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E46 ZF Automatic Transmission ATF Fluid & Filter Change DIY

439K views 274 replies 90 participants last post by  DEADF15H 
#1 ·
Another weekend, another maintenance adventure. Had this Friday off and I decided to tackle some projects on the E46 2001 BMW 330i. Did an engine oil and engine oil filter change, engine air filter change, cabin air filter change, and fuel filter change, but the main event of the day was automatic transmission maintenance. I did a lot of homework before I felt comfortable tackling this service, but I'll save you the trouble and just give you the good stuff.<o></o>
<o></o>
To give an overview of the transmission service, you're doing three things:<o></o>
  1. Changing out as much of the automatic transmission fluid as possible<o></o>
  2. Replacing the automatic transmission filter located inside the transmission<o></o>
  3. Cleaning the transmission pan and magnets of metal and sludge<o></o>
<o></o>That's it!<o></o><o></o>

A little background:<o></o>
Prior to 1994-1995, BMW recommended transmission maintenance on both automatic and manual transmissions every 60,000 miles. This involved changing the MTF or ATF; and on the automatic: dropping the pan, changing the internal filter and cleaning the magnets inside the transmission that collect metal debris. In 1994-1995, BMW started offering free maintenance to keep up with the Benz's (and Luxus', Infiniti's and Acura's), and at the same time stopped recommending the 60,000 mile transmission service on all but the M cars. Coincidence? I think not. BMW began to refer to the transmission fluid as "lifetime fill". Recently, BMW re-introduced optional transmission maintenance at 100,000 miles, which I take as them backing off from their position on lifetime fluids.<o></o><o></o>

I understand two causes of slippage and failure in automatic transmissions. The first is accelerated wear of clutch mating surfaces caused by metal particles suspended in the fluid. The second is the fluid itself wearing out and transmitting hydraulic forces less effectively. Over time, shear forces on the fluid's long-chain hydrocarbons break into shorter molecules that transmit shear forces less effectively. As a result of this cracking, worn out ATF contributes to slippage. Put together a murky, silted mix of metal particles and worn out ATF and it's only a matter of time until you end up with a slipping or non-functional transmission.<o></o><o></o>

Manuals are a little simpler, but suffer the same fate. Metal in the fluid will grind away at the gears, introducing slop. The synchros use fluid viscosity just like an automatic transmission to spin up the gears to matching speeds. Broken down fluids won't work as effectively at spinning up gears and as a result, you won't able to shift as quickly or smoothly.<o></o><o></o>

Bottom line, if you plan on keeping your car longer than 100,000 miles, then it makes sense to maintain the transmission. Most people recommend doing the service at 60,000 miles, I was at 55,000 and decided to go for it.<o></o><o></o>

Let's do it!<o></o>
Let me say before I even start that you will be under the car and on your back a LOT for this job. A creeper will make this job much, much easier. I picked up a 36-in. Torin Big Red creeper at Advance Auto for $20 on sale. Definitely the best purchase I ever made.<o></o><o></o>

Drove the car onto the four 2x10's that allow my jack to fit under the car. Emergency brake and chocks for the rear wheels. Jacked the front of the car at the central jacking point, placed jack stands under front jack pads and lowered carefully. Jacked the rear under the differential, jack stands under the rear jack pads. <o></o><o></o>
Remember, whenever you're working under the car, have someone nearby, and try your best to rock the car off the jack stands BEFORE you get under it to make sure it's stable. Life is precious should be long, and nothing of this sort is worth injuring yourself over. <o></o><o></o>
I had driven about a half-hour before I started, but before I got to the transmission I changed the oil and the fuel filter, so the transmission pan was warm to the touch, not hot. This is important because to fill the transmission accurately the transmission must be between 30-50C, or 85-120F. Skin temperature is around 85F and 120F is too hot to maintain steady contact without pain, so as long as the fluid and pan are warm, you're in the correct range.<o></o><o></o>

