Forgive me, for I have sinned...

[billb]

it's been 48k miles since my last transmission service. Got ambitious this afternoon, and picked up three quarts of dexron III. Already had a filter kit with gaskets and bolts here. My plan was drain the main pan, measure what came out, and put that amount back in with a little to grow on. So, I begin draining. And draining. And draining. And draining. Somewhere I read that it only takes three quarts to flush the system. 4 qts., 1 pt. came out of the main sump, plus the 1/2 quart in the front pan. Oops.

Well, at least it gave me time to REALLY clean everything up.

Old fluid did not smell burnt, but was brown. Magnet was COVERED in stuff, about 1/4" thick. Got both pans nice and clean with brake-kleen and lint-free rags. Filled up front pan enough so it wouldn't all spill out when I pushed it up, and will fill the main pan tomorrow when I procure the other two quarts I need.

Moral of the story: A4S310R (THM-R1) without dipstick, plan on having 5 quarts of Mercon/Dexron on hand before starting the process of flushing and replacing the filter.

Good news? No bolts stripped, and it all torqued right up to spec.

Bad news? Transmission fluid in my hair...

[Bill R.]

were putting that Pennzoil multi vehicle atf in its smells 10 worse than regular atf and really makes your hair smell nice:)




it's been 48k miles since my last transmission service. Got ambitious this afternoon, and picked up three quarts of dexron III. Already had a filter kit with gaskets and bolts here. My plan was drain the main pan, measure what came out, and put that amount back in with a little to grow on. So, I begin draining. And draining. And draining. And draining. Somewhere I read that it only takes three quarts to flush the system. 4 qts., 1 pt. came out of the main sump, plus the 1/2 quart in the front pan. Oops.

Well, at least it gave me time to REALLY clean everything up.

Old fluid did not smell burnt, but was brown. Magnet was COVERED in stuff, about 1/4" thick. Got both pans nice and clean with brake-kleen and lint-free rags. Filled up front pan enough so it wouldn't all spill out when I pushed it up, and will fill the main pan tomorrow when I procure the other two quarts I need.

Moral of the story: A4S310R (THM-R1) without dipstick, plan on having 5 quarts of Mercon/Dexron on hand before starting the process of flushing and replacing the filter.

Good news? No bolts stripped, and it all torqued right up to spec.

Bad news? Transmission fluid in my hair...

[Rigmaster]

Some of us don't have that problem. No hair = no place for nasty ATF to get stuck.......well, except my eyeballs and my beard and my nose and mouth and.....

:P

Bret.

[billb]

Some of us don't have that problem. No hair = no place for nasty ATF to get stuck.......well, except my eyeballs and my beard and my nose and mouth and.....

:P

Bret.

Came back inside and the wife gave me the glance that means "You're going upstairs to take a shower before you even think of sitting down to dinner"

Bill, does my quantity sound about right (right around 5 quarts required)? I picked up the Castrol Dexron III/Mercon, believe that's the right stuff?

[ryan roopnarine]

Bill, does my quantity sound about right (right around 5 quarts required

i'm not mr rickard, but i change the tranny fluid on my (dipstick equipped) a4s310r about once every 4-5 weeks. i can usually get away with only needing a gallon if i only open the drain. if the car is even slightly at an angle, i use the gallon container + some of a quart--this isn't the case for you, as you have no dipstick, and would be unable to get an acceptable measurement if the car was inclined. i find that around .5 quart drips out if you take the sump off, and some incremental amount above that falls out of the tranny while you take the filter off ~.25-5 quart. i hardly ever take the front off, so using your estimate, 3.78 qt+.5qt+.5qt+.5qt(for the front)~5.25 quarts or so.

