Final Drive Oil Change

[Ben_Ricci]

I changed my final drive oil for the first time this morning. It really is a rather easy process, but I have a couple post operation questions. First it appeared as though my final drive oil was changed at the 600 mile service interval even though the dealer said they had not changed it. The speed sensor was essentially clean. The drained gear oil was more or less clear. Is this normal for 6,000 miles? Second and more importantly, I know I put at least .25 liters of oil back in, but because I didn't have a graduated bottle and the BMW gear oil was in a quart container, I think I may have put as much as .5 liters back in. I'm not certain because I had to eyeball it. Is there a consequence to adding too much oil?

 

Lastly, just for reference I snapped a picture of my splines, which had barely any grease on them. Most of the grease was on the inside of the boot. I remedied that problem, but I was surprised to see basically metal on metal in the splines. They didn't look worn or scarred, but nonetheless it seemed unusual. Any comments are welcomed.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'm unfamiliar with this stuff.

 

 

 

[Firefight911]

Ben,

 

Good on ya for doing this!!!!

 

As for the oil color, I have seen the full spectrum from OMG what died in the FD unit to clean and clear, as yours was so I would not be to concerned.

 

As for the additional oil, it probably isn't a terrible thing, however, it will increase rolling resistance and could cause an increase in teh pressure to the inside of the case after teh FD unit heats up. This could put the seals under more pressure than normal.

 

.5 liter vs the called for amount is quite a lot of an overage. Others with more engineering expertise can chime in here but, if it were me, and understand I am the anal retentive type, I would adjust the level.

 

The splines aren't that big a deal. Mine were very similar to yours. Just put a bit of lithium grease and popped it all back together. The splines don't have a huge amount of motion so it is not a concern.

 

Overall, looks as though you did an awesome job!!!

[Ben_Ricci]

Phil,

 

Thanks. Here's a bit more evidence. I don't think it's as bad as I originally thought...

 

This is what I used to fill the FD. Yes, it's a ketchup bottle. I had it in the garage because I was going to use it to add gear oil to my car's transmission a few years ago, but never did. I figured "What the heck? Use it."

 

 

My wife says the ketchup bottle holds 1.5 cups filled (and I know better than to doubt her word). That would equal .375 liters. I know I didn't fill it to the brim. I filled it about 1/3 full--two times or about 1 cup. 1 cup is approximately .25 liters. So I think I'm okay.

 

Then I saw this:

 

 

It appears as though there could be as much as .4+ liters, but at these small volumes the amount remaining in the filling bottle, would reduce that somewhat. I estimated "as much as .5 liters," but I know it can't be that much because that would be more than one full red bottle and I'm certain I didn't put that much in, so I have to assume it's about .15 to .20 overfilled. Should I drain some out?

 

Next time I'll go ahead and raid the kitchen for a graduated container or just buy one dedicated to the garage. I didn't feel like tempting fate, so I went ahead and foolishly eyeballed it with the ketchup bottle.

[duckbubbles]

Ben-

I think overfilling the final drive by 2X will have some bad consequences. Looking at the rear end housing, I don't see any type of vent like the older F/D's had. But you can be sure that double the amount of fluid in there will make it's way out somewhere.

Also, your oil condition looks great. I did mine initially at 15,000 and from the look of it, I wish I'd done it a lot sooner. There was some scuzz on the pickup that wiped off and was a smear type of residue.

I may do mine again at 25,000 or maybe 30,000, we'll see.

 

Frank

[Redbrick]

Ben........I changed mine ('05 RT w/about 16,000 miles on it) last week and, at Motogeezer's request, left the rear plug out as I started to fill it just to see if it would start coming out at 250 ml's...Started to come out before the required amount was in so I put the plug in and finished....

I bought a ml graduated plastic bottle for about $1.80 with a small spout on it from a beauty supply place and measured in the correct amount..

I don't think mine had ever been changed and it was pretty clear....The speed sensor also had very little on it...A little black gunk.....I did clean and re-lube the spline with Honda 60 moly........

Easy job.....Used Jim VB's DVD for instruction...A good thing to have...

 

Phil.........Redbrick

[Firefight911]

This is what I use to measure my fluids.

 

Ratio Rite

 

Less than $5!!

[duckbubbles]

I used a 60cc syringe that I "procured" from work with a piece of clear tubing on it.

 

Frank

[Ben_Ricci]

Thanks for the tips guys. I bought a graduated container, then drained and re-filled the FD because I was uncertain how much was in it. I've smelled enough gear oil for one day. I tried to measure what came out but the container was too tall once I pulled the FD off the splines. I guesstimate over .4 liters..."stupid full" in other words. Thanks again. All is well now.

[Jim VonBaden]

Glad you got it right Ben!

 

Jim

[Easyrider5258 (Mark)]

is the rear plug a level plug or what ?? if its a level plug can the rear drive not be filled until oil comes out and the volume would then be correct without mearsuring jugs ect ??? if its not a level plug then whats its purpose ?

