[Sanelko]

Just did the change a few days ago myself. Took about 4.5 quarts.

FYI, the ISTA+ "Oil adjustment" procedure following pan/filter replacement is as follows (car initially off):
1. Fill pan until fluid drips from the fill plug
2. Turn car on, and immediately repeat step 1
3. Get in the car and shift to reverse, then D, then go into the manual shift gate and hold gears 1 & 2 for 10 seconds.
4. Put the car back in park and rev the engine at 2k RPMs for 30 seconds to fill the torque converter.
5. Repeat step 1. Replace fill plug

Supposedly the fluid is supposed to be between 30-40 degrees C before doing step 5, but I was at a rent-a-lift place and didn't want to wait for it to drop from 57 degC back to under 40degC. I just overfilled a bit and quickly replaced my fill plug in order to compensate for the warmer oil.

[Big_CG]

Originally Posted by Sanelko

Just did the change a few days ago myself. Took about 4.5 quarts.

FYI, the ISTA+ "Oil adjustment" procedure following pan/filter replacement is as follows (car initially off):
1. Fill pan until fluid drips from the fill plug
2. Turn car on, and immediately repeat step 1
3. Get in the car and shift to reverse, then D, then go into the manual shift gate and hold gears 1 & 2 for 10 seconds.
4. Put the car back in park and rev the engine at 2k RPMs for 30 seconds to fill the torque converter.
5. Repeat step 1. Replace fill plug

Supposedly the fluid is supposed to be between 30-40 degrees C before doing step 5, but I was at a rent-a-lift place and didn't want to wait for it to drop from 57 degC back to under 40degC. I just overfilled a bit and quickly replaced my fill plug in order to compensate for the warmer oil.

Nice, good tips. What software did you use to measure the trans fluid temp?

And what tool did you use to open the fill plug? That looks like the most difficult step

[Sanelko]

Originally Posted by Big_CG

Nice, good tips. What software did you use to measure the trans fluid temp?

And what tool did you use to open the fill plug? That looks like the most difficult step

ISTA+ is the software. I used my Max Axess ratchet with a 8 mm Max Axess Hex Bit Socket.

[Big_CG]

Originally Posted by Sanelko

ISTA+ is the software. I used my Max Axess ratchet with a 8 mm Max Axess Hex Bit Socket.

Great. Is there any adaptations reset needed after exchanging fluid? The forums seemed to be conflicting on this point.

[Sanelko]

Originally Posted by Big_CG

Great. Is there any adaptations reset needed after exchanging fluid? The forums seemed to be conflicting on this point.

The procedure doesn't say it's necessary, plus I don't see why you would need to. AFAIK, the adaptation is based off of the individual's driving habits irrespective of the condition of the transmission fluid.

[123Britt]

This reader will measure AT Oil Temp.
.

[drivef30]

Sorry Im new to the F30 family. So Im not completely understanding the transmission service. Do i NEED to use ista? Or will it be fine to just do a drain and fill, make sure to follow zf instructions without reseting anything or using any BMW software?

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by Sanelko

The procedure doesn't say it's necessary, plus I don't see why you would need to. AFAIK, the adaptation is based off of the individual's driving habits irrespective of the condition of the transmission fluid.

Incorrect.

The transmission needs to know there's new fluid so it can compensate for the change in dynamics. This is not the same as driver specific adaptations.

[catskillclimber]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

Incorrect.

The transmission needs to know there's new fluid so it can compensate for the change in dynamics. This is not the same as driver specific adaptations.

Incorrect. Spoke with ZF about this very issue and no adaption changes are required. Local BMW confirmed this also.
The transfer case is a different story and does require a reset if the fluid is changed.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by catskillclimber

Incorrect. Spoke with ZF about this very issue and no adaption changes are required. Local BMW confirmed this also.
The transfer case is a different story and does requipre a reset if the fluid is changed.

I have ZF documentation* specifically stating it's recommended "for best results" and you can find it on their website. Besides the feature to reset it is built into ISTA.

