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New Problem: Tranny Leak

1K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  xx00xx 
#1 ·
As you might tell from my previous thread "Losing faith in my first BMW" i have had a host of of issues with this car.

The newest?

Upon having the car on the lift i noticed a small leak coming from the gasket area on the tranny. it doesn't look bad at the moment, but obviously should be changed.

one of the sub mechanics at the shop goes and tops off the transmission fluid with "gear oil" i asked if it was safe or if there should be a special fluid for bmw's and he calmy replies "oil is oil".

that sounded like a dumb answer so im worried now about what he put in there.

anyway, he made an off the head quote of $400 to change the gasket because he would have to drop tranny to do it.

Help..
 
#2 ·
OOOPS! If I am not mistaken...BMW transmission oil should NOT be topped with any other oil! It is a very expensive OEM lifetime oil, and should ONLY be topped with the same oil. You highly risk messing up your transmission by doing so! Why do you go back to that crap mechanic!!??

I hope I am wrong about this...
 
#3 ·
MTFR fluid

CosmosBlack said:
OOOPS! If I am not mistaken...BMW transmission oil should NOT be topped with any other oil! It is a very expensive OEM lifetime oil, and should ONLY be topped with the same oil. You highly risk messing up your transmission by doing so! Why do you go back to that crap mechanic!!??

I hope I am wrong about this...
I use Redline MTF it works best for me and is a great brand problem is $$$ but you BMW is worth it right?
 
#4 ·
shit cosmos, i haven't driven much yet, but on tuesday i have an appointment to see my good mechanic. should i have him drain all the tranny oil and replace? or would that be too simple?

i hope ur wrong too!

im not gonna let them touch it again unless they are doing exactly what i wanted them to and it is something easy.

btw, would lucas transmission oil be stupid to put in a bmw tranny?
 
#5 · (Edited)
I suggest you hold on till DT or somebody else confirm what I'm saying is correct.
BMW claims that it's a lifetime fluid and does not require changing (says in the manual as well).
However, if it needs to be replaced for any reason, I think the correct transmission fluid is Dexron ll.

I remember my BMW indy mechanic telling me not to let any Tom Dick or Harry touch my transmission fluid. He said becoz' some people mess with that fluid (top up or change with different brands, etc) they could end up messing up the transmission.

A new 540i auto transmission would run something like $4-$5000 installed if I remember correctly. So, don't take any risk unless you are sure of what you're doing.
 
#6 ·
Ok, I just checked the technical manual.
Forget what I said about Dexron II which is for the other model transmissions.
I don't know which transmission is in the E39 540i,
but the one in the '95 E34 540i (which might be similar) is a A5S 560Z.
There is a caution on the ATF service for this specific transmission:

CAUTION-
The A5S 560Z uses a semi-synthetic ATF,
only available from an authorized BMW dealer.
Dexron must not be used in the A5S 560Z transmission.
 
#7 ·
i'm gonna drive as little as possible until tuesday and just have them diagnos the leak and possibly fix it along with draining the fluid and refilling it with the correct fluid.

my only question is if it is enough to just drain and refill or would they have to do some kind of flushing to be sure whatever was put in won't damage anything.

i don't know, it could be just be but i have always noticed a weird shifting of the car. way before this incident occured. it was as if whenever i shifted from first to second and from second to third it would sometimes get "stuck" along the way and i would have to pull it back and do it again. it usually goes all the way the second time around but it is never as smooth as when i go from third to fourth or fourth to fifth and so on. just in the early gears. any idea what this might be? it could be normal i guess, ..it is my first bmw stick shift.
 
#8 ·
I would assume Cosmos was assuming you had an auto. I thought you did too. I am pretty sure a manual isnt quite as finicky as an auto. Autos have a lot more little-bitty orifices for the fluid to travel through. Manuals are basically a big case of gears with fluid sloshing around. I would definitely ditch that mechanic though. Oil is definitely not oil, or there would only be one kind. It sounds to me like that mechanic is trying to create his own work, at your expense. Good luck...
 
#9 ·
xx00xx...I think there is a proper procedure to drain and replace transmission fluid. A BMW savvy mechanic should know how to.
I remember reading that the oil has to be at least warm or at a certain temp...etc etc...blah blah...
I'm just recalling from my poor aging mind, you should read up.
 
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