[sw0ggd0gg]

No it was 8 quarts that i replaced.

[Ph0zenstone]

Just curious If anyone has done this with Redline D6? I plan on ordering some from amazon soon. What is the capacity? I've seen posts ranging from 5qts to 11qts...

[Ph0zenstone]

I just ordered my parts thru the BMWPartsstore.com which seems to be cheaper than Tischer. I would also recommend replacing both the fill and drain bolts as they have washers that should be replaced anytime you change the oil.

Here is my shopping list for this transmission fluid change
Transmission filter (# 24-11-7-593-565) $43.32
Gasket (# 24-11-7-572-618) $39.02
Oil Drain bolt(24-11-7-572-622) $1.51
Oil Fill bolt (24147572603) $13.38
Redline D6 fluid (from Amazon) - $11.49 x 7 quarts

[Ph0zenstone]

so after doing my transmission fluid change, i experienced the same issue as the other member where i was only able to drain 4 qts out, but i was able to put in about 6 qts. Any ideas why?

[ska///235i]

No expert but old oil gets burn and thicken, so it should be normal to have less drain out

[Ph0zenstone]

One other issue i had was that the space for the fill plug was pretty tight that it took me a while to screw it back in while the car was running and fluid dripping out. Im hoping the tranny isn't underfilled but i did manage to use up 6 qts of the D6 fluid so i'm not too concerned. Is there a better way to get the fill plug on in a timely fashion when the tranny is still at operating temp? I didn't have an IR Thermometer so i'm not sure what temperate the tranny was when i closed the fill plug. It seems by the time i was able to actually tighten the screw the temperature may have already risen past the recommended level

[humbertob]

I just did mine last weekend, just flushed 5 qts of oil from the trans and put back another 5 qts into the trans. I used RedLine trans fluid from ECSTUNING and replaced both plugs (drain and fill) as well as the 17 bolts in the trans oil pan. The trans now shifts smoother than before and I expect to do one flush more again until 100K. Thanks for this awesome DIY guide !

[MJ777LR]

Great DIY, thanks for putting this up! I've seen quite a few posts about the Mechatronics sleeve leaking on the ZF gearboxes, and most people recommend changing the sleeve when dropping the pan. Is this a common problem on the GM transmission, or is this just an issue on the ZF units? Do the GM units have a Mechatronics sleeve?

I've got 120,000 miles on my 328i right now, and I'm not sure if the fluid has been changed previously. Really on the fence right now as to whether I should go ahead and drain & refill with new fluid, or drive it till the transmission dies. Can anyone who has done this on a higher mileage car chime in on whether they ran into any issues after the drain & refill?

[Chuck W.]

Originally Posted by MJ777LR

Can anyone who has done this on a higher mileage car chime in on whether they ran into any issues after the drain & refill?

I did my daughter's '07 328I just shy of 100,000 miles. It now has over 105,000 miles. We could not tell any difference in the transmission shifting before or after the change. It is kind of like changing the engine oil. It's dirty and needs to be changed. You may not necessarily notice any change. There is no reason to run dirty fluid until the trans dies just as there would be no reason to not change the engine oil until the engine dies. Do it!

[MJ777LR]

Chuck W, thanks for the input. I usually change out all the fluids in my car once a year, engine oil is an exception, which I do about every 3 to 4 months. The only one I haven't touched is the transmission fluid. Years ago on my previous car (not a BMW, but another European make), before I was mechanically savvy enough to work on my own cars, I had sent that car to an auto shop to do a transmission flush. This ended up costing me a new transmission. The gears kept slipping after that and it never shifted properly again. Apparently the shift solenoids were stuck.

Hence my indecisiveness to touch the fluid on my E90. I'd like to keep the transmission healthy of course, but am wondering if the mileage is too high now that I'd be doing more harm than good by replacing the fluid. Most comments I've seen post-change have been positive ones, but those were also on cars with much lower miles.

[wmb0000]

Since I have a 2008 E93 328I, I would assume my transmission is GM 6L45R? Is this correct, if not where can I find out which one so I can get the correct fluid.

[MJ777LR]

Just to share my experience... I finally did the drain and fill (minus pan drop/filter replacement) on my 328i for the first time today, just shy of 124000 miles. Drained out about 3.5 qts and took about 4 qts going back in. The old fluid was a very dark brown, with a very slight hint of red, but didn't smell burnt.

The result: incredible. It shifts so much smoother, I don't even feel any jerks in the shifts anymore. Drove it around quite a bit and haven't noticed any abnormalities or slipping either. Absolutely well worth it.

I am planning to do a second drain and fill after a few more weeks of driving so I can get more of the old fluid out, this time with a complete pan drop & filter/gasket replacement.

[Chuck W.]

Originally Posted by MJ777LR

Just to share my experience... I finally did the drain and fill
The result: incredible.

Cool

[SilentAttack]

Im guessing this same DIY works on the 2009 model 328i xdrive BMW's right? It looks like the 328i/328i xdrive both have the GM tranny. I plan on just getting factory fluid to do the replace, I see alot of people switching to RedLine but it seems like combining the fluids would cause problems...

