changing tranny fluid - MANUAL

stupenal · 04-22-2003, 10:32 AM

My car has a tendency to not want to go into first gear once in awhile while I'm at a stop. I usually have to go into 2nd, and then into first. I've heard that changing the tranny fluid might help.

Here's the problem. I found a write up on how to change the tranny fluid, but I was wondering if BMW put lifetime tranny fluid in the manual transmission cars? I know they put it in the automatics.

I've read that if you haven't changed tranny fluid before, and your car has over 100k miles, the gunked up old stuff might start to circulate and cause damage to the transmission. My car has 158k miles, I have no clue if the previous owners have changed the transmission fluid before.

If it IS ok to change it, which fluid should I use? I've heard good things about royal purple, while other people say to use Redline d4atf.

Once again, this is a manual transmission. Thanks.

nah325i · 04-22-2003, 07:36 PM

The fluid in a manual transmission dosent circulate like it does in an autobox. Yes you can, and should change your gear oil. Use redline synthetic and make sure you buy the right kind. Some of the gearboxes require automatic transmission fluid and others require a different weight gear oil. Also a tip to make things go easier.... It is a pain to refill the tranny, buy a funnel and a long peice of flexible clear tubing that fits over the end of the funnel- borrow a friend- get under the car, insert the tube into the fill hole and have him pour the fluid into the funnel. As long as the funnel is higher than the fill hole everything should be fine. Just fill it up until it gets the to hole. Good Luck

stupenal · 04-22-2003, 10:49 PM

Thanks nah325i. Now where do i find out which kind of fluid is best for my car? Is it listed in the owners manual (sorry, car is at home right now...and i'm at school)? I'm going to buy a pump that attaches to an ordinary bottle and that has a tube, much easier than going about with the funnel. Thanks for the clarification!

nah325i · 04-23-2003, 06:40 AM

It should be in your manual. Also I think that there is a color coded sticker on the tranny itself.

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

You can buy a "Marine fill kit" or something similar at your FLAPS (freindly local auto parts store). This is a hand-pump that screws onto a quart bottle of oil or transmission fluid. There is a different pump that screws onto gallon bottles.

With the hand-pump, you can just pump the fluid in from any angle, you don't have to worry about finding a way in that is "downhill".

On the original problem, you might also check the clutch adjustment.

--DD

dkrug@aol.com · 04-25-2003, 11:34 AM

My 98 M3 has that problem with 1st gear, too. Only 54K miles.
I have not replaced fluid, but BMW specs MTF LT-1. If that is
a 90 weight gear oil, I can see D4-ATF helping. BMW also
says their oil is "lifetime" for the 5sp. On othercars, this problem
ususally improves as fluid warms up, but not my M3. Low
hydraulic clutch fluid can cause this problem, but mine is fine.
I just hope it is not the clutch.....

Let us know, STUPENAL, if the ATF helps.

Eli at Pelican Parts · 04-25-2003, 11:38 AM

I wonder, are you having this problem with the stock stifter? Or have either of you gone with an "after market" short-shifter?

This tends to play a big roll.........

dkrug@aol.com · 04-25-2003, 12:13 PM

My car is stock, as far as I know. I am not the original owner. The
shifter and tranny had a recall/service bulletin, didn't they? The
reverse gate has always taken some force to access. Other
M3s I have driven are tough, too, so that is prob a feature, not
a bug....

stupenal · 04-25-2003, 12:47 PM

I havent gone to aftermarket shifter, YET. Actually, I'll be putting in an M3 shifter in about a month, i'll post results. I'll probably change tranny fluid within a couple weeks, I'll also post some results.

Eli at Pelican Parts · 04-25-2003, 12:57 PM

The best thing I could recommend is driving it down to your local BMW service desk and asking them if they could pull a service for recall report. I had a service recall report ran for my M3 3 weeks ago and I was happy to see the previous owner had taken it in for 95% of the recalls.

Be nice to the service tech and then ask "Is this the stock shifter".

Just my recommendation,