So it's not required, but I never said it was required.

This is the difference between the the right way and the "get by without it" way.

*Possibly dated.

[catskillclimber]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

I have ZF documentation* specifically stating it's recommended "for best results" and you can find it on their website. Besides the feature to reset it is built into ISTA.

So it's not required, but I never said it was required.

This is the difference between the the right way and the "get by without it" way.

*Possibly dated.

https://www.zf.com/global/media/medi...P_50130_EN.pdf

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by catskillclimber

https://www.zf.com/global/media/medi...P_50130_EN.pdf

The ZF change procedures for the 5hp/6hp didn't say it either however their website did say a transmission reset was recommended. I had the technician do it when I changed the ATF for my 335d back in 2013-14.

ZF has since made numerous changes to their site so I can't find it but I haven't spent a lot of time looking.

In any case like I said earlier, if there's an option to have it done via ISTA then it should really be done. It is after all quite ironic that people are spending money unnecessarily changing their fluid early but balk at spending the extra couple of bucks to have the car hooked up to the computer for a reset.

[Sanelko]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

The ZF change procedures for the 5hp/6hp didn't say it either however their website did say a transmission reset was recommended. I had the technician do it when I changed the ATF for my 335d back in 2013-14.

ZF has since made numerous changes to their site so I can't find it but I haven't spent a lot of time looking.

In any case like I said earlier, if there's an option to have it done via ISTA then it should really be done. It is after all quite ironic that people are spending money unnecessarily changing their fluid early but balk at spending the extra couple of bucks to have the car hooked up to the computer for a reset.

I saw the transmission adaptation reset option in ISTA, so I didn't skip it to avoid "spending the extra couple of bucks" but rather because the BMW procedure never called out for it. Reference the ISTA procedure posted by Polo. The only thing the procedure says that has to be done in ISTA is as follows:

"To set the correct level, it is mandatory that the service
function "Transmission control unit: oil adjustment" is
performed using the diagnosis system.
Failure to comply with this requirement will result in
serious damage to the automatic transmission."

Again, the oil adjustment procedure just says to do the following:

1. Fill pan until fluid drips from the fill plug
2. Turn car on, and immediately repeat step 1
3. Get in the car and shift to reverse, then D, then go into the manual shift gate and hold gears 1 & 2 for 10 seconds.
4. Put the car back in park and rev the engine at 2k RPMs for 30 seconds to fill the torque converter.
5. Repeat step 1. Replace fill plug

It does not mention that an adaptation reset is required nor recommended.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by Sanelko

I saw the transmission adaptation reset option in ISTA, so I didn't skip it to avoid "spending the extra couple of bucks" but rather because the BMW procedure never called out for it. Reference the ISTA procedure posted by Polo. The only thing the procedure says that has to be done in ISTA is as follows:

"To set the correct level, it is mandatory that the service
function "Transmission control unit: oil adjustment" is
performed using the diagnosis system.
Failure to comply with this requirement will result in
serious damage to the automatic transmission."

Again, the oil adjustment procedure just says to do the following:

1. Fill pan until fluid drips from the fill plug
2. Turn car on, and immediately repeat step 1
3. Get in the car and shift to reverse, then D, then go into the manual shift gate and hold gears 1 & 2 for 10 seconds.
4. Put the car back in park and rev the engine at 2k RPMs for 30 seconds to fill the torque converter.
5. Repeat step 1. Replace fill plug

It does not mention that an adaptation reset is required nor recommended.

Correct. It's not required. I did the reset shortly after just for shits and giggles.

[Polo08816]

I will add that I prefer to do this procedure in the middle of the winter with lower outdoor temperatures. The reason is because I can leave the car outside for 1-2 hours to ensure the engine and transmissions have cooled down to a low enough level. It's far easier to raise the transmission temperature than to wait and let the transmission cool down to an acceptable range for the ISTA procedure to begin.

