Poser

So I recently put a new oil pan gasket on my transmission (automatic). I added fluid in the correct procedure according to spec. I start driving home and I feel a jerk between 30-40 mph. It occurs only when the tranny warms up. Ive been reading the forums for hours and I have seen some owners have had the same issue after replacing the tranny gasket/ mechatronics sleeve and adding new fluid. Anyone with the same issue? Any experts have any thoughts on how this would happen?

*the fluid I used was RedLine D6 atf, which I emailed them and they said it was compatible

BimmerFan52

First, I suggest you make sure the ATF you used is compatible. I don't see the Redline D6 ATF on the ZF 11B list, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is not compatible. I think you need to do more research as the ZF transmissions are very sensitive to using the correct fluid. For the 6 speed the spec that must be matched is Shell ATF M-1375.4
http://www.zf.com/na/content/media/u..._11_en0700.pdf

You don't list which trans you have, miles when you did the drain and fill and if you did a second drain and fill.

The transmission control unit and individual solenoids are able to "learn" conditions of fluid flow and clutch pack behavior. However, they have only a certain tolerance for relearning and a drain and fill on a high mileage transmission may require all of the memory to be wiped clean (adaptation reprogramming) so the transmission can learn the new conditions that the new fluid presents to perform its best.

You might try this DIY reset for the transmission. It works for some but not for others as you will read in this thread.
https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...r-shift-40018/

turboawd

maybe your trans slipped between gears before, and now engages faster with the fresh fluid. the trans may adapt and learn. in reality, a hard shifting trans will live longer than a soft shifting trans, because to acheive a soft shift, the clutch packs need to slip for a bit, instead of engaging right away.
you topped off the fluid with the engine running i assume?
just drive it for a little while and see how things go.

Poser

Thanks for the reply.

My car is an 05 545i (auto). I really just meant to change out a bad gasket and not a flush. I used 4 qts of redline and a couple of the old fluid to top it off.

I emailed RedLine before I ordered and this is what they said:

Thank you for contacting Red Line Oil, in your ZF 6 speed automatic transmission the D6ATF would be recommended, a suitable replacement for the M-1375.4 Shell fluid. The D6ATF could be considered a lifetime fluid, though as a good maintenance item the the filter could be changed every 40 to 50,000 miles, the fluids will mix and are compatible.

Regards, Dave
Red Line Oil

My transmission has 107k miles. I will try to do the reset and see how it goes.

Poser

Its a smooth shifter it just does the jerk between 30-40 mph, kind of like a small hiccup as if you are running out of gas. When I removed the oil pan the magnet had very little shavings if that helps any. I topped off the fluid before I turned the car on then after it was on and warm I went through the gears and re-topped it off.


Ive searched on the forums and some people say the hiccup goes away after they replace the valve body (mechatronics) but I dont see how it could go bad so fast. Some people that have the sport mode button mod. say that in sport mode it won't do it.

BimmerFan52

I would still look for something published in writing that shows Red Line is equivalent.

Any reason you did not use all new fluid when you refilled? There is no lifetime fluid. You will dramatically extend the life of the transmission by doing two drain and fills to get about 85% fresh fluid. Also, when you handled the old fluid it is easily contaminated unless you used absolutely clean containers that were kept covered. The smallest thread or foreign object that gets into the old fluid can become lodged into a tiny passage in the transmission and cause problems.

IceBimmer

I have a 04 545i (auto) with 89k miles. Transmission jerking started around 70k. I had tried 25s" trans reset trick and it helped but didn't eliminate the problem. I had trans serviced (with mild leaking anyway), replaced the pan & fluid and that helped a lot. Jerking still comes back once a while but is less and less as times goes by.

e6t.lab.rat

This past summer I was forced to do a transmission fluid change ('05 545 auto with 74k) due to a leaking drain plug on the pan, and thankfully not the mechatronic sleeve. I went ahead and ordered the sleeve anyway thinking well, what the heck I should just change it while I'm at it. It was such a biotch to replace because the space was so small, I could hardly get my hand in there let alone the sleeve. To make a long story short I put the old sleeve back on. Sorry I digress. Anyway, I had the "transmission jerk" before the tranny fluid change also. I replaced the fluid myself following this literature from ZF and used the required fluid:

Transmission_Fluid_Level_Procedures.pdf

and you can review this too if you wish

http://www.zf.com/media/media/docume...hselkit_EN.pdf

I now had the jerk from 2-3 upshift then 3-2 downshifting only. No "tranny jerk/slam" anymore. Tried the "25 sec reset" but that didn't help. So I drove to my nearest euro indy to have them reset the transmission adaptive values for $20 and all was and still is awesome. The keys are (like mentioned previously) 1. you got to have the right fluid and 2. you have to follow the procedures to a T! Hope this helps.

Poser

I would like to have done a complete flush but I had just gotten the car so I was broke and the previous owner did not know it was leaking so I wanted to at least repair the gasket and top it off asap. The leak still present. Im going to get under it tomorrow and see if its the mech sleeve to go ahead and replace it. I know some have issues of their car going into gears hard this tranny shifts smoothly its just the jerk between 30-40 mph only it feels like its running out of gas sort of.

Poser

Thanks to everyone for all the input btw