DIY: Automatic Transmission Fluid Leak FIX!! BMW 335i(e92-e93)

DIY: Automatic Transmission Fluid Leak FIX!! BMW 335i(e90-e93) ZF Transmission

Published by sammy_0559
05-30-2011

DIY: Automatic Transmission Fluid Leak FIX!! BMW 335i(e90-e93) ZF Transmission

(My First POST

)
Got this 2008 e93 BMW 335i From ADESA Auto Auction at 42,300

2 Days later found out the Transmission Was leaking, wasnt really worried about it. HPFP failed a week later

(got that fixed after a long headache)
It's been about two months now with the transmission leak no problems

but i went ahead and ordered:
1. Oil Pan and Filter Kit for Automatic Trans
2. 11 Liters of ATF(Automatic Transmission Fluid)

Only needed 6 Liters( actually 5 and 1/2) [i got the ZF Orginal stuff]
3. Multi use Transfer pump

Before You do this I am 17 years old im reeelllyy gd with cars my dad owns an auto shop

, if you follow my instructions you should be good,but still not responsible for your screwups, again im 17 not responsible

*** YOu can get the Tranny PAn and ATF From http://www.rmeuropean.com****** that where i got it

What you will need:
1. Bmw Oil Pan Filter Kit for Automatic Transmissions (24117571217)
2. 6 Liters of ATF(Automatic Transmission Fluid)83220142516(Shell M-1375.4)
3. Multi use Transfer pump
4.10 mm allen socket
5.8mm allen "KEY" (The L shaped thingy)
4.8mm socket
5. short extension
6. rachet for whatever socket size
7. Bucket for draining fluid
8.T-40(i think) for the pan bolts
9.13 mm wrench & socket
10. 10 mm socket
11. Female Torx Socket FOrgot the measurement

(for exhaust bracket removal)
__________________________
Okay Lets get started!
**Make sure car Has cooled DOwn!!!**
Use only the approved transmission fluid.
Failure to comply with this requirement will result in serious damage to the automatic transmission!

1) Put the car up on jack stands or on a lift ( lift is sooo much easier! could not imagine using a creeper and jackstands!

)

2)Remove underbody protection from under transmission pan and remove the brackets one is 10mm which is a BTCH, and one is a 13mm which is prtty eazzyy.

3) Now use the 13mm wrench and the female torx socket to remove the exhaust bracket, then use the 8mm to remove the one right under the pipes.

4)Now Get your bucket right under the drain Plug and unscrew it, and let the fluid DRAIN! once it gets to dripping state screw the plug back in (cleaner because its gonna keeeepp dripping)

5) Then get ur T-40 torx and unscrew all the bolts around the pan!

6) Now Get your new Pan and put it in place start screwing evrything in diagnolly (like you would with a tire) top then bottom screw, right then left, NE then SW, NW then SW ETC

7) DOnt be Hercules when screwing the bolts of the pan, "tight" and "snug" is good enough there is a specific Tightening torque which is : "24 11 5AZ"

(you guys can figure that out) but again "tight" and "snug" is what my dad said so that the gasket seal wont break

8) Now that the pan is in, get your 8mm Allen Key and unscrew a little bolt on the side of the tranny(kinda like a differential) its gonna take some force! ( cut my self doing this

)

9)Get your Pump and your fluid and pump away till it over flows(should be 4 liters) get someone else to help screw the bolt back in the tranny QUick! its okay if you lose a little.
(your not done yet)
10)Now if they are on jacks take it off them, if its on a lift just lower it.

11) Turn the Car on Press brake pedal to floor and shift through gears 1 to 6 several times at idle speed. Then shift to "R" and back through D then go up to M1-M6 one more time. Then Then shift to "P" position (Park

) keep car running for like 4-6 mins just to heat up for pumping the fluid into a warm tranny.

12) If you have jacks (im sorrry) put the car back on themm, if u have a lift just lift it.

13) Now unscrew the same bolt on the side of the tranny it should not leak but if it does let it. then stick the pump back in and pump till its fulllll, this is where you or your friends ninja reflexes come in screw then bolt in with as little loss of fluid as possible its okay if u loose a little. anyways your done! hope this helped more PICs attached!!