Opened the FILL plug of the transmission pan. It is a horizontal, large diameter plug towards the rear of the car that takes an 8mm Allen wrench. I couldn't get my breaker bar into the confined space. Maybe I could have if I'd had a ½-in. drive 8mm hex driver, but I didn't, so I was using a ½-in. to 3/8-in. drive adapter, which made the whole thing longer, causing it not to fit. Next, I tried beating on the Allen wrench with a rubber mallet. Maybe a deadblow hammer would have worked, but the rubber mallet didn't. Next I fit a 6-inch long 3/8-in. drive socket extension on the end of the 8mm Allen wrench (well it sorta fit!) and beat on that with the mallet, and the bolt moved. Before it came off I put a 5 qt. painters measuring container under the plug, and out came about 3 qts. of nasty dark grey fluid, filled with metal particles. <o></o><o></o>
Next, I opened the drain plug, which is on the bottom of the pan towards the front of the car. It takes a 6mm Allen driver and in this case I used the 18-in. breaker bar which made it much easier. Another 1-1.5 qts came out. <o></o><o></o>

Finally, I cracked all 22 pan bolts using a T-25 Torx driver on the end of the breaker bar. They're only torqued to 6 N-m so the bar was probably overkill, but it didn't hurt anything. I left four in place, one at each corner, and remove the rest. There is still another 1.5 qts of fluid left in the pan, so I recommend removing two from the front corners first. This will allow you to pour the remaining fluid into a waiting container. ZF says the transmission holds 9.2 qts including the torque converter and 6.5 qts not including the TC. Since you're not removing the TC (nor should you bother), 6.5 qts is all you're going to get. I wish I'd had a larger diameter catch container than the paint container. I spilled a good bit of fluid on the ground and even some in my hair (My wife smelled the stuff on me later, saw it in my hair, and asked me if I'd seen the episode of In Living Color chronicleing the invention of the Jerry Curl).<o></o><o></o>

Some folks have disconnected the lines that run from the transmission to the transmission fluid cooler at the front of the car, put the output into a bucket and connected the input to a gravity feed container of fresh fluid. In this way you can exchange all of the fluid, but the lines looked mighty inaccessible to me, so I opted to just drain as much as I could. This might be one of those things that's much easier with a lift (what isn't?). <o></o><o></o>

With the pan off, I set it aside and removed the AT filter. Two flathead Allen bolts secure it, but you only need to remove the one towards the front of the car to remove it. Make sure the pink sealing ring comes with it. Have a container ready because it contains holds a good bit of fluid. Get the new filter and install it, making sure to seat the sealing ring properly. If the filter is horizontal, good chance it's seated properly.<o></o><o></o>

Now it's time to clean the pan. There are 8 rare earth magnets in the pan that collect metal bits. Mine were covered in fine grey sludge, which is a very good thing. Every bit of sludge on these magnets was not grinding away at the rest of the transmission. You should use lint free cloth to clean all of these parts so as not to introduce foreign particles into the transmission. I used paper towels and brake cleaner and I expect to be smitten by the transmission gods with a lightning bolt any minute now. With the magnets clean of sludge, the pan nice and shiny, and the gasket surface free of any residue, I coated the whole thing with a thin layer of fresh ATF and brought it back to the car. <o></o><o></o>

Back under the car I had three or four bolts facing the wrong way in the pan to keep the new gasket in place. Getting the first couple bolts in while holding the pan above my head was probably the hardest part of this job. A couple of times I touched the gasket with grimy hands and had to undo the whole thing, clean the gasket, and start all over again. I finally got it, and tightened up all 22 bolts in a rough star pattern to 6 N-m. Maybe you can do a perfect star pattern, but not being able to see all of the bolts at once and the fact that the pan is somewhat squarish meant close enough was good for me. Next, torque the drain plug to 35 N-m. <o></o>
<o></o>

