rictor

So, in the last few days my car has been through a lot. My battery died and I replaced my tranny pan/fluid and differential oil.

The battery I replaced with one from Vatozone. I wish I had the cable to register it but oh well. No problems thus far.

I purchased the tranny pan/fluid from www.thectsc.com. Props to Raj for the DIY. Before I was having slam issues when coming to a stop. After spirited driving my transmission would almost develop what I would call a delay. I would stop suddenly, be completely stopped and then my transmission would shift into first lurching forward. At times it was scary because maybe I stopped a little close to the car in front of me? Anyhow, after the change shifts are like butter. I can hardly feel the shifts and the slam is gone! I have also gone from 24.3 MPG to 25.2 MPG. Awesome.

Also, props to Rizbel for the differential DIY. I have no drain plug so I had to use the pump to suck out the fluid. I removed 1.2 Qt's and replaced the same with Lucas Oil synthetic.

I removed the DISA to check for build up and there really was none. I suspect my 11/05 build date has an improved design. While I was at it I Seafoamed the intake. I never could find a vacuum line so I used my fluid transfer pump (after cleaning it of course), routed the hose past the MAF and began pumping 1/2 a bottle straight into the throttle body with the engine running and at operating temp.

Now, the funny part is I performed this maintenance over the span of 2 days. After Seafoaming I let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes and then I restarted the car. Initially there was no smoke so I retired for the night. The next day after installing all of the underbody panels etc., I went for my test drive. I forgot that I even Seafoamed it because there was really no smoke to speak of initially. I went around the corner and realized I hadn't performed the tranny reset. So I stopped and performed the reset. When restarting the car the service engine soon light came on for a second. I was like "WTF?" until I saw white smoke pouring out the exhaust and remembered the Seafoam. It was 11PM and my entire neighborhood was asleep. So I cruised around for a while puffing smoke until it disappeared. At one point I kind of got on it and the engine almost stalled. It was a little scary but I just took it easy until the smoke stopped. After that I began really going for it, racing all over the place.

All I can say is my car feels completely different. It shifts smoother, is more responsive and I know I've done something to extend the life of my vehicle. If you haven't done so yet, I suggest you try it!

BMW535

Good info. Can you let us know how many miles your car has?

djlarroc

nice! i try to seafoam my cars once/twice a year.. works good!

rictor

113,000k. I know I waited quite a while but the car has been acting up for about the last 40k. I can't quite remember if it was acting up the day I bought it used but it seems to be like it's always shifted rough compared to now.

rictor

I did try and do it before but had no luck with any of the vacuum lines. I didn't want to use the brake booster line because I didn't have a small enough hose clamp around. What line do you use? It was kind of a pain snaking the line past the MAF and it felt wrong to have the engine running with the airbox open.

infin8

Nice work Rictor! Glad to hear your car is running tip top again...or for the first time...not sure . Good thing, you need a safe car for that bundle of joy headed your way. You can't be out there rear ending cars with a B.O.B. (because your tranny slammed into gear). Anyway, good luck with your new and improved ride.

Nate

rictor

So True. One of these days I might actually get around to buying that damn cable so the coding can begin! Provided there are no more sudden maintenance expenses...

bonsai55555

did you register your new aftermarket battery?

rkoenig

From the POST:

"The battery I replaced with one from Vatozone. I wish I had the cable to register it but oh well. No problems thus far."

I would take that to mean, no.

pjinca

Most indy shops will register your battery for free, at least the ones here in SoCal do. Haven't seen a single indy shop around here that won't do it.