[gaza01]

So thought id start a maintenance thread. Not seen one on here before so thinking i'd do one as like my build thread, i'll be doing as much as i can myself.

Build thread here - http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=946858

Currently the car has done 60k miles and not due a CBS service until another 8k miles but though i'd carry out some maintenance regardless.

Planned for yesterday as i hired a lift for the day was:

Transmission fluid, filter and mechatronic sleeve - bought the original ZF kit from eurocarparts. Comes with the sleeve, 8 litres of ZF long life fluid and the sump pan with integrated filter. Huge thanks to Steve (Oldgreysteve) at A1 for the heads up on what to get!

Engine oil and filter - Castrol 5W30 and Mann filter

Rear diff oil - Fuchs fully syn 75W90

However because i was also fitting dp this took most of my time so i only got through the engine oil and rear diff oil

But u can see in the pics that the tranny is weeping from the sleeve so will get this done in december when i can take time off to hire the lift again.

Next planned maintenance:
Brake fluid
Power steering fluid

EDIT!
PCV valve, oil catch can and walnut blasting by A1...as i've been reading up on this and they are all intertwined and would be prudent to do together.

Water pump and thermostat

Serpentine belt

At which point i believe i could then move on to the suspension...control arms etc!

[old grey steve]

So tranny all sorted! Leak from memory was mechatronics plug(picture 2) and as most the offside rear of the sump and frontal section of the sump where over time the oil manages to get past the seal(the sump distorts slightly due to age/heat)and it starts to progressively leak.

Obviously at the time you rightly concentrated on getting everything bolted up but did you apply a small bead of silicon around the sump once bolted up, we do this purely as a preventive measure to contain oil in later life as again in time it's going eventually leak again(it just helps contain the fluid)

So you wanna walnut blast.... Let me know at the same time it won't hurt to hoist the car in the air run a bead of silicon round the sump if you haven't done itand I guess re set your adaptations(which is a key thing with these cars post work)

[gaza01]

Steve i didnt have time to do the tranny. Will sort it in 2 wks or so...but yeah will be coming to you for walnut blasting soon

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by gaza01

Steve i didnt have time to do the tranny. Will sort it in 2 wks or so...but yeah will be coming to you for walnut blasting soon

Ah sorry well when you install ensure you've got some silicon in tie you don't need loads just a thin but accurately placed need of the stuff(we use clear)as it helps in later life identify where leak issues are

[gaza01]

So today i tackled the transmission fluid and sump/filter change. I also did another engine oil and filter change. I used the new oil i put in 2 weeks ago as a flush to get out the last of all the crappy stingy oil that was in there!

So then...
Dropped the stone shields...all three of them!!!...jeeese!!
Sleeve was leaking as per the pics above.

First things first i slackened the fill plug bolt. Wanted to make sure i could get fluid in before i drained the transmission. Now this bolt was on TIGHT! Eventually got it loose then proceeded to loosen the drain plug. The fluid that came out was black and horrible. It didnt smell burnt but definitely looked like it had passed its life span! Collected some in a clear bottle for a visual!

Then loosened all the sump bolts and drained the last bit of fluid....well actually probably about another litre came out so its defo advisable to not just change the fluid but drop the sump and get a new one on. There is also quiet a bit of sludge build up in the sump so again another reason to change it.

Once drained and the sump was off i swapped the old mechatronic sleeve for the new one. U could see where the o ring on the old one was deformed and probably the cause of the leak.

I then cleaned up the the surface where the sump mounts to, lightly oiled it then, oiled the o ring on the sump, and the rubber seal on the sump. Offered it all back up and bolted together.

Then filled till it was over flowing, started the car up, ran through the gears with dsc off, and also reverse while monitoring the fluid temperature. Once up to temp, 30-40 degrees i then filled again till it was overflowing then put the new fill plug back on. About 6.5 litres went back in. I did a quick adaption reset via the key method but will get a proper one done soon.

Job Done!!!

So then...benefits!
EVERYONE MUST GET THIS DONE NOW! Dont delay!!!!!

Smooth, eager power. Its almost like the car wants to run away all the time. Yr car right now is lerthargic (trust me)! All i can say is i wish i had done this sooner!

Pics below!

[gaza01]

So this is the kit from ZF

You get
7 litres of ZF fluid
Mechatronic sleeve
Sump pan with built in filter
New sump pan bolts
New drain plug
New fill plug including o ring

[gaza01]

Drain tranny fluid...doesnt look that great...especially considering that new ZF fluid is a light honey colour!

[gaza01]

Sludge at the bottom of the pan

[gaza01]

Mechatronic sleeve off

[gaza01]

Sleeve back in. U can see the connector top left

[gaza01]

Connector back on

[gaza01]

Tranny all exposed! Lol

[gaza01]

Old mechatronic sleeve...u can see the deformed o ring...possible cause of the leak

[gaza01]

New sump pan with o ring oiled and the rubber seal round the perimeter

[gaza01]

Drain plug...old (flattened o ring) vs new (proud o ring)

[gaza01]

Monitoring the temperature for final fill. Used an electronic thermometer with a temperature probe directly in the fluid!

[Ess]

Nice work Sean, impressive!!

[gaza01]

Originally Posted by Ess

Nice work Sean, impressive!!

Thanks buddy!!

[dy63]

i salute you

[oldbilly]

very good write up and very informative, probably do mine next spring when the weather is better.

[themanthatcan]

Good work buddy, this is high up on my list of things to get done in the near future.

I'd highly recommend getting the full adaptations done as it makes a big difference.

Does the box feel any smoother?

[gaza01]

Originally Posted by cupraraj

i salute you

Originally Posted by oldbilly

very good write up and very informative, probably do mine next spring when the weather is better.

Defo worth doing!

Originally Posted by themanthatcan

Good work buddy, this is high up on my list of things to get done in the near future.

I'd highly recommend getting the full adaptations done as it makes a big difference.

Does the box feel any smoother?

Thanks
Full adaptions OR complete transmission software update will be done soon enough. I'm just making the inquiries now.

As for the feeling of the box it is definitely smoother. Not been able to test it fully as only did it last night and my drive home was in london traffic but there is a noticeable difference.