Transmission Oil and Diff Oil - Change and Oil recommendation

[JFP in PA]

While it is always advisable to use the correct lubricants, doing so is not a guarantee against component failures.  Even the best oils cannot cope with parts failures.

[swpender]

I'd check the driveshaft bearings while your at it. Almost like clockwork, My '08 driveshaft bearings went bad at 100,001. My wife's 06 went at 100,076. Started as a grind type sound and turned into whole car shudders. Good news is that aftermarket replacements are readily available and my son has put 45,000 on the 06 and I put 30k on mine before I sold it, both replacements work like a charm. 

[TJrob2000]

On 6/17/2012 at 9:43 AM, royxaxa said:

ha, i thought i was the only one that has to cut short the allen

Hi, New member and new Cayenne owner.  Came across this thread while searching differential and transfer case fluid options.  In case you didn't know, there are short head allen key sets.  Just FYI

[ferri]

So guys, It is unavoidable that I must change bearings in the differential. I went to the gear-specialist and he explained the problem of this final drives. He saw the pictures I posted and he will do a "differenatial revision".  It's an expensive job but it is worth I think.

 

Greetz

 

Edited October 8, 2016 by ferri

[tebee]

Hi guys,

Official Porsche site says that into transfer case you need to fill tf0870, you suggest atf71141. What do you tbink about Castrol transmax z?

Engine 3.2 V6 Cayenne (Europian)

 

Another thing. How can I find out if there is a differential locker in it?

Thank you.

[Jim N]

Good information.

[hahnmgh63]

tebee, what year of Cayenne?  The Ravenol or Shell TF-0870 would probably be just fine as they are Transfer case fluids and the manufacturers (reputable) recommend them for Cayenne, Q7, Touarge (Same transfer case). The TSB I have says LT71141 which is a different Oil specification. Can you post a link to the Porsche site? I'm curious why Porsche would recommend the TF-0870 since they sell their own re-bottled fluid in a Porsche Bottle.  I do recommend replacing the Transfer case and Front Diff fluids (75w-90 gear oil) regularly as the Cayenne seems to be hard on both of them. Maybe Loren knows if Porsche has a new specification out there.

Edited March 3, 2017 by hahnmgh63

[ekstroemtj]

I got the feeling that there is maybe a little bit of oil missing in my transmission.

 

could i check it by myself?  adding oil until its puring out from the fill plug ?

as i remember the car has to run during the filling process? isnt this ending up in a mess because the oil is fluctuating in the oil pan?

 

thank you for your input.

 

[Zakowsky]

It’s not hard - and you might as well top it up while you are at it too. Get a liter of Mobil D3309 transmission fluid and a pump for the bottle with a long hose. You can put it on jack stands, but I just put it in special terrain mode and turn off regulation (important!). Make sure it is level. Crack the filler plug (17 mm allen hex wrench) before you start, as it might take some force. Don’t remove it. Put a tray underneath for spills. Then start the engine and monitor transmission temperature with whatever is your cable of choice. When it gets to around 36 degrees, take the plug out and stick the hose in. When it gets to 40 degrees, pump in the fluid until it overflows, close it up and you are good to go.

 

If the fluid in there on the plug is a golden or amber color, it might be the original fluid. The Mobil is red, and I am not sure if mixing them is OK, but after reading countless threads I think it is. But everyone has a different opinion of these kinds of things. If it is red then the fluid has probably been changed before.

 

You said you think it’s low - a good sign that it is low is when you start driving when it is cold and soon after starting the engine, it goes into 1st with PSM on (as you know it should start in 2nd). When it is really low, it won’t want to shift from 2nd to 3rd. This will happen independent of any valve body issues.

 

Good luck.

[ekstroemtj]

@Zakowsky Mike thank you very much for  your detailed post.

Actually the car had a trans oil flush some years ago. So i would say the oil is in there now for 30k km. 

What you describe sounds pretty easy. I will try it. Just have to find the right equipment. 

The filling has do be done whilst the engine is running?

