5HP30 Transmission Filter Change

Okay, so there may be some flaming going on, and opinions that surely differ, but after reading Bill R.'s excellent write up and research on alternate fluids for the 5HP30 transimission, I am going to bite the bullet with Amsoil Universal Synthetic ATF when I do my long overdue filter change tomorrow.

My Amsoil dealer, who fortunately lives just down the street, verified on his dealer section of their web site that this fluid is the compatible fluid for the 5HP30. I have seven litres of fluid, a new FILTRAN filter, O-ring and pan gasket from the dealer and a long weekend ahead to do this job. This stuff is more expensive than the Valvoline or other compatible products, but still probably 1/3 the cost of LA2634 from Crown BMW. I am more comfortable with a niche fluid than a mass market one.

After finishing and test driving, I will do a full write-up.

Thanks to all for their contributions & research on alternate trans fluids!

John

Drill a 1/2" hole on one of the ATF bottle cap... stick in a 1/2" clear tube and you got a injection bottle to fill up the tranny.

Thanks for the tip, Tiger. It sounds like you've done this job already. Any other pitfalls to watch out for? What type of ATF did you use?

Done it? Done it?! I swapped out the valve body. No pitfalls, Just make sure you got the right torx bit... too small will seem like you stripped it, but it is actually you need the bigger one. Other pitfall is the long-ass flat pan = lots of bolts.

Pennzoil MV ATF for 5+ years.

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Originally Posted by Tiger

Done it? Done it?! I swapped out the valve body. No pitfalls, Just make sure you got the right torx bit... too small will seem like you stripped it, but it is actually you need the bigger one. Other pitfall is the long-ass flat pan = lots of bolts.

Pennzoil MV ATF for 5+ years.

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I think the torx bit in question is T-27. Got mine from my local Bumper-to-Bumper, which sells S-K tools. There are a lot of crappy bits out there, and 27 is an odd size. The bolts can strip easily, so a good tool is a sound investment, IMO.

Respectfully, I'd go to harbor freight and get a cheap hand pump to transfer the ATF into the pan. Do you really want to use squeeze bottle to move almost 2 gallons of tranny juice? Vertically?

Well, thanks to either fat fingering the part number or misunderstanding what I was asking for, the filter that was ordered turned into the oil carrier! The parts guy at Crown tried to tell me that the catalog was incorrect. WTF? Anyway, this project is now postponed until the correct part is received next week.

Lesson learned: Only order parts with the part # from Real OEM.

Tiger, after looking at that "long ass" pan, I think I'm going to pick up an air ratchet at Harbor Freight to spin all those bolts off once I break them loose. I need one anyway. Given that you have 5+ years on your "other" oil, I feel a lot better about not going with the LA2634.

Mr. Graybeard, thanks for the reminder that I do have a fluid pump from doing the differential oil change last year. It's laying around somewhere.

John

No... do not use any power tool. It doesn't take long at all... trust me. As for squeezing fluids into the tranny, it really doesn't take long at all. No need for stupid pumps that will complicates this process. I tried one techniques you guys said... have someone pour ATF into funnel into tube higher than tranny and stick hose on the other end into tranny... well for one guy, that will not work.

Squeeze bottle is so darn easy... 1/2" clear tube makes the process really fast. Each bottle can be 3/4 squeezed into the tranny in 30 seconds... how much faster do you want?

he could also just flip the thing over and pour it right in. ;)

Yeah, I suppose I could just flip it over and pour, but my unflipper is broken :)

I changed my tranny with Royal Purple MAX ATF. it works. The 14mm hex socket is somewhat of a odd size tool. I got a set of larger hex socket from harbor freight tools.

I just bought a 14mm allen wrench and cut an inch of it off and used it in a socket...not bad for 2.99

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Originally Posted by 632 Regal

I just bought a 14mm allen wrench and cut an inch of it off and used it in a socket...not bad for 2.99

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Yep, even with a standard 14mm allen-head socket I had to hack a piece of the hex section off to squeeze it into place on the drain plug -- space is tight down there.

Stargazer, I did not do this myself, but you could conceivably drain and fill the pan over the weekend, drive the car for a week or so and then pull the pan next week (or in a reasonably short time) to replace the filter and do a second fluid swap. You're going to want to change fluid at least twice anyway to get out as much old fluid as possible.

BTW, look for minor leaks at the wiring harness plug and selector shaft seals. They could get worse when the new fluid is trying to get out.

In fact, that's an excellent reason to do a drain and fill now -- if you find leaks afterward, you can chase them down without having to drop the pan twice.

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Originally Posted by Mr._Graybeard

Yep, even with a standard 14mm allen-head socket I had to hack a piece of the hex section off to squeeze it into place on the drain plug -- space is tight down there.

Stargazer, I did not do this myself, but you could conceivably drain and fill the pan over the weekend, drive the car for a week or so and then pull the pan next week (or in a reasonably short time) to replace the filter and do a second fluid swap. You're going to want to change fluid at least twice anyway to get out as much old fluid as possible.