Once the pan was on it was time to pump in some fresh fluid. To do this you need some sort of fluid pump. Mine looks like a giant liquid soap pump. I attached it to empty windshield washer liquid container and filled it with 3 qts of Valvoline Mercon V ATF. The original fluid in this transmission is Esso ATF LT71141, a synthetic blend that BMW sells in 20L barrels for $28/L (yes, you read right, $560 bucks a barrel). If you bring your own container, some dealerships will sell you smaller quantities. 7 L at $28/L is still $192, so if you insist on sticking with the OEM fluid, VW, Audi, and Porsche use the same ZF transmissions that use the same fluid and you can get it for $16/L from their dealerships and a couple of web sources (see p/n and links at the end). VW also sells a Pentosin substitute that can be had for $8-9/L. Valvoline has certified Mercon V as compatible with Esso LT 71141, as has Castrol with their Multi-Vehicle Synthetic ATF. Plenty of folks have also used the Redline D4 ATF product, and some have also tried Amsoil's synthetic ATF with success. If you're still under warranty I'd stick with the OEM fluid (VW stuff is fine, it's the same thing). If anything were to happen I think you're position would be better if they couldn't blame it all on different fluid. Being out of warranty, I felt comfortable using the Mercon V. It doesn't hurt that it goes for $4/qt, 1/7 the price of the BMW juice and ÂĽ the price from VW. I purchased 7 qts. and used about 6-1/2, together with the filter ($23.25) and the gasket ($13.75), both from Pelican Parts, the total cost of materials for the service came to $66.26.<o></o><o></o>

At this point I was able to pump in about 3 qts. I inserted the fill plug finger tight and started the car, shifting through the gears slowly ten times to get the new fluid in all the nooks and crannies. Placed the gear selector in neutral, shut off the car, and pumped additional fluid through the fill plug until overflow. Have your catch container ready! Reinserted the fill plug finger tight.<o></o><o></o>

Now the tricky part! Started the car in neutral and left it running. You have to crawl under the car and top off the fluid with it running, then screw in the fill plug and torque it to spec. I stayed clear of the exhaust, no burns, but I will admit I was a little tense and wanted to be out from under the car ASAP. Getting the fill plug in was a b*tch. My fingers were covered in oil, I was sweating, nervous, and you can't see where the allen wrench has to go. Just as there was no way to get the breaker bar in to loosen the fill plug, there was no way to get a torque wrench in there either. Once I finally got it in there I just whacked the 8mm allen wrench solidly with the mallet a couple of times and called it a day. If you're able to get a torque wrench in there, the spec is 30 N-m.<o></o><o></o>

I wish I had cleaned the exhaust and pan with a degreaser. The fluid on my arms got on there and I can smell it every time the car has been running for a while. I'll clean it next time I have the car up, but do yourself a favor and clean everything up while you have access to the underside of the car.<o></o><o></o>

Well, that's it! I was doing everything for the first time and the transmission took me 4 hours start to finish. It's been three days and I think it feels smoother, but it felt pretty darn smooth beforehand, so that might just be wishful thinking. I will say confidently that the shifts do happen faster, but again, they weren't slow before either. Changing 6.5 qts. out of 9.2 gives a 71% change, 6.5/9.2 = 71% . Changing another 6.5 qts. puts the new to old fluid ratio at 91%, [(9.2-6.5)*71%+6.5]/9.2 = 91%. I might do a drain and fill again in 30,000 miles without dropping the pan just to get some fresh fluid in there.<o></o>

My Car: 2001 330i ZSP<o></o>
Transmission: ZF 5HP19 (BMW A5S 325Z), green plaque on transmission<o></o>

Lessons Learned:<o></o>
I wouldn't do this without a creeper.<o></o>
Jack the car as high as possible.<o></o>
Use a larger catch-pan than I did to avoid spills<o></o>
Have kitty litter ready in case you spill some ATF (I sure did)<o></o>
For the fluid pump, if you can find a squat bottle with the proper threads this will make the job easier since room under the car is limited.<o></o>
A ½-in. drive 8mm hex driver would have helped with the fill plug<o></o>
Degrease the exhaust, cat, and AT pan while you have the car on stands<o></o>
<o></o>
What You'll Need<o></o>
<o></o>
Tools I used:<o></o>
Safety glasses<o></o>
Monkey suit<o>
</o>
4 24-in. long 2x10's<o></o>
2 wheel chocks<o></o>
Floor jack, Craftsman bargain basement model<o></o>
4 jack stands<o></o>
3/8-in. and ÂĽ-in. drive metric socket set
T-25 3/8-in. drive Torx socket driver<o></o>
8mm 3/8-in. drive hex socket driver (1/2-in. drive recommended)<o></o>
6mm 3/8-in. drive hex socket driver (1/2-in. drive recommended)<o></o>
18-in. ½-in. drive breaker bar<o></o>
In-Lb torque wrench<o></o>
Ft-Lb torque wrench<o></o>
5 qt. painters measuring container<o></o>
Manual fluid pump<o></o>
Empty washer fluid container<o></o>
Creeper<o></o>
5 gallon bucket with lid (for used fluid)<o></o>
<o></o>
Supplies:<o></o>
Paper towels (lint-free cloth is better)<o></o>
Solvent (I used brake cleaner)<o></o>
Scotch-brite pad (for cleaning gasket surface)<o></o>
<o></o>
Materials/Parts:<o></o>
7 qts Valvoline Mercon V ATF $3.98 each<o></o>
AT Pan Gasket (BMW p/n: 24-10-1-423-380) $13.75<o></o>
AT Filter (BMW p/n: 24-34-1-423-376) $23.25<o></o>
<o></o>
Useful Links<o></o>
<o></o>
ZF Transmission Guide <o></o>
<o></o>
Transmission Fundamentals: Explanation of How the ZF and GM ATs Function<o></o>

