Change your Gearbox Oil !

P

patriot66

Veteran
 Southport, Merseyside
Over the last few days I've finally managed to do a load of those little jobs on my Zed that you just can't seem to get round to. I have changed the engine oil and filter, cleaned the air filter, replaced the cam cover gaskets, replaced the oil filter housing gasket, replaced the full ccv system, and replaced all gaskets in the air intake system.
My car had a small oil leak from the cam cover and oil filter housing gaskets which upon removal had become hard and brittle over the years. Also upon inspection most of the pipes and joins in the ccv system had become very fragile with age. My car is an early one from May '03 and obviously time has taken its toll on many rubber or plastic components. If your Zed is knocking on a bit then I would recommend a thorough engine-bay examination and program of replacement for any components past their 'sell by' date. :thumbsup:

And so, last but not least; today I changed my gearbox and differential oil. Neither was particularly dirty when drained.....BUT WOW !!!
I know it's a cliché but it genuinely feels like driving a brand new car ! The biggest improvement is with the gearbox. Even with my SMG the gear selection and changes are so much quieter and smoother. I know that altogether I have replaced quite a few items and there's probably an amount of 'feel good factor' involved but the car does seem more composed, more refined and so quiet.

If your considering or debating whether to change your gearbox oil then just do it !
Ignore the little yellow label on its side saying 'Lifetime Oil. No oil change.'...it's cobblers !
Fresh, clean oil is definitely better ! :D
 
I agree with ditching the "lifetime" BMW gearbox oil and using fresh. It's a pretty easy and cheap bit of preventative maintenance that can do nothing but good for the components inside the 'box.

I dropped mine out a few weeks ago and initially I was surprised how clean it looked as it came out. I was soon surprised at how the gentle thick stream of fluid became a rapid watery substance. The oil had split into different viscosity fractions, with the latter "lighter" part of the oil following through like brake fluid. That couldn't possibly have been beneficial for the gearbox.

A bit of Redline and a couple of washers and job done. As you say, it's feel good maintenance.

Mine is a March 2003 build BTW.
 
nice one :thumbsup:
did my gaskets and ccv system. used the coldclimate version tho - what an absolute PITA that was! but glad it's done.
Gearbox and diff oil next for me....
 
patriot66 said:
And so, last but not least; today I changed my gearbox and differential oil. Neither was particularly dirty when drained.....BUT WOW !!!
I know it's a cliché but it genuinely feels like driving a brand new car ! The biggest improvement is with the gearbox. Even with my SMG the gear selection and changes are so much quieter and smoother. I know that altogether I have replaced quite a few items and there's probably an amount of 'feel good factor' involved but the car does seem more composed, more refined and so quiet.

If your considering or debating whether to change your gearbox oil then just do it !
Ignore the little yellow label on its side saying 'Lifetime Oil. No oil change.'...it's cobblers !
Fresh, clean oil is definitely better ! :D
Click to expand...

What spec oils did you use? Not seen much info on SMG and I think there's differences between auto and manual oils?

Cheers bud :thumbsup:
 
kis said:
patriot66 said:
And so, last but not least; today I changed my gearbox and differential oil. Neither was particularly dirty when drained.....BUT WOW !!!
I know it's a cliché but it genuinely feels like driving a brand new car ! The biggest improvement is with the gearbox. Even with my SMG the gear selection and changes are so much quieter and smoother. I know that altogether I have replaced quite a few items and there's probably an amount of 'feel good factor' involved but the car does seem more composed, more refined and so quiet.

If your considering or debating whether to change your gearbox oil then just do it !
Ignore the little yellow label on its side saying 'Lifetime Oil. No oil change.'...it's cobblers !
Fresh, clean oil is definitely better ! :D
Click to expand...

What spec oils did you use? Not seen much info on SMG and I think there's differences between auto and manual oils?

Cheers bud :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

The SMG is not an auto gearbox. It is the regular 6 speed manual but is controlled electro - hydraulically. It therefore uses the same MTF-LT-2 spec oil. In my case I used Castrol Syntrans B75W in the gearbox and Syntrax Longlife 75W-90 in the differential. :thumbsup:
 
yes when i got car gear changes didnt feel right so had the oil change with fuchs oil, this is thicker and made a huge difference in changing, had this in box for 2 years then bit the bullet n bought redline mtl, this stuff made it feel even better, slightly lighter feel when changing gears.

I would have used the redline first but its nearly 3 times the price of the other and been the same grade rating didnt think there would be any differnce
 
Excellent work Simon :thumbsup:
Mine will be on about 55k when I put it in for an engine oil change in June. Do you reckon its worth having the gear box oil changed at the same time? Gear changes are smooth enough, apart from the occasional struggle to engage 1st when cold but that appears to be a Zed feature.
 
