Drained The Wrong Fluid :-(

[sbchillin]

Hello I recently got a 1996 328i and I went to change the oil for the first time and I drained the wrong fluid. Im pretty sure it was transmission fluid as it was near the middle of the car. Can someone please tell me how to put transmission fluid back in it? Thanks a million

[Kevin325i]

There's another plug on the passenger side of the transmission that's the same size as the plug you took out. Remove it and pump in some fluid. Make sure you buy a pump cause otherwise it's nearly impossible to get the fluid in. You fill till it comes out the hole.

[sbchillin]

Thanks for replying so quick Now does this plug unscrew or ............? Also what kind of transmission fluid?

[Kevin325i]

It unscrews the same way the bottom one came out, there's room for a ratchet with a pipe on it to fit in there. You'll need the pipe that little bastard will be tight.

Grab pretty much any brand name full synthetic atf fluid. If you want some extra cusion you can get MTl but the ATF (yes for an auto transmission) is the factory recomended.

This is all assuming you've got a Manual transmission. If you've got an auto there's a good write up on pelicanparts.com

[sbchillin]

It is in fact automatic. Now another question I put a lil of the transmission fluid in the power steering fluid filler. I removed what I put in the best I could (it was just a few oz's), now is this going to cause a problem? Thanks again

[uiuc240]

power steering fluid is ALSO ATF. it's all the same. no problem.

but you need to get a shop manual before you go any further. your lack of skills is scaring me.

[sbchillin]

me tooooooo but thx to you all itll be aiiiiight. Thx for the replies and will see you again when I have something real to talk about

[BLACKBMW]

Originally posted by sbchillin@Nov 8 2004, 10:54 PM
me tooooooo but thx to you all itll be aiiiiight. Thx for the replies and will see you again when I have something real to talk about

[snapback]227200[/snapback]

Yeah your next post will be "uhh, I put oil in the petrol tank - is this ok?"

[uber e36]

hahahaha

i only laugh because, i too, am extremely mechanically stupid...

[bitcore]

Ive got a 98 323is auto, how can I tell which of the two auto transmission models I have and any other recomedation on what fluid I should stick in there when I flush it this week? I drive this little thing hard and it hasn't been chagned ever. (99,000 miles as of now, and I've had it since 66,000 and driven it like a bat out of hell)

http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticl..._Fluid_Auto.htm
"A4S 270R and A4S 310R"?
or "A5S 310Z"?

[93 325i]

Your tranny should be the A4S 310R.. You can tell by looking at the code letters found on the data plate located on the side of the tranny case.

[bad man working]

A couple of points to bearin mind A lot of the later BMW auto boxs run on life time oil this is best got from a dealer if the box is life itme they'll be a blank in the fill hole or a sticker on the sump of the box with the part number of the right fluid. When you fill an auto box there is a set procedure to follow if you contact me I'll write it out for you but you've got to get it right (i'm a BMW tech). DON'T drive the car with low low in the box you'll burn out the clutches. ATF (automatoc transmission fluid) Is used as power steering fluid in most but not all BMW's check the cap of the tank it should say. I thick you should pay to get the auto box refil properly it's cheaper than a new auto box

[Autotechnica]

I have to admit, the first time I ever tried to change my own oil I did this as well

Anyways, it's a bit of a pain, but you need to get a pump. You can probably find a cheap one used to pump gasoline from one car to another, it works the same way. It's just a cheap plastic tube with a hand pump at the end. I paid $2 for it at a local auto parts store. Tranny uses 1.5L so buy 2 bottles as 1 bottle is 1L. I used Mobil 1 Syn ATF. It's quite messy so chances are you'll spill a fair bit anyways. When you pump, allow time for the fluid to flow through the tube, do it slowly, it can't be rushed. Make sure the car is jacked up from the same side as the fill hole, so that when it overflows it will be even. You have to do this so when you lower the car back to the ground, the fluid will level itself out. If you jack the car up from the opposite side of the fill hole, you'll end up with less fluid needed when it overflows. Once you drop the car back to the ground and you let the fluid overflow, jack the car back up again from the same side and put the bolt back in. Drive around, if you feel like the gear changes are stiff you need to add more fluid. Make sure this is done on a relatively flat and even ground surface. Personally, if you can tow the car to an auto shop, I would just pay the $30-$40 they charge for the refill or top off. It's not really worth it to do it youself, very messy.

Same process for an auto.

[bad man working]

sorry guys I forgot to put on my last reply that if you autobox dosen't use life time oil ie there's no sticker the oil you need should be off a dextron 3 grade and i'd use Castrol cose that what it's desiigned to run in. My advise is don't cut cost on oils the few bucks you save on cheap oil can be far out stripped by the cost of heavy mechnical repair. I must also deagree with the last reply the car must be level at all times to fill any gearbox (you raelly need a ramp) Good luck email me through the site if you need info on refilling method

[bitcore]

Yah, what about for refilling one of the "sealed" transmissions... 98 323is.. I drive the thing like a racecar and I'm sure the gears have worn off some layers of metal and its just really nasty inside... is the procedure any different to change it then the pelican parts howto?
http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticl..._Fluid_Auto.htm

The thing's acting funky and I wanna get it fixed or at least know exactly what's wrong.