<o></o>
Alternate ATFs (in order of my preference):<o></o>
<o></o>
1. Valvoline Mercon V (Valvoline Compatibility Letter, what I used)

2. Redline D4 ATF<o></o>
3. Amsoil ATF<o></o>
4. Castrol Multi-Vehicle ATF (Castrol Compatibility Letter)
5. Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF (some Subaru users reported slipping, but these weren't ZF ATs so who knows)<o></o>
<o></o>
Sources for Esso LT 71141 ATF (BMW p/n: 83-22-9-407-807)<o></o><o></o>
Peter Schmid<o></o>
JIE <o></o>
World Impex <o></o>
Any VW, Audi, or Porsche dealer (VW p/n: G-052-162-A2)<o></o>
<o></o>
Other DIYs:<o></o>
VW ATF Drain & Fill (same AT) <o></o>
<o></o>Pelican Parts BMW E36 AT drain & fill <o></o>
<o></o>Another 2001 330i owner's drain & fill experience: <o></o>
BMW owners weigh in on Redline D4 ATF vs. OEM <o></o>
Amsoil ATF Replacement Guide

<o></o>Misc. BMW AT Links<o></o>
Unofficial statistics on BMW automatic transmissions and Lifetime ATF<o></o>
E38 ZF 5HP24 ATF Service DIY (good pictures)<o></o>
<o></o>TechDrive Vol. 3 No. 2, Independent BMW Service Mag, recommends using only BMW OEM fluids (blah!)<o></o>
<o></o>Mixing Esso and Castrol?<o></o>
Diagnosing Transmission Whine (usually low fluid level)<o></o>
 
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#254 ·
Codes were 31,35, 36: internal slipping. The input shaft and output shafts are not turning in the proper ratio. Having called a couple people so far, sounds like a new tranny is the way to go cost wise. People don't sound like they want to rebuild a Zf, they just replace it. (That includes a transmission specialty place.). I have prices of 1600 for a used on w/ 6 months warranty and 2950 for a reman with 12 months. Both unlimited miles. I am being told +/- 9 hours labor for a straight swap. Looks like I'm in it for about $4k, which is still less than the dealer wants for the transmission alone albeit with 2 yr warranty

--roger
 
#256 ·
AT service & coolant lines replacement

When I bought my car, the transmission blew the front transmission seal within a month of purchase. Although not covered by warranty, the seller replaced the transmission with another est 120k trans at no charge. 2 years later the trans coolant line hoses are leaking and need replacement. The hoses were rubbing against the sway bar and were seeping there but were also seeping from the swage fittings on their ends. It looked like an engine oil leak since the fluid was brown. I figured the valve cover was leaking but when we hoisted it, we found no leaks from the engine and lots of trans fluid under the car. Scary since you can't check the fluid level. My oil change service guy wasn't checking the fluid so we could have been low on trans fluid.

