Transmission Question: Esso vs. BMW OEM

[HPIA4v2]

Originally Posted by Bimmer360

that's great! so far so good. But what was your mileage?

Right now my X5 4.4i has 48000 miles, mostly freeway, no towing, no off-road.

[Bimmer360]

that should be fine then. I'm at 100K right now and most members says to just leave it alone, since it might create problems that's never there. If it's done prior to 60K, it suppose to work fine. Thanks HPIA4V2!

[HPIA4v2]

Originally Posted by Bimmer360

that should be fine then. I'm at 100K right now and most members says to just leave it alone, since it might create problems that's never there. If it's done prior to 60K, it suppose to work fine. Thanks HPIA4V2!

had I stayed in Richmond (Hilltop area off I-80) and commute to Silicon valley longer, I might have beat you on mileage
Got a job offer in Seattle 17 years ago, but always a niners fan at heart.

[Bimmer360]

i used to to work at Hilltop Mall when i was young, and still waiting for a job offer in oregon or seattle, hahaha. Can you follow up? lol. How's the rainy season in seattle, is it really that bad?

[AW8]

dwagenseller

I haven't changed my own yet or caused anyone to do it as I am mindful as soon as I open up the tray or fill/drain plugs then I will waiver any chances of a bmw goodwill payment in the event of box failure on my 2002 full historied car with 75k miles. That said I would be far happier doing it if over 100k as goodwill doesn't seem to occur much at that mileage and over.

I have read up on this a fair bit - no point in me reateing what others have done the link below is an excellent thread started by a forum user called torquewrech on bimmerfest, (credit due). It is not for the same car or box but the link goes into detail on bleed procedures when repacing the ATF. You may find this useful if you suspect an underfill. You didn't make it clear if you did this or what if any guide you used to do the job.

For info re the correct fluid scroll to bottom of the same link in the 1st post which shows another link showing what oil goes in what box plus a copy pdf of a bmw techdrive article where bmw state the esso LT71141 is correct for the ZF 5HP24 (as on M62B44 engined pre facelift 4.4i E53). It is because of this BMW document that I always though the esso stouff was as the BMW OE.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=166135

Re the shift probs the dguide above in the link shows procedures for bleeding correctly - I see no reason why that procedure would differ greatly for yours, (but check). If I was you I would cause ATF level (& torque of bolts if leaking), to be checked asap.

Those opposed to changing ATF at higher miles believe there is a risk of problems post ATF change such as metal particles possibly becoming dislodged in a change and more harm can be done than if oiriginal ATF left alone - there are so many posts re pros and cons & procedures on various boards. I hope this is not the case.

Good Luck - let us know how you get on.

I have not done a transmission fluid change on my X5 yet so bear in mind I speak as a result of reading helpful info from kind contribuors as opposed to from 1st hand experience.

[ckdc]

So I assume a trans fluid change at 65K miles is just around the starting point for concerns about dislodged metal particles?

[swissfrank]

If you did a fluid filter service, did you make sure you replaced the O-Ring on the filter?

I had bought a filter myself and went to change it, didn't realize that I needed to buy an O-Ring seperately....

My two cents, otherwise, key the ignition to position II, put your foot all the way past the kick down click, and hold it for 25 seconds, start the car, drive, and notice the difference.

Don't worry about that fluid it's good, I don't even use an approved fluid, but that's another story.

Franko

[swissfrank]

Originally Posted by ckdc

So I assume a trans fluid change at 65K miles is just around the starting point for concerns about dislodged metal particles?

No place for metal to go except the magnets or the filter... No worries about dislodging them...

[dwagenseller]

Hello all. I discovered what the problem was. When I received the transmission kit from Bavauto.com, they failed to send me the o-ring for the filter so when I installed it, I installed it without the o-ring causing pressure issues and rough shifting. After dropping the pan and taking the filter off and then replacing the o-ring, the transmission feels like brand new. I can't tell you what a difference this 50 cent o-ring makes. I do notice a positive change in how the transmission acts. It's much smoother on the up and down shifts and doesn't act as through it's struggling to make the gear changes. I would recommend this to anyone that has an X5 over 50,000 miles.

[matt1mike1]

Originally Posted by dwagenseller

I have a 2001 BMW X5 4.4i with 150,000 miles on it and I recently changed the transmission filter and oil using ESSO LT71141 to which I purchased through Bavarian Autosport (fluid & filter kit). I know this is not the OEM brand fluid and I was wondering what all the X5world enthusiast had to say about this fluid vs. the OEM. I've found many Thread's on X5world stating that this fluid is just as good if not better but I have my concerns.

Since changing it, I've noticed sluggish down shifts and I know what most would say, "did you replace the exact amount of fluid to which you drained." And the answer is, "yes." I drained close to 5.6L and replaced the exact amount.

Has anyone else out there had any problems with the ESSO fluid? Did I make a mistake on not using the OEM fluid to which I can get from a BMW store out of their 55 gallon drum?

BMW uses "re-labeled" fluids made by others. The key is what constitutes a full pan. The trans fluid must be between 30 to 50C. Vehicle must be level. Run engine with the AC on. Hold the brake, and move selector through each gear, pausing in between. With engine running and selector in "park" remove the plug. A slight amount of fluid needs to stream out. When that happens, torque the plug down. I changed a friends's 540 with the same trans as my X5/4.4 and it was slipping until I did the above routine.