RCB

Do the water pump, water pump mounting bolts, thermostat assembly, the hoses that run behind the water pump and new BMW coolant/ distilled water at the very least. Also check your coolant expansion tank for signs of cracking in the plastic, also very common.

All of the other coolant hoses are easier to access later if you don't want to spend the money now.

My 2nd water pump quit at 90k and not in the typical fashion of seizing up. It started leaking a ton of coolant from the seal between the plastic front housing and aluminum rear housing. It took almost 3 gallons of coolant to get it back to Boston from Vermont.
My expansion tank was also ready to split open.

++++1 on FCP Euro. Almost half of my car now has a lifetime warranty.

DaHose

I was incommunicado this weekend. Lots of good references to videos about rebuilding the ZF valvetronic body.

First off, yes you can reuse the transmission fluid if it is very new. Yes, small particulate is a concern and if you have a habit of doing triage on oil filters and sending samples for testing, then just changing fluid will be the choice for you. However, the fluid for an E61 transmission is about $80. If the fluid is very new (I would say less than 10K miles), line a funnel with a clean, folded shop rag and filter it. The 40K interval is already WAY more frequent than the 75k it would typically take to really burn out the friction modifiers, so I don't have a problem with getting the full 40K out of the rather expensive oil.

The problem with the 6HP19Z transmission in the E61 seems to first manifest as a rough shift between 1-2, or 2-3. There is also a weird kickdown that is felt just as you come to a stop. Some threads say it is a software issue, where the rear caliper (due to ABS controller) lets go abruptly. Other threads, say it is the 2-1 shift not happening smoothly. Ours has escalated now, so that if you do a rolling stop, then transition back onto the throttle, the engine spools up, then it slams into gear. It's almost like as if you had a transmission that was really low on fluid, but I had the level checked as part of the inspection. I am still waiting to hear back from the shop as to what the extended warranty company wants to cover.

We're at 96K now, so maybe we need to keep an eye on our water pump.

Jose

oclvframe

Jose were you by chance in Atlanta yesterday?

DaHose

Can't say that I have ever been in Atlanta, although I sure would like to visit.

I am in Napa, California .... where it is sunny and 75 degrees. We are having a seriously crazy winter season

Jose

oclvframe

Wow...so the irony is that while at lunch yesterday, a couple of guys were talking and one told a story of how his transmission was having those exact issues and that it was in the hands of a warranty company!!!!

-r