the bmw range well.). Are the cylindrical valve body sleeves retained with springs and circlips as on our Audi’s with AWD version of the ZF gearbox, or are they the ones with the ribbed sides which just pull straight out?

The adaptation drive always puzzled me a bit - how can you drive exactly the sequence described in the adaptation procedure without encountering other traffic, or a road junction which forces you to brake? And what happens if your adaptation drive is interrupted like that, do you have to restart the whole thing from scratch or can you just carry on from where you left off?

11 litres of fluid being insufficient is a surprise, but I guess it’s a consequence of using the flush machine. Using a gravity drain and refill, even with the valve body off, I think 8 litres will suffice.

[Pitzury]

Nice write up Pitzury, is it the same gearbox as per thread title in that Z3? Or a two wheel drive version? (sorry don’t know the bmw range well.). Are the cylindrical valve body sleeves retained with springs and circlips as on our Audi’s with AWD version of the ZF gearbox, or are they the ones with the ribbed sides which just pull straight out?

Similar to the Audi one as far as the Torque Converter bolt location but with ribbed sleeves. The square seal is the important one to be replaced, the sleeves were just there once we removed the valve body.

The adaptation drive always puzzled me a bit - how can you drive exactly the sequence described in the adaptation procedure without encountering other traffic, or a road junction which forces you to brake? And what happens if your adaptation drive is interrupted like that, do you have to restart the whole thing from scratch or can you just carry on from where you left off?

The trans behavior started changing as soon as the 3rd repetition of the 1st step at lower speeds. I believe that braking or stopping will not affect as long as you go back to the procedure.

11 litres of fluid being insufficient is a surprise, but I guess it’s a consequence of using the flush machine. Using a gravity drain and refill, even with the valve body off, I think 8 litres will suffice.

Idid not use a flush machine. I pushed the old fluid from the converter with a pumping oil filler without starting the engine. My goal was to limit the mixing of the new and old fluid and find a way to do this whitout any special equipment. So, out of the 11 liters of fluid, 3.5 went in the converter and some in the oil pan when it started clearing up. The remaining 7.5 liters were barely enough to replace as per factory recommendation plus removing the valve body. Like I said, I had to drain every drip from the bottles and filler pump to get the extra 460 ml. Only then I was able to get the first drops and only at about 40*C trans temp. So yes I believe you need 8 liters to do the factory plus valve body R&R. I wish I had one more liter to push through the converter

I plan to buy a 2011 A6 3.0 TDI with the 6HP trans that came with the 8HP fluid. Plan to use at least 12 liters of Life Guard 8 fluid and OE ZF filter, push as much as needed to get clean oil out of the Torque Converter and make sure I still have 8 liters for the pan procedure.

One other recommendation I have is to do this in colder weather to avoid waiting for hours or overnight to cool the transmission for the level set procedure.

[Pitzury]

I wish I had another one of these transmissions to replace the fluid. I would try this:
1. As per these recommendation ZF 6HP26 Transmission Fluid Flush DIY - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum I will have a clear hose and adapter to fit in the cooler out port on the transmission. It should be long enough to reach the bottom of an empty graduated container like a 5 L empty engine oil container. That way the fluid will fill the drain hose and it should be easier to notice the change in color as it gets cleaner once the container starts filling. Also you get a better idea of how much fluid is being pushed through the converter.
To find out how much of the pushed fluid goes back through the valve body into the pan I would have to have the pan drain into another graduated container. For that I will try to make a hose adapter that screws into the drain hole and route that hose in another graduated container. So once the pan is drained of the old fluid and no more is dripping, use a graduated container to collect all the fluid dripping when the new fluid is pushed through the converter.
Doing these steps with new fluid as cold as possible and the converter fluid at operating temp, pushing slowly or even gravity filling the converter should give us an idea how much fluid is needed to flush the converter and how much oil is wasted with this procedure.