BTW, look for minor leaks at the wiring harness plug and selector shaft seals. They could get worse when the new fluid is trying to get out.

In fact, that's an excellent reason to do a drain and fill now -- if you find leaks afterward, you can chase them down without having to drop the pan twice.

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Oh, I didn't think of the potential for leaks at the seals on the side. Thanks for that heads up!

Did you do the fill twice like you are describing? If so, how much fluid did you use? I have 7 litres now, but can get more easily enough. I just don't want to run out.

If that 14mm is as tight as the ones on the differential, I've got that covered with an allen wrench that's been heated and bent. I used a box-end wrench on it to break it loose. Man, that was tight!

I hit up Harbor Freight the other day for a set of Torx sockets and other stuff that I needed, so I'm pretty well covered in the tool box. I have a set of bits for a ratcheting screwdriver but I didn't trust those with the pan bolts.

The allen keys, I bought it at Sears. Check online to see who has it... it is a monster sized allen key and you don't need to modify. You can hit with hammer lightly to loosen it

As far as refilling goes, it is tricky to do at home. I drove car on ramp... then I used two shop floor jack to raise rear end up to level the car out... fill in as much, close the filler hole, start car up for like 10 seconds or so... then shut off and refill tranny... I keep doing this a couple of times to make sure there is enough fluid.

The final topoff, I did it at my uncle's shop... I let car cool down enough and then start it up on lift... let engine idle, loosen cap and fill until fluid keeps coming back out and that is it.

You gotta get new seals for the two drain and refill plugs...

Stargazer, you have read through this web site, haven't you? It's the procedure I used. http://www.e38.org/zf-5hp30-service.html

Yes, I drained and filled twice for starters, and then pulled the pan for an inspection (with a third fluid change) after 5K or so. The fluid I drained at that point was still a little dark from residual Shell ATF and the magnet had picked up a very light coat of filings, IIRC.

You'll need 7 quarts/liters at each fill. I bought a case plus two bottles for starters.

If you're using a hand pump, you can speed things along by emptying the smaller bottles into a plastic gallon jug (or the metric equivalent). It's a lot less hassle dealing with a larger container if you're doing this while you're lying on your back.

My procedure differed a little from Tiger's, as I used the e38.org method. After buttoning up the pan (and replacing the drain plug) I filled it until it wouldn't take any more with the engine off. Then I started the engine and rowed through the gears (rear subframe on jackstands).

At that point I checked carefully to make sure the car hadn't shifted on the stands. After ensuring that I wasn't endangering my life by doing so, I got back under the car with the engine running and finished the fill.

The fluid should be a little warm (30-50c, I think) so let the car idle for 5 minutes or so before replacing the fill plug to account for fluid expansion. You can also put your ATF bottles out in the sun for half an hour... and I tried to do this job on a fairly warm day so the engine/trans weren't absolutely stone cold. That may sound a little anal, but ....

Should you have to replace the shift selector shaft seals, it can be difficult fitting the new seals over the selector shafts. If you decide that job is necessary, you can use pieces of a plastic soda straw slit up the side to sleeve the selector shaft temporarily -- the lip of the seal (lube with atf) will slide smoothly over the straw as you press the seal into place. Then you can slip the pieces of straw out..

lastly you should do a reboot of the computer. Kurt Koeller recommends disconnecting the battery and taping the leads together overnight to be sure fer sure there is a complete brain drain, then reconnect and drive it robustly the next morning. It should eliminate the sensation that it is underfilled re: Reverse to Drive shifts....that is if you are positive you have refilled it properly.

best

Watch out for hot cats on both sides if following other method... yep, they are searing hot is why I used my uncle's lift for final fill.

Tiger, Mr. Graybeard & 530iTouring,

Thank you for your advice on this project. I think I am going to go with the procedure as outlined from e38.org. I've been studying this and feel that this is going to be the best way for me to do it since I do not have a lift. All of the tools are in hand and I'm ready to rock. I will definitely do a "brain drain" when it's finished.

I have been able to get the car pretty high in the air by driving on to front ramps and chocking the wheels, jacking up the rear and placing jack stands on the subframe, when I replaced the drive shaft last year. I am paranoid about 4000 lbs. of fine German engineering falling on me, so I kick and shove the car pretty hard prior to sliding underneath. I figure that I'll attach a small magnetic level to the frame so that there is no doubt the fill is completely done.

Looking underneath it I can see that the selector shaft seal is going south so I'm going to just go ahead and replace that anyway just to be sure, so that will be ordered as well. I am driving the 540 to the Chicago meet in June and do not want any problems out in the middle of nowhere.

If the selector shaft seals are failing, I'd change the seals at the plug for the wiring harness too. They are two white O-rings ... very easy to replace when you have the pan off.