I work at an adult career center and had my ASE class do the work. Your description was spot on for the trans service.
Replacing the lines was very difficult. Don't try to do this without a lift. You'll go crazy! Tough to remove the lines and even tougher to install new ones. The quick connects did not disconnect, plastic release collars disintegrated so we had to destroy the retainer tabs in the connectors. Snaking the lines over the rack and around everything else was difficult...but can be done. Install and remove from the rear.
We used Mercon V Valvoline, 6.25 qts. Bought a fluid vacuum hand pump at NAPA for $13 to pump it in. Had to put smaller fuel line hose into the pump hose to fit into fill hole in trans. Remove cap of pump to fill with Mercon. Screw lid back on and pump into trans. Easy but slow.
My instructor is a diesel & HD truck service mechanic and runs a large truck service facility. He is very familiar with transmissions. Said watch out for chunks in the trans pan, are pieces of the lock up plate disintegrating. I had a couple. Said Mercon V is a full synthetic fluid used in all the newer transmissions and the bottle says replacement for Ford trans fluid and Dexron III.
My transmission had a green sticker on it.
Took about 1.5 nights of 3 hours classes to do all this while instructing the students.
The transmission is running perfectly. The car has 140k on it and about 130k on transmission. I will be having the class do transmission service on all my vehicles. After seeing the trans filter almost plugged, and the off color fluid coming out, I believe this condition would have shortened the life of the transmission considerably.
BTW, instructor believes this is a European Ford transmission. The filter had a Ford part number.

Thanks so much for the detail on how to service and fill the transmission! It took about 4 quarts before we started it and another 2.25 quarts after we started, ran through gears and left in idle and neutral.
 
#257 ·
So the inlet transmission oil cooler line broke and I drove the car approximately 5 minutes/5 miles before truly realized what was happening with the tranny warning light coming on. The dealer wanted $1,200 to replace the oil cooler and busted line, but doesn't know the status of the transmission (they can smell burnt transmission fluid in the transmission). After getting towed back, I'm going to replace the cooler and line myself, but also do a complete filter and fluid change, and just hope for the best.

Since the last meaningful comments on ATF were made between 3 to 4 years ago, with Valvoline Maxlife (Dexron/Mercon) heavily recommended then, if not selecting the more expensive OEM Esso LT 71141 (I have the A5S 325Z tranny). Do these recommendations still hold true (Valvoline Maxlife and Esso LT) as the ATF to use? If Valvoline Maxlife has proven to meet or exceed BMW specifications by now, then I'd go for it.
 
#258 ·
been driving the 325 for over a month since the fluid change and it seems to be running just fine. Unfortunately a fluid leak developed but this time it's in the high pressure line to the power steering pump. Probably was there all the time but the transmission hose leak was far more leakage. So we'll replace that too. Then maybe we'll have a dry bottom!
 
This post has been deleted
#260 ·
Big Pain checking this fluid. Took me an entire hour almost to raise the vehicle and make it level. Wish there was a dipstick.
while i can't answer your question, I have to say I agree with you that adding a dip stick for $10 or so would have been very useful. but for some stupid reason, BMW has been getting rid of dip sticks... friends with newer BMWs all have engines that don't have an oil dipstick anymore and rely on the electronic sensors that have been known to fail; i've never heard of a dipstick failing...
 
#261 ·
Good thread here. I will be doing the next round of maintenance on the e46 myself and the trans is due to be serviced this time. Im an experienced wrench, but this answers any questions I may encounter while doing this service. Thanks!
 
#264 ·
By way of update ... This excellent picture & fact-filled DIY was just written today:
> E39 (1997 - 2003) > DIY: 1998 BMW 528i MANUAL Transmission & REAR Differential Fluids UPDATED version
DIY: 1998 BMW 528i MANUAL Transmission & REAR Differential Fluids UPDATED version

* To see the original DIY from May 2006 (@88K miles), scroll down to see it. This is for updated version of what I just did at 141K miles.
See also:
- ATF: Automatic transmission fluid (1) (2) (3) (4) & automatic transmission fluid & filter DIYs (0) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) & torque values (1) & how to find the hidden E39 transmission fluid level dipstick (1) & why ATF gushes out of the fill hole (1) & ZF 5HP19 facts (1)
- Differential: Rear differential hypoid gear oil (1) & differential fluid change DIYs (0) (1) (2) (3)
 
#265 ·
As somewhat of an update

I changed to max life at 110,000

At 130k ......I believe it's my 3rd gear is slipping when I go from 4th to 3rd. I give it heavy gas......it drops down and slips for about 3 seconds.

