Transmission service

X5 e70 12, at 90k mileage. I want to do transmission service so i am concerned what else i should be changing apart from filter and fluid? There are other sealant and kits, please advice!!

Look into mechatronics sleeve as a preventive measure.

I was told by BMW that my 6 gear box should not be opened. They say if box has more then 80K then if service is done it will start heving that kick when it comes to stop.

This was by two different BMW dealers...

Originally Posted by BMWe70

I was told by BMW that my 6 gear box should not be opened. They say if box has more then 80K then if service is done it will start heving that kick when it comes to stop.

This was by two different BMW dealers...

That’s a lie. By two dealers. Although to be fair, for many years, bmw was trying to tell people these thing had lifetime fluid. When it would die at 120k miles, they’d charge 6 grand or so for a reman one. Now bmw says fluid and filter change should be 100k miles which is better than nothing.

ZF, the manufacturer of the gear box, calls for fluid and filter change every 50 to 80k miles.


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The words 'LIFETIME" and "FLUID" used together in the same sentence scares me

Originally Posted by BMWe70

I was told by BMW that my 6 gear box should not be opened. They say if box has more then 80K then if service is done it will start heving that kick when it comes to stop.

This was by two different BMW dealers...

100k is the cutoff that my indy BMW mechanic recommended. I performed a drain, refill, and new pan/filter at 86k miles. My transmission was shifting fine before the service but it is noticeably smoother now. My indy said you could potentially run into issues >100k miles. Some have changed beyond that without issues while others did have transmission failure shortly thereafter. I honestly think it's pure luck or misfortune.

Originally Posted by FredoinSF

Look into mechatronics sleeve as a preventive measure.

There is another sleeve apart form machotronic sleeve.. something round cone type shape!! also i have seen youtube about change colorful round seal.. for x5..

Originally Posted by paramedic1079

100k is the cutoff that my indy BMW mechanic recommended. I performed a drain, refill, and new pan/filter at 86k miles. My transmission was shifting fine before the service but it is noticeably smoother now. My indy said you could potentially run into issues >100k miles. Some have changed beyond that without issues while others did have transmission failure shortly thereafter. I honestly think it's pure luck or misfortune.

I agree with you

Originally Posted by BMWe70

I was told by BMW that my 6 gear box should not be opened. They say if box has more then 80K then if service is done it will start heving that kick when it comes to stop.

This was by two different BMW dealers...

Its myth but i dont see any harm

Originally Posted by BMWe70

I was told by BMW that my 6 gear box should not be opened. They say if box has more then 80K then if service is done it will start heving that kick when it comes to stop.

This was by two different BMW dealers...

Not true, I did mine at 105k when I got the car and it helped. Just don't reset the adaptations!

Originally Posted by abyass

There is another sleeve apart form machotronic sleeve.. something round cone type shape!! also i have seen youtube about change colorful round seal.. for x5..

Just get the Sonnax kit and install it.

Anyone who says that basic transmission service should not be performed on xxxxxx mileage transmission, regardless of their pedigree, title, or experience, absolutely does not know how a transmission works, period... These folks should NOT be relied upon for any advice, nor anything at all, pertaining to a transmission, period, as they're mindlessly repeating absolute BS that is simply untrue & is costing their customers a lot of money in premature transmission failure.

This BS myth about doing basic transmission service on high mileage transmissions somehow being a bad thing after xxxxxx mileage, was all started due to incompetent wrench turners preying upon consumer ignorance, who recommend a power flush on neglected transmissions without replacing the filter, or the partially clogged up trans oil cooler lines that the power flush machine connects to, where all of the settled out clutch debris is pushed into the trans oil sump, where it no doubt eventually migrates into the valve body and solenoids, sometimes causing rapid onset of shifting issues and clutch slipping.

Basic transmission service is: Dropping the pan, replacing the filter (which is the pan on the BMW ZF 6HPxx), and PROPERLY refilling with oil. This is as harmless & beneficial as draining & refilling the engine coolant, or flushing out old brake fluid w/ new, or doing an oil change service. There is nothing magical about new ATF that will suddenly unclog a bunch of settled out debris & send it to the valve body or solenoids. The old debris settled out because the old fluid was saturated with old clutch material & could no longer suspend it in fluid properly. New ATF will simply SUSPEND already loose clutch material that's clogging the lines, where it can be captured by the filter, as well as effectively SUSPEND newly created clutch debris to capture it by the filter, it will not magically dislodge chunks of it all in one go like a power flush on a neglected transmission can. New ATF fluid does not suddenly dislodge large volumes of settled out debris, nor does it drop out suspended debris randomly throughout the transmission. OLD ATF will settle out & redistribute old clutch material throughout the transmission, as it's saturated with debris & cannot effectively suspend in solution any more of it.

On a neglected engine that is 20K miles well overdue for an oil change, has changing the oil & replacing the filter ever resulted in sudden dislodging of sludge & gunk causing engine failure? NO, and one would be absolutely stupid to believe that they shouldn't change the engine oil on a neglected engine, where if someone said to not change the engine oil because it's been too long, they'd no doubt be someone who is absolutely not qualified to give advice, nor do the service...

