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Old 03-21-2010, 07:59 AM   #1
dbsiphone
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Default manual Trans maint

I finally got another day off, I was going to replace my transmission fluid and hope to get rid of some of my second gear grinding (only grinds when first run after about 10 minutes its fine - 11/97 318ti active). I know the book tells me what I need, Im going to probably just look by the plug to be sure.

Royal Purple? Redline? Redline seems to be more expensive, I'm not trying to cheap out, but I dont race either (if you dont count when im late for work).

Anything else I can check/replace while im back there? i'm pretty sure I'm going to swap out for the ZF transmission when it finally looses second(its "fine" now not sure how long it has but Ive drivin way worse transmissions for much father than I plan on taking this one)
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Old 03-21-2010, 06:26 PM   #2
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I've got Redline fluid in mine, it's expensive but not bad when you consider how long it lasts
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Old 03-22-2010, 02:58 PM   #3
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so i called the BMW dealer and he says the computer told him any Dex3 ATF. he had castrol and texico and stuff listed but... also i need 8.8 liters if i have torque converter and 7.8 without. I'm lost? Worst case is i just buy 10 quarts and fill it till it spills out?

Still on the fence for Purple or Redline will make the decision when im at the store i guess but "any" Dex3 will work?
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Old 03-22-2010, 04:52 PM   #4
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1.2 quarts of fluid. 8.8 if you have an automatic transmission, which you do not.
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Old 03-24-2010, 04:40 PM   #5
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Thx to all (and to the OP that had the 3rd gear synchro problem that gave me the royal purple name drop). I finally got under there and did the deed. I had drivin it home from work so it already had its warm up period so it was shifting "fine". I put he purp in it and it seems "better" but i wont know for sure till it sits the rest of the day and i get to go to work with it cold. But i have to say it feels less smooth now, more "mechanical" i can feel the out of first and into second on the shifter and it seems alot more "sure of itself". *edit* I ended up using the 75w-140 purple stuff (cuz they were out of Sunny D) i thought i wanted Synchromax, just cuz i thought my synchro was the problem but the guy at the shop showed me the chart that said : BMW 1998 & newer no label (SHC 630) Max-Gear 75W90 and i used the heavier. Should i drain it now? haha

Bad news is I thought my oil leak was at the valve gasket (its squishy like the PO opened it up) so i turned the bolts down just a tad to make sure it was on tight. While i was under the TI i could see fresh oil coming off the front of the engine, not gushing or nothing and i been checking it every fill up and havent noticed any loss, but definatly fresh oil under it unlike the old oil i found up top. So i got my buddy (who knows less about BMW than i do if thats possible, but WAY more about engines to poke around) and his best guess is the front seal. If ur standing under the front tires looking radiator to tranny there is a pully right at the very bottom of the engine and it seems to be coming from behind that.

I keep a close eye on the driveway everyday (before this) and i cannot find "an oil stain" maybe a drop or two of discoloration but nothing I can claim as mine. So obviously if i worry this much about changing the tranny fluid, no way i can tackle the front seal on my own, and my buddy didnt even want to climb under it to give me advice. How bad is it? I'm not worried about running it dry or nothing just trying to figure out price bad, time away from car bad.

Last edited by dbsiphone; 03-24-2010 at 04:44 PM. Reason: i dont deserve a bmw
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Old 03-24-2010, 05:05 PM   #6
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Take a closer look. Most likely you have a oil filter housing gasket failure. Lot's of people mistake this for a front main seal. Look in the knowledge base for the article on doing the repair. It shows what to look for and how to fix it.
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Old 03-25-2010, 03:57 AM   #7
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Dave, this is exactly what it looks like on my car (but no spots in the driveway), great DIY in the knowledgebase thanks for the heads up.

Just a note, started her up cold and banged gears like i was 16 again. No crunchies at all. There seems to be alot more... resistance? shifting now. I think i probably went a little overboard with 75w140, 75w90 probably would have given me a smoother shift but about a thousand times better than it was before.
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Old 03-25-2010, 07:18 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dbsiphone View Post
Just a note, started her up cold and banged gears like i was 16 again. No crunchies at all.
Sigh. I have seen so many people destroy engines by running them like that while cold. Transmissions also need to heat up too
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Old 03-25-2010, 07:24 PM   #9
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lol well i was being a little over excited about how much better it is :P but point takin
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