[Bill R.]

cases more fluid will siphon out depending on the angle etc so i wouldn't be surprised at just under 5 on yours. Even though you measured it coming out I'd still level the car while filling it and make sure its within the correct temp range to get the final fill...I use a cheapo Craftsmen infrared laser temperature to measure the bottom of the trans pan while its running with about 2.5 quarts in it and fill it the rest of the way when it gets to around 100f on the bottom of the pan. I figure the fluid is slightly hotter since theres some heat loss in the transfer to the pan itself but that always seems to work fine for here.





the wife gave me the glance that means "You're going upstairs to take a shower before you even think of sitting down to dinner"

Bill, does my quantity sound about right (right around 5 quarts required)? I picked up the Castrol Dexron III/Mercon, believe that's the right stuff?[/quote]

[TC535i]

i'm not mr rickard, but i change the tranny fluid on my (dipstick equipped) a4s310r about once every 4-5 weeks.

Wow... I'm not convinced the transmission fluid was EVER changed on the car I bought! Manuals are a bit more forgiving...

[ryan roopnarine]

Wow... I'm not convinced the transmission fluid was EVER changed on the car I bought! Manuals are a bit more forgiving...

its my cheap insurance, done along with oil changes. i have a dipstick in my car, so alls i have to do is measure the drained quantity, and pour it back in through the dipstick. the only problem it creates is that i now choose not to let the car warm up before draining the motor oil, as the heat would throw off the amount i would have to refill the tranny with.

[mamilapon]

Indeed you have my child. For this I'm afraid I shall have to remove your pants and play with your squirel, but remember it must remain our little secret!!

[billb]

Indeed you have my child. For this I'm afraid I shall have to remove your pants and play with your squirel, but remember it must remain our little secret!!

5.5 quarts is what it took (with just a little spillage). Put 2.5 in as Bill suggested, then backed it down off my ramps and up 35 feet to the top of my driveway, where I could straddle the gutter and have the car level with enough room underneath for me to continue to service the transmission. Borrowed a Raytek IR thermometer from work (used to check bearings and switchgear), and when the main pan got to about 95F, started getting the level close to right.

Of course, the filter kit does not include new crush washers, so I've got a slight leak in the fill plug. I had a spare washer for the drain plug (same size as the oil drain plug), but no spare for the fill. Didn't want to overtighten, so I'll pick one up from the dealer Thursday. I'll add just a touch back when I make the swap.

Shifts seem smoother, both up and down. 2nd gear seems quieter than it was (could hear it in the cabin before). Ran across a TSB about lengthening the A/C condensate hoses away from the transmission housing to lower noise; might try that in the near future.

So, the clock is ticking. Last serviced at 92k. Now serviced at 140k. We'll see if it'll go to 170k, and I'll do this again.

[billb]

The original fill plug crush washer was aluminum, and rather than drive 25 miles to the dealer for a $1.44 washer, I thought I'd try locally. Does anyone know the original specs for this washer? It's not listed in the ETK.

Edit: Here are the dimensions. My buddy that works at the dealer brought them to me, $2.71 delivered for two of each. He must get a great deal!!

fill plug washer: copper, 24mm OD, 18mm ID, 1.5mm thick, p/n 24 11 1 219 750
drain plug washer: aluminum, 20mm OD, 14mm ID, 1.5mm thick, p/n 24 11 1 218 851

Hope that helps someone down the road...

[billb]

Quieter through the gears. Seems to grab up a little tighter in each gear. Shifts are noticeably smoother. Upshifts under mild throttle are smoother, not as much KA-CHUNG shift. No leaks yet, especially with the new crush washers :D

Unrelated: Thanks Ryan for the Castrol rebate note. Picked up enough to put 5W50 in the 318is for the winter. I usually run M1 15W50, but decided to try 0W40 in it earlier this year. The timing chain started making some noise with that; put the 15W50 back in and it went away. So, thought I'd try the 5W50 as a compromise, plus the rebate makes it $4.31/quart from Advance Auto...

[ryan roopnarine]

plus the rebate makes it $4.31/quart from Advance Auto...

wow, i had no idea it was that expensive... i just go without until they have sales, and then stock up.

[Russell]

0w30 castrol syntec-made in germany (only at auto-zone) engine oil will be put in my car over the holidays. Heard it is great oil. Closer to 40 weight than 30 and does not shear down like mobil 1 0w40 is reputed to do.