14) Put the brackets back on and the undercover

taddaaaa

Update:
here is what is needed to be done to spec. the above might be a bit confusing, but is sufficient. i was very young when i wrote it lol

Quote:

13. Transmission Fluid
After mechatronic installation the transmission must be refilled with transmission fluid. With vehicle on level
ground, transmission in park and engine not running add transmission fluid through the filler plug until
transmission fluid overflows. Install the filler plug and start the engine. With engine running remove the filler
plug and add transmission fluid until it overflows through the filler hole. Install the filler plug. With foot firmly
on the brake pedal shift PNRD
several times, pausing in each position for a few seconds. Place shifter
back into the park position. Remove the filler plug and wait until the transmission has reached 40 ° C, a
small stream of transmission fluid should overflow from the filler plug. If no fluid is visible then correct fluid
level as needed, using ZF Lifeguardfluid6 or OEM approved fluid. Install filler plug and torque to 35NM.

14. Test drive
It is recommended to clear the fault memories before driving. Should a fail safe condition occur a clean
record of events will be available for trouble shooting.

15. Final check
After
test drive allow the transmission fluid to cool to 40 ° C recheck transmission fluid with vehicle level,
transmission in park and engine running at idle speed. Correct fluid level as needed, using ZF
Lifeguardfluid6 or OEM approved fluid.
Check
for leaks in the mechatronic sleeve and oil pan area.

hopefully this helps more ppl

P.S. Im Syiran And whats been going on in syria is sad

hope everything gets better! Just wanted to raise awareness

"Were all Hamza AL-Khateeb"

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By CarbonDuc27 on 05-31-2011, 01:07 AM

Ahhh, memories....

I just did this last night(on jack stands and ramps!).

I was also doing the sealing sleeve because that was leaking. The BMW tech page is in a PDF online for that. I will add - for the sealing sleeve, I marked the 6 o'clock position on the edge of the new sleeve so it went back In the same way it came out. Saved some frustration since that is a small work area.

Great DIY. Thanks for taking the time!

By sammy_0559 on 05-31-2011, 04:37 PM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by CarbonDuc27

Sealing Sleeve? did i miss anything? (do u mean the gasket in the pan?)

By CarbonDuc27 on 05-31-2011, 11:49 PM

The mechantronic sealing sleeve is locatated just above the pan on the right side of the tranny. It protect some plugin. Older ones are known to leak (mine left a small puddle after seating for 3-4 days).

Stupid thing is the locking mechanism to hold it in place is IN the oil pan so you have to do it all.

The part is cheap- $10. Plus the pan gasket and oil.

Not required in a tranny oil change but if you have a leak it may be the culprit.

By sammy_0559 on 06-01-2011, 07:13 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by CarbonDuc27

Whoa okay so ummm i hope its not leaking!!! if it is ill get the part and do it all over again but ill leave it for another week and check if its leaking cuz i cleaned up the entire tranny with brake cleaner and elminated all the oil so i can ezzzzlly tell if its leaking

Last edited by sammy_0559; 08-18-2011 at 11:50 AM.

By queensfield on 10-06-2011, 11:25 PM

Really great DIY. Glad to see you working on your 335i.
Did u ever check out your mechatronic sleeve? If no leak, then it is probably fine. Can I ask you about the condition of the tranny fluid when you drained it? In the picture it looks clean to me (dark yellow honey color). Was that so? Thanks.

By sammy_0559 on 10-11-2011, 10:44 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by queensfield

Well i never really thought about the mechatronic sleeve but check my tranny every 2 weeks or so, but ive had no leaks, no sign of ATF fluid anywhere. The oil was that yellowish color when i drained it but i think i recall it having a light shade of red with the yellow, i think you can see it more if i took a pic of the ZF fluid. ill upload a pic of it i think i have a quart left some where at my dads shop.

By aah78 on 12-14-2011, 08:37 PM

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DIY!

for the DIY!

