Auto Box fluid level - How to check it?

Ibelive that bmw say its a sealed for life unit?

unsure how oil can last the life of the car but i might be wrong?

Andrew i think your best bet is to phone and speak to your local BMW dealership let them know what you want to do and ask them the best way to do it. If I were you I would try and ask to speak to a mechanic rather than the service guys themselves.

Russ

The only info i can give you, is that you go by the colour of a label!!!

Not sure where this label is but the info is:-

Orange label= ATF DEXRON II D

Green label= Synthetic Mobil SCH 630

Yellow label= MTF-LT-1 (part no. 83-22-9-408-942)

No label= SAE 80 (MIL-L-2195 or API-GL-4)

If it is the yellow label, then it is a "lifetime" oil and assuming there are no leaks from the gearbox, it will only need to be topped up after any case of repair. There are drain and a refill points, but they look like real pigs to top up. Drain is where you expect it to be on the bottom of sump, now heres the confusing bit, the fill point is also on the bottom, located right beside a mounting bracket and directly above the exhaust. You are right in what you say, there is no dipstick and no other way to check the level. I can only assume with the fill point being where it is, then maybe a special pump is needed to fill it. In my role of mechanic, i've never had to touch one of these gearboxes yet! Sorry i couldn't be of more help.

   Ian

 

the oil is filled from underneath the car through a bung, you will need a right angled piece of pipe or tube to fill/top it up. in theory the gearbox oil level should remain correct unless there is a leak as said earlier. a fairly common component to leak is the gearbox oil cooler which is located infront of the radiator. also the fluid level has to be checked with the engine running, in park on level ground and the gearbox temp between 30-50 deg c. this is important. hope that helps a bit more.