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      06-16-2011, 08:24 PM   #23
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Thanks for the info - probably the same issue I'm having. It seems to be a rather slow leak, but I'll be aiming to take it in by the end of the month.
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      06-17-2011, 08:22 AM   #24
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Thanks for the info - probably the same issue I'm having. It seems to be a rather slow leak, but I'll be aiming to take it in by the end of the month.

Check the seal. It sucks having to change it because of having to drop the tranny pan. Go to thectsc.com . They have a good explaination on how to do the job.
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      06-18-2011, 03:08 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by taz2ko0 View Post

Check the seal. It sucks having to change it because of having to drop the tranny pan. Go to thectsc.com . They have a good explaination on how to do the job.
CPO warranty should cover it, as long as it's just a worn seal. I don't really have the means to do it myself, so I'm just taking it in.
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      06-20-2011, 09:21 AM   #26
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Originally Posted by skinrock View Post
CPO warranty should cover it, as long as it's just a worn seal. I don't really have the means to do it myself, so I'm just taking it in.
definitily take it in if it is still under warrenty.
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      02-09-2013, 02:11 PM   #27
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New to the forum. Have a 2006 325i with about 40k miles that i dont drive very often and noticed a puddle of trans fluid on the garage floor under the middle of the car just like many of you. I just want to know TRUTHFULLY how difficult this job is. Mainly because the STEALERSHIP quoted about $700 to replace the pan/filter and the mechatronics sleeve. So again how difficult is this DIY job? Thanks in advance for any replies!

P.S. I have an electrical engineering degree so I'm decent when it comes to fixing things. I've also changed the oil myself on this car if that helps in comparison...
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      04-01-2013, 12:33 PM   #28
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New to the forum. Have a 2006 325i with about 40k miles that i dont drive very often and noticed a puddle of trans fluid on the garage floor under the middle of the car just like many of you. I just want to know TRUTHFULLY how difficult this job is. Mainly because the STEALERSHIP quoted about $700 to replace the pan/filter and the mechatronics sleeve. So again how difficult is this DIY job? Thanks in advance for any replies!

P.S. I have an electrical engineering degree so I'm decent when it comes to fixing things. I've also changed the oil myself on this car if that helps in comparison...
It'll take a couple hours once you get it up on stands, remove the splash guard for the transmission, drain the pan, remove the 24 bolts to drop the pan (which entails moving an exhaust hanger out of the way), remove the electrical connector from the mechtronic unit, unlock the sleeve pull it out without rotating it and paying attention to where the key is, putting the new sleeve in and making sure it lines back up without damaging pins, then putting enough force on the sleeve to get it to lock into place (I used a pry bar with leverage to get it to seat all the way in), then installing a new pan, putting in all the bolts and tighten/torque them in a criss-cross pattern, and refilling the transmission. I just completed the job yesterday.
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      04-01-2013, 12:45 PM   #29
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It'll take a couple hours once you get it up on stands, remove the splash guard for the transmission, drain the pan, remove the 24 bolts to drop the pan (which entails moving an exhaust hanger out of the way), remove the electrical connector from the mechtronic unit, unlock the sleeve pull it out without rotating it and paying attention to where the key is, putting the new sleeve in and making sure it lines back up without damaging pins, then putting enough force on the sleeve to get it to lock into place (I used a pry bar with leverage to get it to seat all the way in), then installing a new pan, putting in all the bolts and tighten/torque them in a criss-cross pattern, and refilling the transmission. I just completed the job yesterday.
I just did it yesterday too! I would say its a medium job where the only challenging part is the mechatronics sleeve replacement....

1. Jacking up the car and draining the fluid was very easy.

2. Removing the pan bolts and pan was easy. Just unscrew them and pull the pan down (and all the fluid with it!!!)

3. Removing the retaining clip to the mechatronics sleeve was easy. I used a flat head screw driver to do this.

4. Unlocking the sleeve was easy too...just pull the locking mechanism down.

5. Removing the sleeve was a bit challenging. Luckily, I had a tool that is sort of like some really long tweezers that are very rigid. This helps grab the sleeve after it has been unlocked to pull it out of the hole. It is even more helpful when setting the new sleeve and pushing it far enough back into the hole to lock it in place (via the locking mechanism). Since it is very difficult to get your fingers up in that area to grab/move/push/re-orient the sleeve, a tweezer like tool makes it much easier.

6. Putting the new pan and bolts back in was easy. I cleaned the mating surface with some 'sandpaper-like' wipes to get any debris that could potentially cause long term damage to the pan gasket.

7. Filling the the trans with new fluid was easy, just a little messing when the fluid started overflowing after 3 'start/stop and fills'.

8. I ended up only filling about 3.5 to 4 qts of fluid. Each time I started the car I let it run for 15 mins. After the last start/stop, I tried filling it but as soon as I opened the fill hole fluid started coming out of it. I assume the remaining fluid of the 6-7 qt capacity was in the torque converter.