I have been getting codes that my transmission sensor is acting up, unsure why

I smelled burned clutch last time.


How I changed the fluid.
With 25 quarts of max life until all the old fluid was gone. Max life is red.....esso is brown. All he fluid was red. Car was up in the air.....wheels turning and fluid level with the drain plug. Gears were shifted while changing. Replaced 2 filters for the heck of it to get any trash out of there.

Coincidence....maybe. I'm going to have to tear it apart and find out. Upgrade it and......well......ZF told me to use their life guard semi synthetic fluid. They also told me bmw is semi synthetic. Max life is full synthetic.

Is it too slippery. I don't know.....it's only that 1 gear. But that's rare for that to happen so soon. It's always reverse that kills these. Which is a time consuming easily fix for $300.
 
#267 · (Edited)
Official ZF 5HP19-Step by Step Instructions & Tool List

You can pick up a digital thermometer @ Harbor Freight for less than $15.00. Temperature is an important part to get the procedure correct, as well as having the car level.

Links to videos posted on the Tool Image.

Pictured is a fairly expensive pump, you can use a $8.00 one available at any auto-parts store, but I had to put hose clamps on mine to keep the hoses from popping off. I did end up buying the Motive pump and use it for engine and tranny oil changes.

EDIT 5/28/2016 : Just completed my late ZF 2nd filter and atf exchange at 172,000. Read a few other threads on the subject. Use the genuine filter and green paper looking gasket. My first filter wasn't OEM, subpar quality compared to genuine even though purchased through BavAuto.com or ECS. Lots of posts about leaky replacement gaskets, but mine was fine. Saving $10 isn't worth it.
LOOSEN FILL PLUG FIRST (lots of people getting into trouble). I ground down a hex socket to get it to fit the tight space on my ZF.
Try the T-27 first on the pan bolts before sizing down to T-25. Clean all bolts and use medium thread locker, if not replacing with new. Order 3 or 4 spare bolts so you don't get stuck in the middle of the DIY, or replace all as recommended.
Use a torque wrench on the pan and drain. I couldn't get mine on the Fill Plug.
 

Attachments

#268 ·
Pictured is a fairly expensive pump, you can use a $8.00 one available at any auto-parts store, but I had to put hose clamps on mine to keep the hoses from popping off. I did end up buying the Motive pump and use it for engine and tranny oil changes.
I, too, bought and used the Motive pump for my ATF replenishment, which I would use for any future transmission and differential fluid changes.

But for the casual DIY, el cheapo pumps should suffice.
 
#269 ·
an excellent original post by torque wrench. Thanks to this post i had the confidence to change my auto fluid. I used Mobil LT71141 and a genuine filter.
There are just a couple of things that need updating.
First the auto sump torx bolts on mine are T27 not T25. I used a T25 to undo them and the socket is too loose so i ended up rounding off the last bolt and had to cut a slot in it to get it out.
2nd I did the change outside on my dads driveway which is not level, it runs off to one side for drainage, same as on the road. So to get my car level I had a spirit level on the roof before I started so I could check that I had it level as I jacked it up and put it on the jack stands. One side had to be jacked higher than the other to get it level.
3rd The fill plug and drain plug are on really tight. I bent my quarter inch breaker bar on the fill plug. How I got it undone is I got some shallow drive allen sockets manufactured by CR-MO and used one of them and my 3/8ths ratchet with a long tube fitted over it to give me more leverage.
Because I used a T25 to undo and do them up I also rounded 2 of them off when tightening them back up.
 
