vash68

I decided to DIY ATF replacement at 39Kmi on my E61 with automatic tranny.
Went with Bentley repair manual, which now IMO sucks.
Used BMW OEM ATF.
Drove the car for a few miles to get ATF warmed up, it was at 45C before I drained it.
Put the car on a lift, which was reasonably level.

Spent about an hour trying to disconnect drive shaft in order to get access to a fill plug... What a PITA! Manual said NOTHING bout this...

As soon as I opened up the ATF _fill_ plug expecting a little amt of ATF to drip, I got _about_ 1 liter/qrt of fluid drained from there. WTF?

Then I removed drain plug and drained the rest of ATF.

Now to the problem:
I _estimated_ that I drained about 4.5-5liter (5.5liters per manual) but was only able to pump 3.5 liters of ATF back in.
And this is after pumping some ATF into a tranny, turning engine on, going tru all gears, adding a little more ATF...

The manual states "the tranny is full after a little ATF is weeping out of a fill hole", which was achieved. Now I am supposed to connect my car to BMW diag software and check ATF level... I dont have access to it, or coding cable..

I drove the car after this for a few miles in all speeds, all felt normal, all systems check out OK and no light came on on a dash. Is there one for tranny??

I am very concerned that my car may have low level of ATF.

What are my options here guys? (and my car is still under original warranty):

1. Get a coding cable (mail order, takes a few days), load software onto laptop, figure out how to use it and measure the ATF level. Any body done that?

2. Go to a dealer, tell them how it is and let them measure ATF fluid and go from there? Any idea how much dealer charges for diagnostic work and whether they will be reluctant to do a)measure ATF for me and b) possibly fix this?

3. Find an indy shop and let them sort this out? I do not know about any BMW indy shop since I did not use their service yet.

4. Any other advice?

5. If the ATF level is low should I see any warning light come on, feel anything specific during gear shift?

6. Even if BMW software shows low ATF, how can I possibly add more if it is spilling from a fill hole??

Update: after reading repair manual 25 times, it sounds like ATF level is checked or topped off while the engine is running.
In my case the engine was off. Could this mean 1.5 liter difference in ATF volume?

I watched this video before working on my transmission and missed the part where the guy mentions filling ATF with the engine running.
He said that with engine running we can add 1 to 1.5 quarts of oil!

BMW DIY Video – Automatic Transmission Fluid and Filter Change – How To Replace – Auto Trans | Bavarian Autosport Blog

Thanks

KAF

The tranny cannot be fully drained, a substantial amount needs to be 'pumped' out of the hydraulic channels.

This will be why your refill does not match the stated capacity, there is still some old ATF left in there.

turboawd

yes, you definetly have to fill the trans while the engine is running. but try to make it quick, before the fluid heats up and expands.
an auto trans is hyrdraulically operated, and it sucks up fluid from the pan when its running.
i'd lift the car back up and fill it up more.

smurf520i

I recently changed the tranny on my car.
The computer did not show the oil level, it only displayed the documentation on how to check and how to fill up. Perhaps because I have a 2004?!

A question though: how do you tell the oil temperature at the point of checking?

latitude39

+1

Put the car on jack stands or a lift, getting is fairly level. Start engine. With foot on the brakes, so wheels will not turn, cycle through the gears as specified by Bentley. IIRC, the temperature of the fluid must be between 30 and 50 Celsius (86F - 122F), which ranges from luke-warm to very hot to the touch. I stuck my finger into the fill hole. When it felt like very warm bath water (105F in my experience), I filled until it dribbled out and capped it. That was 35k miles ago on 2007 530xi. Runs, and shifts, great.

Good luck.

DBU

Check out this link. I think you will find the info you seek here:
About Transmission Fluids: The CTSC - ZF Parts

Good luck!

latitude39

You didn't mention the 4 *new* ZNS bolts you used to reconnect the drive shaft.
You've got to replace these, torquing first to 20 N-m, then an additional 45 degrees -- but check Bentley to double-check the spec.

My 325xi has hard, steel bolts that attach the front drive shaft to transfer case. Torque spec there is 52 ft-lbs. I tried applying 52 ft-lbs on the 530xi bolts and they were torn in two (see photo). Then I read Bentley, spent the $9 on four bolts and all is happy. You don't want your drive shaft disconnecting at freeway speeds.

vash68

Well, since Bentley manual does not mention removing front drive shaft for ATF replacement I did not purchase them. I did not even have the right torx sockets to remove those bolts so I totally winged it with 12 point socket and slightly stripped one the bolt's head.
I will be replacing them at my next oil change, thanks for the warning!

The rear diff is attached with what looks like steel and bigger diameter bolts in this car. I wonder if 5ers get less torque to the front wheels than 3ers based on your observation.


If only there was a way to integrate front differential with transfer case, use one fluid for both and drop front drive shaft which would reduce overall weight of the car, saved money on maintenance and removed one costly component and I would not have to deal with replacing aluminum bolts...
Hmm, Acura had this going for a while and it only adds about 15 min to my oil change to service front diff/transfer case...but what do I know..


So what shop(s) in Denver metro do you take your car for service?
Thanks!

latitude39

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