‘18 Giulia - Driveline Maintenance Session

[RamFan]

Good morning!

With a little under 82k on the Giulia, it was time to knock out a fluid/filter change on the Trans. While I was down there, I thought I’d take care of the diffs and t-case as well.

I understand why some folks would pay for this to be done, but $495 for fluid and pan as compared to $2k+ at a shop is a no brainer for me.

The front diff is a a doozy. For starters it’s under the splash shield which is held up by a ridiculous amount of torx bolts/screws. Nothing too unusual as this is taken down every oil change too. The main aggravator is that the only way to really get to the fill hole is through the wheel well.

Let’s zoom in.

Alrighty then, to the wheel well we go…

Success! But of course, drains right onto the frame…

While the drain hole is also right above the frame, at least it’s easy to get to. Bonus shot of the pretty green EcoGard.

 

[RamFan]

Next up was the Trans. I bought the ZF8 kit from Blauparts and was pleased with the quality, and it’s nice that it comes with new hardware.

Aside from the fill procedure, this is a very straightforward job. Given that I have the Q4 though, I have the fun bonus of the fill hole being inline with the driveshaft connecting the t-case to the front diff. I found it easiest to loop over the drive shaft and gain access to the hole that way. Seemed to create a more direct entry point so I could more fully insert the fill tub of the fluid transfer pump.

No pics of the t-case and rear diff as those are as straightforward as you’d expect.

All in all, a good little project with a decent cost savings. Next time I’ll spend the five hours on a weekend night as opposed to Monday though.

 

[amblerman]

When I first read that, I thought you spent $495 on just the fluid and I wondered how that was possible.
But then I re-read it and realized you bought a pan as well.

Is it an upgraded pan or is it considered a consumable part when you do this service?

 

[f355spider]

When I first read that, I thought you spent $495 on just the fluid and I wondered how that was possible.
But then I re-read it and realized you bought a pan as well.

Is it an upgraded pan or is it considered a consumable part when you do this service?

Filter is built into the plastic pan. There are companies making metal pans with removal filters, but then you have a non stock part that is subject to a non oem supplier. The factory ZF pan is the way to go.

 

[RamFan]

When I first read that, I thought you spent $495 on just the fluid and I wondered how that was possible.
But then I re-read it and realized you bought a pan as well.

Is it an upgraded pan or is it considered a consumable part when you do this service?

$495 was for all fluids and pan/filter. The 75w Mopar fluid was $86.70 of that, craziness.

 

[NormanBuntz]

Courtesy of wonderful Paisano engineering!

 

[f355spider]

$495 was for all fluids and pan/filter. The 75w Mopar fluid was $86.70 of that, craziness.

ZF 8HP transmission is used in a ton of cars now days. BMW uses across several platforms. Other users include Audi, Maserati, Jeep, Dodge, Rolls Royce, Porsche, Aston Martin, Volkswagen, Bentley, Jaguar, Land Rover...and of course Alfa Romeo.

 

[antonmnster]

I rented a ti to drive from Zurich to Rome and back. Amazing car. Although the zf8 was leaking fluid at 8k…

 

[RamFan]

I rented a ti to drive from Zurich to Rome and back. Amazing car. Although the zf8 was leaking fluid at 8k…

Fortunately zero leaks (other than turbo coolant o-rings which are common) out of any orifice so far.

 

[Oliveoil2]

Nicely done. Fun car to drive! Yet I was smiling thinking of why we don’t import Italian (except for stelantis) or French cars. What is the common denominator for French and Italian manufacturing?……wine is served with lunch. Look at the engineering nightmare.