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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > Mechanical Maintenance and TSBs: Break-in / Oil & Fluids / Servicing / TSBs and Service Bulletin > How sealed is the transmission?
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      07-17-2019, 02:25 PM   #1
Wolfus Aurelius
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How sealed is the transmission?

Last week, as some of you may have read, I got a little flood water inside the car, in the front and rear passenger footwells. None on the driver's side. The car is at the dealer, and the insurance company is covering everything over my deductible. I asked the service advisor about the possibility of wheel bearings, engine oil, and transmission fluid getting contaminated. His reply was that they were all sealed units; and that he was pretty sure the insurance rep wouldn't approve the cost of changing the fluids because of that.

I checked with my regular mechanic, and he agreed on this. But of course, being the Careful Car-Guy I am, I wonder. What says the collective wisdom? I was about to have the oil changed next week anyway, but the car, a 2015, is only at 30K miles and shouldn't need the transmission fluid swapped for a while yet. The water wasn't that deep; the main problem was several inches in the footwells, which screwed with the windows and the wipers. Certainly the car started, shifted, and drove without trouble that day, and started easily to go up on the flatbed the next day too.

Should I worry about the transmission fluid at this point? Or have my mechanic do it soon?
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      07-17-2019, 02:44 PM   #2
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I'm sure the engineers in the forum can better answer, but I have been told that most of these systems are well sealed. Electric stuff too. Otherwise heavy rain (which as you know we frequently get in Louisiana), dust, ice (not so much a problem here), etc would pose significant problems for a car. The problem I had with my old car when my wife totaled it was that essentially a lot of water was strongly forced through the grills into the air intake, through the air filter (the filter was soaking wet) and into the cylinders. The physics of water in the cylinders is not good.

Anyway as stated early good luck. The interior sounds like it will be fine, once it is dried out and appropriate things replaced.
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      07-17-2019, 07:45 PM   #3
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All transmissions & differentials have vents, the common entry point for water when submerged. The transmission is no more sealed than any other transmission except for the lack of fluid level dipstick. A level check would be a start to determine if a component suffered a water incursion.
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      07-17-2019, 07:58 PM   #4
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Modern transmissions will typically have a valve which allows some air but not water/dirt to enter the unit. You'd have to look up the schematic for your transmission or just email ZF.
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      07-17-2019, 09:09 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F32Fleet View Post
Modern transmissions will typically have a valve which allows some air but not water/dirt to enter the unit. You'd have to look up the schematic for your transmission or just email ZF.
Thanks - that's good to know. I guess the transmission must be more than 9.8 " above the ground ( or the valve?). My cars manual says that you can drive through a max of 9.8" of water. My brother in law wanted to give my wife a ruler for Christmas with 9.8" clearly marked so she would be able measure the water level before totaling another car...needless to say she did not find that very funny.

I like your logo; good beer.
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      07-17-2019, 11:15 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfus Aurelius View Post
Last week, as some of you may have read, I got a little flood water inside the car, in the front and rear passenger footwells. None on the driver's side. The car is at the dealer, and the insurance company is covering everything over my deductible. I asked the service advisor about the possibility of wheel bearings, engine oil, and transmission fluid getting contaminated. His reply was that they were all sealed units; and that he was pretty sure the insurance rep wouldn't approve the cost of changing the fluids because of that.

I checked with my regular mechanic, and he agreed on this. But of course, being the Careful Car-Guy I am, I wonder. What says the collective wisdom? I was about to have the oil changed next week anyway, but the car, a 2015, is only at 30K miles and shouldn't need the transmission fluid swapped for a while yet. The water wasn't that deep; the main problem was several inches in the footwells, which screwed with the windows and the wipers. Certainly the car started, shifted, and drove without trouble that day, and started easily to go up on the flatbed the next day too.

Should I worry about the transmission fluid at this point? Or have my mechanic do it soon?
ZF recommends changing trans fluid and filter at 60k miles.
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      07-18-2019, 10:22 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnung View Post
ZF recommends changing trans fluid and filter at 60k miles.
Exactly, and I'm a long way from that -- my F30 is about to roll over 30K. But I was wondering because of the deep water the car sat in last week.
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      07-19-2019, 10:51 AM   #8
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The vent on the transmission is on the top at the base of the bell housing. Its a blue or a pink plastic bit. If you had no water in the drivers footwell i would say that you have good chances are that nothing got in it.
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      07-19-2019, 11:48 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plurant View Post
The vent on the transmission is on the top at the base of the bell housing. Its a blue or a pink plastic bit. If you had no water in the drivers footwell i would say that you have good chances are that nothing got in it.
That's right, the driver's footwell was completely dry -- it was a bit higher than the passenger side, and the street rises toward the center and had less water itself.
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