ZF Check Oil Level

I fill mine until it comes out the side plug so you could add oil until it comes out. I suppose you could use a boroscope.

I pulled the side plug and oil came out. Is it overfilled?
Recently purchased.

> On 01/07/2022 11:30 AM The De Tomaso Forums <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:
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With all due respect to Husker and his boroscope, does anyone know more about whether just filling to the side hole lubricates the "top" gears?
The owners manual shows an elbow/dipstick on the side. Does anyone know if they were actually installed and if so, if it is available?

> On 01/07/2022 11:30 AM The De Tomaso Forums <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:
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Only a total of 3 liter  on a Dash2 , but some people say 3.25 liter

Simon

Fill it so the oil is basically even with the bottom of the threads at the side fill port.

parked on a flat surface, of course.

After a total drain and fill, it is always wise to double check the level after a short drive  

Larry

judgepaul, my former early pushbutton had the factory side dipstick, but they are pretty rare--I suspect relatively few Pantera owners have ever seen one in person.  I know of no source for one.  I suspect that DeTomaso made them, not ZF just from the difference in appearance, though I certainly could be wrong.  One could be fabricated I would think.  I personally liked mine because I strictly used the top bolt to fill, which was easier and neater.  The fill level must have been slightly higher based on the dipstick mark(s), which would had to have been at least slightly higher than the bottom of the side hole, though I don't remember exactly how high the mark was.  And I have forgotten whether it was one mark or two.  Not much help I realize, mainly confirming they do exist.

Buttondoor,
Your response was of tremendous help. I suspected filling to the bottom of the side hole may not be enough since the diagram in the owners' manual shows a right angle elbow, and the "dipstick" markings beginning at the bottom and going up. Without a dipstick, I wish I knew how much additional fluid was recommended after it reached the bottom of the hole. Either that, or knowing the measurement upwards on the dipstick would allow a calculation. I believe the problematic 2nd gear is up there on top which increases the importance of knowing where the oil level should be. Maybe someone will weigh in over time.

> On 01/07/2022 1:30 PM The De Tomaso Forums <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:
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Next best thing ... Can anyone say EXACTLY how much oil it takes to reach the bottom of the side hole? Including the filter?

I have been part of the DeTomaso Family for over 20 years.

I have seen very few discussions on the dipstick as it is so very uncommon.

what I have seen is numerous discussions that filling to the bottom threads and then checking the level after a drive, (because there are some sections that are apparently connected by holes as opposed to being one large section) is the recommended approach.

works for me, and every other owner that I know of.

Larry

Thank you Larry.

Here's a pic of the elbow and dipstick installed on a ZF.  As I recall, the dipstick was made from a 5/16" cotter pin and a flat disc (washer?) with a 5/16" hole. The cotter pin was silver soldered to the flat disc, and one "leg" of the cotter pin was completely removed.  The other "leg" was shortened and marked.

The elbow appeared to be blue anodized, which might suggest that it was an AN fitting.

This doesn't answer the fill level questions, but....

John

Fantastic. This is why we have forums in our hobby.
Many thanks for the info.
BTW, scratch the filter part.

> On 01/07/2022 5:40 PM The De Tomaso Forums <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:
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Judge, the little ZF dipstick seems to be an early-Pantera-only attachment. One can be made for any ZF from a metric thread 90 degree fitting as I did, with an extension so filling & oil level checks can be conveniently done from above without a mess. Be sure to include a threaded cap, as things expand with heat and we know the ZfFwill get to at least 180-200F in hard 'street' driving. A cap prevents a gusher while driving.

I've also seen a few longer "stock?" dipsticks on early cars that use a drilled fitting in the top right-rear gearbox case, in that curiously flat-rectangular area on the right side. If you do this (or have it done), make extremely sure that any drill chips do NOT drop into the gearbox. They will jam up the shifter. Hole placement is also critical since there's not a lot of extra space inside any ZF. Drilling might better be done on a disassembled gear-case.

As far as the exact amount of lube needed, there are three numbers: the published one(s) are for dry, recently rebuilt ZFs, (early dash-1.5  ZFs hold less lube in their smaller cases than dash-2s). And in draining any ZF from the provided plugs, it is impossible to remove ALL the lube inside. I've had ZFs out of the car, the bottom cover removed and the ZF inverted over a bucket overnight. Still, quite a bit of lube hits the floor when you split the cases. So refills on assemblies always vary,  but a little too much is far preferable to too little!

Bosswrench,

Thank you for the very informative response.

Your moniker fits you perfectly.

Any opinion on the "fill to the bottom of the side hole" tradition?

I always fill to the bottom of the side hole.

Simon

My Pushbutton #1313 has the dipstick as well.  It is actually quite nice.  But at the same time it is easy enough to fill to the bottom of the side hole as Simon suggests.

Steve, when you fill to the bottom of the side hole, where does it register on the dipstick? Would you please provide a measurement of the distance from the bottom of the dipstick to the first line, and from the bottom line to the top line?

> On 01/09/2022 1:03 AM The De Tomaso Forums <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:
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I'm sorry I neglected to thank John for his informative response with the great photo attached.

Steve,

To modify my response to you, I assume you use the dipstick since you have it. Have you ever experimented with filling with the side hole, then screwing the dipstick back in? I'm curious as to whether the difference in fluid is inconsequential or significant.