just got my car back with rebuilt tranmission

[liquidtiger720]

hey guys. im getting my car back tommorow from the shop. I just had the tranmission rebuilt. What do you guys do to suggest promoting a long life and good shifting down the line? stuff like "keep it under 4k rpm no matter what" or something along those lines. you know what i mean.

note* car is a 4 speed slushbox (automatic)

thanks ahead of time.

[bimmerd00d]

the easier you are on an automatic, the better off you are.

[ryan roopnarine]

which car is it? your indication that it was a 4sp slushbox means it was either a 525i m20 or m50, or a 535i. these two distinctions mean different things. the zf tranny is not supposed to be revved in park or exposed to excessive idle time after being in drive (something to that effect, i don't own one). if you have a dipstick, you could always just start changing your tranny fluid at every oil change like i does :D that's always an easy way to avoid headaches.

[George Davis]

The shop that rebuilt my autobox ('94 525i with the GM tranny) suggested fluid and filter changes every 20,000 miles. I plan to have it done every year, which should be about every 10,000 miles.

I agree about driving it easy (most of the time) to prolong the life.

[liquidtiger720]

The shop that rebuilt my autobox ('94 525i with the GM tranny) suggested fluid and filter changes every 20,000 miles. I plan to have it done every year, which should be about every 10,000 miles.

I agree about driving it easy (most of the time) to prolong the life.


i have a 95 525i with the m50 and with the gm tranny (i hate gm, i really do).
as for driving easy, i can never do that. i love going on backroads with this car and i will be taking car control clinics. i guess ill drive it easy for the first thousand or so miles.
edit- there will never be revving of the engine and i try not to idle (of course traffic dictates that).

where do you get your transmission fluid changed? i've heard its a pretty big ordeal. also, what kind of fluid do you use and suggest for me (san francisco, bay area).


one more thing. is changing the differetial gasket an easy DIY job? mine is leaking, so i need that fixed.

[RobPatt]

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E36-Tranny_Fluid_Auto/E36-Tranny_Fluid_Auto.htm

...worked fine, the pics look like our tranny too, I'm fairly sure that though it's an E36 the trannys are the same. Shifts smoothly, no problems.

I got a $2 rubberneck type storage container, used a measuring cup and water, and marked off in half quart increments on the container. Then drained my fluid into it to give me a close approximation how much to expect to pump back into the tranny......

Messy and inconvienent, but not hard. Good luck. Rob sends....


i have a 95 525i with the m50 and with the gm tranny (i hate gm, i really do).
as for driving easy, i can never do that. i love going on backroads with this car and i will be taking car control clinics. i guess ill drive it easy for the first thousand or so miles.
edit- there will never be revving of the engine and i try not to idle (of course traffic dictates that).

where do you get your transmission fluid changed? i've heard its a pretty big ordeal. also, what kind of fluid do you use and suggest for me (san francisco, bay area).


one more thing. is changing the differetial gasket an easy DIY job? mine is leaking, so i need that fixed.

[Tiger]

Avoiding city-like driving is the best... highway cars' tranny last the longest. Otherwise, change your fluid every 24,000 miles.

[liquidtiger720]

thank you everybody for your input.

i promise, one last question!

so, i will change my fluid/filter once a year. what kind of redline fluid should i put in? and where should i have it changed?

should i also swap my differential fluid?

[Anton CH.]

Your diff seals might be leaking along with the gasket, it may be a good idea to replace those too. Make sure you have that thing filled up with oil constantly before some bearing fails like it did on mine.

[undertheradar]

I am looking at a possoble trans rebuild myself, How much did the trans shop soak you. And, what is your mileage at? What part of the world are you?

[liquidtiger720]

I am looking at a possoble trans rebuild myself, How much did the trans shop soak you. And, what is your mileage at? What part of the world are you?


the actual rebuild ran me $2460, but i had 2 broken mounts, which they stuck in for me. so my total bill was around 2500. my mileage is 130k (i dont know why it died so early...) and i am in San Francisco, CA. USA.

if you are planning a rebuild, consider swapping to a manual. it will be about the same price ~3k or even less if you can find cheap parts. i did not swap only because my family drives the car occasionally and nobody but my dad can drive a manual.

[undertheradar]

Looks, like I will start picking up bottles along the highways.

Just kidding

Tom