ZF tranny and a 3208

[birdshill123]

How relaible is the ZF with the 300 HP Cat? I did read about a $6000
electronic board and that sure scared me? Is the retarder any good? I
seem to remember something about engine overheating.

Thanks: Bruce

No BB yet but soon!

[Jack Bentley]

Hi again Bruce,

Hopefully you will get additional opinions on the ZF but here is my experience
with it.

The ZF is a pretty much bullet proof transmission and I hear of very few
problems with it. When there is a problem reported to this forum it is normally
some loose wire or such. Although I'm sure there must have been other problems
with the ZF, as with any transmission, there seem to be few discussed on this
forum.

Maybe someone else is familiar with the $6000 circuit board but I don't remember
seeing that discussed. In the late eighties there was a modification to the
electronics module that controls the shift points and provided a more desirable
shift range. ZF provided this at no cost.

The retarder works well and in conjunction with downshifting, provides good
retarding. In fact, I use the retarder for most braking and very seldom use the
chassis brakes except for the final stop. The heat generated by the ZF retarder
is handled by the transmission fluid, which has a cooler. I have never seen the
engine overheated by the transmission retarder. In times when the retarder is
used more than normal I manually turn on the engine fan override to add some
additional cooling to the transmission fluid. The transmission temperature
gauge should always be monitored when using the retarder.

As I know nothing about other retarder systems maybe someone else can give you a
comparison report.

Good luck.

Jack
'87 FC35 "Traveller" (for sale until mid April, then she leaves on a three
month trip through the west)
Franklin, NC

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jeff Miller]

The 300hp 3208ATAAC and ZF 5HP500 transmission are very well matched.
The difference between driving this powertrain and its predecessor the
250hp 3208Ta / 4-speed allison is like a BMW to a cushman scooter.

Problems are rare, but expensive if you have them.

- Jeff Miller
in Holland, MI


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "birdshill123"
wrote:
>
> How relaible is the ZF with the 300 HP Cat? I did read about a $6000
> electronic board and that sure scared me? Is the retarder any good? I
> seem to remember something about engine overheating.
>
> Thanks: Bruce
>
> No BB yet but soon!
>