03 745i - Transmission leak

Has anyone had a transmission leak in their E65/66?

After nearly 2and half years the transmission oil pan seal started leaking(dealer said the pan was Warped). It was replaced by dealer about 2 months ago but now its leaking again...obviously this is a waranty item but I hope that Its not really a bigger problem. I'd hate to have the dealer tinker with a full transmission replacement.

Thanks,

JohnC
2003 745i sport 5/03 build

Why not, from your post that may be the best thing to do...Be glad you have warranty up to 100K...

Hi there.

I had a leak from my transmission as well. My dealer's service folks said there
was a tech advisory out on it. Apparently, it leaks around a seal where the
wiring harness enters the transmission (if I remember correctly). You may have
had a warped pan before and the new leak now.

FYI, I experienced a failure in the stability control system that required the replacement
of the front stabilizer bar too. When you take it in, they should pull the current diagnostic
codes from the computer and fix what needs fixing.

In any event, be glad the repair is covered under the warranty.

Tom

How do you fix that wire harness leak???????

I took it to the dealer. It was still under warranty.

Originally Posted by trwithe

I took it to the dealer. It was still under warranty.

That's lucky of you. That could have been a $7k repair.

Mechatronics sealing sleeve --> part #1 here.

there is a known issue of the pan warping the most expensive thing is the fluid, take it to the dealer its not that expensive i think mine was 500.00 or very close, my warranty covered everything but the fluid.

Keif,

What does it take to replace the mechatronic sleeve? Do they have to drop the pan or replace the fluid to do it, might be a much cheaper way of getting a trans fluid replacement?

Pan must be dropped to replace this sleeve. There is a retaining clip inside the transmission that holds the sleeve in.

I've got a leak on both the front side and back side of what appears to be a plastic cover right in between the driver and passenger footwell (under the car). It looks like engine oil, but I can't figure out why there would be a pan there? It's about a foot behind the filter..?

Is the transmission fluid the same color as the engine oil roughly?

Thanks

Edit: the plastic cover/pan is right in between the two exhaust pipes, in front of the catalytic converters.

Originally Posted by Blue Bimmer

I've got a leak on both the front side and back side of what appears to be a plastic cover right in between the driver and passenger footwell (under the car). It looks like engine oil, but I can't figure out why there would be a pan there? It's about a foot behind the filter..?

Is the transmission fluid the same color as the engine oil roughly?

Thanks

Edit: the plastic cover/pan is right in between the two exhaust pipes, in front of the catalytic converters.

my transnmission was leaking also and the oil looked very much like engine oil... but i am pretty useless in terms of telling difference between fluids in this car

Pictures if it helps identify the problem.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...89&hg=51&fg=75

Part #14 is where the oil is... I cleaned it all off and noticed that there was "fresh" oil more towards the back of this panel, around the screws.

I assume the transmission oil pan is under this?

I'm confused b/c the oil is very light brown/clear and I thought it was supposed to be red.

I had a leak around my oil filter at one point (loose filter) that caused some buildup in the pictures above, but that was months ago, and it's since been tightened all the way. So I doubt I am suddenly seeing this much oil as a left over from that.

Could something be leaking in the back of the engine... maybe somehow dripping all the way towards the back of the transmission? It seems like any engine leak would really come straight down for the most part?

Is the mechatronics sleeve hard to replace? I saw one of Kiefs posts that said it could be that...

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...14&hg=24&fg=15 part #1

Anyone done this? Seems like the right spot, but it doesnt really explain oil towards the front of that shield???

BUMP!

I'm going to take it apart tonight and see what I can see. I have an appointment with the dealership monday am if I cant make it happen.

They said its probably either the mechatronics or the tranny pan, anyone ever changed either one or have a diagram how to? I think the pan would be fairly easy, but the mechatronics?