Back on topic: On an otherwise properly functioning transmission (which you can't know unless you check / verify transmission adaptation values), I'd replace all of the solenoids (except the park solenoid), in addition to the tube seals & bridge seal that others mentioned. The solenoids may seem like overkill; however, considering the cost of ZF lifeguard 6 trans oil that costs close to what the solenoids do, it's a bargain to just replace the solenoids now while you already have everything out. Having to drop the pan to replace solenoids after you already performed basic transmission service a few months previous, is a real drag considering you'll be paying another $200 or so for trans oil... On a transmission that is currently having some level of transmission shift quality issue, I'd check the E-clutch adaptation to see if it's worth the hassle of doing anything besides finding a replacement transmission (4 to 5 shift flares & delay is a certain sign of E-clutch pressure issues). If the E-clutch adaptation is within decent range (a decent amount less than 350), I'd do a Sonnax Zip kit,, where I'd do a RevMax or XF refurbished valve body if the E-clutch adaptation value is fairly close to zero (< 100), signaling the transmission still has a lot fo life still left in it. The bushing that primarily causes extreme E-clutch adaptation values (which requires a teardown of the transmission to fix) is likely worn due to old fluid that has a lot of abrasive clutch material suspended in it... New trans oil & filter helps to reduce this wear...

Another often neglected item is the trans cooler thermostat. This thermostat can slowly seep coolant into the transmission oil, where significantly negative transmission adaption values are often the 1st sign of this occurring. Negative adaptation values are a sign that the clutches have swelled, which is typically caused by engine coolant contamination into the trans oil according to ZF.

I sure get the particles story. But on top, doesn’t the oil itself “wear” or shear down to a different viscosity over time? Like engine oil? Or is that not so much an issue in a transmission. And all those heat and cool cycles must have some effect too.


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I have just attempted the transmission service on my 2007 E70 X5 4.8i and have run into a huge issue. I drained the tranny, dropped the mechatronic unit and replaced the crossover seal, mechatronic sleeve and the 4 tube seals. I then put the new pan on and filled it until fluid ran out. Here is where my problem occurred, I could not start the car. the dash lit up with 4x4 error, DSC error, transmission malfunction, and every other possible warning light. Everything I read online said that the battery had run down so I took it to the auto parts store. They charged it overnight and tested it when I picked it up at 97%. I re-installed the battery and received the same errors. I also connected my heavy-duty jump box under the hood to see if that would work - it did not. I have noticed one strange thing when the ignition is on the green indicator on the shifter is not lit. I was careful to make sure that the mechatronic sleeve seated when I installed it. I tried to pull it out after pushing in the locking lever and it did not dislodge. The mechatronic cable snapped into place and I was able to easily rotate the lock ring.

Based on this information, would it be prudent to drain the transmission again and re-seat the mechatronic sleeve and cable?

Thanks.

What is Sonax kit? Where can i find it?

Originally Posted by Fcharpiat

I have just attempted the transmission service on my 2007 E70 X5 4.8i and have run into a huge issue. I drained the tranny, dropped the mechatronic unit and replaced the crossover seal, mechatronic sleeve and the 4 tube seals. I then put the new pan on and filled it until fluid ran out. Here is where my problem occurred, I could not start the car. the dash lit up with 4x4 error, DSC error, transmission malfunction, and every other possible warning light. Everything I read online said that the battery had run down so I took it to the auto parts store. They charged it overnight and tested it when I picked it up at 97%. I re-installed the battery and received the same errors. I also connected my heavy-duty jump box under the hood to see if that would work - it did not. I have noticed one strange thing when the ignition is on the green indicator on the shifter is not lit. I was careful to make sure that the mechatronic sleeve seated when I installed it. I tried to pull it out after pushing in the locking lever and it did not dislodge. The mechatronic cable snapped into place and I was able to easily rotate the lock ring.

Based on this information, would it be prudent to drain the transmission again and re-seat the mechatronic sleeve and cable?

Thanks.

I would take it to an indy BMW mechanic and have them hook it up to their computer. I was going to do it myself but realized the hassle wasn't worth the $150 in labor my indy charged me. Transmission shifts like butter after doing a simple drain and refill with a new pan/filter. I didn't change the mechatronic sleeve. 86k miles.

So after being frustrated by this car for a couple of days, I noticed that the shift indicator was not lit up. I had replaced the mechatronic sleeve during my transmission service and thought I had it installed properly. After reviewing some footage on youtube of the sleeve before service I noticed that there was a wider gap between the retainer ring and the transmission in my car than the one on the video. What I didn't do and was done in the new youtube video was to use a piece of wood to push and hold the sleeve into place. When I used my hands I was only able to get one of the two O rings on the sleeve into the transmission and this did not allow the cable to connect thus giving me a transmission malfunction message and no light on the shifter. Dropping the pan again was a pain but necessary so that I could access the lock lever for the sleeve.

Before I put the pan back and filled it with fluid I turned the ignition on to see if the transmission malfunction message was gone and it was. I would recommend doing this as an extra check during service to save you the headache I had.

Thanks for the heads up.

Originally Posted by FredoinSF

Look into mechatronics sleeve as a preventive measure.

agree fully