This is a replacement plastic oil pan with the filter built in for the ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic, the design sold under ZF numbers 1087298247 and 0501.220.614 and listed as compatible with the later 0501.226.590 and 0501.226.591 pans. It is listed for the 8HP45, 8HP50, 8HP51, 8HP70, 8HP70L, 8HP75 and 8HP76, which covers plastic-pan units in a wide range of BMW, Ram, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler and Audi vehicles. The kit is the pan with its integrated filter, a seal gasket, a drain plug and all 13 mounting screws. There is no fluid in the box, which makes it a good fit for a shop or owner who already buys ZF fluid in bulk.
What the pan and filter do in a ZF 8HP
On plastic-pan 8HP units the filter is part of the pan, so the pan is the filter service. ZF's oil change bulletin is clear on this: aluminum and steel pans use a separate filter, while the plastic pan has the filter integrated. The pump draws all of its fluid through that filter on the way to the mechatronic valve body, whose solenoids and small valve bores are what ZF's control strategy depends on for smooth shifts. The pan also holds the magnets that collect normal wear particles, and a filter loaded after a long first fill restricts flow just when the fluid is at its weakest.
Symptoms
- Harsh, bumpy or delayed upshifts on fluid that has never been changed
- Slow engagement into Drive or Reverse, worse after the car sits
- A whine that follows engine rpm, a sign the pump is working against a restricted filter
- An oil film or drip at the pan flange or drain plug
- Transmission temperature running higher than usual on a scan tool
How to confirm before you buy
Check the fluid level properly first. Many 8HP complaints come back to a level that was set cold or with the engine off. Look at where any leak starts, because on several BMW four- and six-cylinder cars the cooler line connections at the transmission leak and drip off the pan. Once the pan is down, fine grey paste on the magnets is normal. Chunks of metal or flakes of friction lining point to a hard-part failure that a new pan will not fix. Our 8HP filter and pan service guide shows what to look for, and the BMW 3 Series 8HP common problems guide covers the cooler line leak.
Fitment
This pan is for 8HP transmissions that left the factory with a plastic pan. If yours has an aluminum or steel pan with a separate filter, this is not the right part. ZF changed pan designs across the generations, and the listing states this older-design pan is compatible with the newer 0501.226.590 and 0501.226.591 numbers. The most reliable check is the ZF number molded into your old pan and the transmission code on the case tag. Longitudinal Audi models also have their own pan, sold separately as the Audi 8HP oil pan 0D5398009. If you are not sure, send us the year and VIN and we will confirm it. Every eight-speed part we carry is in the ZF 8HP collection.
Install notes
- Drain, then loosen the old pan screws crosswise from the center outward.
- Fit the new drain plug and gasket to the pan, clean the case flange and start all 13 screws by hand.
- Tighten crosswise from the center out to ZF's figure for plastic pans, 10 Nm. On rear-wheel-drive housings ZF lists the drain plug at 8 Nm and the fill plug at 35 Nm; all-wheel-drive units with the transfer distributor use different plugs.
- Fill through the side plug, then set the level with the vehicle level, the engine running and the fluid at 30-50 C: hold 2,000 rpm for 30 seconds, select P, R and D, and close the plug when the overflow slows to single drops. Fourth-generation units can only be filled with the vehicle maker's scan tool routine.
Use only ZF LifeguardFluid 8 or 9 as specified for your unit, with no additives. A 7-liter pack of LifeguardFluid 8 covers a typical pan service, or choose the 8HP service kit with pan and 8 liters of ATF if you want the fluid in the same order.
