Transmission Fluid Change DIY

[hayaku]

nice job aaron!

vinuneuro: to change the filter, you have to remove all those bolts on the bottom that you see... the entire pan at the bottom must be removed.

[hayaku]

here's another tip:

you may want to remove the drain plug first. while the oil is draining from there, you can remove the fill plug to allow air into the pan to help the oil drain instead of creating a vacuum and holding it up. that way there won't be so much oil spilling out from the fill plug.

[RevJunky]

Originally Posted by hayaku

here's another tip:

you may want to remove the drain plug first. while the oil is draining from there, you can remove the fill plug to allow air into the pan to help the oil drain instead of creating a vacuum and holding it up. that way there won't be so much oil spilling out from the fill plug.

You could save some time by doing that but you'll need a really big pan to cover both holes or 2 seperate pans. The fill plug drained plenty quick without removing the drain plug.

[chubyball]

RevJunky,

I just take a look under my transmission of X5 (2003 4.4i), I see that I have a similar green sticker as your, my assumption that I have to buy the oil that match with sticker spec, because I have not been able to read anything from the stick yet, the wording are too small.
What are you planing to do with the gear oil MOBIL 1 75 90w? Change the gear oil? Where can I order Esso or VW?

[RevJunky]

Originally Posted by chubyball

RevJunky,

I just take a look under my transmission of X5 (2003 4.4i), I see that I have a similar green sticker as your, my assumption that I have to buy the oil that match with sticker spec, because I have not been able to read anything from the stick yet, the wording are too small.
What are you planing to do with the gear oil MOBIL 1 75 90w? Change the gear oil? Where can I order Esso or VW?

I used the Mobil 1 Gear Oil to change out both differential fluids. I wasn't able to track down the OEM fluid but since I was able to drain out most of what was in there already, changing to Mobil 1 should be ok.

[JCL]

Good write-up, nice photos as well.

I know that you specified that this procedure is for a 4.4, but it may be worth clarifying the point further as this will be a reference for other X5 owners. As BMW uses transmissions from different manufacturers, the transmission fluid specs are very different. A comment to the effect that "this procedure is very similar for the 3.0, but ensure that you check your transmission for your specific fluid requirements" may save a future 3.0 owner from putting the wrong fluid in.

Good job

Jeff

[woodvine]

Just changed in my 02 4.4i with 100K using the above directions, worked great very simple DIY. Used 5.0 quarts of the VW/Audi fluid. To my suprise the old fluid looked pretty clean. I have seen others that were black like motor oil. Mine was dk brown/amber and still could be seen thru. I did pump in a extra quart after draining to flush out the pan, well worth it if you are going this route, that stuff was black coming off the bottom of the pan! Trying to correct the jerky shift going down from 2nd to 1st. Well we will see how she does. Don't think I will bother with the 2nd flush for quite a while.

[xloverofny]

I was experiencing the transmission jump when shifting down from 2nd to 1st gear, i went to the stealers they advised a software upgrade, if it didnt solve the problem, then i need to replace the transmission.
The $200.00 software upgrade worked for 2 days.
I went to my mechanic, (he services my other cars) with a printed instruction of this post. got the gasket and filter from my local stealer, the oil from the Audi dealer. it has been 5 days now, and so far i drove 200 miles, both hwy n local, (as i am writing this i am knocking on a big piece of wood next to me)no problems,, it took six quarts. the car feels smooth.

Thank you x5 world
Thanks woodvine


2002 4.4

[Clockwork]

Originally Posted by hayaku

here's another tip:

you may want to remove the drain plug first. while the oil is draining from there, you can remove the fill plug to allow air into the pan to help the oil drain instead of creating a vacuum and holding it up. that way there won't be so much oil spilling out from the fill plug.

I would NOT recommend this. you may get stuck in a situation where you can not remove the filler plug and then you are screwed.

IF you want to try this, I'd recommend you loosen, but do not remove, the filler nut and then go at the drain nut. At least this way you will know you can remove the filler nut and replace fluid.

[RRPhil]

Regarding the transmission fluid used in the pre-’04 4.4i and 4.6is E53 5-speed transmissions - in terms of viscometrics, density, chemical compatibility, air solubility/anti-foaming, shear resistance, flash point, etc., etc., other ATFs may deliver a similar spec. to Esso/Mobil LT71141 but this entirely misses the most important point.



The 5HP24 is fitted with a controlled slip converter i.e. the torque converter lock-up clutch isn’t only switched ‘on’ or ‘off’ but is also controlled to slip at speeds of up to 50rpm (around 1kW power dissipation). This enabled ZF to dispense with the traditional LUC torsional vibration damper in the torque converter to save weight and space.

The friction characteristics of this clutch were optimised specifically around LT71141. It is essential that the static-to-dynamic friction characteristic & the dynamic coefficient of friction increases as slip speed increases to prevent control oscillation and these friction characteristics must fit within the relatively tight band shown in the graph below.




If you use any other fluid there’s a strong possibly that it doesn’t contain identical friction modifiers and you run a high risk of burning out the converter lock-up clutch, harsh LUC shifts and oxidising the oil (leaving the transmission vulnerable to other problems too).

It’s expensive stuff but, if you wanted to shop around, the following are all genuine Mobil LT71141 fluid :

ZF Lifeguardfluid5 (ZF Part No. S671 090 170)
Audi / VW - Part No. G 052162 A1 / A2 / A6
BMW - Part No. 8322 9407807
Citroen - Part No. Z 000169756
Jaguar - Part No. JLM 20238
Land Rover - Part No. STC4863
Mercedes Benz - Part No. A 0019892203
Peugeot - Part No. Z 000169756
Porsche - Part No. 999.917.547.00


Phil