*The Official E53 Manual Transmission Registry Thread*

[Ricky Bobby]

I think mine was between 2-3 but it's been a few years.

The front diff is like 1.8 and the rear diff is .9, and the transfer case is under a quart as well.

[petebmwm]

my rear diff took almost 2 quarts! I have 2 in the trans now, another quart on its way..and i ordered another quart of redline 75-90 for the front....

[Ricky Bobby]

Probably differences between pre and post-facelift.

[petebmwm]

it might be, but what i'm surprised at is how far off the owners manual is....

[Ricky Bobby]

I'm surprised they even mention manual transmission capacity in the owners manual, 99% of BMW employees don't even know the E53 came in stick.

[petebmwm]

It's funny because I work at a dealership in sales, I'd have people come up to me and tell me to keep an eye out for one, take their name and number.... id look them in the the eye and tell them that they would never hear from me, because if I came across one I was buying it!

[Andrey1985]

Originally Posted by petebmwm

It's funny because I work at a dealership in sales, I'd have people come up to me and tell me to keep an eye out for one, take their name and number.... id look them in the the eye and tell them that they would never hear from me, because if I came across one I was buying it!

I'm selling one 10/2002 e53 3.0i manual transmission.

[petebmwm]

if your location is actualy moldova, I doubt i can help you. although I do know people there and have some of your money, coins mostly.

[95M3Gretchen_&_06X5Rolf]

Hi all,

It's been awhile since I posted, I've been busy trying to regain my sanity and thaw out from this crazy winter. Rolf now has 54K miles after trips to Jax, Florida, Toronto, Montreal and NYC.

Here's my problem; Back in late Fall on our latest long road trip (Baltimore to Montreal) I occasionally noticed what felt/sounded like a wheel bearing about to go (that subtle grinding feel/sound) but it wasn't in concert with turning the steering wheel and it wasn't acceleration/deceleration dependent, so it didn't make sense. After the trip it seemed to go away but then about a month later the grinding feel returned and I started to get a better read on it - it was drivetrain related and seemed to come on just after 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts - the subtle grinding felt as though the clutch was not fully releasing for a second or two after shifts, even though my foot was off the clutch and full power was engaging (along with a second or two of the grinding-feel all the while).
The interwebs decided that it was most likely a damaged clutch shift fork or a bad release bearing and I was busy (and it was cold) so I decided I'd go the professional route and drop Rolf off at the stealer. So when the stealer called and said "Your release bearing is bad and it causing the clutch to hang for a second or two after shifts" it made sense. So since it was all coming apart I agreed to let them replace the clutch kit as well, making this truly a "stealer" visit but at least Rolf's only issue would be solved since other trips would be coming up and I was not about to sit on a concrete garage floor in single digits.
Imagine my surprise when I picked him up the following week and he obviously had a new clutch AND THE SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE. I was not a happy camper. I gave myself a week to cool off and gather info and took him back to complain. Both the service manager and the tech manager acknowledged that the problem was still evident "but very subtle, just as before" in their opinion and that they both felt it was a transmission problem...the tech manager even said, "this issue wasn't clutch or bearing related, it's a hydraulic clutch so it's either going to release or not, not just hang for a minute" OMFG - why replace parts to chase a problem when you can eliminate those parts from the cause??? I took it to a BMW dealer to avoid chasing parts! !@#$%^%&*# When I asked if they'd looked for any codes or if they'd put him up on a lift, run the car and shifted to detect if it was coming from the transfer case, the diffs or the tranny the service manager actually stood there, looked me in the eye and said, "We don't have the resources to put every car up on a lift and check every possible cause."
Don't get me started about the what and the how as I've now gotten BMWNA to investigate and they concluded that I was "miscommunicated to", just as I reminded the dealer - if they'd have told me from the start that they felt it might be the tranny I'd never have agreed to replace the bearing and certainly would not have replaced a perfectly good clutch. The dealer is worried and Ive got an appointment to hash this out with the general manager (they've offered free labor to replace the tranny but I'd rather just have a refund and take it elsewhere once I figure out more).
Sorry, I'm back off the soapbox...the grinding feel is getting worse between lower shifts (and if I take him out of lower gears to coast it's apparent as well) but no codes, lights, burning smell, etc. and the grinding feel goes away after those initial few seconds.
Aside from whatever amount I get the dealer to refund, what are my obvious starting points? Now that warm weather is almost back I'll be willing to get to work on it...I'll check all the fluid levels (I replaced all driveline fluids last Spring, so maybe I didn't fill one or more properly?) Does our 6spd. MT have a tranny filter I should check? Could it be as simple as a misbehaving CDV? Could it just be a failing master cylinder?
Thanks in advance for any feedback or ideas as your input will add items to my check-list!

[Brads2002]

No filter,
What fluid did you use in the gearbox? I recommend Redline MTL. Great stuff. Easy place to start. Might want to put the car on a lift and shift through the gears.