[E46HP]

Hey it’s my first time doing a transmission service on my automatic e46 it has the A5S360R/A5S390R transmission. So I am changing it despite being told by some dumb mechanic you shouldn’t because it’s lifetime. So here I am , just wondering if the old fluid doesn’t look like it has a lot of metal in it and if the transmission filter is in correctly and if my magnet is fine. Basically I have pushed it in all the way with the o rings all the way in place, though the other end of the filter can be lightly pushed up and slightly down(in other words doesn’t sit locked you can still push on it and it will go in just a bit up and then down by itself I suppose there’s also no bolts as well for it to mount to the Tranny. Here are some pics, help would be appreciated! Thanks a lot. I used brakeleen to clean the magnet and pan.

 

[Bike Rider]

Looks good to me and I did mine last year.

 

[E46HP]

Looks good to me and I did mine last year.

Did you filter end move up and down if you pushed it?

 

[kaboom28]

Did you filter end move up and down if you pushed it?

Make sure when you removed the old filter you did not inadvertently leave behind an o-ring. The new filter has an o-ring near the tip of the part that inserts into the transmission. There should only be one o-ring when done properly.

When I replaced mine, there was some amount of movement if I pushed on the filter because the only physical connection is really just the o-ring.

 

[Bike Rider]

Did you filter end move up and down if you pushed it?

A little but it was securely in place and has been fine ever since. Car drives really smooth and you cannot feel it changing gear.

 

[E46HP]

Make sure when you removed the old filter you did not inadvertently leave behind an o-ring. The new filter has an o-ring near the tip of the part that inserts into the transmission. There should only be one o-ring when done properly.

When I replaced mine, there was some amount of movement if I pushed on the filter because the only physical connection is really just the o-ring.

Yeah no there’s 2 o rings , there were two on my old one I took them both out and there were two on my new one.

 

[E46HP]

I was changing my trans fluid and filter and now I put the new gasket on with some rtv on each corner, now there’s a drip leak near the fill plug, while I’m pumping fluid , and only while it is dripping from the gasket line. My old filter had a lot of weird almost glue like substance to keep it on there. What should I do now? Is it something to worry about should I drain and maybe put RTV on the space between the gasket and the transmission itself all bolts were torqued to spec.

 

[kaboom28]

Yeah no there’s 2 o rings , there were two on my old one I took them both out and there were two on my new one.

My apologies, let me rephrase that. There should only be 1-set of o-rings. In other word, when you remove the old filter, make sure you don't leave behind any old o-rings.

 

[kaboom28]

I actually don't think it's a gasket leak. I think you're getting the fluid from the filler and trickling down. Remove the filler tip, wipe away all the fluid and see if new fluid seeps out of the gasket.

 

[E46HP]

I actually don't think it's a gasket leak. I think you're getting the fluid from the filler and trickling down. Remove the filler tip, wipe away all the fluid and see if new fluid seeps out of the gasket.

View attachment 944631

Well when I’m not pumping in fluid there’s no leak

 

[kaboom28]

If this were my car, I would complete the filling process properly, clean up the area, go for a test drive and check for leaks. I honestly do not think you have a gasket leak.

 

[4aceman]

Well when I’m not pumping in fluid there’s no leak

Then there's no leak, just oil coming down from where you're filling

 

[E46HP]

So I changed the tranny fluid and drained and refilled and went through the proper process of letting the car get warm refilling going through gears. But now my trans going from park to reverse and neutral to drive are making a noise. I haven’t driven it yet and it may go away with time since the more I shifted the less it was. Also my gearshift no longer needs to be pressed down on the back to go from neutral reverse and drive. It stays locked in park when it is in park. What could be the reason for this

 

[swordsman11868]

Bravo!


Sent from my iPhone using E46Fanatics

 

[E46HP]

Then there's no leak, just oil coming down from where you're filling

That’s right it worked thanks guys!

 

[E46HP]

Hey so I changed my fluid on 150000 mile automatic GM transmission and for the first day I drove it I couldn’t feel the shifts and the second day I drove it I could feel the shifts a bit more no slipping, is that normal , after a few days should I flush it again to get all the old fluid out?

 

[LeverThis]

Is the fluid level properly set? After initially filling the pan with the engine off, run engine and keep filling until a small stream of fluid is running out of the fill port. The ATF temp needs to be between 30C and 50C during the final fill. If it got hotter than 50C it may be underfilled due to thermal expansion of ATF. This can easily happen if one is fiddling or has issues with the hand pump while doing the second stage fill.

Also, what do you mean by feel the shifts? I can always tell that its shifting. Is it a hard engagement? Is it shifting at normal rpms or does it shift at a higher rpm than normal.

Was the filter also changed? If not its a good idea to get a fresh one in there.
[Edit: nevermind, just saw your other post]

Unless you did a fluid exchange via the atf cooler lines at the radiator, then yes doing multiple drain and fills (3 or more) will get you about 85% or more new ATF depending on how much fluid was removed. The time you drop the pan and replace the filter will replace and extra quart and a half or so than just by draining and refilling.

 

[E46HP]

Yeah, I kept filling till there was a small stream, I wouldn’t be able to tell you the exact revs but yesterday when I drove the car after filling the tranny it shifted beautifully , I couldn’t even feel the shift it was just smooth , but today , I can feel the shifts a bit more noticeably, I don’t think anything is wrong with the tranny, and I should probably drain and refill two more times, I already did 1 time. What do you think?

 

[E46HP]

But let’s say I am a bit low on fluid, would it have damaged my tranny?

 

[Mantraxalos]

But let’s say I am a bit low on fluid would it have damaged my Tranny?

I can't say you damaged it especially if it was only for a few days and assuming not extremely low. I know when I changed the fluid on my now sold 04 330ci, I watched the trans temp and pumped in the exact amount of fluid until it was slowly coming out the fill hole. Remember to also to shift through P,N,D,1,2, pausing for a few seconds and ALWAYS holding the brakes.
Anyways, after doing all that I drove it for a week and the shifting was super smooth at first. Slowly it worsened. I double checked the fluid a second time and I had to pump in at least another quart. That solved the issues. My guess is it still had to work more fluid in the system.