Question about e38 fluid changes

Wondering how to do my own oil change.
Says check brake fluids, any tips on where the fluid goes

Also, my console doesn't say anything is wrong with my power steering but I can tell it needs fluid. Any particular reason why?

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Check out www.E38.org for a lot of DIY advice and information about these cars.

As far as the brake fluid, you should never need to add any, and if the fluid is low then either your pads are very low, or you have a leak, either way, I would suggest taking the car to someone who has experience with diagnosing issues with brakes. Most shops won't charge a penny for a brake inspection. Safety first and all that.

As far as the power steering fluid, this is a common issue with the E38 where the power steering hoses leak. You should either replace them, or do what I do and just add a quarter of a quart every few months when it gets low. Make sure to find out if your car has SLS (self-leveling) rear suspension before adding any fluid to the system, as adding the wrong fluid will require high dollar repairs. Non-SLS systems should be filled with any ESSO LT71141 compliant transmission fluid, such as Valvoline MaxLife ATF. SLS equipped E38s should be filled with Pentosin.

Just wanted to add that if you do have self leveling suspension make sure to use the synthetic pentosyn (chf-11s). Usually it will say so on the cap or it will be green. Non self leveling will say to use ATF on the cap. Brake fluid should be flushed through the whole system once every 2-3 years or so. Brake fluid is very prone to absorbing moisture which will decrease the performance of your brakes under heavy braking and high temps. (Moisture boils in brake fluid turning into air bubbles.)

I checked on an Autoparts store and I was informed I could use the regular Power Steering Fluid in my E38 (but the Book said to use ATF) - My dumb @$$ believed the autoparts and added it in two days ago, the car is running smooth and the steering wheel has been a lot easier to turn - Do you think I would have any issues? If so should I get the brake system flushed or simply leave it alone?

The power steering fluid has nothing to do with the brake system, so you won't have to flush the brake system because you added power steering fluid to the power steering resevoir. But, the brake system should be flushed every few years as brake fluid gets water contamination after some time, which drops it's boiling point. Most people driving in most conditions will never notice this, but I'd still recommend changing out the brake fluid every few years.

As far as the power steering fluid, it depends on what type of rear suspension you have. If you have SLS, I would recommend replacing the fluid immediatly, no questions asked, as this will cause damage to the self leveling suspension components. Even without the SLS though, I would still change it out, since the wrong fluid could cause the leaks to get more severe, could cause new leaks to pop up, as well as cause damage to the power steering pump if the fluid is not suited for the seals or the pump itself.

If it was my car, I'd change the fluid.

Didn't mean to say brake fluid LOL but I will have BOTH flushed and add in the right fluids.. Thanks!

I saw this post. I have a1995 740 with the self leveling. Power steering fluid was added at another point in time. How do I flush the system?