[Sanelko]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

I will add that I prefer to do this procedure in the middle of the winter with lower outdoor temperatures. The reason is because I can leave the car outside for 1-2 hours to ensure the engine and transmissions have cooled down to a low enough level. It's far easier to raise the transmission temperature than to wait and let the transmission cool down to an acceptable range for the ISTA procedure to begin.

Yeah, good advice. I was at a rent-a-lift place so once I saw that I was 15 degC over what was recommended I had to say screw it and overfill as much as I could and quickly screw on the fill plug. ISTA even says you may have to wait overnight for the transmission to cool down enough to get it in the right temperature range. Maybe I'll run through the ISTA oil adjustment process again on a cool day just to see how much more fluid the transmission would take.

[F30ed]

Originally Posted by Sanelko

Yeah, good advice. I was at a rent-a-lift place so once I saw that I was 15 degC over what was recommended I had to say fuck it ....

Or put oil cans into big bucket and cover with ice couple of hours before starting the change.

[mysterio]

Originally Posted by Dima1978

Hi, guys! Has anyone heard of an aux trans oil cooler line that gets emptied when oil is dropped. A valve in the cooler opens after 75C is reached; hence, the rumor is we need to go through a normal leveling procedure then drive around( to bring your trans to 75c+) come back for releveling. What do you guys think?

This note would seem to indicate that there is no valve... that the oil is flowing through the oil cooler all the time and will either be heated or cooled by the ATF oil "cooler" depending on whether the ATF fluid is hotter or colder than the engine coolant.

[cxp213]

Originally Posted by insanecoder

However alot of the specifics are BS.. for example how much will transmission fluid actually expand given a 10 degree (even 50 degree) difference in temp given the coefficcient of expansion of oil? Then any expansion level over the large surface area of the pan would also make any level negligible.. then why would any engineer design a tranny with such sensitivity to pan fluid level over such a large surfacearea.. its complete BS. I can tell these guys are making it complex cause they want you to pay the service dept to do this.. it makes no engineering sense whatsoever.
BMW wants to sell the BS that their cars are maintenance-free .. ZF even stipulates 60,000mi oil changes.. Lifetime? Warrenty-lifetime maybe

+1

I'm no expert, but I don't quite understand the need for controlling the temperature, as long as you're not doing it in extreme temps.

I'll most likely skip the whole temperature thing if and when I tackle this on my M235i. I can't imagine it would be too detrimental, just for slightly over/underfilling due to temps.

[insanecoder]

Originally Posted by cxp213

+1

I'm no expert, but I don't quite understand the need for controlling the temperature, as long as you're not doing it in extreme temps.

I'll most likely skip the whole temperature thing if and when I tackle this on my M235i. I can't imagine it would be too detrimental, just for slightly over/underfilling due to temps.

Could be for other factors not explained
I wouldnt completely skirt the oil temperature issue.. ie cold
I just dont think it has to do with the levels because of what I explained
I just wouldnt stress over it and keep the oil temps in the ballpark range

[cxp213]

I don't like working on cars when it's too hot or cold, so it'll probably be within 10ºC from their lower end of the recommended temp range.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by cxp213

+1

I'm no expert, but I don't quite understand the need for controlling the temperature, as long as you're not doing it in extreme temps.

I'll most likely skip the whole temperature thing if and when I tackle this on my M235i. I can't imagine it would be too detrimental, just for slightly over/underfilling due to temps.

Originally Posted by insanecoder

Could be for other factors not explained
I wouldnt completely skirt the oil temperature issue.. ie cold
I just dont think it has to do with the levels because of what I explained
I just wouldnt stress over it and keep the oil temps in the ballpark range

Originally Posted by cxp213

I don't like working on cars when it's too hot or cold, so it'll probably be within 10ºC from their lower end of the recommended temp range.

If you're doing this procedure with the car hooked up to ISTAD, it won't let you proceed on the ABL procedure until the temperature sensor in the transmission is within its specified range.