9. Took me a total of 2 hrs to do all of the above. I kept the car on all 4 jacks when I started/stopped it.

Hope this helps anybody thinking about doing this job. It really is not tough at all...just make sure you have a good tool to maneuver the mechatronics sleeve!
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      04-02-2013, 06:48 AM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_SDP View Post
I just did it yesterday too! I would say its a medium job where the only challenging part is the mechatronics sleeve replacement....

1. Jacking up the car and draining the fluid was very easy.

2. Removing the pan bolts and pan was easy. Just unscrew them and pull the pan down (and all the fluid with it!!!)

3. Removing the retaining clip to the mechatronics sleeve was easy. I used a flat head screw driver to do this.

4. Unlocking the sleeve was easy too...just pull the locking mechanism down.

5. Removing the sleeve was a bit challenging. Luckily, I had a tool that is sort of like some really long tweezers that are very rigid. This helps grab the sleeve after it has been unlocked to pull it out of the hole. It is even more helpful when setting the new sleeve and pushing it far enough back into the hole to lock it in place (via the locking mechanism). Since it is very difficult to get your fingers up in that area to grab/move/push/re-orient the sleeve, a tweezer like tool makes it much easier.

6. Putting the new pan and bolts back in was easy. I cleaned the mating surface with some 'sandpaper-like' wipes to get any debris that could potentially cause long term damage to the pan gasket.

7. Filling the the trans with new fluid was easy, just a little messing when the fluid started overflowing after 3 'start/stop and fills'.

8. I ended up only filling about 3.5 to 4 qts of fluid. Each time I started the car I let it run for 15 mins. After the last start/stop, I tried filling it but as soon as I opened the fill hole fluid started coming out of it. I assume the remaining fluid of the 6-7 qt capacity was in the torque converter.

9. Took me a total of 2 hrs to do all of the above. I kept the car on all 4 jacks when I started/stopped it.

Hope this helps anybody thinking about doing this job. It really is not tough at all...just make sure you have a good tool to maneuver the mechatronics sleeve!
Well, when I intially filled it, it only took three liters. I started it up and shifted through the gears and left the car running. The Bentley manual states the checking/filling process shouldnt start until the transmission is at 30 degress Celsius. So when it reached that temp I opened the fill plug and some fluid drained out. The manual goes on to say check the trans at 40 degrees Celsius and if no fluid comes out follow the fill procedure, so I did and it took almost another 4 liters before it drained. My car now shifts smoother than it ever has.
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      04-02-2013, 07:27 AM   #31
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Well, when I intially filled it, it only took three liters. I started it up and shifted through the gears and left the car running. The Bentley manual states the checking/filling process shouldnt start until the transmission is at 30 degress Celsius. So when it reached that temp I opened the fill plug and some fluid drained out. The manual goes on to say check the trans at 40 degrees Celsius and if no fluid comes out follow the fill procedure, so I did and it took almost another 4 liters before it drained. My car now shifts smoother than it ever has.
ok so u measured the temp of the fluid somehow? if so, i may need to do the same and some the remaining 3.5 quarts i have left....

when u shifted through the gears does it stay in them for very long...for me it was only a few seconds then defaulted back to gear 2. did this happen to u?
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      04-02-2013, 08:15 AM   #32
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ok so u measured the temp of the fluid somehow? if so, i may need to do the same and some the remaining 3.5 quarts i have left....

when u shifted through the gears does it stay in them for very long...for me it was only a few seconds then defaulted back to gear 2. did this happen to u?
I just went from park to reverse and held it there for 30 seconds and then down to drive for 30 and back up to reverse for 30 and then park again. I didn't even go into sports mode which is what it sounds like you did. As far as reading the temp of the fluid I have a scanner that I hooked up to the OBD and it told me the temp, but I also used an laser thermometer to see the delta between that and the scanner and it was only like 3 degrees. I just pointed it at the trans pan. You have to fill it with the car running and also turn the A/C on to bring the engine speed up to warm the fluid faster. It took my car about 15 mins to get it to 40 degrees Celsius. If you drive it before you put it on stands, then it will be warm. I think if it's over 80 degrees Celsius, you have to let it cool down until it's in the threshold of 40-80 degrees.
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      04-02-2013, 08:21 AM   #33
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I just went from park to reverse and held it there for 30 seconds and then down to drive for 30 and back up to reverse for 30 and then park again. I didn't even go into sports mode which is what it sounds like you did. As far as reading the temp of the fluid I have a scanner that I hooked up to the OBD and it told me the temp, but I also used an laser thermometer to see the delta between that and the scanner and it was only like 3 degrees. I just pointed it at the trans pan. You have to fill it with the car running and also turn the A/C on to bring the engine speed up to warm the fluid faster. It took my car about 15 mins to get it to 40 degrees Celsius. If you drive it before you put it on stands, then it will be warm. I think if it's over 80 degrees Celsius, you have to let it cool down until it's in the threshold of 40-80 degrees.
ok. i will give it a try.
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      04-02-2013, 05:10 PM   #34
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Posting to see if this is what is happening with my car.

