ATF change, ATF lab report, ESSO no longer recommended by BMW or GM

[realchef]

Originally Posted by JCL

Good post, and thanks for the information on the lab report.

I was very glad to see that after you changed the fluid, you did a second change. If you are going to change it, it makes sense to get more of the old fluid out and if you got 50% of the old fluid out each time, after two changes you are at a 75% change, considering the amount of fluid that stays in the transmission/torque converter when you drain the pan.

Thanks again for your post.

JCL,
Is there a way to perform a 100% fluid change at one time.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by realchef

JCL,
Is there a way to perform a 100% fluid change at one time.

If you drain the transmission, torque converter, lines, and cooler, then yes. A sure way of doing it is to remove the transmission. Not worth it IMO.

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by realchef

Is there a way to perform a 100% fluid change at one time.

I looked into this. The torque converter does not have a drain, so you can't easily get the fluid out. The only options involve opening up the ATF cooler lines and swapping out the fluid while the car is running (many shops have a system that will push fresh fluid back in while it takes out the old fluid via the cooler lines), but I've hear of lots of bad results from those things, so, I don't think there is an easy way to get all of the fluid out in one shot.

However, doing the second fluid change, just drain and fill only, was very easy and took less than 30 minutes.

[Werewolf]

Originally Posted by John Galt

I looked into this. The torque converter does not have a drain, so you can't easily get the fluid out. The only options involve opening up the ATF cooler lines and swapping out the fluid while the car is running (many shops have a system that will push fresh fluid back in while it takes out the old fluid via the cooler lines), but I've hear of lots of bad results from those things, so, I don't think there is an easy way to get all of the fluid out in one shot.

However, doing the second fluid change, just drain and fill only, was very easy and took less than 30 minutes.

John,

I spoke with a very knowledgable / trusted BMW independent and he said the lifetime ATF BMW uses is complete BS. In the 2001-2003 models the ZF tranny used is a weak point with tranny life of 100-150k. Unless BMW has reinvented the tranny and not told anyone; the lifetime oil bit is a marketing ruse. The metals grind and the shavings need to be emptied with the oil. I guess BMW wagers that 4-5K repair once every 125k miles or so is not enough to cause owners to riot.