Thats Great news!!
And a valuble lesson to you and others to make sure you know what to do before you attempt what could have cost your thousands.

 

in the FWIW category, there is enough residual fluid in the transmission after draining that I would not expect damage if the engine is started and the transmission run through the gears. It would take a long time idling without fluid to do any real damage. Glad all is well.

 

Once had a 1982 300D Turbo diesel. On the highway I hit something in the road and as it turns out it caused a large hole in the transmission oil pan. The car drove for another hour before it wouldn't move. Had the pan dropped then next day and there was some clutch residue in the pan. Repaired the hols and refilled the transmission and it worked pretty well for the rest of my trip. Had it replaced by insurance when I got home.

 

Hi Timbic,

So you have drained all of the fluid and you were still able to start the car?

I have a 2004 530i and after dropping the pan and replacing the sleeves, it won't state. Park level selector is in the right spot, can't think of any other reasons why it won't start. I have bolted in a parts car (another 2004 530i) and nothing changed. Key goes into ignition, I get trans error and car won't crank. Battery is new.

It would be a lot with troubleshooting if I knew for certain that the cars can still start up even if there is no transmission fluid (IE: there is no fluid level sensor that will stop it from starting.)

Thanks