CTMarc

seanddd, thanks for your reply. Perhaps I didn't describe my issue correctly because what you outlined in your reply I believe was the transmission drain plug, not the fill plug. In any case, my problem is solved and repair job is proceeding. To any who may run into a similar problem, what I did not know when I posted my request for help was how to put the car into neutral manually (e.g. bypassing the electronics). There are alot of how-to's on the internet for doing such. In short, pop the cover off the base of the shift lever. unlock the second cover with a flathead screwdriver, insert the screwdriver in the round opening and use it as a lever to put the car in neutral. The car will stay in neutral for fifteen minutes then put itself back in park.

seanddd

Glad that you are moving forward with the repair!

There are TWO plugged holes on the aluminum transmission body, I was not talking about the plastic drain plug on the pan. One is hidden behind the front drive shaft, the other is right below the mechatronic penetration, feel it with fingers or you can try to see it, there's also a draining lip molded in the aluminum body to guide the run-off oil when filling. This is the filler hole. The other hole blocked by the drive shaft is higher than this one. Anyway, I don't think it'll make much difference in the final fluid level.

seanddd

For all XI owners, the front drive shaft can easily be turned by hand when the shift handle is in the "P" position.

mkv

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd share my positive results. I had a valve body rebuild/refurb done with Sonnax, via Matt from World Wide Specialty Parts. I'm from South Africa but I was in the US for work for 3 months so I brought it with me. (The local guys here in SA, even ZF themselves, just wanted to rebuild the entire box, AGAIN).

My biggest problem was a bump when engaging 2nd gear, either shifting up from 1st or down from 3rd. I also was experiencing sluggish shifts and general lethargy from the box. The box has been rebuilt twice before, paid for by the two previous owners. The valve body was never touched though.

After the valve body refurb and installing it back into the box ten days ago, I can report that the problems are a thing of the past! It has been adapting well and is just getting smoother and smoother. My adaption values on clutches A-E are also completely different to what they were before. No more cringing in my seat as I'm decelerating and it's about to shift from 3rd to 2nd, making a big thump.

FWIW, They didn't replace my solenoids, I can see that they're not new. One of them looks different though. They were definitely rebuilt though, and I've read that they've perfected a method of disassembling them and rebuilding them. My 2nd gear issue was probably an issue with the EDS3 solenoid, which drives C brake. The adaption value on that solenoid now compared to what it was before the refurb is completely different (the value has gone way way in the other direction). Sonnax also reported that there was leaking/passing of the main pressure regulator. And I believe them since all of the adaption values have "retarded" in the same direction, probably due to the now more positive and stable rail pressure.

I'm happy!

Regards
Mark

P.S. I have an Audi A6 3.0TDi with a 6HP19A, but the valve body is exactly the same as your 6HP19's, once you take the TCU off. In fact my Sonnax documentation just says BMW valve body on it.

seanddd

Another update: 5000 miles after the valve body solenoid change, car still shifts butter smoothly! It's the best $700 parts money ever spent.

nahhas26

So I performed this service on my 2008 335xi AT. Same transmission (6hp19). I am posting here because I used this thread to help me and I like the content here.

After finishing the whole job, changing the bridge adapter seal, the mechatronic sleeve, and fluid-- I put the pan back on and began the filling process. Filled it until fluid started coming back out. Then went to start it to fill it more, and it would not start.

The car indicates that it is in D, and the scanner says it is in 3rd gear. Because of this, the car will not start. The battery did die during this whole service, I'm not sure if that has something to do with it. Theres also the range switch on the top side of the valve body that someone told me may have been installed incorrectly. This would be a hassle to fix but if its what I have to do then Ill get it done, I just wanna be sure.

*The shifter moves smoothly through P R N D

seanddd

When you put the mechatronic part back onto valve body, did you make sure the sliding rod is engaged between the plastic tabs (or did you touch the solenoids at all)? Another possibility is your mechatronic wiring harness connector (where the frequently leaking sleeve is) did not seat fully into the valve body. When properly seated, the gap between the locking ring and the transmission body should be at or less than 2mm. Another disastrous problem could be that some of the pins in your mechatronic harness connector were pushed in by forcing the connector in the wrong way.

TeflonDon

I agree with SEANDD - Check the sliding rod....

Check this posts...

https://5series.net/forums/diy-do-yo...5/#post1589202

leif20

I went ahead and changed the trans fluid in my 330i with the ZF6HP19. I didnt like the idea of 12 year old fluid and filter, even though its lifetime there is plenty of evidence of these transmissions failing without proper maintenance. That being said, as long as usage and temperatures remain moderate the thinking is that the fluid and filter should be ok. In the summer I did multiple 6 hour plus trips on the highway and hard whenever I get the chance. It’s been really hot out and I figured I was putting the trans through some pretty harsh conditions. I want to keep this car in good shape for as long as possible, so I thought changing the fluid and filter would be the best move in terms of longevity. Also there were a few shifts that I didn’t love (5-6 upshift at highway speed, 2-1 downshift on braking, 1-2 upshift under light acceleration).

