[Greyfox]

BTW... I had a "tick" about every 3 - 4 seconds while idling right after I did this. I took it out this morning for a "test" run on the back roads and then interstate to make sure the transmission was functioning correctly. After the run the ticking has stopped.

[mhadden]

I also wanted to thank the OP for this DIY. I ended up with my E90 328i a little over two years ago and had to get the auto thanks in part because of my wife (she refuses to drive a stick and needed the ability to take my car [thankfully, that's no longer the case and a MT will be in order for the next Bimmer]). If you follow this DIY "to the T" it'll serve you well. I don't have the luxury of a lift so it was quite the pain (and work out!!!) to get this done, but it was only a bit more difficult compared to an oil change. Removing the 17 bolts from the pan is time consuming and pumping oil back in with just about a foot of clearance was a pain. But now the car seems to be shifting smoother.

I will update when I get my results from BS.

Thanks again!

[johnnyspeed]

Great info on forum! Just read every post I could find, my car is 2011 328i with 53,000 miles and "kick down/shift down issues... still have questions:
1. Driving at low speed and gently accelerating the car starts jerking like transmission has major issue?
2. Could this be low fluid or worn out fluid or motor sensor issue?

Just spoke to local Indy and he wants to ck engine codes to look for error messages. He did not sound like he thought it was transmission related.

I inquired about transmission service and I think he alluded to 100,000 miles before needing. And his service is $600 so obviously most folks are probably happy to hear they don't need this until 100k. I think I read in earlier post from Blackstone oil analysis that around 30k was better idea and certainly makes more sense to me... OR AT LEAST at 50k?

Could anyone PLEASE state your opinions on this matter. Your help would be MUCH appreciated.

I am tempted to drain what will drain w/o pulling pan and filter, then fill what will fill and see if any change... then a week or so later, do complete pan, gasket, filter change to get all fluid cleaned up.

And after reading that maybe 11 or 15 quarts are in entire system, should we do 2 or 3 flushes w/o pan removal and THEN do complete job? Sounds like overkill I know but gotta love that clean oil in my baby's tummy. Not to mention, sure hate hearing about SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLAR TRANSMISSIONS! LOL...

[yeagermeister]

Have just done this. Huge thanks to iflyjetzzz for the write-up!

About a week after, I got the 578E Gearbox oil wear code (which I can't clear with my iPhone reader.)

Any ideas what would cause this with new fluid? I have checked the fluid again, no issues there.

[Chuck W.]

Originally Posted by yeagermeister

About a week after, I got the 578E Gearbox oil wear code

Any ideas what would cause this with new fluid? I have checked the fluid again, no issues there.

How many miles did you have on the transmission when you changed it? What year is the car?

A guess would be that some sludge or other debris from the old fluid broke loose and hit the sensor..... which I had no idea there was one!

If it is running well and filled properly I would get the code cleared and live happily ever after.

[yeagermeister]

Originally Posted by Chuck W.

How many miles did you have on the transmission when you changed it? What year is the car?

A guess would be that some sludge or other debris from the old fluid broke loose and hit the sensor..... which I had no idea there was one!

If it is running well and filled properly I would get the code cleared and live happily ever after.

116k, 2007 328xi. Certainly possible there was some debris floating around, now hopefully trapped in the new filter!

[bvanderhaar]

Thanks for posting this - I'm super happy we have resources for DIYers. Just did this on a 3/08 build date 328xi with 94k miles.

• Fill plug is easier with a 17mm box end wrench; I could barely fit a ratchet wrench
• I stripped the 5mm hex drain bolt. It was rusty. Needed to use an extraction bit to get it out.
• The pan and magnet had dirt on them; nothing significant IMO
• About 5 quarts came out, plus some spillage. The old oil looked and smelled fine - just darker than new oil
• I got about 5.5 quarts of Red Line D6 back in - I didn't need to add any after shifting through gears. About half went in before starting the car; the other half after starting it up.

I honestly think this was early to change the oil; I might be in the lifetime oil camp on this transmission. Changing the rear diff oil seems to be time well spent - I'm not sure I feel the same on the ATF change.

Edit: from a cold start (36 hrs) this morning the ATF seemed to make some additional noise. The shift from park to reverse was very tight. The remainder of the drive and shifts were fine. Really hoping this was just an anomaly.

[DAKn2]

I plan on doing this in the next few weeks and have a quick question –

Are most of you having an issue removing the old o-ring/metal seal? If so are you using the old one or removing it as detailed in post 8 of this thread?

[WiL335i]

I found a good instructional video on how to change the filter and fluid on our ZF transmission. Check it out. Enjoy!

[DAKn2]

Originally Posted by WiL335i

I found a good instructional video on how to change the filter and fluid on our ZF transmission. Check it out. Enjoy!

As you stated -that is for a ZF transmission - this thread is for the GM 6L45R transmission.

