[masterh]

So I brought Plastic oil pan kit and Dextron VI x6 to self serve garage to do the fluid changes.

I realized it has a metal pan (GM tranny) so I decided to just do the fluid.

I opened the Fill Plug first (about 20 minutes after driving a car for 40 min) The oil came out crazy. I didn't expect that much from the fill plug. and then I also opened the Drain plug. Good amount of oil came out as well.

The oil went straight into those big tank at the shop. So I didn't measure it.

I filled it through the Fill plug. At 3rd qt, oil started to come out.

I capped the plug, started the car, did some idling and shit through gears just like everyone talks about.

I reopened the plug and no oil was coming out. It started to come out again after I added just little more of oil.

I figured maybe lots of oil didn't come out since I didn't drop the oil pan.

I think I drained the oil more than 3qt just by guessing. But I couldn't just fill it while the oil overflows. I capped it when it was coming out in Thin stream.


And then, while driving home, I remembered the oil came out crazy (like drain plug from regular oil plug) from the Fill Plug

What did I do wrong??? Am I driving with 2 1/2 qt of oil in Tranny?

[Sgop335]

Originally Posted by masterh

So I brought Plastic oil pan kit and Dextron VI x6 to self serve garage to do the fluid changes.

I realized it has a metal pan (GM tranny) so I decided to just do the fluid.

I opened the Fill Plug first (about 20 minutes after driving a car for 40 min) The oil came out crazy. I didn't expect that much from the fill plug. and then I also opened the Drain plug. Good amount of oil came out as well.

The oil went straight into those big tank at the shop. So I didn't measure it.

I filled it through the Fill plug. At 3rd qt, oil started to come out.

I capped the plug, started the car, did some idling and shit through gears just like everyone talks about.

I reopened the plug and no oil was coming out. It started to come out again after I added just little more of oil.

I figured maybe lots of oil didn't come out since I didn't drop the oil pan.

I think I drained the oil more than 3qt just by guessing. But I couldn't just fill it while the oil overflows. I capped it when it was coming out in Thin stream.


And then, while driving home, I remembered the oil came out crazy (like drain plug from regular oil plug) from the Fill Plug

What did I do wrong??? Am I driving with 2 1/2 qt of oil in Tranny?

Was the engine on while filling fluid? Mine is the zf transm but 2.5 qts seems quite low.

[masterh]

No. I filled about 40 minutes after I kill the car. (maybe car was still too hot?)

Expert in the video said, 2nd fill should be done while car was running. But I forgot. So I filled 1st and 2nd time while the car was Off.

Originally Posted by Sgop335

Was the engine on while filling fluid? Mine is the zf transm but 2.5 qts seems quite low.

[masterh]

Shit looks like I have to do 2nd fill while car is running. (is it same for the diff?)
Do you know how much you can pump more from your experience?

The self garage is about 40 miles away. I drove home fine but will have to drive there tomorrow.

[Sgop335]

Originally Posted by masterh

Shit looks like I have to do 2nd fill while car is running. (is it same for the diff?)
Do you know how much you can pump more from your experience?

The self garage is about 40 miles away. I drove home fine but will have to drive there tomorrow.

Yes has to be running for atf. Not for diff. But i always measure what i pull out.
For the zf, i have done about 4.5qts.

[ziddak]

I think it's wise to measure what comes out when draining. Since there's no dipstick or way to know the level before draining, the best bet is to measure what comes out. 4.5 out, must put 4.5 back in or whatever it is! If you can't get the same amount back in, something is wrong. Even with conventional cars with AT and a dipstick require filling, running through gears and rechecking when trans reaches standard operating temp.
This whole process on our cars is a PITA! I'm going to do my car this coming spring (has the GM trans) and I bought a small 12v pump that I plan to use to refill it. Already have the kit, fluid, new drain plug and pan bolts.
My plan since I don't have a lift: Warmed up Car jacked and 4 stands placed to keep it level. Drain into catch pan, drop pan and filter. Let it drip about half hour or so while I'm cleaning the pan and putting the new gasket in place. Measure what comes out. Install new filter and seal, reinstall pan and gasket,torque to spec. Do initial fill with engine off until fluid runs out. Close off fill plug, start car and move through gears. Use laser temp reader to check temp of trans pan. As it reaches operating temp ( I don't have that spec handy) I will run it through the gears again. Back underneath with car running and remove fill plug. Pump in the rest. It should take what came out. IF NOT. I will reinstall plug and run through gears again. Once I get all or most of the fluid in that I took out, I'll take it out for a ride and see how it shifts. Finally, back on stands and recheck fluid again with engine running. As I said: PITA
I also own an E320 4matic Benz. I did the trans service on it a few years ago. No dipstick on it either, but at least there's a dipstick tube! I bought a tool for measuring the fluid. It's just a flexible rod with an end on it with marks. I used the same method. Drain, measure, refill, shift through gears, measure again. Drive car, measure again. Top off according to dipstick. Found out most Benz guys that do this service all agree it takes around 4.5 to 5 qts. Too bad the BMW engineers decided against a dipstick. Seems as though they are dissuading DIY'ers and scaring folks into taking car to dealer and we all know how much they charge! Just my 2 cents!

[Boland01]

I would follow the Zf procedure. With the car level and cold fill up the transmission via the drain plug. Start and keep the car running and run through the gears. Let the transmission fluid warm up to between 86F-104F. There should be a slow stream coming out of the fill plug. If not put in fluid until it does. IF the fluid hits 50C before you finish you have to start over again.

With no dipstick it's a pain to do. From my experience the ZF transmission is pretty sensitive to the fill level so you want to get it right. You can google the ZF procedure or look in the Bentley manual for all the details. Good luck.

[Pladi]

what a disaster. THIS IS HOW YOU DESTROY A TRANSMISSION. For everyone who looks at this thread.

You HAVE to fill at specific temp.

[masterh]

yeah. When I drove right after I didn't notice anything. Maybe because the oil was warm?

When I was driving the next day. I heard the gear was grinding but didn't feel any jerky movements. I drove about a mile to the nearby shop.
(It was on christmas eve. I called Euro specialists and begged if he could just add more oil but he refused to do it. He said he will have to do the whole service including the filter and it will take long time to hook up the computer etc. basically told me if it's that simple, just do it yourself. Luckily I found a shop that was willing to do it.)

It was such a stupid mistake. People were doing it so easily on youtube so I figured I could do it. After this incident, I tossed the idea of doing valve cover gasket on my own for now.....

[nsjames]

car must be level
engine must be running
oil temp needs to be between 30-50c IIRC.

the engine must be running in order for the pump to put fluid into all the circuits above the pan.
if you filled it without the engine running, it is underfilled by probably 5 quarts. IIRC it was 7-8 quarts for a service on mine.

[Bali]

One thing I’ve seen happen is that if the tube inserted into the fill hole isn’t oriented correctly, the fluid will shoot right back out making you think the trans is full.

Of course, the fill procedure requires the engine be running and the fluid at around 100F.

[masterh]

Looks like Tranny is fine after driving Seattle to San Francisco.

It was kind of jerky when driving around hills in SF but it's GM slush box. probably has nothing to do with my stupid mistake.

I guess I will have to live with a paranoid for a while. Hear noise and feels vibration on the floor by going on rough road. 'Is my tranny going out now?'