[ksalih]

Hey, changed my transmission fluid in my ZF tranny 335i this weekend. Was only able to get about 4 quarts in, but drained 5-5.5 qts. I shifted the gears, followed the DIY correctly. I should have been able to get more than 4 quarts in the fill hole before it started pouring out.. Is it possible my fluid was too warm when I was filling it..thus causing expansion and for it to start pouring out?

[biz77]

Car was level and engine running while filling?

[ksalih]

Originally Posted by biz77

Car was level and engine running while filling?

Yes and sort of..car was not running while I filled it with fluid, but I had it running until fluid as @ temp, went through the gears etc, then filled it. I drove it home ~10 miles, will check again while it's cold to see if I can fill up with another quart.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by ksalih

Yes and sort of..car was not running while I filled it with fluid, but I had it running until fluid as @ temp, went through the gears etc, then filled it. I drove it home ~10 miles, will check again while it's cold to see if I can fill up with another quart.

You have to check the trans oil when the engine is running and the oil is warm. Check on here for a DIY on your 335 trans to confirm.

[ksalih]

Originally Posted by Chriztofor

You have to check the trans oil when the engine is running and the oil is warm. Check on here for a DIY on your 335 trans to confirm.

Correct, however checking the fluid while running I believe is to ensure the fluid is @ temp. However, letting it run and going through the gears should give the same effect, thus rendering the idea to keep the engine running unnecessary. I could be wrong?

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by ksalih

Correct, however checking the fluid while running I believe is to ensure the fluid is @ temp. However, letting it run and going through the gears should give the same effect, thus rendering the idea to keep the engine running unnecessary. I could be wrong?

Yeah it needs to be running. Here is the DIY for my 325, but again check for your 335.

"10) After about 8 minutes (you do not have to shift through the gears all this time), with the car still running, I placed my hand on the transmission pan, it was warm therefore it should be between 86 -122 degrees F. I opened up the fill hole and no oil was coming out." http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=367729

[biz77]

Car MUST be running to properly fill the transmission.

[JunkStory]

either way you won't ever be able to fill up the same amount you got out. At the factory, the oil was poured from the top, but we don't have the luxury of doing that. We can only pump oil from the bottom drain hole.

I followed all procedure, had oil warm, car was running, and even angled the car at a particular angle that would maximize the amount of oil I could pump in, but still pumped in less than what I got out.

Car has to be running and level and between a certain temp range.....
Read the DIY, its a 5k+ transmission don't get it wrong, you can also search some of my previous posts where I have gone into extreme detail about the procedure.

[ritjeff]

The sump sucks the fluid up when fairly hot, so if it's not at operating temp, you can't get enough in before it flows out. If you have a good way to measure the correct amount, you can jack up one side and cheat. Otherwise, you need it almost scalding hot. As soon as it starts to cool, it comes down into the pan. You may want to use a thermometer.

[kenmasters]

Hot scalding oil. Filling up while the car is on and on stands. I would much rather have a shop do this for me. But I don't trust that a shop would follow the correct procedure either.... ?

[ritjeff]

Originally Posted by kenmasters

Hot scalding oil. Filling up while the car is on and on stands. I would much rather have a shop do this for me. But I don't trust that a shop would follow the correct procedure either.... ?

Some certainly do not