[Zakowsky]

It's not too hard. Yes, the engine has to be running; that is why I prefer to just raise the suspension and turn it off, and put jack stands in loosely just in case. I don't like being under a running vehicle which is on 4 jack stands for some reason! Trust it less than I do the air suspension system.

 

Some people say you should have a person inside that puts the transmission in drive and reverse for a few seconds while you are filling, but I have never noticed a difference in how much it takes by doing this. And with a leaking torque converter seal I have done this a few times. But after reading about what Lewis is going through, now I don't want to get it fixed!

[ekstroemtj]

Thankx a lot. I will report when its done! 

[bigbuzuki]

14 hours ago, Zakowsky said:

You said you think it’s low - a good sign that it is low is when you start driving when it is cold and soon after starting the engine, it goes into 1st with PSM on (as you know it should start in 2nd). When it is really low, it won’t want to shift from 2nd to 3rd. This will happen independent of any valve body issues.

 

Good luck.

The transmission switching to 1st with PSM on and holding the low gears is normal when temps are cold on initial start.

This is by design In order to rev the engine higher to warm the catalytic converters for efficient operation.

Edited June 20, 2017 by bigbuzuki

[ekstroemtj]

@bigbuzuki thank you for your note.

 

Why I believe it could be underfilled?  

The shifting is a little bit strange when hard cornering. Makes me believe that oil swaps to one side and just not enough in to proceed proper shifting.

Maybe a stupid idea but I would like to check it

 

[Zakowsky]

19 hours ago, bigbuzuki said:

The transmission switching to 1st with PSM on and holding the low gears is normal when temps are cold on initial start.

This is by design In order to rev the engine higher to warm the catalytic converters for efficient operation.

 

Good to know, thanks. Back when the torque converter seal wasn’t leaking mine would do that in winter and I wondered why. Then it stopped in summer, but started again while it was still warm out but the fluid level got low because of the leak. The day after I filled it up it stopped right away, same starting conditions, so maybe both are factors.

[ekstroemtj]

Please maybe somebody can advise which tool necessary to open the fill plug.

 

Its the tool on my picture? 

[wizard]

Yes. Hex ... 17mm.

Edited June 24, 2017 by wizard

[ekstroemtj]

@wizard thanks, i will try to find it. Looks very big.

[wizard]

I got mine recently from contorion.de ... Stahlwille INHEX-Einsätze 17. It was reduced to 9.75 Euro, I think. You won't find cheaper for that quality. Of course, there is a cost to send unless you spend more than 50 Euro - which I did as I needed other things from them.

[ekstroemtj]

@wizard thank you for your advice. Are you from germany because you refer to this web page?

[wizard]

Yes, Westerwald.

 

Don't forget that the fluid needs to be at a temperature of 40C in order to get the fill level correct.

[hahnmgh63]

The fill port is kind of like a periscope tube that goes up into the pan. If while running and warm the oil doesn't pour or drip constantly when you pull the plug start filling immediately. What you want to do is fill it, let it drip as it warms and the oil expands with heat, then plug the filler when it reaches plug it when it reaches 40'C. Once the oil temp passes about 35'C it starts heating fairly quick, especially with the summer temps you're probably getting in Frankfurt. An Aisin specialty company in California said it tolerates being a little over filled but not underfilled. If you cap it at a higher temp it will be underfilled.

[ekstroemtj]

@hahnmgh63 thank you very much Mark.  I will do so. 

[ekstroemtj]

So tools bought, oil bought.

Try to open the fill plug. No way. I need a lift to do it. From terrain level no chance.

Second reason I should not have drive the car. It stay there for 2 hours after. Trans oil temp still 69 degrees. To much for this process.

 

[lewisweller]

3 minutes ago, ekstroemtj said:

So tools bought, oil bought.

Try to open the fill plug. No way. I need a lift to do it. From terrain level no chance.

Second reason I should not have drive the car. It stay there for 2 hours after. Trans oil temp still 69 degrees. To much for this process.

 

Lol move car to middle east, check oil level midday, bang on 40oc. Ha ha ha