Front of the engine oil leak

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avslash

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Yup orderd the pan kit from AB(including the ZF oil) 12 quarts? How did you flush the torque converter? Also got the 4 sleeve and the adapter seal( the double square gasket looking thing) didn’t get the solenoids though,( I haven’t bought the IID tool yet so I can’t perform any transmission reset. And yeah I occasionally hear my timing chain clunking when idling but but no codes so hopefully it will hold out till I finish flight school and get a job...

Unfortunately, you don't flush the torque converter.

Best plan I have seen is to swap fluid, then drive it a while and drain and refill the trans again.
 

scott schmerge

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Yup orderd the pan kit from AB(including the ZF oil) 12 quarts? How did you flush the torque converter? Also got the 4 sleeve and the adapter seal( the double square gasket looking thing) didn’t get the solenoids though,( I haven’t bought the IID tool yet so I can’t perform any transmission reset. And yeah I occasionally hear my timing chain clunking when idling but but no codes so hopefully it will hold out till I finish flight school and get a job...

So when you pull down the mechatronic you’ll get another two quarts or so out (all the fluid that’s in the transmission). All that’s left is the torque converter fluid below the neck of the converter. You’ll probably need 9ish quarts of ZF to get filled. I used 9.5 I believe. The kit that AB provides has 7 which is sufficient if not dropping mechatronic.

I did the solenoids only to avoid doing this job for a third time. I was not getting any faults. I am fortunate to have a mechanic that will reset codes gratis (he knows he’ll earn it back when I need him).

I also talked to a zf trans specialist before doing the job and he said if shudder is not fixed when buttoned up, add Lubegard instant shudder fix. As a precaution I did it during the fill procedure. He advised that it was not necessary to get fluid removed from torque converter as trans would be mostly drained 9 of 11 quarts.

For safe measure, I plan on doing one more fluid swap in another 30k but will probably check levels in another 500 miles or so to make sure no fluid loss. I did drive it about 200 miles after fill and checked levels next morning upon cold startup. Level was less than 1/4 quart down (assuming that was just getting air pockets run through tranny). These things are sensitive to fluid levels...

All shifts are good and crisp. There have been a couple times I’ve noticed a slightly harsh shift on 4-3 downshift (accelerating up a hill) and whatnot, but I’m super paranoid after a repair like this. I don’t have enough time with it to know if adaptations will catch up or this is the new normal. Anyhow, it’s a drastic improvement over previous state and if I can prolong putting a transmission in it for another 75-100k, I’ll be happy.
 

ryanjl

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So when you pull down the mechatronic you’ll get another two quarts or so out (all the fluid that’s in the transmission). All that’s left is the torque converter fluid below the neck of the converter. You’ll probably need 9ish quarts of ZF to get filled. I used 9.5 I believe. The kit that AB provides has 7 which is sufficient if not dropping mechatronic.

Whoa. This is good to know. I just ordered the kit from AB and the sleeves from Cal Transmission and thought I'd be good to go. Guess i need at least 3 more quarts of fluid.
 

Krill

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yeah I did the same thing, now got to spend another $70 on 3 more quarts of fluid... can I mix the 7 quarts of ZF with 3 Mercron SP? I guess the other option is returning the kit and buying the pan upgrade from AB and all the fluid elsewhere. I never like mixing fluids....

as for the mercon sp fluid( just double checking) red bottle by motocraft(ford) about 9-10 bucks correct?
 
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scott schmerge

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Whoa. This is good to know. I just ordered the kit from AB and the sleeves from Cal Transmission and thought I'd be good to go. Guess i need at least 3 more quarts of fluid.
For good measure, may want to. Stuffs not cheap so may want to source locally so it can be returned if not needed.
 

scott schmerge

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yeah I did the same thing, now got to spend another $70 on 3 more quarts of fluid... can I mix the 7 quarts of ZF with 3 Mercron SP? I guess the other option is returning the kit and buying the pan upgrade from AB and all the fluid elsewhere. I never like mixing fluids....

as for the mercon sp fluid( just double checking) red bottle by motocraft(ford) about 9-10 bucks correct?
Supposedly they are the same, but I’m not sure if I’d mix them...might call zf to verify how well they mix...I had a small amount in there when I put in the Mercron SP and no problems- but too soon to probably tell
 

ryanjl

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For good measure, may want to. Stuffs not cheap so may want to source locally so it can be returned if not needed.

Need to find a local provider. Dealer wants about $29 a quart. Might make sense just to buy it online for $8 per quart less and don't worry about returning any.
 

scott schmerge

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Need to find a local provider. Dealer wants about $29 a quart. Might make sense just to buy it online for $8 per quart less and don't worry about returning any.
If you can find the ZF fluid for $8, buy about 100 of them and I’ll pay you back;-). Lowest price I found was about $30/qt

I bought the Mercron SP for $80ish 12qts and it smells the same but is red (same color as dr tranny’s instant shudder fix which is interesting). It is red in color. Ford markings all over it. Will send a picture over later today. This thread is way off course though ;-). We stareded out discussing vacuum pump...
 

ryanjl

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If you can find the ZF fluid for $8, buy about 100 of them and I’ll pay you back;-). Lowest price I found was about $30/qt

I bought the Mercron SP for $80ish 12qts and it smells the same but is red (same color as dr tranny’s instant shudder fix which is interesting). It is red in color. Ford markings all over it. Will send a picture over later today. This thread is way off course though ;-). We stareded out discussing vacuum pump...

$8 per quart less than the dealer is what I said, meaning $21. Looks like it's actually $22.

https://www.bavauto.com/bmw-transmission-fluid-lifeguard6
 

scott schmerge

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44ABCB53-DB28-4230-A56E-4349DF9720F7.png
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$8 per quart less than the dealer is what I said, meaning $21. Looks like it's actually $22.

https://www.bavauto.com/bmw-transmission-fluid-lifeguard6
You’ll be safe with 10 quarts total. Mine took just over 9 quarts of the stuff above

“St-6-qsp” should be the specs to look for if someone chooses to go with the Mercron SP
 

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