Transmission Fluid Change (ATF) [PLEASE READ ASAP]

[TheKingSim0n]

Im at 116,500K with my 4.4i, Ive been noticing a bit of slipping with my transmission when i drive on the highway for about an hour or so? I went to my uncle's shop out here in BK and he told me to come in tomorrow & he will look and change the ATF (Auto Trans Fluid). My question to my fellow X5 owners is, whats the best fluid to use for a 4.4 01?

And please don't reply with that BS that BMW says that ATF on X5s is a lifetime fluid, its not..... point blank after 100K all cars need to be changed at least once.

Thank you! =)

[TwinTurboGTR]

Well I would say Honda ZF-1 ATF fluid only because I have seen it do WONDERS to other trannys. I remember a few examples of using it in my Vigor, my buddie's Evo 8, and another's Toyota Camry, but... I have never tested it in German made cars so telling you to use it only to end up with a fucky result could make the problem even worse. So when all else fails, go factory.
Now some dealerships are a little picky when giving you ATF fluid, they wonder why? So if your dealership gives you a hard time, another substitute I found that worked great is ESSO ATF fluid which is hard to find labeled that way so, go to your nearest Audi Dealer and get it there. You need about 6 liters to do the job so there ya go.

A couple of quick notes: DO NOT I repeat DO NOT flush the tranny. Flushing the tranny could potentially dislodge something in the tranny causing it to shift differently or not shift at all. All that sludge in the case is doing something to keep some dohicky together. The best way to do it is to drain what you can and replace with new. Drive it for a few hundred miles and drain and fill again. Doing this about 2 or 3 times gets about 90% to 95% of the old fluid out.
Also make sure you undo the fill screw first BEFORE the drain. Always sucks when you got it drained and you can't get the fill to open.
And lastly, make sure the car is up to operating temperature before draining, it will make the job go a lot faster.

You will see some people say to start the car and shift the car going through all the gears to get the max amount of fluid out. While this is a viable option, it is dangerous only because A: The car needs to be completely off the ground before you proceed. B: You need to do it quickly so you don't burn the tranny up. and C: Well, I've seen people do it before and either the sudden "clunck" when shifting can tip the car off the stands, or fluid just sprays everywhere from the pressure.

Hope this helps. My 2C

[x54.6]

bmw says tranny fluid is for lifetime i don't think it would make a difference but to each his own

[x5drew]

There should be a sticker stuck to transmission pan on the bottom you have to go under the car and look at trans pan bottom to see it The sticker has the fluid type part number so you can use the same type fluid that is allready in trans. I hear its best to use same type.

4.4 with A5S 440Z Auto Trans if number on pan is # 88229407807 is Esso LT 71141, # 83220403249 is Texaco ETL 8072 B ,# 83220142516 is Shell M-1375.4
Taken from Bentley Service Manual

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by TwinTurboGTR

Flushing the tranny could potentially dislodge something in the tranny causing it to shift differently or not shift at all. All that sludge in the case is doing something to keep some dohicky together. The best way to do it is to drain what you can and replace with new. Drive it for a few hundred miles and drain and fill again. Doing this about 2 or 3 times gets about 90% to 95% of the old fluid out.

You are on the right track. JCL posted this a while back and I think it is good info;

On higher mileage transmissions it isn't the metal shavings you have to worry about, although there could be some. If you have metal shavings, it doesn't really matter if you change the fluid or not as the transmission is likely on its way out. What wears inside a transmission are the clutch packs (multi-disk wet clutches) and the bands; both are surfaced with a non-metallic friction material that wears over time. That material is what can clog a valve body. It sits there undisturbed but can be moved by a fluid change. Clean fluid doesn't dissolve it, but draining the fluid and then starting it up and repressurizing the clutch packs can move it around. It may not happen, but in any case that is the theory behind the risks of changing fluid on high mileage transmissions.

Simon, I agree that regular fluid changes would have been best and lifetime fluid is silly, but if you are over 100k and still on the original fluid there may be possible downsides to changing at this point as referenced above.

If you are going to do it anyway, I would try to find the BMW part number and match it up if possible as others have recommended.

[X5Flyboy]

mine's in the local dealer right now - and the mechanic (who I trust without exception & did my Dinan upgrade) recommended a tranny service (104k) - I like the idea of replace, drive while, then replace to get most of the "old" stuff out - did that when switching from reg oil to synthetic in my past cars - but it would be another $209, which is a significant amount these days. Given estimates on service costs, I was amazed the replacment of a broken rear door latch to be the most expensive item on the list, $341.

[wallyx5]

I have used Royal Purple's trans fluid and worked great for me.

BMW: LA2634, LT71141 Max ATF

[X5 Meister]

What does the sticker on your transmission say? Also, do a thread search....lots of good info on this topic.