so i just bought myself a 89 F250 2WD with only 77K original miles. it has the 5.8L 351W and a 5-speed. as far as i know, this means i have the ZF tranny. when i bought this truck, i SPECIFCALLY bought the 3/4 ton so that i could get the more heavy-duty tranny. my 90 F150 4.9L 300 had the Mazda tranny and needed replaced at 80K miles.

so, i was just wondering what the overall rep of this tranny is. does it have any quirks or things i need to keep my eye on? i know the mazda had those 3 rubber plugs that you had to watch (which i found out AFTER i grenaded the tranny). does the ZF have the same thing or something similar? i'm a little worried about stuff like this, esp. bc this truck appears to have been used for towing since it has a hitch and a electric brake controller in the cab.

also, would y'all agree that a good synchromesh fluid is the best for it?

lastly, am i good driver to my tranny? i almost always shift her by 2000-2500RPM and don't really push her too hard. i don't sit with the clutch in at a light. when i do get on her, i still give plenty of time to shift. i tried to quick-shift her once and i just got the most horrible grinding noise. scared the bejesus out of me. was i just too quick for my tranny, or is this an indication that something is wrong? any other tips or tricks i can add to my daily driving to keep the wear and tear down?

thanks!

Mike

 

I have a friend with an F150 with the Mazda.... he's got almost 170K on his truck, and the tranny is still "just fine".

In theory, your new truck should have a ZF, but you'd have to look at it to be absolutely sure. Some of the F250's, though not many, did come with the Mazda.

The mazda looks like this:



And the ZF looks like this:




Amsoil has a nice MTF transmission fluid that is light viscosity with an additive that hels keep things coated. It's essentially a synthetic 5W30 gear oil.

The ZF is a good transmission. I have over 350K on mine, behind a 351W, in a heavy F350 crewcab.

 

oh, please GOD don't let me have that Mazda again! i know some have had good luck with it, but every tranny shop i talked to knew that tranny all too well and said they saw them in all the time.

so, assuming i have the ZF, is there anything i should be looking for?

Mike

 

OK, just got back from checking underneath the truck at lunchtime. i DO have the ZF. woo-hoo!

i'll keep my eye out for that Amsoil product, but i'd assume that's one of those that i have to order from an Amsoil dealer, correct?

good to know that the ZF can take a licking and keep on ticking, too. although, when i was under the truck, i DID notice a little bit of crusted oil around bottom side of where the tranny mates to the engine. nothing's leaking (as in dripping, but it looks like it either DID drip or DOES drip VERY slowly from there), but should i be real worried? it's too old to really determine if it's motor oil or tranny fluid.

Mike