E38 Transmission Fluid Change.

I changed mine right at about 100k, when the transmission failed

Originally Posted by rdorman

I changed mine right at about 100k, when the transmission failed

So you changed your fluid and the tranny failed after that?

Must have already been too far gone... never a good time for a tranny failure.

Originally Posted by Ultm8drvnmchn

So you changed your fluid and the tranny failed after that?

No, it was never changed until it got rebuilt! Reverse failed. Otherwise it was fine. But to get to the issue you have to gut the entire trans so a full rebuild was in order. I plan on changing it every 60k now.

Not a bad idea for what it costs. I suppose if the whine from my tranny is a sign of eventual failure then a rebuild may be in my future. Anyone know an estimate on what that might cost? It just amuses me at how well this tranny works, which tells me it must be a pump internally or maybe even a worn torque converter. Then the question, why get worse AFTER the oil change? Either way, I like my ride far too much not to fix it!

Ok guys, I had my transmission filter, gasket and fluid done today along with a rear differential fluid change. I live about 55 miles from the dealer and the drive home was uneventful. No problems after the change and I can sleep peacefully now knowing its done. Transmission service was $458.52 and the diff service was $116.74

Mileage: 102797

Hi All,

In E38 750iL we have ZF 5HP30 (A5S 560Z) transmission. ZF company recommends to change the transmission oil after first 95k miles with Esso LT 71141 oil. The next changes should be after each next 60k miles. It applies to all 740iA with ZF 5HP24 (A5S 440Z) transmission as well.

Jack

My previous E38 was a '97 740i, drove it until 160K, no fluid change, smooth shifting. Currently I drive a 750ilA, 152K on the clock, smooth shifting. I have noticed a whining noise that stops after a minute and once in a great while I may get a jerk at 10-15 mph, then nothing else. If I sit an extra minute or two, it never jerks at all, although it is just a slight tug. Anyone else experience this? My overwhelming sense is NOT to change the fluid unless there is an issue, plus I made it a point to get a decent warranty.

mandrews1119, the jerk at low speed may indicate your "Mass Air Flow Sensor F00C-2G2-029" is going bad.

I'm slowly approaching 100 k on the clock and plan on doing it very soon. I'm thinking of the valvoline maxlife as well but am still on the fence.

Originally Posted by meteck

OK, so mine has 73000 miles and shift hard the first time when cold. Otherwise works perfect and I have put 3000 miles on it in the last 2 wks. Already have change kit and plan to change it as soon as I can it it still long enough.

mne is the same. first few shifts going up from 20-45mph I "feel" it

153K on my 1998 740il and trans seems to shift fine but would like to have it make it to 200K without issues. Change the fluid?

Originally Posted by tkelsb

153K on my 1998 740il and trans seems to shift fine but would like to have it make it to 200K without issues. Change the fluid?

Look at the color of my fluid at 150K. Just to give you an idea about how it looks inside....

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...818&highlight=

tkelsb, I had close to 140k miles on mine when I changed the fluid, and my transmission is still shifting perfectly at 207k miles.

I would not do a flush on any transmission that has not had the fluid changed for 100k miles. What I would do on yours is just drop the pan, which will take about 1/3 to 1/2 of the fluid out of the transmission, and just refill it with new fluid after changing the filter. This should give you about a 50/50 mix of new and old fluid, and this is what I would recommend on any car that has been driven more than 100k miles since the last transmission service. I have heard horror stories of transmissions failing shortly after flushing or replacing the tranny fluid, but I've done this many times on many cars and have never had a transmission problem that was caused by changing the fluid.

Originally Posted by balance

tkelsb, I had close to 140k miles on mine when I changed the fluid, and my transmission is still shifting perfectly at 207k miles.

I would not do a flush on any transmission that has not had the fluid changed for 100k miles. What I would do on yours is just drop the pan, which will take about 1/3 to 1/2 of the fluid out of the transmission, and just refill it with new fluid after changing the filter. This should give you about a 50/50 mix of new and old fluid, and this is what I would recommend on any car that has been driven more than 100k miles since the last transmission service. I have heard horror stories of transmissions failing shortly after flushing or replacing the tranny fluid, but I've done this many times on many cars and have never had a transmission problem that was caused by changing the fluid.