I"m going to have to do this sometime in the near future.

By Dr. G on 12-21-2011, 11:02 PM

Great post!

I'm gonna do this very soon as well.
I will be replacing the mechatronic sealing sleeve as well since it's only a $15 part and might as well do it just incase.

By TheRealPeterman on 12-30-2011, 12:31 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. G

Great post!

I'm gonna do this very soon as well.
I will be replacing the mechatronic sealing sleeve as well since it's only a $15 part and might as well do it just incase.

^^^^AGREED^^^^^
Just did this today, replaced with new pan/filter assy, and replaced the mech sleeve. The sleeve was the real problem, but if youre changing the pan, you might as well change the mech sleeve, its an inexpensive part, and you're down there anyway.

From what I've read on these forums, the A/T is prone to leak at the sleeve, and the common factor is people replace the pan thinking it is the one leaking when in reality it is the mech sleeve.

Called BMW Houston North and quoted me $300 just for the pan; ordered online instead and got pan PLUS 6 liters of ZF fluid for less than that price.

I agree with the kid, it is an EASY diy, and theres plenty of DIY stickies with excellent photos and PDF's available for those thinking of doing this.

#10

By alexkho on 01-09-2012, 11:16 AM

mechatronic sleeve do you guys have a part number ?

i am going to do mine really soon

leaving oil stain ... making me worry !!!

#11

By 335e92tx on 01-09-2012, 12:07 PM

Links to live by if you have a zf6hp19

http://www.thectsc.com/index.php?p=p...=187&parent=43 - filter-pan-fluid for ~245$

http://www.thectsc.com/index.php?p=p...id=3&parent=10 - Mechatronic for 15$

#12

By cdavi060 on 04-09-2012, 02:56 PM

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It would appear I have the same issue as you did?
Is the gasket made on to the pan?

I just want to make sure before I order the parts!

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...4#post11718274

Last edited by cdavi060; 04-09-2012 at 03:06 PM.

#13

By sammy_0559 on 04-09-2012, 09:00 PM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by cdavi060

It would appear I have the same issue as you did?
Is the gasket made on to the pan?

I just want to make sure before I order the parts!

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...4#post11718274

yeah the gasket is made onto the pan.

order the mechatronic sleeve with the pan and oil. its just to be safe its super cheap and ads another 10 mins to installation process, if you replace just the pan and turns out to be the sleeve your gonna have to get a new pan and the sleeve and new oil again!

so just do its easy... i LUCKED out on the sleeve! anytime you remove the pan you must get a new one.

#14

By cdavi060 on 04-14-2012, 09:56 PM

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DYI was perfect. Completed this today.
One thing to note is you really have to press the new mechatronic sleeve in hard to get the lock to slide up. Hopefully no more leak!!

#15

By sammy_0559 on 04-14-2012, 10:21 PM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by cdavi060

DYI was perfect. Completed this today.
One thing to note is you really have to press the new mechatronic sleeve in hard to get the lock to slide up. Hopefully no more leak!!

Im glad this helped

now if they could just add this to the master list or STICKY it!

#16

By zigsman on 04-21-2012, 07:20 PM

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Topping Off

Just a heads up, I don't think you mentioned it, but the car must be running and in neutral or park when you top the fluid off the second time around (as per the service manual). You get more fluid in when it's running. It may not be a huge deal, but, generally speaking, you can't go wrong when following the service manual. (I just did the tranny service, sealing sleeve, and mechatronics seal adapter two weeks ago). If anyone is having troubles with rough shifting or a "bump" between gears, it is LIKELY the seal adapter which sits on top of the mechatronics and seals a port between the body of the tranny and mechatronics. My car runs like new now!

UPDATE: The rough shifting or "bump" was actually caused by a bad solenoid...I replaced them all and NOW my car runs like new!

Last edited by zigsman; 12-05-2012 at 05:14 PM. Reason: Update

#17

By sammy_0559 on 04-22-2012, 12:57 PM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by zigsman

Thanks for the Info!

