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      06-22-2020, 12:18 AM   #1
pungo
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Fluids changed, trans/transfer/diffs, Steering rack update & F&R brake pads.

Busy day today.

Brake pads:
I was tired of all the black brake dust so replaced the F&R pads with Akebono. I use these on my Z4 ///M coupe and 525i with great results. Did a brake fluid flush using ista to cycle the ABS.

Steering rack:
Replaced the worn thrust piece with the new revised part. This new part has a longer wearing material where the rack rod slide on it. The old one was very worn. The old one has a bunch of small holes to hold grease. On one side, the holes were completely worn away and it started wearing a groove, on the other side, the holes were nearly gone. This new part removed all slop in the steering rack. I didn't have the 3 pin tool so made one, not pretty but it works (see pic)

66k miles so I decided to change the drivetrain fluids:
Trans pan/filter and fluid:
Took 5.5l of Life Guard Fluid 8. The old fluid didn't look too dirty, though if you wait till it looks dirty, you waited too long. ZF recommends 60k fluid changes. Magnets had very little accumulation. Used ista to walk through the fill procedure and monitor critical fluid temps.

Transfer case fluid:
Used BMW transfer case fluid. Old fluid was really dirty (black). Glad I changed it and recommend changing it even sooner. There's clutches in there, I'm sure they wear some, so removing the debris and getting fresh fluid will increase the life. Used ista re-calibrate transfer box for the new fluid.

Updated:
I didn't remove the trans/transfer case support bracket, which is a lot of extra work. I made a very ugly looking tool using a grade 5 bolt with 2 nuts welded to it. (sure cutting off a piece of 14mm allen would have been easier, but I didn't have one). Using a 12 point box end wrench, which spans both nuts , I was able to easily remove and install both the fill and drain plugs with this tool. I understand not all transfer cases have a drain plug, but I could have easily used my mityvac brake bleeder small diameter hose to snake over the support bracket to suck the fluid out of the case if I didn't have a drain plug. In my opinion, this fluid should be changed well before 50k miles, at least for the 1st change.

F&R diffs:
Used Liqui Moly 75W90. Front was slightly discolored, rear was clear. Probably could have waited, but you don't know until check them, plus it was already in the air.

Old steering trust piece
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Old/New steering trust piece
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Homemade too Steering rack adjuster
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Homemade tool Transfer case plug
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Last edited by pungo; 06-26-2020 at 02:27 PM.. Reason: added transfer case details
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      06-22-2020, 06:48 AM   #2
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I need to do the thrust piece one of these days. Nice mudflaps, I wish they made a version that goes with the M-sport bumpers/trim. And cool lift! I wish I had one of those instead of ramps when I did work in my garage when I had an M3.
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      06-22-2020, 09:28 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pungo View Post
Busy day today.

Brake pads:
I was tired of all the black brake dust so replaced the F&R pads with Akebono. I use these on my Z4 ///M coupe and 525i with great results. Did a brake fluid flush using ista to cycle the ABS.

Steering rack:
Replaced the worn thrust piece with the new revised part. This new part has a longer wearing material where the rack rod slide on it. The old one was very worn. The old one has a bunch of small holes to hold grease. On one side, the holes were completely worn away and it started wearing a groove, on the other side, the holes were nearly gone. This new part removed all slop in the steering rack. I didn't have the 3 pin tool so made one, not pretty but it works (see pic)

66k miles so I decided to change the drivetrain fluids:
Trans pan/filter and fluid:
Took 5.5l of Life Guard Fluid 8. The old fluid didn't look too dirty, though if you wait till it looks dirty, you waited too long. ZF recommends 60k fluid changes. Magnets had very little accumulation. Used ista to walk through the fill procedure and monitor critical fluid temps.

Transfer case fluid:
Used BMW transfer case fluid. Old fluid was really dirty (black). Glad I changed it and recommend changing it even sooner. There's clutches in there, I'm sure they wear some, so removing the debris and getting fresh fluid will increase the life. Used ista re-calibrate transfer box for the new fluid.

F&R diffs:
Used Liqui Moly 75W90. Front was slightly discolored, rear was clear. Probably could have waited, but you don't know until check them, plus it was already in the air.

Old steering trust piece
Thanks for the post pungo .. .. .. questions:

1. What does itsa tell you to do in regards to filling the tranny? At a certain point during the refill, do you need to have the car running with the lights and A/C on in order to get it completely filled?

2. What is the 3 pin tool used for?

3. What does ista do for the calibration with the transfer case?

I've never used ista and don't have a Windows based PC. I like your Quick Jacks, is the jack stand there as added insurance cause it looks like a good idea.
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      06-22-2020, 10:12 AM   #4
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brake pads: i have always used the OEM BMW (or Pagid) dust devil pads, I like the initial strong bite. tell us how the Akebono pads compare, initial and overall performance- you'll need some miles on car to really access.
thanks/Bill

Last edited by Wgosma; 06-22-2020 at 09:46 PM..
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      06-22-2020, 10:38 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty in NY View Post
Thanks for the post pungo .. .. .. questions:

1. What does itsa tell you to do in regards to filling the tranny? At a certain point during the refill, do you need to have the car running with the lights and A/C on in order to get it completely filled?