Marlon said:
Excellent work Simon :thumbsup:
Mine will be on about 55k when I put it in for an engine oil change in June. Do you reckon its worth having the gear box oil changed at the same time? Gear changes are smooth enough, apart from the occasional struggle to engage 1st when cold but that appears to be a Zed feature.
Click to expand...
Different bits I know, but the ///M is a planned maintenance item at InsII. So around 40-60k dependent on how hard it's driven. Can only do good changing the oil at sensible intervals. :thumbsup:
 
On my todo list this year. But need to recheck gearbox and diff oil types and quantity required.
 
patriot66 said:
Over the last few days I've finally managed to do a load of those little jobs on my Zed that you just can't seem to get round to. I have changed the engine oil and filter, cleaned the air filter, replaced the cam cover gaskets, replaced the oil filter housing gasket, replaced the full ccv system, and replaced all gaskets in the air intake system.
My car had a small oil leak from the cam cover and oil filter housing gaskets which upon removal had become hard and brittle over the years. Also upon inspection most of the pipes and joins in the ccv system had become very fragile with age. My car is an early one from May '03 and obviously time has taken its toll on many rubber or plastic components. If your Zed is knocking on a bit then I would recommend a thorough engine-bay examination and program of replacement for any components past their 'sell by' date. :thumbsup:

And so, last but not least; today I changed my gearbox and differential oil. Neither was particularly dirty when drained.....BUT WOW !!!
I know it's a cliché but it genuinely feels like driving a brand new car ! The biggest improvement is with the gearbox. Even with my SMG the gear selection and changes are so much quieter and smoother. I know that altogether I have replaced quite a few items and there's probably an amount of 'feel good factor' involved but the car does seem more composed, more refined and so quiet.

If your considering or debating whether to change your gearbox oil then just do it !
Ignore the little yellow label on its side saying 'Lifetime Oil. No oil change.'...it's cobblers !
Fresh, clean oil is definitely better ! :D
Click to expand...

I'm looking to change my CCV as a precaution. Was it a difficult job and has it made any difference - what make is it too?

Cheers

Simon
 
Marlon said:
Excellent work Simon :thumbsup:
Mine will be on about 55k when I put it in for an engine oil change in June. Do you reckon its worth having the gear box oil changed at the same time? Gear changes are smooth enough, apart from the occasional struggle to engage 1st when cold but that appears to be a Zed feature.
Click to expand...

Thanks Colin :D If it's up in the air having the engine oil changed then for peace of mind I would get the gearbox and differential oil changed also. It won't break the bank and can only be beneficial to the car. :thumbsup:
 
Simon Blythe said:
patriot66 said:
Over the last few days I've finally managed to do a load of those little jobs on my Zed that you just can't seem to get round to. I have changed the engine oil and filter, cleaned the air filter, replaced the cam cover gaskets, replaced the oil filter housing gasket, replaced the full ccv system, and replaced all gaskets in the air intake system.
My car had a small oil leak from the cam cover and oil filter housing gaskets which upon removal had become hard and brittle over the years. Also upon inspection most of the pipes and joins in the ccv system had become very fragile with age. My car is an early one from May '03 and obviously time has taken its toll on many rubber or plastic components. If your Zed is knocking on a bit then I would recommend a thorough engine-bay examination and program of replacement for any components past their 'sell by' date. :thumbsup:

And so, last but not least; today I changed my gearbox and differential oil. Neither was particularly dirty when drained.....BUT WOW !!!
I know it's a cliché but it genuinely feels like driving a brand new car ! The biggest improvement is with the gearbox. Even with my SMG the gear selection and changes are so much quieter and smoother. I know that altogether I have replaced quite a few items and there's probably an amount of 'feel good factor' involved but the car does seem more composed, more refined and so quiet.

If your considering or debating whether to change your gearbox oil then just do it !
Ignore the little yellow label on its side saying 'Lifetime Oil. No oil change.'...it's cobblers !
Fresh, clean oil is definitely better ! :D
Click to expand...

I'm looking to change my CCV as a precaution. Was it a difficult job and has it made any difference - what make is it too?

Cheers

Simon
Click to expand...

It's not particularly difficult to replace the CCV but I wouldn't try to do it without gaining better access by removing all the intake manifold and ancillaries first. This does make it a much bigger job but gives you the opportunity to check many other components for wear and tear. Can't say anything feels any different with regards to the CCV but when it cracks and crumbles when gently removing it piece by piece then you know it was a sensible move. Mine was very clean on removal...no mayo or gunk at all.
I fitted this German made Febi Bilstein CCV. Excellent quality. :thumbsup:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262184950052
 
hi guys , what type of oil is yoused in gear box ? and diff ? iv just bought a z4 and want to give it a good service. the car is 2003 z4 2.5 manual gear box thanks
 
paul shivers said:
hi guys , what type of oil is yoused in gear box ? and diff ? iv just bought a z4 and want to give it a good service. the car is 2003 z4 2.5 manual gear box thanks
Click to expand...

For the gearbox use any oil that meets BMW spec MTF-LT-2. I used Castrol Syntrans B75W in the gearbox and Syntrax Longlife 75W-90 in the differential. Double check first though as yours will be the 5 speed box but probably the same. :thumbsup:
 
Redline MTL.

It's not strictly speaking to spec as they want you to use automatic transmission fluid. However, this I understand is mainly because it gives a lighter shift action and not because the gears require it. MTL is designed for manual gearboxes and gives better protection for the synchros and my experience is that the shift quality is fine, including when cold.
 
Steve84N said:
Redline MTL.

It's not strictly speaking to spec as they want you to use automatic transmission fluid. However, this I understand is mainly because it gives a lighter shift action and not because the gears require it. MTL is designed for manual gearboxes and gives better protection for the synchros and my experience is that the shift quality is fine, including when cold.
Click to expand...

So redline doesn't meet BMW spec MTF-LT-2? But I've seen many people still use it? More expensive oil doesn't bother me (unless it's ridiculous). Why use redline over say the Castrol stuff that patriot66 has used?
 
It's designed for manual gearboxes not auto fluid that the marketing guys specced to get a lighter shift action. Changed the 330 too and it now selects gears much more smoothly. The later cars went to even thinner versions of ATF but it was the same gearbox as used earlier... Better economy but not better for looking after the cogs.
 
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