[Stupenal]

Just a quick note - not all e9X 328i come with the GM transmission.

Mine is a 2007 e92 328i n52. I bought the GM transmission filter plus gasket from rmeuropean and got around to changing the fluid today. Lo and behold, I get under the car and see the yellow sticker instead of the green sticker. Odd...how can this be...

Then I looked on the transmission itself and saw a very distinctive ZF stamped logo. Confirmed my car came with the ZF transmission via vin decoder

lesson learned - double check with the vin decoder before buying parts

http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi

GA6L45R - GM

GA6HP19Z - ZF

[hting]

The o-ring could be a bitch to replace. A lot of threads on other forums mention about this GM transmission and how difficult it is to remove the filter o ring. A lot of pros advice to just leave it because the rubber seal on the OEM filter won't harden and should not be required to replace it. However, those that use off-market parts is a different issue and it should be examined for leaks.

I ran into the same issue and has made a tool myself to address the problem. It only cost me about $2 hardware and its really handy :
Go to the hardware store and buy a 6" PVC 3/4" size with threads on both ends. A steel joint for the sliding hammering. Other get a 3/4" PVC tee to join the pieces together.
Examine the enclosed picture :








Twist the threaded PVC end into the rubber seal. Try to turn it clockwise with the t-handle as much as possible. You want the thread to bite onto the rubber seal. Once you are satisfied that the tool is anchored securely to the rubber seal, then you can use the sliding steel piping join, using it as a sliding hammer to wack the seal out. Warning, the seal might still be too tight to pull out, then just use a long screwdriver using it as a fulcrum anchoring it at the t-handle. The seal will come out intact and you avoid the problem of marring the aluminium hole.

[Greyfox]

Going to have to try the T-Tool.

This will be my second fluid change and I didn't pull the seal on the first one. Don't think I want to press my luck on it lasting to the third fluid change.

[BMWX128I]

Hi! Someone asked the question earlier in the thread, but I couldn't find an answer. Does anyone know if the GA6L45 transmission suffer from the same problem with the sealing sleeve? I'm changing transmission oil and filter at bmw in a couple of weeks, but I don't know if I should have them to replace the sealing sleeve? I have a 2010. Does anyone know if it's only a zf problem, and if not if it's only earlier models that had problems with the sealing sleeve? Kind regards Andreas, Sweden.

[rothwem]

I did my ATF this past weekend. Overall, it was a pretty terrible process, I don't think I'll be DIYing it the next time I do this. On the x-drive cars, the bracket pictured in this pic from pelican parts was in the way:



I had a lot of trouble getting the fill plug back in, but maybe I've just got giant hands. I tried to take off the bracket, but I needed an external torx box wrench, which I didn't have. I eventually got the plug in, but I cut my finger up and burned myself on the exhaust.

Originally Posted by Greyfox

Going to have to try the T-Tool.

This will be my second fluid change and I didn't pull the seal on the first one. Don't think I want to press my luck on it lasting to the third fluid change.

The o-ring gave me some trouble too, but I was able to get it off by using a small flat head and a mallet to collapse the metal ring that surrounds the rubber inwards. Once I had a notch, I was able to put the flat head in that notch and tap with the hammer to spin the seal out.

Also, my trans fluid was way overdue. Check out this pic here of my oil fluid at 108k:

[bvanderhaar]

Originally Posted by rothwem

I did my ATF this past weekend. Overall, it was a pretty terrible process, I don't think I'll be DIYing it the next time I do this. On the x-drive cars, the bracket pictured in this pic from pelican parts was in the way:



I had a lot of trouble getting the fill plug back in, but maybe I've just got giant hands. I tried to take off the bracket, but I needed an external torx box wrench, which I didn't have. I eventually got the plug in, but I cut my finger up and burned myself on the exhaust.



The o-ring gave me some trouble too, but I was able to get it off by using a small flat head and a mallet to collapse the metal ring that surrounds the rubber inwards. Once I had a notch, I was able to put the flat head in that notch and tap with the hammer to spin the seal out.

Also, my trans fluid was way overdue. Check out this pic here of my oil fluid at 108k:

I have 2008 328xi. I remember having some trouble putting the fill plug back in and not burning myself on the exhaust - but I wore long sleeves and may have put a towel over my arms and/or the exhaust. I know I used my fingers to get the plug in initially and I didn't tighten the plug until the car was off.

I really don't know how to tell fluid quality; but I'm surprised everyone is saying it has to be done. At 93K mine was still red (darker, but red). It'd be nice to know the actual need from BMW or GM engineer. It's an annoyingly messy job.

[AlisoBob]

Nice thread.... but here are a few thoughts from my perspective.

1. Yes, the filter needs to be serviced, the dump drain, and refill method just isn't enough. As the filter plugs up, the line pressure in the trans goes down, and friction material wear increases.

