Reply to "How to increase the power handling of a ZF? (850 newton/meters or 627 foot/pounds)"

Chris,

I think GT4Peter's unfortunate experience is more of a lesson in how to service your transaxle than it is in the limitations of the ZF trans.

You'll recall when Peter bought this ZF it was essentially a box of parts. The pinion gear was pitted but he decided to save a few $ and see how long it would last. The first time he used it, he got his answer.

This is also a reminder to use a known expert when rebuilding your ZF. This means using the manufacturer (RBT) or one of a known handful of Pantera shops. Sure, there are lots of people that are perfectly capable of servicing a ZF trans but it's an expensive gamble if you aren't 100% sure of their ability. Don't just send it to a transmission shop. If I'm not mistaken, GT4Peter used an ex-ZF company mechanic for his rebuild.

ZF "washed their hands" of our transaxles about 25 years ago. At that time they sold the rights, tooling and entire inventory of parts to Lloyd Butfoy's father, Roy. RBT has been the manufacturer ever since.