DIY: Tiptronic S Filter/ Fluid change - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

The Tiptronic S Transmission (ZF-5HP19 mfr’d. by ZF Friedrichshafen AG) is marketed by Porsche as having a maintenance-free Lifetime fluid. This same transmission is used by BMW, Audi, VW and Jaguar. They too used to advertise it as Lifetime fluid. But at least BMW and Jaguar have now revised their service schedule to call for a fluid and filter change every 45k mi. following ZF’s recommendation. Failure to perform this maintenance can lead to poor running and early death for these transmissions. A dealer quoted me $650 - $750 for this service, which is not a terrible price really if you haven’t the time, inclination or skill to do the job yourself. But, if you do like to do your own wrenching, this service can be done for one third the cost the dealer charges. It’s really more involved than difficult. I’d give it a 2.5 – 3 out of 5. For $260 in parts and supplies (incl. the tools you need), you can do it yourself in about 2 -3 hrs. The Filter (PN#986.307.403.00) goes for about $30; the Pan Gasket (PN#986.397.016.00) was $10. There is ONLY 1 fluid which should be used. That is: ESSO LT71141 (ZF PN# S671 090 169 - 20 Ltr.) PERIOD ! There are other brands out there which claim compatibility with ESSO LT71141, but the tranny Mfr. - ZF Friedrichshafen AG answered my inquiry in an email stating that they only recommend the ESSO fluid and have had reports of transmission failures when other compatible fluids were used. This fluid is pretty spendy and requires 7-9 Ltrs. Porsche only sells it in the 20 Ltr. containers for close to $300. But, you can source it in single Ltr. packaging for $14.95/ltr. buying only what you'll need - http://www.bavauto.com/se1.asp?dept_id=5180 . You will need some sort of pump to pump the fluid into the tranny. Porsche recommends the VAT 1924 tool, but this retails for $385. A modified Garden Sprayer from Ace Hardware can be used and costs about $12. You could also modify a Motive Power Brake Bleeder which costs $45. But, I used a Mityvac 7201 Fluid Evacuator Plus which lists for $103, but I got it for $61.99 - http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-7201-Fluid-Evacuator-Plus/dp/B0002SR7TC This tool will hold all 9 Ltrs., making the job much easier. It can also be used in the future for everything from Coolant fills, Oil changes and Brake Fluid flush/change. You also need a 17mm Hex bit to remove the Fill plug – SK Tool# 41417 - http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/sk41417.html . To begin, raise car securely on Jack stands. Remove Road Wheels (to keep excess weight off the suspension). Place catch pan (4 ltr. or better) under the drain plug and remove the plug - 15mm (?). Allow the fluid to drain a good 30 min. as it'll take time for much of it to work its way to the drain. Clean & replace Drain plug and tighten to 29 ft.lbs.. Remove Filler plug (it will be difficult to remove once the pan has been separated from the transmission case). This requires the 17mm Hex Bit. The Torque spec on this plug is 59 ft.lbs. so you may need a breaker bar to loosen it, I did. Now, accessing the drain pan is a little involved as you must remove the diagonals, the stress plate and the Sway Bar, after separating it from the lower links. There are 27- 10mm bolts securing the drain pan. Loosen these and keep them in the order removed as they are of varying length. Then separate the pan from the tranny body (you may need to tap it with a dead blow hammer to break the seal). Once the pan is removed, clean it w/ brake cleaner, incl. the 4 magnets and clean up the mating surface. Now, looking up at the tranny, you'll see the A/T filter. This is secured with a screw at either end (2). Use a straight-blade screwdriver to remove them and pull the filter straight down (keep level to avoid spilling any fluid still inside). Set in catch pan. Next, install new A/T filter applying a dab of Vaseline around the seal. Push into place, and reattach securing screws (hand-tighten only). Clean up mating surface on the tranny case making sure no gasket material remains (a piece of rigid plastic like an ice scraper is a good tool for removing this because it is softer than the aluminum case and won't gouge or scratch it) and wipe mating surface clean w/ brake cleaner – you don’t want any greasy residue on these surfaces to insure a leak-free assembly. Place new gasket on clean Drain pan (make sure all 4 magnets are in place). I use a very thin layer of sealant on both the mating surfaces. This makes sure you get a good seal and keeps the gasket in place - Form-a-Gasket or such (I used Hylomar because it can be applied very thinly). Set Drain pan in place securing with 2 of the 10mm bolts just to hold it - don't tighten or allow mating surfaces to touch, just hang it from the 2 bolts. Add the remaining 25 10mm bolts and hand-tighten them evenly so the Drain pan seats evenly and properly. Finally, tighten them in a cross-sequence (staring w/ the middle 2 bolts and work clockwise) to 7 ft.lbs. Insert filler tube from pump into Fill hole (at an angle to avoid detaching splash shield on top) and pump in 2-3 ltrs. of fluid - until it starts to drip out. With the car in Park, start car and pump in additional 1-2 ltrs. of fluid, again until it drips out. Now, using a temperature probe of some kind (I used the temp sensor on my multimeter, a digital meat probe will work too), insert into Fill hole and watch temp rise to between 35°C - 45°C (95°F-113°F). Again, add fluid until it drips out. One trick, you could pre-heat the tranny fluid by placing the bottle in a bucket of 110°F-115°F water. Then, get in car, foot on brake, move shifter from Park through all positions, remaining for 10 sec. in each position – do this quickly so the tranny temp doesn’t rise too high. Add additional fluid until it drips out. Pull filler tube, temp probe and replace Filler plug, tightening to 59 ft.lbs. Replace Stress Plate and torque to 29 ft.lbs. Replace Sway Bar and mounts and torque to 34 ft.lbs. Reattach End links to Sway Bar and torque to 17 ft.lbs. Replace Diagonals and torque to 48 ft.lbs. Replace Road wheels and torque to 96 ft.lbs. Lower car Job complete!

LB, Finally!! It took some circular-searching, but I finally found your answer to what has been my latest project research. I am good to go now. One question, though; out of the specified 9.5 qts that this trans is said to contain, how many qts of new fluid did you end up replacing? I ask this as I'm still trying to find out what amount remains in the trans after the filter change, etc. Many thanks for all of your technically aware information. Andy

IIRC I got a little more than 8 qts. in. I had a leaky gasket which was why I went ahead and did the change. Since there's no dipstick, it's not easy measuring what I may have lost and since the pan had to come off anyway, I went ahead and swapped the filter too - it's right there. I bought 10 qts. of ESSO and opened 9. It was overflowing as I got the plug back in, but 8+ went in.

I did the tranny on my BMW 328 a few years back. Messy process but I had it done and helped while the car was on the lift. Didn't cost all that much, parts and fluid cost more than the labor. Lifetime fill, yeah right! PS-On my wife's Subaru, they have a dipstick and an external fluid filter, spin off style. You can change the ATF as easily as the engine oil. Takes regular ATF at $3 a qt too! I love THAT approach to engineering. Total parts cost about $50. and I can do it myself.