anyone with the a4s 310r suffer with stripping bolts?

each and every single time someone (myself, shop) opens the pan up on the transmission (a4s 310r, 4l30e) in my m50 powered 92 525i, bolts strip. my friends and i helicoiled about 3-4 during the filter change we just did, but more stripped out as we put it back in. even using an inch-pound accurate torque wrench, we stripped at least two of them in the forward pan. (we) were trying to eliminate a transmission leak that we believed to be coming from the forward pan gasket, so, in desperation, we took the pan off, put a very small quantity of RTV onto it, and upped the bolt torque from 9 to 10 ft-lbs, at which time they stripped. i don't think that 1 ftlb should do this.....long story short, the leak isn't from the pan, but i've given serious thought to helicoiling every bolt hole in the tranny when it comes out for repair. anyone else?

i think they made those tranny cases outta old lawn chairs beer cans and bicycles, they suck ass, the ones on the sides you can run a longer bolt all of the way though and nut it on the top, for the blind holes on the ends coils are the only way to go, i reuse the old bolts and tighten them with a nut driver to limit the torque i apply, i find they strip out more when i use the new bolts that come in the kit

I've had 4l30e's in non BMW apps and never had a problem. Never used a torque wrench either.

For jobs in the sub 10 ft/lb range I use an inch pound wrench. Most torque wrenches are way off on the bottom of the scale.

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Originally Posted by winfred

i think they made those tranny cases outta old lawn chairs beer cans and bicycles, they suck ass, the ones on the sides you can run a longer bolt all of the way though and nut it on the top, for the blind holes on the ends coils are the only way to go, i reuse the old bolts and tighten them with a nut driver to limit the torque i apply, i find they strip out more when i use the new bolts that come in the kit

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makes a man feel good to know that the same happens to someone that knows what they are doing, thanks.

to the other poster, the torque wrench is an inch-lb, 1/4 drive unit from harbor freight. i know that it might not be the most precise thing in the world, but it seems to give reasonably commensurate torque. if anything, when i'm tightening down trans pan bolts by hand, i go too soft, which causes leaks.

Based on your other posts I was sure you had the proper tool, but I figured I'd mention it anyways.

Were these actually made by GM for BMW, or did BMW license them?