I have a leak. Tranny or oil??

Hey, y'all. I have a small leak. I just noticed it recently. 2006, 330i, step, 84,800 miles.

Is the transmission fluid in our autos pink? This fluid isn't pink, but at 85k miles it might not be very pink anymore. Looks more like oil, but I think the consistency is lighter. I can't get a feel for what it might be from the smell. I don't think it has any burnt smell to it.

It is a little more than seepage. It is a very, very slow drip. Dripping from the underbody panel, so I can't tell exactly where it's coming from. It's dripping from the back of the panel, not the oil drain access panel.

The car has been parked for about six weeks, not driven. There is a wet spot under it. Drove it today. I'm guessing about four to eight ounces may have dripped based on the size of the spot.

The oil level reads completely full. Looked under the hood with a bright florescent light. No sign of the slightest bit of seepage at the head or anywhere else.

I'm inclined to think mechatronic sleeve. Thoughts?

I'm planning to drive 1,000 miles tomorrow and the next day to Texas. I'll be there through December, so I can have it addressed while I'm there. Thoughts on making the drive?

Thanks.

It's more likely oil based on our 2002 330i experience. Oil filter housing gasket is suspect. Need to get it on a lift to inspect and tell for sure where its coming from which is easy to see once the car is up in the air.

Should not be a problem driving for many miles.

Originally Posted by laser

It's more likely oil based on our 2002 330i experience. Oil filter housing gasket is suspect. Need to get it on a lift to inspect and tell for sure where its coming from which is easy to see once the car is up in the air.

Should not be a problem driving for many miles.

Didn't see any oil leakage up top at all. Is the oil filter gasket not up top?

Have you had the mechtronic (sp?) seal replaced? My guess is the seal and thus the tranny. Had mine replaced on my 330i at 50k.

Originally Posted by cneighbor

Have you had the mechtronic (sp?) seal replaced? My guess is the seal and thus the tranny. Had mine replaced on my 330i at 50k.

No, I haven't. How much did that cost?

its about 5-600. Its $270 for parts (oil, Gasket and sleeve). 3.5hrs labor. A indy billed me $300

Paging Dr. Machina.

I am not DSX, but my guess is previously mentioned tranny leak.

I'm clueless but how about have it inspected/fixed by a pro PRIOR to embarking on a trip to Texas? You know, as the saying goes, "keep it simple stupid."

My '06 325i has had similar symptoms (occasional spots of oil under the car) for about a year now. I put it on a lift about 7 months ago to change oil/inspect the underside and really couldn't tell EXACTLY where the "oil" was coming from. Moved to DC recently and took it to a BMW dealer for "scheduled" maintenance (rear brake pads, oil change) and learned that my oil filter housing gasket and oil pan gasket was leaking, causing the drops of oil I was seeing on the driveway. In my case I am not losing any oil based on the level indicator I routinely check via the "oil check" stalk on the left side of the steering column. The quoted price of $1300 to replace those two gaskets is ridiculous to me given the miniscule amount of oil leakage, but I do plan to replace those gaskets. I just won't pay BMW to do the work; I'll use an independent shop or do it myself. Your indication of "ounces" is more significant so I'd be anxious to get the gaskets replaced sooner rather than later.

I used an indy and paid about $750 for a new seal, pan/filter, and fluid. The only thing is that we used Pentosin ATF 1 and not the BMW tranny fluid (shell). Some won't use anything but the BMW fluid, but my research told me ATF 1 would work with the ZF tranny.

FWIW, dealer wanted about the same for just the seal and replacement of lost fluid.

Thanks for the replies. It made the first 500 miles today with no problem. Fortunately, I have a good third party service contract, so I'll get whatever the problem is repaired for a little over $100. If it's the tranny I'm hoping I can parlay getting the pan/filter and fluid covered, too.

...and welcome back to Texas.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Thanks for the replies. It made the first 500 miles today with no problem. Fortunately, I have a good third party service contract, so I'll get whatever the problem is repaired for a little over $100. If it's the tranny I'm hoping I can parlay getting the pan/filter and fluid covered, too.

When they perform the pan gasket/mechatronic sleeve service, they do not replace the fluid. They drain, save, and then top off .

I asked the Service manager (who is a friend) and he said they used to do a full drain/replace, but there are so many of these repairs BMWNA made them stop. The fluid for the ZF transmission isn't cheap.

It was the mechatronic sleeve. Total bill was $474. I paid $100 and the warranty paid $374. Thankfully the warranty paid for all new tranny fluid. So, I coughed up an extra $305 for a new oem pan/filter combo. It was a little more than Tischer's discount price, but hey, what are you gonna do? The mechatronic sleeve part was only $30. 6 units (liters or quarts?) of fluid at $20 per, 3 hours of labor at $97 per.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

It was the mechatronic sleeve. Total bill was $474. I paid $100 and the warranty paid $374. Thankfully the warranty paid for all new tranny fluid. So, I coughed up an extra $305 for a new oem pan/filter combo. It was a little more than Tischer's discount price, but hey, what are you gonna do? The mechatronic sleeve part was only $30. 6 units (liters or quarts?) of fluid at $20 per, 3 hours of labor at $97 per.

Thanks for the final update ... another data point for the (almost full) memory banks

Sounds like a decent extended warranty. Do you like it? Who's it with?

Originally Posted by cneighbor

...and welcome back to Texas.

Thanks. Someone needs to tell the weather people here it is December.

Originally Posted by laser

Thanks for the final update ... another data point for the (almost full) memory banks

You're welcome.

Originally Posted by cneighbor

Sounds like a decent extended warranty. Do you like it? Who's it with?

It is from a company named www.TierOneWarranty.com. They are based in Houston. I don't think they sell directly to the public. I bought it from a warranty marketing company based in Arizona. I did as much research as I could before making my choice and was pretty satisfied with what I found about Tier One. This is the second time I've used the warranty and they've been reasonable to deal with both times. They pay my mechanic directly. The other time I used it was for a failed ignition coil and a failed lock actuator, both replaced at the same time.