[J-Blizz]

Houston, we have a problem....

My car is currently at ~54k miles so I figured I'd tackle the transmission fluid as preventative maintenance and well... I set my 5-80lb/ft torque wrench to ~7ft lb aka 10NM and let's just say that didn't work out well for me. I ended up snapping one of the tranmission pan bolts. It's bolt #1 according to ZF's torque pattern (one of the corner ones). Do you think I'm screwed and need to take my car somewhere to get that screw out/the job redone or do you think I'd be fine without that screw for some time?....

I went through the rest of the transmission service procedure and it got up to temp fine with absolutely no signs of leaks but maybe it's just a matter of time?


Thinking about just monitoring the fluid levels. I'll probably call a mechanic tomorrow but I wanted to get everyone else's opinion. Thanks!

On second thought, maybe I'll just reorder the pan and leave it as is until next weekend? Any advice on this matter is very very much appreciated. Trying not too panic too much.

[435gc]

Probably fine short term, a few days. I would not leave it unaddressed or go on any long drives where the fluid gets up to max temp. Shouldn't need a new pan.

You could probably get the it out pretty simply using a cheap bolt extractor and put a new bolt in. Id loosen all the bolts a quarter turn and retorque in the proper order.

While waiting maybe leave the belly pan off and put a piece of cardboard under the area of the pan to observe for small leaks.

[J-Blizz]

Originally Posted by 435gc

Probably fine short term, a few days. I would not leave it unaddressed or go on any long drives where the fluid gets up to max temp. Shouldn't need a new pan.

You could probably get the it out pretty simply using a cheap bolt extractor and put a new bolt in. Id loosen all the bolts a quarter turn and retorque in the proper order.

While waiting maybe leave the belly pan off and put a piece of cardboard under the area of the pan to observe for small leaks.

Originally Posted by 435gc

Probably fine short term, a few days. I would not leave it unaddressed or go on any long drives where the fluid gets up to max temp. Shouldn't need a new pan.

You could probably get the it out pretty simply using a cheap bolt extractor and put a new bolt in. Id loosen all the bolts a quarter turn and retorque in the proper order.

While waiting maybe leave the belly pan off and put a piece of cardboard under the area of the pan to observe for small leaks.

Thank you so much for the advice. That's exactly what I ended up doing: using a cheap bolt extractor and putting a new bolt in. I didn't actually retorque the others since I was worried about them breaking or being weak from more manipulation but those ones were torqued in the appropriate pattern to begin with. I'm sure all will be well now! Thank you again

[eugene89us]

@J-Blizz, I am curious what type of torque wrench did you use? Did the bolt snap before the wrench clicked (or beeped) or do you think you may have missed the click and overtightened it? Do you think there may be a calibration issue? The number of people snapping bolts is indeed concerning... Glad you got it fixed!

[mitch_t_bimmer]

Just did the exact same thing on Bolt #12 if you are following the tightening pattern from the linked image. I did not have an issue with any of the other bolts. Had my torque wrench set to 5 nm (does not go down to 4) + a little under a quarter turn. This bolt never reached 5 nm and snapped. Very frustrating.

I am going to keep an eye on leaks and try to extract and replace that bolt with a new one.

Clearly these bolts are extremely brittle, so I advise anyone doing this service to be extra cautious.

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/how-to-serv...p-transmission

[Billfitz]

It seems that the bolts are aluminum, and should be replaced every time they're removed.

[perezr10]

yeah, I would NEVER reuse the transmission bolts once they’ve come off. They get brittle.

[Orion4]

Are your bolts steel or aluminum? on my 13 F30 n335i they are steel. If aluminum, definitively single use (4nm + 45 degrees), I believe.

Correction: mine are one time use aluminum bolts

[amancuso]

Originally Posted by J-Blizz

Houston, we have a problem....

My car is currently at ~54k miles so I figured I'd tackle the transmission fluid as preventative maintenance and well... I set my 5-80lb/ft torque wrench to ~7ft lb aka 10NM and let's just say that didn't work out well for me. I ended up snapping one of the tranmission pan bolts. It's bolt #1 according to ZF's torque pattern (one of the corner ones). Do you think I'm screwed and need to take my car somewhere to get that screw out/the job redone or do you think I'd be fine without that screw for some time?....

I went through the rest of the transmission service procedure and it got up to temp fine with absolutely no signs of leaks but maybe it's just a matter of time?


Thinking about just monitoring the fluid levels. I'll probably call a mechanic tomorrow but I wanted to get everyone else's opinion. Thanks!

On second thought, maybe I'll just reorder the pan and leave it as is until next weekend? Any advice on this matter is very very much appreciated. Trying not too panic too much.

Were they new bolts or did you re-use the originals? Single use bolts.