Yeah thanks for the help guys, I am starting to believe that just changing the fluid and filter with a simple pan drop and magnet cleaning is the way to go. This would not be a shock to the system and the fluid would pull and circulate better through a clean filter. Many people seem to say just change partial and if you want change more fluid later.

I've had the same luck too with other cars and had good results too. What kind of fluid did you use and how many liters?

Also what process did you use to refill the fluid?

I used close to 8 quarts of Valvoline MaxLife ATF after dropping the pan and changing the filter, but any ESSO 71141 compatible fluid should work.

As far as refilling, after putting the pan back on the transmission, you have to refill through the fill hole on the pan untill fluid starts coming out. Then you start the car, shift through the gears, and refill again. There was a sticker on my oil pan that stated a certain temperature range that the transmission fluid had to be in while filling, and if you went past a certain temperature, the transmission wouldn't have enough fluid.

I don't remember the temperature range. I think is was somewhere between 50 celsius and 70 celsius, but if I were you, I would check on the oil pan and see if your's has a sticker as well, and if not, I would find out exactly what temperature range it needed to be in. I used a scanner connected to the car that told me the exact temperature of the tranny fluid, so it wasn't that big of a deal for me, but without that scanner, I wouldn't know if I had too much or too little fluid in the tranny when I was done filling since transmission fluid expands with heat.

I would have appreciated it if BMW just installed a dipstick in the transmission from the factory (like Mercedes did with their sealed transmissions), lifetime fluid or not. You shouldn't need expensive electrical equipment to find out if your transmission fluid is low, but it is something you have to deal with to own this car.

Originally Posted by tkelsb

Also what process did you use to refill the fluid?

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...818&highlight=

There are a several pictures how I did it without a mess.
As far as the tools, I used an infrared thermometer ($25-$40) and read from the cooling lines not the pan.
Oil pan should be open only at 50 C degrees ! It is stated on the pan.
When you reach like 60 C degrees and you are still filling, you need to stop. Then is the time when it will overflow regarding the fluid level in it. Let it cool and start again. Even after you get the right level at 50 C degrees , drive the car several miles and recheck again. You will need to add again if you check the level at 50 C degrees.

I change mine every 50,000 miles.

I have owned a 1997 740i for the past 3 yrs., it has 222,000 miles on it and never has had tranny fluid changed yet, and it runs/shifts fine.

I had my tranny serviced at 70000 just because i'm anal and I don't believe the lifetime fluid thing even if BMW service managers tell me so.

Hello all,
I have a 98 740iL. I bought it 3 1/2 years ago with 134k on it. It has been a great car. Recently I notice when I'm at speed say 45 to 65 it seems to be shifting up and down very slightly and I can see the RPM shift up and down maybe 100 to 200 RPM. I was going to try a fluid and filter change. Anybody give me some advise please? I'm going to be taking a 1600mi roadtrip mid April and don't want to be walking.

Thanks,

Have you change your fluid? My 2000 740il has 159k and is starting to have the typical torque converter shudder.

Bought my 97 740il in Texas last year with 48k miles while the tranny felt ok I did a compleate fluid change, coolant, brake, tranny and filter. Finding a place to have it done was difficult as few places could actually flush all the old fluid out as compared to just dropping the pan and replacing half. Also the tranny's changed 97-98 and use different filters so use your vin when ordering. Since there is no dipstick, filling is best left to the mechs. Old fluid did have water/gunk build up over the years. It took about a week for the full effect to be felt and it is highly recommended to do. I don't buy the argument that old contaminated fluid and clutch bits actually are better for the tranny. Very glad I did mine and will own this tank for another 15 years.
Ps. This is my summer car

2000 740il

Changed mine (twice to ensure total flush) at 155,000 with the valvoline max life (in red bottle)

Have 164,000 on it now and shifts as smooth as new with no problems

Yes I changed mine at about 70k miles including new BMW filter and original spec fluid. Its actually quite straightforward provided you follow the ZF procedure exactly-this is not a drain and refill in the usual way. Whirring will occur if there is insufficient fluid present due to the an incorrect proceduer. The fluid even at this milage was much dirtier than I would have liked, so I would recommend doing this job.