2 .Dex VI is one on the worst fluids GM ever came up with. It was mandated to meet a ultra low viscosity requirement from the upper brass, to try to raise fuel economy of the GM fleet. Its not known for good shifts, or prolonging transmission life. I own several GM products in my personal life, as well as the company I own. The first thing I do when adding a vehicle is dump out that DEX VI.

So, what to use then?

Allison Transmissions (a division of GM) had Castrol invent a "Super Dex VI" to address the shortcomings of DEX VI, and boy did they deliver! The fluid is known as "Transynd", and carries the identifier TES-295. Several companies make a licensed version, they are listed here.

http://www.allisontransmission.com/p...highway-fluids

Here's how I service a GM / DEX VI transmission.

1. Drain pan, remove pan, replace filter, install pan.
2. Fill with a TES-295 fluid ( I use Mobil Delvac) Get the level close, but you dont need to be exact. Run the car for about 5 minutes and then drain the pan again. ( no need to drop the pan, just drain it) This is known as a "Double Dump" and will swap out about 90+% of the fluid. Now refill it again, and do spend the time to get the temp up, and set the fluid level accurately.

And that's it. This fluid is designed to go a minimum of 100,000 miles, in city buses, dump trucks, and other HIGHLY stressed applications where DEX VI would fail in no time.

For anyone wanting more info on TES-295 fluids, here is good read directly from Allison:

"When using Allison Lube spec TES 295 fluid, change intervals should be as follows:
Fluid life: 150,000 miles / 6,000 hours
Lube/Auxiliary Filter (if used): 75,000 miles / 3,000 hours
Internal Filter : Changed only during transmission overhauls
Initial 10,000 mile change:Not required with TES 295 fluids

Using any oil not listed as TES 295 approved or a non-Allison genuine filter may void your warranty.
Also note that effective January 2010, per Allison Service TIP 1099N, Allison no longer authorizes the use of DEXRON® III or IV in any of its transmissions."

As always, do your own research, but I've yet to have ANY transmission issues since switching everything over to a TES-295 fluid.

[Trespassers W]

Did my second fluid change at 81,000 (the first one was at 50,000). Both times the old fluid came out dark but not dirty, there was some sediment on the pan and around the magnet though.

Couple of lessons learned/tips:

1. I don't think there is a way to extract old O-ring without destroying it. I used a flat screwdriver to carefully pry the metal part toward the center and then got the ring out using a metal hook. Wish I saw hting's post about his tool, I would make one for myself next time. Bentley manual tells to put the new O-ring on a filter and push it into place. This simply doesn't work - the ring is too tight. I used a piece of 1-1/4 round wood dowel to tap it into place.

2. Get a magic marker and write the bolt tightening sequence numbers on the pan itself. It saves time by not having to look at the picture and finding the right bolt as you tighten them.

Overall not too hard DIY, just be careful of that exhaust pipe as you fill and check the fluid level.

[AoS810]

Thanks for the great DIY! I'll be tackling it this weekend using Valvoline. I'll be doing a drain and fill, drive couple thousand miles, then complete drop the pan and replace filter as I do my next engine oil change.

According to chinna_n's post #39, torque for Transmission Pan bolts is 7lb-ft only..

Is anyone able to share their experience for torque values for the drain and fill plugs? i.e. bentley manual etc. or is this not even a major concern and just use reasonable hand tightening?

- James

*EDIT* I found the torque values from the Bentley manual! For the GM GA6L45R (this DIY): torque the drain plug to 14Nm (10ft-lbs), and the fill plug to 19Nm (14ft-lbs).

[The Nightman]

Thanks for the DIY and torque values. I'll be doing this shortly (currently at 70k mi) and bought the BMW filter and gasket from FCP (price matched ECS). If anyone is curious, the filter is made in Germany by Filtran and the gasket is made in USA but there are no markings to indicate the manufacturer. Maybe Felpro?

As for fluid, I bought 6 qt of Motomaster Dexron VI from Canadian Tire. It is licensed and fully synthetic.

[AoS810]

Update to my earlier post, I waited about 5.5K miles (lazy) between my initial drain and fill (did not drop pan to clean and replace filter). I only used about 5.5qts for the drain and fill.. however this past weekend I drained, dropped the pan, cleaned the pan with CRC brake cleaner, replaced transmission filter and put new drain and fill plugs.

I thought I had enough transmission fluid ( 6 qts Valvoline Dexron VI from Amazon) but I ended up having to make a trip to pickup 2 more quarts (just in case) and was able to put in close to another quart (7 qts total) before the fluid started to come out of the fill hole.. I made sure my transmission temps were between the 30c to 50c range (it was around 39c before it started coming out).. so just a heads up you may want an extra quart around to avoid the "oh $hit" reaction I had.

[Greyfox]

The plumbing "T" tool worked perfectly for removing the seal.

But to get the seal back into place I had to use a 24mm socket with a 17mm socket inside it on a 10" extension to get it to pop back into place.