Auto Trans. Filter Kit Question - 3.0i

[CharlieHustleX5]

About to service the transmission on my 2004 3.0i. Wondering if anyone has any experience with the available filter kits in regards to fitment and quality.

-Will I run into any complications or problems using the Elring kit as opposed to the OEM version?

-Does Febi-Bilstein manufacture the OEM filter kit?

[Wayne's World]

I ordered the kit from ECS Tuning. It was an original BMW kit. It was about $50 more than the Elring Klinger one but there was a rumor floating around that the design wasn't quite the same as in it didn't have the pickup on the bottom of the filter. Based on the pictures on ECS Tuning's site of the Erling Klinger one, it would appear that it looks just like the OEM one. I've always been weary of transmission problems so I just bit the bullet and got the OE one to alleviate my paranoia.

The OE one, as you would expect, fit great. It also came with new pan bolts and the original metal gasket with the rubber sealing edge.

The fluid I used was Valvoline DEX VI from Napa. Dealer says the Texaco stuff was superceded by this. I'd call up 2 different dealers and confirm using your VIN.

It's also on this board somewhere but basically what you do is:

1. Warm up the fluid a bit by taking the car on a quick drive, maybe 10 minutes round-trip.

2. Open the fill bolt first and leave it in, loosely.

3. Open the drain bolt and let it all drain out. [Marvel in the fact that the fluid you're watching pour out was once bright red.]

4. Once it's all drained, re-tighten the drain bolt and start pumping new fluid in. It should take about 4 quarts, roughly, until the fluid starts backing/spilling out the fill hole. Also, unless you're working with your car on a lift, the minimal clearance ramps or jack stands get you will warrant a proper hand pump that secures to the top of the bottle of fluid. You might not even need to raise the car, I didn't - not for this part.

5. Close up the fill bolt and return the car to the ground. Take it out for another spin but this time, take it easy on the tranny but take a little longer, maybe aboutt 15-20 mins roundtrip.

6. Return and drain all the fluid out again. It will probably still be almost as dark as it was the 1st time. What you're doing is diluting the old fluid left in the trans cooler lines and torque converter.

7. Undo the pan bolts. On my '06, I had to undo a part of the exhaust hanger/support to get to 1 bolt. Just loosen it and your ratchet extension should slip between.

8. Remove the pan, gasket and old filter. Remove the filter by pulling gently downwards. Don't try to flex it in any direction other than down or it may break. When you pull the filter out, there should be 2 separate ribbed o-rings on the neck of the filter. If there's only 1, the other is stuck in the opening of the transmission itself. I used a tiny flat bladed screw driver, pressed it into the inside of the o-ring, applied pressure and pulled down. Try not to score or scratch the transmission housing.

9. Clean out the pan with some lint free shop towels [the blue ones]. Get all the gunk off of the magnet [you can pull it off] and avoid dropping it anywhere else but the pan.

10. Lube up the o-rings and neck on the new filter with the new ATF and insert into the transmission body. Light to moderate force may be required to push it up. Push directly under the neck of the filter on the underside facing the ground.

11. Apply some ATF with your finger around the rim of the newly-cleaned pan lightly and seat the gasket.

12. Secure the pan to the transmission. [I recall that being alot harder that this sounds when I did it without a helping hand]. This is the fun part. Keep telling yourself that. Using the new bolts, secure two on opposite ends to free up your hand. Then go around in a linear fashion and lightly tighten the bolts working your way around the pan.

13. Torque the bolts down to spec. I forget what the spec is at this time [sorry]. But it is important.

14. Start pumping new fluid in. Again, it should take about 4 quarts.

15. Close up the fill bolt and start the truck up. Run it through the gears slowly, pausing in between each. I even kicked it over to sport mode and went through it manually but I couldn't get higher than 3rd since I wasn't moving.

16. Shut it off. Get back under, open the fill bolt and top up with an additional 2.5 quarts, roughly.

Close it up, clean up and go for a drive!

Check the level again in about a week to make sure it's at the proper level. If fluid spills out or is just under the treaded portion of the fill hole, you're good. Traditionally, it should be checked with the transmission lukewarm so be careful not to get burned by the exhaust or anything.

[Big "J"]

Nice write up!!!

Thanks for posting!

[CharlieHustleX5]

Wayne's World - Thats an awesome write up for the tranny service procedure. Thanks for your input. I suppose I better not cheap out on the trans filter and just spend the extra cash.

[Wayne's World]

Not a problem. Buying the OE one was just a personal preference but I'm sure the Erling Klinger one is fine - I just didn't see anything totally positive about it on the boards where our tranny are used, like the E39 and E46 as well as Xoutpost. I suppose even if I had heard nothing, I would have probably bought it but the 1 negative comment was enough to make me not buy it. Again - just a combo of preference and paranoia.

[CharlieHustleX5]

Well, amongst some e46 owners, I've heard complaints about the filter not being exact replacements or missing some aspect compared to the OEM filter. Also some complained that the filter was the cause of their transmission going out after flush and replacement. But somehow, I think their transmissions were on the way out anyways, and the filter had nothing to do with it at all.

I think I'll just get the OEM filter to eliminate the chance of an aftermarket one not being adequate. With 80K on the odometer, I need all the peace of mind I can get.

[NOVAX5]

Wayne's World how much did it cost you to do the service. So it includes:
- 10.5 quarts ATF
- Pan gasket
- Filter
Do you recommend doing AT service with high mileage (98K miles) or just leave it alone?

[mtX5]

Originally Posted by NOVAX5

Do you recommend doing AT service with high mileage (98K miles) or just leave it alone?

i'm curious about that too.. I'm about to do my 100k service and I really don't know whether or not to touch the tranny..I've heard alot of bad things messing with it this late on ..

[dkl]

BMW's recommendation (at least for my '04) is to change it every 100k miles...so you're right at that mark! It wasn't clear on BMW's recommendation whether the fluid "change" should be a drain and refill or a flush. I did the filter/fluid change (drain and refill with pan dropped) at 48k miles...I"m currently at 57k without issues. May be people doing changes that got them into trouble is when they hook it up to a system that actually flushed it, or that their transmission was about to be on its way out anyway A safe way to change it is simply to do drains and refills as Wayne had described it.

I think one reason why some dealers (and indy) refused to touch high milage transmission is because they know its lifespan is about 100k-150k and they don't want to be liable or get blame for transmission failure soon after the service.

[Wayne's World]

Originally Posted by NOVAX5

Wayne's World how much did it cost you to do the service. So it includes:
- 10.5 quarts ATF
- Pan gasket
- Filter
Do you recommend doing AT service with high mileage (98K miles) or just leave it alone?

IIRC - It was $100 for the filter kit and $70 for the fluid.