tranny fluid req

[mazdawg78]

getting ready to replace the trans filter an all maintenance on the old girl. curious as to how much tranny fluid is needed in a filter change on a 94 325 with an auto. also i have a rattlle in the back near the shock area. do these mounts wear out often? thunks when bumps are hit. the cars a 94 325i with 167k on it

[Boland01]

Our 1996 took about 4.5 quarts of Dexron II to drain and fill both the big and smaller pans. Make sure your fill hole plug for the transmission is not frozen on before you pull the pans or drain the fluid.

[motion]

Buy extra it's good practice to drain, replace the filter and refill, then in about 200 miles drain and refill (no filter) and again in another 200 miles with filter to insure a complete change out then 15K there after. Assure the car is level when filling I use a one gallon sprayer withe the suction screen and spray nozzle off to pump if the fluid. Usually the pans are not a problem but I keep 4 M6x1x65 bolts with the heads cut off to make gasket /pan aliment easier. Just my .02

[por911]

I just did this on our MY95 318ia, just the other weekend. Here is what i used:
1)4 Rhino ramps 8000lb models
2) 8qt.s of Mobil 1 synthetic ATF (used just under 7 though)
3)2 quart oil pumps, the 1st broke at the 5th qt.
4)1 Meitersatz trans Kit (beware: gasket will need trimming)
The car was set on the ramps the night before. The next morning, I pulled the pans off and let it drain for a couple hours. Then went through the tedious process of cleaning, and installing the kit with M1 ATF. Our trans only had about 65k on it, the pans had a fair bit of sludge from short trips(and lack of service). I found it easier to fill and lift up the pans in place with an extra floor jack.
regards

Oh yes, forgot to respond to your "rattle" inquiry. With about 65k on our car, I've replaced the motor, trans, and exhaust mounts(all were needed). Next on my "to do list" is the guibo, guide bearing, and center support bearing on the driveshaft. I'll re-bush the complete rear suspension after that. These cars are getting old and regardless of miles, the parts degrade with age and there is that off hand chance the factory did not use the best quality sourced parts for the application.
Good luck with the trans service, that was a tedious and messy task. It pays off though, our car drives better every day.
regards

[motion]

por911, did you refill with the car level?

[por911]

por911, did you refill with the car level?

Yes, hence the need for 4 rhino ramps. The car even had new motor and trans mounts, so nothing was collapsed. The ramps don't give you a ton of room, but enough to get the task done. It helps to leave it over night to drain the trans down into the pan(same process for Audi, etc..).
The garage is pretty level, and the car was as level as I'm going to get it with this process. A lift would be nice for this task, but that was not going to happen(yet).
I used a 1/4 IR air rachet for removal and installation of those trans bolts which helped tremendously(ie one hand holding the pan and one pulling the hardware out in seconds).
regards

[jmo69]

A rattle and thunks from the rear are a good indication of blown rear shock mounts. I had one go bad and it presented itself as a rattle, mount had less than 10k on it. Found some inexpensive Meyles on E-Bay.
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/jmo68/Lowering/RSM002.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/jmo68/002-7.jpg

[epmedia]

It does take about 7 Qts after letting it drip overnight.
We used high-milage Castrol ATF, seems to have worked fine.

[mazdawg78]

thanks everyone for your input. so best to let it drain over night im gathering?

[epmedia]

thanks everyone for your input. so best to let it drain over night im gathering?
It's not required, but it lets about an extra quart drip out.
Do it with the old filter removed.
Put the pans back on with a couple bolts while it sits overnight to keep the critters and dust out of there :)

[Euro96E36]

Is it mandatory to change the tranny oil filter ?

[motion]

Yes, where do think all the c*** went to, hence the name filter. If you remove the pans replace the filter with OEM only, to assure a complete fluid change, drain and refill again without the dropping the pans and filter. I prefer doing it a third time with a filter then every 15K thereafter. Just my .02