[cnguyen84]

Is it safe to just do a drain and refill without dropping the pan and replacing the filter?

[Chuck W.]

Originally Posted by cnguyen84

Is it safe to just do a drain and refill without dropping the pan and replacing the filter?

Safe, yes. However, it won't be nearly as effective as doing the job correctly. And, if you are gong to the point of jacking the car up you might as well do it the right (most thorough) way.

[chinna_n]

Hi iflyjetzzz,

Thanks for wonderful guide and pictures, it made me do a flush much more comfortable. Instead simply drain and fill, I went with filter, and gasket and removed pan after seeing your tutorial.

All went well, but few things I might want to add as tips are:

1. Drain plugs need 5mm allen wrench (or equivalent hex bit).
2. 17 mm open spanner for fill plug

Torque for Transmission Pan bolts is 7lb-ft only.

So do not over tighten. Initially I tried my mid range torque wrench which start at 5lb-ft, but I felt it is not accurate at such a low range as it taking more torque than I was expecting. I picked smaller one and use 84in-lb, which turned out good idea.


If you are using jack/ramp like me without access to lifts, make sure car is level.

I used ramps in the front and jack stands in the rear. But it was tilted little bit Ramp height was not enough.
So I had to put jack under engine and lift it little bit to level front to back. Other wise your fill level may be incorrect.

Also check level side to side also. I observed it was little bit titled to passenger side, so before filling I leveled with jack. So leveling is very important, otherwise you may under-fill or overfill the transmission.

I did one silly mistake. I filled while engine running, and made sure transmission temp is between 30-50C. (when I started draining it was around 44c and by the time I completed filling, it was around 34C).

By the time I filled, exhaust got hot, and without thinking I turned off engine, forgetting oil will come out of fill hole. Oil started pouring down, then I started right away and closed the plug.

I ended up losing about a quart, so had to go and get a quart, fill it while engine running. Total I filled about 5.8qt. But just drain and fill also should accept about 5qt if leveled correctly. last remaining will not drain because drain hole is higher than bottom of the transmission pan.

I also had a "tap" like iflyjetzzz had it on first start. But on subsequent starts it is gone. I am guessing it is air in the system, and once air is out, it is good.

My car has 105k miles, and always shifted perfect, and it is shifting same way. I have not noticed any change, for better or worse!

To my surprise, drained oil is in better condition than I expected. Though it is darker it still has red tinge to it, and good feel to it. Better than 60k oil (supposed lifetime oil) from my Prius transmission recently.

Thanks all great for great contribution!

[kawasaki00]

Just changed the fluid and filter on our 328 this weekend. Used the OEM filter and gasket from dealer and about 7qts of Castrol Dexron 6. 60k miles in the car and it definitely started shifting more slowly and jerky. After all it is a GM transmission, they like fluid changes anyway. From the moment I first took it up the street it was a big difference.
Anyone that has not done this yet should really consider it.
I did not get the tapping that some people get, as soon as it was full I shut it off and did a subsequent start/shut off 3 times in about 10 second intervals to purge any air out.

[DAKn2]

So is everyone adding sealant; or just using the new gasket?

[dcaron9999]

Originally Posted by DAKn2

So is everyone adding sealant; or just using the new gasket?

Did gasket only, and went with OEM gasket versus genuine BMW. BMW genuine gasket that I took off had no sealant either. I cleaned and used emery cloth sand paper to clean both mating surfaces prior to re-install.

[Greyfox]

Did this yesterday. Drained 4 qts and took 4.5 to fill it back up @ 127k.

What surprised me the most was the fluid that came out was just a slightly darker red than new fluid. I drive ~650 miles a week, most being on the interstate with a few stops and go's when I hit a major city.

One note, I didn't use jack stands to hold my car up. Just had all kinds of heebie jeebies about getting under a running car on jack stands. I built 4 cribbing stands and jacked the car up in stages and put them under the wheels. Gave me a good 20 to 22 inches of clearance under the car.

Here's the link of the design I used. Though I added chocks on the top section.

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/wiki/wo...o-jack-stands/

Also, due to the way BMW suspensions work you need to watch how the suspension "spreads" as the car is lowered down on to the cribs. I had to jack the car back up, slide the top section over 1/4 to 1/2 inch and then lower it back down to make sure they were square standing.

[Chuck W.]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

One note, I didn't use jack stands to hold my car up. Just had all kinds of heebie jeebies about getting under a running car on jack stands. I built 4 cribbing stands and jacked the car up in stages and put them under the wheels. Gave me a good 20 to 22 inches of clearance under the car.

Very smart. I did it with cheap jack stands and just shake my head in disgust. I was dumb to use them. There is a thread on another car forum discussing the failure of cheap "ratchet" type jack stands. The pole with a pin is a much safer way to go.

Thanks for posting this and the link. Oh, and nice job on the flush.