I bought a pan and filter and 7 quarts of fluid (all OE) from Bavarian autosport. The price ended up being around $300 US (pan and filter $115, fluid $140, and 20 new bolts $40). The job itself took about 3 hours, but no additional trips to the parts store were required (lately ive been having to run out mid-repair). I replaced the oil pan bolts since the other ones were the originals. The torque is only 10nm but it was recommended to replace them. If I were to do it again I would reuse these bolts. I almost didn’t do the job because I didn’t want to do it on jack stands, but I decided to just go for it. I jacked up the car and used 4 jack stands, then made sure the pan was level using a level. One thing that I realized a bit later is that the pan has a slight slope to it, so the car was actually tilted a bit backward if the underside of the pan is 'level'. I followed the DIY here (and also at https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...php?p=23645909) and ran in to no issues at all, other than having relatively short jack stands and not much room to work. Also my jack pads seem to have cracked a bit due to the narrow points of contact. I didnt replace the mechatronic body sealing sleeve - i might do that next summer. Supposedly that is a problem also but doing that without a lift is a huge PITA so i just left it.


Pics of the results: https://imgur.com/a/InYYOuZ

The fluid came out deep brown/black with what I assume is wear from the last 12 years and 120k miles. However, I did notice some shavings and black debris. The smaller particles are about 1/16" in size with a couple that are 1/8" and the big one being 1/4". I think this is fine, I don't see any obviously destroyed parts. I was told by a coworker in the transmission department in my old job that:

“ I would say this amount of clutch/trans debris is pretty normal (maybe even lower than expected) for 100K+ miles.
The dark material is likely clutch material, but this is normal. Clutches adapt to the clutch paper wear over time, so it is unlikely to result in trans slippage.
I would take a magnet and run it over the material to see how much metal you have. The metal you do have is likely just fine aluminum shavings and that is normal.
The biggest thing is keeping debris out of the transmission main control. The filter is usually really really good at that - Transmission filters are really fine and will catch all of that debris.”

See this link (https://imgur.com/a/InYYOuZ) for pictures of the fluid (orange pail) and the pan with disassembled filter. Disassembling the filter was really interesting – I got to see more shavings that the filter trapped. They appear to be aluminum since the pan magnets didn’t pick it up, but the magnets do have a lot of little shavings that look like fuzz. I think the aluminum comes from the torque converter, but I am not sure where/how all that alum gets worn off the TC.



I got a used oil analysis done on the fluid. Check the album for my results compared to averages, and also results for the unused fluid. I’m not going to try and explain what the results are but it seems as if the fluid was pretty well used. Next time I change the fluid I will use a cheaper alternative (there are some out there). $20/liter is insane and ford uses ZF transmissions in a few vehicles, but the fluid spec is Motorcraft Mercron SP at $8-10/liter. Much more affordable.



Some tips/observations:
- the job is very messy, make sure to have cardboard or oil absorbent pads underneath the car
- make sure to rub a thin film of oil on the pan gasket before installing, it's generally not a good idea to install dry gaskets
- I was able to pump in an additional 1.5 qt with engine running after the initial fill (4qt) until the oil started dribbling out of the pan
- the temp of the oil dribbling out of the pan as measured by IR temp gun was about 5 degC lower than what was measured via INPA
- resetting adaptives is critical – it allows the trans to learn to the new fluid in the transmission.
- The filter seems to be some kind of scotchbrite material. Not ultra-fine, but I think this material could be expected to last a LONG time and was still protecting (at least from big chunks)

Starting it up and driving it around felt fine. No immediate difference. However, that changed when I reset the transmission adaptives. The results have been AWESOME! The trans shifts way smoother than before and the bump from 5-6 at highway speeds is gone. Also, in Sport mode the shifts are more crisp and it seems to hold gears a bit longer. I think proper windy roads are a good spot to re-learn the sport adaptations, and I’ve been doing some of that. Feels like a new car (almost). About 3000 miles after doing this service everything is great EXCEPT cold-start behavior. I can't seem to find much online regarding this. There is a slight hesitation coming on-throttle from stop when the trans is cold, but it goes away once the car is hot. Would replacing the solenoids would help this? That is my best guess at the moment. When cold I dont have any engine hesitation and dont see the same behavior in reverse.

I hope my experience helps others looking to do this job!

Aleksandar Basic

Hi Everyone. Hope to bump up this thread a bit, after almost 2 years.
What can be done with this transmission? Please check thread https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...issues-149247/
Nothing except oil and pan change haven't been done yet.

Best,
Aleksandar