[Ben_Ricci]

is the rear plug a level plug or what ?? if its a level plug can the rear drive not be filled until oil comes out and the volume would then be correct without mearsuring jugs ect ??? if its not a level plug then whats its purpose ?

 

See Redbrick's post earlier in the thread. He made a deliberate effort to see if filling to the the drain plug was equivalent to .25 liters. It's not. Therefore measuring is necessary. As for the purpose BMW originally anticipated the FD gear oil would not require regular changing as part of the service schedule. It was supposed to be a lifetime fill. Then they changed their minds. Looks to me like the drain plug location was engineered for infrequent service and that necessitates some of the extra effort for changing FD oil. It's really not big deal unless you try to make the art of estimation into a science like I did.

[Ben_Ricci]

Glad you got it right Ben!

 

Jim

 

Jim, it helped a lot seeing the procedure in your DVD. In fact, when I first drained/refilled the FD popped right off the splines and right back on when I was buttoning things up. I thought, "This is easy." Then on the second drain/refill things went a little less easy and I had to really wriggle the FD and splines to get them to line up, but they eventually slipped together. At that point I was thinking, "Wonder if Jim did this in one take when making his DVD?"

[Jim VonBaden]

Glad you got it right Ben!

 

Jim

 

Jim, it helped a lot seeing the procedure in your DVD. In fact, when I first drained/refilled the FD popped right off the splines and right back on when I was buttoning things up. I thought, "This is easy." Then on the second drain/refill things went a little less easy and I had to really wriggle the FD and splines to get them to line up, but they eventually slipped together. At that point I was thinking, "Wonder if Jim did this in one take when making his DVD?"

 

One take, but I did cheat in that I demonstrated how to do it with the boot off, then installed the boot and slipped it right back together.

 

I now make it standard practice to do it that way, and it has reduced the missalignment time to nearly nothing.

 

Jim

[HexHead]

is the rear plug a level plug or what ?? if its a level plug can the rear drive not be filled until oil comes out and the volume would then be correct without mearsuring jugs ect ??? if its not a level plug then whats its purpose ?

 

As for the purpose BMW originally anticipated the FD gear oil would not require regular changing as part of the service schedule. It was supposed to be a lifetime fill. Then they changed their minds.

 

Isn't the only part "they changed their mind on" a one time change at the 600 mile break in service?

[Lawman]

I believe you are correct

[flars]

"The splines aren't that big a deal. Mine were very similar to yours. Just put a bit of lithium grease and popped it all back together. The splines don't have a huge amount of motion so it is not a concern"

If you are putting any grease on those splines, it should be Moly 60 or equivalent. The white grease you see in the boot is for trapping any crap that gets into the boot, not for lubricating anything.

I may be wrong (there's always a first time, I guess), but I believe these splines have to handle the same power that the transmission splines do, except the mating surfaces don't have to slide against each other as much.

The moly grease they use on these splines is put on very sparingly, so you may not see much in there. In fact, over long periods of time, the greasy look can go away, and the splines will still be protected by the moly.

[Albion]

Had the dealer change my FD oil. Within a few miles, the back wheel, discs etc were covered with oil. Seal was blown.

 

Overfilling is very dangerous!

 

Oh and after the same service, had to take a third of a litre out of the engine oil to bring the level down to high.

 

Doh!

[motoguy128]

Had the dealer change my FD oil. Within a few miles, the back wheel, discs etc were covered with oil. Seal was blown.

 

Overfilling is very dangerous!

 

Oh and after the same service, had to take a third of a litre out of the engine oil to bring the level down to high.

 

Doh!

 

You too! I drove 100 miles before realizing what had happened. The first signs appeared within 30 miles.

 

I don't know if mine was overfilled, since it's a reputable BMW dealer, but mistakes can happen or I'm just unlucky.

 

Hopefully I didn't damage anything riding on it the last 50 miles with most of the fluid gone. Its wasn't smoking and didn't seem too hot, so I figure it's OK.

 

Should I demand the whole unit be replaced or at least get a warranty extension on it? I'm angry and heartbroken. I've had great service from this dealer and they have a great reputation. I feel like they've broken my trust, and now I have to drive 400 miles (2 round trips) due to their mistake to get this fixed. This reminds me why I usually prefer to do most of my own service. WOrst of all it failed 30 minutes after closing on Saturday, so I have ot live wiht my frustration until Tuesday morning.

 

What did your dealer do for you after they screwed up?

[Ben_Ricci]

If you are putting any grease on those splines, it should be Moly 60 or equivalent. The white grease you see in the boot is for trapping any crap that gets into the boot, not for lubricating anything.

 

Thanks. That's what I used.

[Albion]

What did your dealer do for you after they screwed up?

 

Fixed it! New brake pads, seals etc. Replaced the seals. All with no hassle.

 

That was several thou miles ago, all OK since then.

 

Irony is, that I thought about doing the job myself, and in the light of this experience wish that I had.

 

While I will never do service work as rapidly as a dealer, I will do it obsessively by the book. I would have measured the oil going in to replace.

 

No doubt the kid doing the job had more important things on his mind... booze, getting l**d. etc.