The meeting place for BMW 7 series enthusiasts!
The meeting place for BMW 7 series enthusiasts!
| It is critical that your E38 transmission be serviced every 60,000 - 65,000 |
| miles. We have heard far too many painful cries of E38 owner after owner |
| who have had transmission failure by 70,000 - 80,000 miles. Dealers charge |
| over $5,100 plus tax for replacements. |
| There are two automatic transmissions used in the E38 series. The 1998 |
| 750iL uses only the ZF EH560Z (5HP30) which has a pan that has a |
| side-mounted pan drain plug, 23 attachment bolts and uses oil filter p/n |
| 24-34-1-422-419 and o-ring p/n 24-34-1-422-152 (it also has a filler plug at |
| the center of the pan bottom). The 740iL used two transmissions, the just |
| mentioned EH560Z and another lighter-duty model (as of 01/97 production), |
| the ZF EH440Z (5HP24), which has a bottom-mounted drain plug and 22 |
| attachment bolts. The EH440Z uses filter p/n 24-34-1-422-673 and the same |
| o-ring. The drain plug is usually a 5mm Allen head. The filters are |
| usually held in place with Torx T-27 bolts. I don't usually change the pan |
| gaskets on ZF automatics, just clean and reuse. |
| Change the filter. Drain the transmission oil cooler. |
| Most E38 owners who subscribe to this Digest have now serviced their |
| transmissions. Many have done the job themselves because their Dealers have |
| said "no, we don't do them, they are sealed for life". The job is made |
| difficult because there is no dipstick on most models. You must use the |
| special factory-specified synthetic fluid on the larger 5HP30 automatic, |
| semi-synthetic Shell LA 2634 (p/n 83-22-9-407-765) on 08/92 thru 04/94 |
| production and synthetic Esso ATF LT 71141 (p/n 83-22-9-407-807) from 07/94 |
| production thru 02/02 production end and just from Esso (ATF LT 71141) on |
| the smaller 5HP24 automatic. You have to pump in the fluid into the bottom |
| filler plug, the same amount that was drained out. |
| The 5HP30 holds 5.5 liters alone and 13.1 liters including the torque |
| converter. The 5HP24 holds 5.35 liters alone and 9.0 liters including the |
| torque converter. As you can see, the torque converter holds a lot of fluid |
| that you can't drain out, so like the E32's automatics, you need to change |
| the fluid several times to get most of the old fluid out. I would recommend |
| that you first change the fluid at the 60,000 - 65,000 mile point, then |
| change the fluid annually the next two years, then around 120,000 miles |
| again with a new filter, and so forth. |
| Checking the fluid level on the 5HP30 is more difficult than checking the |
| typical automatic transmission using a dipstick. At the center of the pan, |
| there is a filler plug (note that I didn't say "drain plug", which is on the |
| side of the pan). Inside the pan, surrounding the filler plug, is a tube |
| that is open at the top. This determines the fluid level. If the fluid is |
| too high, it spills over the top of the tube, out the filler plug hole and |
| onto your hand and arm. If the fluid level is low, you need to add fluid |
| through the filler plug hole until it dribbles out on your hand and arm. |
| Perhaps you now understand why, when you first remove the filler plug, some |
| fluid dribbles out - the contents of the tube which overflowed during that |
| hard run you made last month on the thruway entrance ramp. |
| Obviously, you need a fluid pump with flexible plastic tubing that will fit |
| inside the filler plug hole a few inches so it goes over the side of the |
| level tube and fills the inside of the pan with fluid. I use an inexpensive |
| one manufactured by CRC Industries of Warminster, PA (1-800-272-8963) called |
| the Sta-Lube #SL4344. It has clear plastic tubes allowing you to see fluid |
| going through. I purchased it from one of the national chain discount |
| stores or auto parts stores. |
| Before checking the fluid level on the 5HP30, remove the filler plug at the |
| bottom of the pan. Add specified fluid until it drips out of the filler |
| plug hole. To perform the final fluid level check on the 5HP30, the car |
| must be level, engine running with either the low beams or a/c on and the |
| transmission fluid between 20 and 30 degrees C. With foot firmly on brake |
| pedal, row through all the gears several times, stopping briefly at each, |
| then place the gear into park leaving the engine running. Remove the filler |
| plug at the bottom of the pan (some fluid always drips out briefly, this is |
| ok). Add the specified transmission fluid until it runs out of the filler |
| plug hole, tighten plug to 100N-m and then turn off engine. The |
| transmission holds 0.6 liter less when the temperature has risen to 50 |
| degrees C. |
| If at any time during this fluid level check you hear a strong sucking |
| sound, you must stop the check and wait at least 15 minutes for the foamed |
| fluid to settle out. Add some fluid before performing the final fluid level |
| check again. |
| I'm sure many E38 owners can point you to the Digest issues that had even |
| more comprehensive instructions. |
| I trust that ZF has rectified this problem by making the new six-speed |
| serviceable? |
| Yours, |
| Chris Koch |
| Buffalo, NY |
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