#270 ·
an excellent original post by torque wrench. Thanks to this post i had the confidence to change my auto fluid. I used Mobil LT71141 and a genuine filter.
There are just a couple of things that need updating.
First the auto sump torx bolts on mine are T27 not T25. I used a T25 to undo them and the socket is too loose so i ended up rounding off the last bolt and had to cut a slot in it to get it out.
2nd I did the change outside on my dads driveway which is not level, it runs off to one side for drainage, same as on the road. So to get my car level I had a spirit level on the roof before I started so I could check that I had it level as I jacked it up and put it on the jack stands. One side had to be jacked higher than the other to get it level.
3rd The fill plug and drain plug are on really tight. I bent my quarter inch breaker bar on the fill plug. How I got it undone is I got some shallow drive allen sockets manufactured by CR-MO and used one of them and my 3/8ths ratchet with a long tube fitted over it to give me more leverage.
Because I used a T25 to undo and do them up I also rounded 2 of them off when tightening them back up.
 
#272 ·
oil for e46 330i

i got it on the internet from opie oils, I bought 10 litres for ÂŁ119. So works out at about ÂŁ12 per litre. Comes in 1 litre bottles and postage is free for orders over about ÂŁ40 I think.
Order it one day comes the next.
I also changed the diff oil at the same time but ordered the diff oil separately from Opie oils again. Came next day again.
I only used 5 litres in the oil change and never bothered with a flush but I got the extra oil there if I want to do it. The only problems I encountered is that the torx bolts are T27 not T25, and that the fill and drain plugs are on very tight.
 
#273 ·
Dexron VI is now the approved spec fluid

Everyone should be aware that all the special fluid hassle has been alleviated with the adoption of the Dexron VI standard for all BMW Automatic transmissions. This is retroactive to all earlier Auto transmissions.

Valvoline Maxlife is one example of this spec fluid, there are many.
BMW approvals are on the bottle.

BMW folks seem to like:

Maxlife
Valvoline Full Synthetic Dex VI
Mobile 1 Dex VI
Redline Dex VI or D4 ATF if your application uses it (RL is arguably the best)
Amsoil
Castrol (Import multi-vehicle I think)
Pentosin
Fuchs
Eurobrands (Motul, Ravenol, Esso, Total, etc)

And ... Genuine BMW Dex VI is now reasonably priced at around $11/quart!!!

I do Maxlife, drain and fill at 30K and drain with filter (genuine BMW or Filtran) at 60K. I live in the desert, so severe service and shortened maintenance intervals are called for. And for under $5 quart, it's just changing more oil. My transmission has 261,000 original miles. ZF 5HP30 in a 740i. :cool:

ZF recommends 60K fluid/filter changes FOR NORMAL SERVICE. Think about it.
 
#275 · (Edited)
2nd Filter & Fluid change

Just completed my 2nd filter and fluid change.
History:
04/2006: original tranny replaced by dealer @ 92,000 miles. Guess the Lifetime Fluid BS came back to bite them on the butt on this one. This was found through CarFax and verified with ZF after emailing them the serial number from the tranny, with an inquiry about suggested mileage to change. (40,000-60,000 mi) no matter how many currently on the transmission.

06/2014: 140,XXX miles. My first fuel and filter change(50,000 on tranny) Fluid was dark and stinky, had to throw out the clothes when complete. The Filter was in same condition. Magnets on pan were completely covered in metal particles, no large shards, just fuzzy looking. I used and ECS kit for the change, included a non OEM filter, which didn't look to be as high a quality as the OEM, I pulled. Green paper gasket looked OEM. Change was successful, I changed as a preventative maintenance Using D4 Fluid.

06/2016 172,XXX 2nd Filter and Fluid change. Was planning on doing it within a couple of thousand miles after my first, but too many "have to do this first" issues arised over the 24 months.
Used ZF lifetime fluid this go around and OEM filter and gasket. Time bandits were getting the car level (Use the lip of tranny where the pan attaches, not the door seal or roof) and scrapping the old gasket (used interior molding plastic prys from Harbor Freight)without marring the mating surface. This time the fluid didn't stink to high heaven. Fuzz on the magnets was there, but minimal.

NOTE: For easier access to the Fill bolt, I ground down a 8mm hex socket that fit my torque wrench. It's pictured beside a normal length 7mm hex for comparison.There's not a lot of room up there and the rubber fuel line gets in the way occasionally. I made a note to file 4 or 5 notches on the outside of the socket to make it easier to grip when hand tightening the plug with the socket, as the fluid makes it extremely slippery. On refill the tranny is supposed to be between 30 and 50C, so the faster you can get that plug in and out, the better.
 

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