Removing Auto trans from 4.4, couple of questions

[TriX5]

Finally got back from a short but exhausting trip to Canada. So, popped the oil lines on and the exhaust and then finished up the top of the engine.

I managed to bust the drain plug of the radiator but found a temporary fix and after filling the AT with oil I fired it up!! She rattled a bit and coughed as the fuel rail refilled but then settled in to a steady idle :-).

After the engine heated up I leveled the oil in the AT and then put the stab bar and the plate back on.

Finally time for a test drive!! What a great improvement, no more noise and picture pefrect shifting.

Now we'll drive it a few weeks before tackling the chain guides.

[GT3Jeff]

Congratulations TriX5! It is very rewarding to finish a job that big.

Ironically enough, I finished putting my transmission back in my X5 last night as well. As you may recall, all I had to do was replace the Torque Converter Seal. It was a long day of connecting driveshafts, heat shields, exhaust, stabilizer bar, bottom plate, firewall in engine bay, and the oil adding and leveling process. I also had to replace an oil separator hose on the top side of the engine that I punctured while getting the top side bell housing bolts, plus reconnect a front driver ball joint I disconnected trying to get the stabilizer bar out. I also swapped out my winter wheels for summer wheels while I had it up on the jack stands.

When I dropped the transmission oil pan, the oil still looked reusable. After 100k miles I replaced it anyway, but there was no burned smell. I replaced it anyway with $350 worth of new BMW fluid. The service manuals are full of warnings about using the wrong fluid, so I decide not to scrimp on that item. I was also relieved to see just regular fine shavings on the magnets. I think/hope I dodged a bullet and the transmission is good to go for another 100k miles.

The transmission is shifting smoother than it had for along while. I suspect it didn't like running 2-3 liters light out of the 8 liter capacity.

[GT3Jeff]

TriX5, I also want to thank you for your advice. Indeed, there is no need to remove the stabilizer bar, just have it loose and off its bushings. I just slid the transmission back slightly to clear the bar before lowering the transmission.

I also took your advice and got to the top 4 transmission bell housing bolts from the topside by removing the firewall. This allowed me to leave the transfer case attached to the transmission. I had to tilt the engine and transmission back slightly to get the middle bolts coming from the bottom side.

I spent at least 2 hours getting all 12 bell housing bolts back in. Some of them are a real b**ch.

[RDM08]

congrats!!

regarding your PM.. is it #16-17?
RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.6is CATALYST/LAMBDA PROBE

it goes over #8

[fmugur]

TriX5, congratulations! the chain guides it's a piece of cake comparing with this one.

GT3Jeff, congrats to you as well! you guys accomplished a very challenging job.

thanks for sharing the experience.

[JohnI.X5]

Thanks for sharing, TriX. I learned a lot and this will be a great aid for many who follow.

Well done!

[TriX5]

Thanks guys! This board is great and I like to return the help by posting as I go. I will post a few more pix in a couple of minutes.

RDM, it is 16.

[TriX5]

Washed it this morning. Somewhere in the middle of this whole saga I swapped the winter wheels for the 132s which are new to me. And absolutely love the way these look on the black car. They have 15 and 30 mm spacers.

Started cleaning up the '01 headlights I bought, these will get AEs and I will remove the waffles. I guess that will be a different thread :-)

Finally thanks to all those who helped and encouraged me during the project. I had seen Swissfrank and Civdiv's thread before the AT ever went bad and decided then that if it happened I would do the surgery myself. I didn't think it would be only a few months after reading them that I got my problems with the AT.

RRPhil's help has been of incredible value! Special thanks to him.

I think between the four threads of Swissfrank, Civdiv, RDM and mine, it is a pretty good guideline to access information that is not in the manual.

Good luck to anyone wanting to try. I am open to questions via PM if you decide you want to go ahead with it.

Best to all

Louis

[fmugur]

I don't have to do the transmission yet but I have to top up the oil. The ATF Fluid Top-up Procedure pdf file is not longer available.
Can you post a couple of tips on how to do that. I know you have to bring the temperature up to 40C... but how much you have to add?
thanks

[TriX5]

FM,

Here is a good thread.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...hange-diy.html

In the AT part catalog there is a section on this as well. If you PM me your email address I will send a pdf of the parts cat.