Erroneous Leak From Gearbox....

georgie_no23

Member
 Hampshire
Last week I got back from holiday, and as it hadn't been driven in a while I thought I'd take my z out. However when I moved the car out of the garage, there was a clear stain on the concrete about the size of a dinner plate. :!:

This immediately rang alarm bells as I only purchased the car from BMW last month (it is a 2007 3.0si coupe with the auto box).

I asked a friend for advice, and we decided that it was definitely transmission fluid, as it had been leaking from right underneath where the transmission would have been positioned in the garage. Anyway, phoned the BMW garage I bought the car from and they were happy to take it in an solve it under warranty. The problem is, they cant find a leak, even though I showed them 2 fresh stains (moved the car overnight to face the other direction to see if it was still leaking) when they came to pick the car up.

They are going to run a few more tests, and leave the car on paper in their workshop for a few days to see if it leaks any more. My first thought was that it was perhaps a leaky sill or sump, but apparently not. Has anyone else had a similar problem with an autobox or does anyone have an idea what it could be caused by?
 
Had the same problem the other month with mine,it turned out it was coming from the gearbox sump plate.

Item 1
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DU52&mospid=49421&btnr=24_1044&hg=24&fg=15

Not a cheap fix £600 at the dealers :cry: but been fine ever since :thumbsup:

Hope that is of some help.
 
Did the stain have a smell to it? ATF has a distinctive smell and feel. Have you checked the fluid level in your trans?
 
Incompatible, I found it quite difficult to check the level, but it was definitely not engine oil, it seemed more transparent and less viscous than engine oil. I only assumed it was TF as the leak was right beneath the gearbox.

Redzedfour, I thought it might have something to do with the sump as my sisters volvo had a similar problem a few years back. Luckily the vehicle is under warranty, just hoping they can find what it is so I can get the car back!
 
Redzedfour said:
Had the same problem the other month with mine,it turned out it was coming from the gearbox sump plate.

Item 1
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DU52&mospid=49421&btnr=24_1044&hg=24&fg=15

Not a cheap fix £600 at the dealers :cry: but been fine ever since :thumbsup:

Hope that is of some help.

Right, sounds like it was a similar problem to yours!

Got the car back now and was all done under warranty. The dealership said it was the sump plate and gasket that needed replacing along with a new o-ring. Hopefully it's all sorted now, pleased with the dealership too.
 
Glad you got it sorted, and nice one getting it done under warrenty as it is expensive just for a piece of plastic.
But at least you got a new filter and TF for piece of mind :thumbsup:
 
Thank you for the hints.... noob here, found the same issue on a 2008 model, what a pain to check the oil, the hex plug is impossible to reach... I was thinking that the trany oil pan seal was leaking as well, gave it a little pressure to tighten the bolts...
 
Last week BMW found ‘sweating’ of the sump, on my E89- sounds like a condition :D

They want me to take it back in 6 months time for a re-check (it’s under warranty and a service plan).

They said the current symptoms are not a warranty/ service claim...

How bad does it need to get for it to be eligible?
Worried it may progress to an actual leak when the warranty and service expires.

Thank you for reading!
 
Back
Top Bottom