Just bought the car listed in my info the left, an 08 335XI, still certified til the end of this year.

As of lately, I've been seeing small puddles of what looks like a light-brown colored, slightly slick-feeling liquid. I'm thinking this is maybe transmission fluid? It's coming from towards the front of my vehicle, in the middle-right area.

My car is just about to hit 59000 miles.
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      04-29-2013, 06:44 AM   #35
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Same issue. Mine is a 2005 e90 330i. Small puddles. 130 000km.

I am told the previous owner got a lot shop to flush the gearbox 3 months ago. Looks like they cocked up the mechatronics seal install or didn't do it!

So now I have to get it done again.

I have no idea how much fluid is gone...

Is there a sensor warning if I get too low? I dont want to kill it.
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      05-20-2013, 07:25 AM   #36
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I can't seem to pump more than 3 or 4 quarts of trans fluid in before its starts to spill out of the fill hole. I started the car and ran it about 15 mins, shifting through all the gears, but I still can't get any more fluid in. I did this several times. As soon as I unscrew the bolt over the fill hole, fluid comes gushing out. I feel like I'm losing more fluid every time I try to put more in. AND I can tell it doesn't shift as smooth as it did before, which is likely do to the fact that there not as much fluid in the trans as there was before I did this whole job. Is there a way to get more fluid in? Should I tilt the car forward to get more in? Please any help or suggestions would be great....
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      05-20-2013, 07:12 PM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_SDP View Post
I can't seem to pump more than 3 or 4 quarts of trans fluid in before its starts to spill out of the fill hole. I started the car and ran it about 15 mins, shifting through all the gears, but I still can't get any more fluid in. I did this several times. As soon as I unscrew the bolt over the fill hole, fluid comes gushing out. I feel like I'm losing more fluid every time I try to put more in. AND I can tell it doesn't shift as smooth as it did before, which is likely do to the fact that there not as much fluid in the trans as there was before I did this whole job. Is there a way to get more fluid in? Should I tilt the car forward to get more in? Please any help or suggestions would be great....
Do you have the car running while you are trying to fill it? The car needs to be running.

I was only able to put in 3 liters initially and another 3 liters once the car was started and transmission up to temp.
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      05-20-2013, 10:28 PM   #38
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CPO warranty will cover it. They fixed mine today.
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      05-20-2013, 11:36 PM   #39
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I bought the car back in July at 55000 miles from a small used car lot. So, its a not CPO.
You never know.

I purchased mine from a private party seller and when I went in for a recall, they told me it was a CPO. Apparently, the previous owner never knew. Also, my girlfriend spoke of this incident to her friend who also has a BMW. He went in for service and was informed his car was also under CPO from which he didn't know either. If I were you, I would call BMW North America and ask customer service. Its worth a shot.
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      05-28-2013, 07:41 AM   #40
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Do you have the car running while you are trying to fill it? The car needs to be running.

I was only able to put in 3 liters initially and another 3 liters once the car was started and transmission up to temp.
I was able to get another 2 qrts of trans fluid in with the engine running. It shifts significantly smoother now. Thanks!
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      06-06-2013, 03:08 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_SDP View Post
I just did it yesterday too! I would say its a medium job where the only challenging part is the mechatronics sleeve replacement....
Hope this helps anybody thinking about doing this job. It really is not tough at all...just make sure you have a good tool to maneuver the mechatronics sleeve!
Excellent, thank you.
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      06-11-2013, 12:43 PM   #42
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For newbies that are going to to this like myself for the first time, when you leave the engine running to subsequently fill with more oil, can the trans be on Park or does it need to be in Drive or Reverse? I assume opening the Fill bolt will not spill any oil?

Lastly, if the car is on all 4 jack stands, is there any extra precautions for running the engine and shifting through the gears while the wheels are spinning?
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      06-11-2013, 02:11 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scanido View Post
For newbies that are going to to this like myself for the first time, when you leave the engine running to subsequently fill with more oil, can the trans be on Park or does it need to be in Drive or Reverse? I assume opening the Fill bolt will not spill any oil?

Lastly, if the car is on all 4 jack stands, is there any extra precautions for running the engine and shifting through the gears while the wheels are spinning?
1) PARK (Drive or Reverse is dangerous)

2) When shifting through the gears your foot should be on the brake.

Make sure you are using jack stands at the correct jacking points AND place your jack under the car, put the jack anywhere. Rather damage the car if it falls then kill yourself.
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      06-12-2013, 12:19 PM   #44
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Seems like my car has the same problem, my driveway is on an angle & it seem to only leak noticably (can see a small puddle when parked overnight) when I have it parked with the car's head pointed at the higher ground.

Doesn't see any puddles if I park it on flat surface or if I park it with the head pointed at the lower ground (overnight check).

Thought it was engine oil at first due to the brown-ish colour.

In anycase I got the car booked in at a local shop for a service next wednesday & will get them to take a look...
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