I would think any ZF fluid retailer is a better choice. BavAuto is usually cheaper when you go with the fluid/filter/gasket pkg vs BMW dealer cost.

I agree that the easiest route (aside from cost) is to use fluid from the dealer. But I don't think there is risk in using an actual Lifeguard fluid, as long as it is actually a Lifeguard fluid and not a generic one.

OCD me, but I wouldn't change brands of certified fluids even if I found another was better, unless it was a full transmission and torque convertor flush. The logic or lack of would be to avoid any possibility the two would not dance will together.

To me, that is one of the reasons to use a tested and certified fluid. That spec requires that any fluid that does meet the spec works fine with another fluid that also meets the spec.

If you use fluids with unknown compositions and additives, then yes, I can see the logic of staying with one brand or formula.

E53 3.0d 12/2005 6HP26X ISSUES
 

Hello everyone and thanks in advance for your help.

My car is an E53 3.0d year 12/2005 M-Packet with 190.000km, 6HP26X automatic gearbox and I think I have some troubles with the transmission but I don’t know exactly where.

I have changed the filter and the oil of the transfer case and gearbox 10.000km ago. I have bought the oil for the gearbox in eBay (ROWE ATF 9006), the filter in BMW and the oil for the transfer case in BMW. I have reset the values of the transmission case with the Inpa and all the filling of the gearbox made according the procedure.

The symptoms are these:

• When the car is cold and I drive in automatic, when the gear goes up from 2º to 3º it makes a noise (like slipping or something like that) and the speed does not increase in that moment. It seems like it changes again to 2º gear and again to 3º gear. This noise is only when the car is cold and with a few gas. If I change the gears from 2º to 3º in manual the effect is the same. This is the torque converter stuttering issue? Is possible to buy a remanufactured converter and is easy to change?

• I have changed front tyres last week and I have noticed that when I push down the gas pedal in 3º gear it seems to make some “clonks” or “knocking noise”. It could be that noise the transmission case chain has loosened and it slips? I so, I have to change only the chain or normally when the chain is loosening it damages other parts? It possible that this noise was because the rear tyre are more worn that front? (rear tyre has only 2mm depth and front are news)

• And the most common problem on this automatic gearboxes “The lurch”. Normally I drive a lot in city. When I stop the car in a traffic light and I loose a bit the brake pedal it suddenly change from 2º to 1º gear and the car moves forward a little with a punch. Normally when I drive on city I put in manual and I stop in second gear always. I took the car to the BMW dealer and they say me that the software was actualised to the last version. Do you know what is the last version for this gearbox and if it’s possible to know the version of the software with the Inpa? I have measure the gearbox oil temperature and is always in hot condition around 90 degrees, so the thermostat is correct. Is possible that this problem increase if the oil level is not correct at all? I have verified it at 40 degrees and when I loosened the cap the oil starts to came out (is possible that it has too much oil?). This problem could be fixed with a valve solenoid change?

Thanks for all your help and congratulations for this forum.

Kind regards,
JON

Hi Guys,

I did the fluid change this past summer and was getting the "TRANS FAILSAFE PROG" message. I posted about it here and it turned out to be low battery voltage as I was messing swapping out the stereo at the same time.

So it drove fine for the next few month until it started getting cold outside. I started getting the "TRANS FAILSAFE PROG" every morning when I started the car. I even left the car on a trickle charger overnight one time to rule out it being the battery again. It was not the battery.

After driving for about 15 minutes, I could shut off the car, and start it back up, and the transmission was happy again, except I noticed some jerkiness on the 2-1 shift coming to a stop.

I left it sitting outside and on a cold morning, I did the top off procedure again, immediately after starting the engine and was able to add just under additional quart of ZF fluid.

So I guess when I did the fill procedure this past summer, the fluid got too warn too quickly and I have been running around almost a quart low for the last 2500 miles or so.

Unfortunately, adding that missing quart of oil did not cure the "TRANS FAILSAFE PROG" message when starting the car each morning, and I still have the hard 2-1 downshift.

My commute to work is about 20 minutes, and other that slow acceleration from only having 1 forward gear, and sucky mileage since there is no overdrive when going 60 mpg, am I likely to have some sort of catastrophic failure by continuing to drive it the way it is?

Do I have any options other than dropping the tranny and rebuilding it?

You could get the correct fluid level by following the service procedure to set the level while monitoring transmission fluid temperature, but after that you are looking at pulling the transmission IMO.

I would get it to a well recommended transmission shop and get a diagnosis. BMW dealers do not work on transmissions.

Thanks guys. I'll call around to see if there are any transmission shows around here that has any experience with these BMW transmissions.

I have the Bentley shop manual and used the procedure in it. I'm puzzled that I was almost a quart low despite following their procedure to the letter the first time. At most 100 seconds passed from when I started the car until fluid started coming out the fill hole. Ambient was maybe 75 degrees when I did it. I have a lift, so I used a 6 foot step ladder to get into the car to start it and run through the gears, then back to park. The down the latter and remove the fill plug (already loosened and wrench ready to go, then fill with manual pump already attached to full 1 quart container with a 2nd one ready to go. Once the fluid started coming out, I put the fill plug back in and climbed back up the latter and shut down the car. Like I said, it was maybe 100 seconds before I had the fill plug back in. p.s. car sat overnight before I did it the first time.

What do you mean 100 seconds, ambient temp. You need to get to the specific temp of the oil, let it drain till it drips, and then close the fill hole while still being within the service temp of the oil. I suggest you either monitor it with a computer specifically made for out cars, or use a thermal gauge of some sort. You need to be topping it off between 30C and 50C.