#18

By g_man0132 on 04-24-2012, 07:48 PM

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Sealing Sleeve DIY

Went away for a couple of months on business and came back to find a stain on the garage floor. Took my car in to the local BMW dealer and was told the mechatronics sealing sleeve failed. Quoted at just over $700 parts and labor so I decided to see if it was something I could do. With this DIY, ATF change kit from CTSC and instructions on changing the sealing sleeve (6_speed_sleeve_replacement.pdf) I got the courage to take on the task

.

Dropping the pan was relatively easy, although I had to use my kung-fu grip to loosen all the torx screws around the pan.
Removing the old mechatronics sealing sleeve was a little tricky because I have big hands and there is very little room to play with. I could only use 2 fingers at a time to try and maneuver the mechatronics plug around.

I used a pair of pliers to pull the old sleeve out which of course had the faulty OEM orange colored o rings. (Thank you BMW for charging me $700 to fix your mistake.

)

Properly seating the new sealing sleeve was not too difficult at first. Just rotate the new sealing sleeve while GENTLY applying pressure inward until you feel a click, then go ahead and give it a push. Here is a pic of a properly seated sleeve. Note the notch lined up with the male end of the mechatronics connection.

At this point, the sealing sleeve locking mechanism was giving me fits of rage

. The locking mechanism refused to budge until I applied some more pressure inward on the sealing sleeve while pushing up on the locking mechanism, then it finally locked into place.

It took me a while to get the mechatronics plug lined up with the pins in the transmission. Did it by slowly rotating the plug the same way I set the sleeve in place. There is a notch that has to line up perfectly or it will not work. Here is a good look at the plug and the notch.

Finally connected the plug with some patience, ok, a lot of patience

After installing a new pan, it was time to fill the transmission case with ATF. I used the ZF Lifeguard6 that was included in the kit from CTSC. When I drained the pan I got about 5 1/2 quarts of fluid.

The fill plug was a beast to remove!! I had to spray a little WD-40 and use the lug nut key from my e36's trunk kit for extra leverage.

Even had a little scare when the hex key slipped and dug a gouge out of the fill plug

I would recommend opening the fill plug BEFORE draining the pan. Just in case you strip the drain plug you don't end up with an empty tranny case crisis on your hands

. Filled with just over 3 quarts of fluid when the case got full, closed the fill plug and idle'd for 5 min. Opened the fill plug again and added another 2 quarts. Idled for another 5 min, then added another half quart. Five and a half total quarts of fluid. Test drove around the neighborhood in MS mode went through all 6 gears smoothly.

Also this was very messy!! There was so much fluid on the garage floor, it looked like a hospital delivery room. Make sure you have plenty of hot towels and bandages! Or kitty litter to help soak up fluids.

Of course the big test is whether there is a stain again on the garage floor. So far so good no ATF leaking.

Thanks to sammy_0559

good job on the DIY

. It inspired me to take on this DIY. In yo face BMW dealer!

#19

By cdavi060 on 04-25-2012, 09:05 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by g_man0132

....

...Thanks to sammy_0559

good job on the DIY

. It inspired me to take on this DIY. In yo face BMW dealer!

Exactly how it went for me. This is becoming a great DYI with a bunch of good information. I suggest everyone perform this rather than pay the dealer.

#20

By sammy_0559 on 05-01-2012, 04:20 PM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by g_man0132

Thanks to sammy_0559

good job on the DIY

. It inspired me to take on this DIY. In yo face BMW dealer!

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdavi060

Exactly how it went for me. This is becoming a great DYI with a bunch of good information. I suggest everyone perform this rather than pay the dealer.

No problem glad i can help

and thanks G_man! for the sleeve ill add this in the original DIY pretty soon!!

#21

By aflyrice on 05-19-2012, 10:04 PM

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great diy. change out my tranny fluid, pan and mechatronic sleeve today. marking the sleeve will make it easier to line up the notch so you know how to put the new one in. if your having a hard time taking or putting the sleeve in just slowing wiggle it up and down while you try to take it out or put it. it made it alot easier for me when i did this. also having small hands help when removing the sleeve.

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