ZF5 drain/fill plug help needed asap!!

[7.3 on 40s]

Worked on an oil and trans. fluid change today on my 97 pwrstroke with a ZF5 manual trans. and ran into a few issues. First off the oil drain plug gasket it had was plastic and cracked so i went to the dealer and got the copper washer its suppose to have. Next the oil filter was near impossible. Had to drill a hole through the bottom section and put a pry bar through it for leverage to get it changed. I made sure to fill the filter up with new oil before installing.

As for the transmission fluid i made a note to check the plugs after removing because the drain was leaking. It was tuff but i removed the drain and fill plugs without damaging any threads or cracking the case. The fill plug had a nasty crushed aluminum sealing washer on it. I called the dealer back and they said its not supposed to have a washer so i removed it and now the fill plug seems to seal better. As for the drain plug it had no washer. The mating surfaces between the plug and the case seem to be different. The fill plug seems to have a cup edge the mates with the cup part on the plug. The drain hole seems to be flat as if it needs a washer. Im sorry for the story here guys but my truck is stuck in a sense because i dont want to put the new fluid in and have a leaking drain plug then have to do it over again. Would rather figure it out. So my main ?s are....

-Are the drain and fill plugs the same?
-Do the drain and or fill plugs have sealing washers?
-Can anyone shed some info. on the different mating surfaces of the drain and fill plugs?

[glovemeister]

I can't help on the fill plug, but my drain plug is as you describe. I fill my fluid through the top of the tranny because I can get a little extra in to quiet down the noise a bit.

[7.3 on 40s]

When you say your drain plug is like i described do you mean your drain plug has a sealing washer?

[atvrider93]

Originally Posted by glovemeister

I can't help on the fill plug, but my drain plug is as you describe. I fill my fluid through the top of the tranny because I can get a little extra in to quiet down the noise a bit.

How do you fill it through the top?

[Schnot]

Fill through the top by removing the shifter.


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[glovemeister]

Originally Posted by atvrider93

How do you fill it through the top?

No sealing washer that I can remember.

You pull the boot undo the bolts that hold the shifter cover down, put the trans in neutral and pull it up and out.

[atvrider93]

Is there anything to watch out for like a part that could fall in there? How much do you put in? I remember the capacity being somewhere around 2-3qts

[glovemeister]

Originally Posted by atvrider93

Is there anything to watch out for like a part that could fall in there? How much do you put in? I remember the capacity being somewhere around 2-3qts

I think I put 4 or 5 in mine. I don't recall anything that could fall in.

[atvrider93]

Originally Posted by glovemeister

I think I put 4 or 5 in mine. I don't recall anything that could fall in.

Cool, thanks man!

[glovemeister]

Originally Posted by atvrider93

Cool, thanks man!

I was dreading it initially. In terms of messing with my tranny. The drain looked like a pain, so I hunted around and found the top cover. I was worried about springs or whatever falling in and was nervous. After I did it I remember thinking how glad I was to find it, as it is so much easier. Also allows you to overfill a bit.