Thanks

Hey Blue...
I have an '04 645ci which I believe has a similar mechatronics sleeve.. I just stumbled into a little problem when trying to replace my mechatronics sleeve/transmission pan. I ended up finding this thread while googling... anyway. make sure you have a pretty strong T27 torx bit as I went through two of them trying to remove the 20+ retaining nuts around the pan.. I ended up calling it quits after my second one broke and I started to strip one of nuts.. I just finished adding the fluid back into the old pan and I plan to take it in to a shop tomorrow. the job would be so much easier if I had access to a lift.. as I get older, lying on my back wrenching on cars just isnt as much fun as it used to be.. good luck- hopefully you have smoother sailing
-T

Yup I got this oil leak too currently reporting back tomorrow with updates, and i dont even have warranty. ****

Originally Posted by Airborne Ranger

Hey Blue...
I have an '04 645ci which I believe has a similar mechatronics sleeve.. I just stumbled into a little problem when trying to replace my mechatronics sleeve/transmission pan. I ended up finding this thread while googling... anyway. make sure you have a pretty strong T27 torx bit as I went through two of them trying to remove the 20+ retaining nuts around the pan.. I ended up calling it quits after my second one broke and I started to strip one of nuts.. I just finished adding the fluid back into the old pan and I plan to take it in to a shop tomorrow. the job would be so much easier if I had access to a lift.. as I get older, lying on my back wrenching on cars just isnt as much fun as it used to be.. good luck- hopefully you have smoother sailing
-T

Airborne Ranger... Hooah

Thanks for the reply. I was just under there, and those torx bolts look nasty, very corroded on mine, I can see them stripping pretty easily. Seems like you could use some pliers on the outside of the bolt though?

I think i'll let the boys at BMW fix this one also, the lift would certainly help. Claustorphobia kicks in on these bad boys when you only get about 2" above your face.

I cant even see how you could get a tool up to the mechatronics, it seems like its pretty blocked by the actual transmission housing.

I heard some other guys have had the pan done for $500-$800. I cant find anything on the cost of the mechatronics labor.

Originally Posted by Blue Bimmer

Airborne Ranger... Hooah

Thanks for the reply. I was just under there, and those torx bolts look nasty, very corroded on mine, I can see them stripping pretty easily. Seems like you could use some pliers on the outside of the bolt though?

I think i'll let the boys at BMW fix this one also, the lift would certainly help. Claustorphobia kicks in on these bad boys when you only get about 2" above your face.

I cant even see how you could get a tool up to the mechatronics, it seems like its pretty blocked by the actual transmission housing.

I heard some other guys have had the pan done for $500-$800. I cant find anything on the cost of the mechatronics labor.

a BMW dealer charges $850 to change the transmission oil pan, PARTS AND LABOR with 1 LITER of oil .

Originally Posted by Seven11

a BMW dealer charges $850 to change the transmission oil pan, PARTS AND LABOR with 1 LITER of oil .

Thats retarded.

by "Thats retarded.", do u mean the price is too high?

Yes

Originally Posted by Blue Bimmer

Yes

yea its a total rip off...

thats why i am SO glad i have warranty

Blue Bimmer I got this too but is their a possibility I won't have to pay 7 grand? because i currently get thumping when driving slow, an oil leak and a couple other problems... Does this all mean i need a new tranny? i need a price quote...before i get busted by my indy

Originally Posted by Seven11

a BMW dealer charges $850 to change the transmission oil pan, PARTS AND LABOR with 1 LITER of oil .

My dealer gave a quote of $850 to replace the sealing sleeve, transmission gasket and 6 (not 1) liters of oil. The price of the transmission pan alone is $311. So I don't see how it was included in your dealer's quote. On second thought. Their quote could be correct if they were reusing your old oil instead of replacing it with new oil, which I think is possible since it's deemed a lifetime fluid. I would seriously advise against this if your car has some miles on it (>25k) and opt for some new oil. Just bear in mind that the BMW oil is verrrrrry expensive as much as $30/liter. That's right, per liter.

About two months ago, my SA informed me that my car's transmission sealing sleeve was leaking. I just replaced it and the transmission pan at a DIY at a dealership this past Saturday. I used Pentosin's ATF1 which is suitable for our car in place of the BMW ATF. I purchased the Pentosin ATF1 at my local NAPA store for $15/liter. My AAA membership gave me an additional 7% off that covered the sales tax. This job and an oil change took about 3 hours to do.