The A/C & lights have nothing to do with trans fluid levels, but the vehicle does needs to be running. Here's run down:
  1. While up in the air with engine off, fill trans through side fill plug till it runs out
  2. Start vehicle, leave in park, fill trans through side fill plug till it runs out
  3. Wait until trans fluid is above 40C but less then 50C (ista+ shows temp and will not go to next step till it hits 40C)
  4. Disable DSC
  5. While in P, Rev to 2000rpm for 30s
  6. Shift P, R, D, M1, M2, P hold each for 10s
  7. Check if fluid is running out of fill port, if yes wait til it stops, if not fill until it runs out
  8. Install fill plug.
  9. Done.
2. What is the 3 pin tool used for?
The threaded adjuster on top of the thrust piece uses a 3 pin tool.

3. What does ista do for the calibration with the transfer case?
Not exactly sure, but I assume it re-calibrates for clutch wear and tells the ecu there's new fluid.

I've never used ista and don't have a Windows based PC. I like your Quick Jacks, is the jack stand there as added insurance cause it looks like a good idea.
I've hear people running ista in a VM.
Yeah, the jack stand is there for added safety, though there's a heavy arm that locks in place at 2 different heights so it's not held up by the hydraulics.
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      06-22-2020, 10:51 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pungo View Post
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Thanks! I changed the fluid/filter and rebuilt the valve pack on a 5HP30 E31 and that was the procedure ZF had me do. I also had to go through all the gears and get the oil up to temp. I don't recall the reason why it was recommended to run the A/C and have the high beams on but I do remember that was the case, its been a few years since I did that.

Its satisfying to do your own work and you know the quality of it when its done, gives you confidence when driving. Nice write up!
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      06-22-2020, 11:01 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wgosma View Post
brake pads: i have always used the OEM BMW (or Pagid) dust devil pads, I like the initial strong bite. tell us how the Akebono pads compare, initial and overall performance- you'll need some miles on car to really access.
thanks/Bill
As mentioned in my OP, I've used these for the last 8 years on my Z4 ///M coupe and my 525i for the last 5 years with great results, I expect the same from them on the X3. I my opinion, the initial bite is negligible between stock and Akebono. If you want to buy a set of stock BMW fronts with barely any detectable wear, I'll sell them for a good price
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      06-22-2020, 11:59 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pungo View Post
Transfer case fluid:
Used BMW transfer case fluid. Old fluid was really dirty (black). Glad I changed it and recommend changing it even sooner. There's clutches in there, I'm sure they wear some, so removing the debris and getting fresh fluid will increase the life. Used ista re-calibrate transfer box for the new fluid.

F&R diffs:
Used Liqui Moly 75W90. Front was slightly discolored, rear was clear. Probably could have waited, but you don't know until check them, plus it was already in the air.
pungo
You are the man for doing this write up!

A few questions if I may:

-For the scenario where no drain plug is present, what means did you use to remove old fluid?
-Transfer case fluid = is there a drain and fill plug for this one?
-F&R diffs = same question, is there a drain and fill plug for the front and rear diff?
-For the above 3, did any brace/bracket/bars/etc need to be removed in order to access a hard to reach drain/fill plug?

-If not too much trouble, next time the car is up on your Quick Jack ... could you please show some pics of each fill/drain plug location?
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      06-22-2020, 09:50 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by evilchargerfan View Post
pungo
You are the man for doing this write up!
Thanks. It's an easy job, all the work took less than 8 hours taking my time which included, lunch, cleaning up and a test drive for bedding in the pads.
A few questions if I may:

-For the scenario where no drain plug is present, what means did you use to remove old fluid?
I used a mityvac brake bleeder

-Transfer case fluid = is there a drain and fill plug for this one?
Yes

-F&R diffs = same question, is there a drain and fill plug for the front and rear diff?
Front has a drain, rear does not

-For the above 3, did any brace/bracket/bars/etc need to be removed in order to access a hard to reach drain/fill plug?
There's a small heat shied on the side of trans by the exhaust pipe (3 small bolts)

-If not too much trouble, next time the car is up on your Quick Jack ... could you please show some pics of each fill/drain plug location?
Hopefully that will be awhile , but the locations obvious.
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      06-22-2020, 10:53 PM   #10
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I don't have a very level garage floor. do you know how sensitive is the sensor/leveling?
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      06-22-2020, 11:17 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by romero1990 View Post
I don't have a very level garage floor. do you know how sensitive is the sensor/leveling?
Good question...The vehicle has to be exactly level front to back and side to side or you'll over or under fill all the fluids.

My floor is not level either, it slopes toward the garage doors, I think so if you hose the floor down, the water will run out toward the doors. The quickjack comes with 2 different height spacers. I put the taller ones toward the low side, then fine tuned with some 1/8" plate steel spacers so everything was dead level using a carpenters bubble level.
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      06-22-2020, 11:22 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pungo View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by romero1990 View Post
I don't have a very level garage floor. do you know how sensitive is the sensor/leveling?
Good question...The vehicle has to be exactly level front to back and side to side or you'll over or under fill all the fluids.

My floor is not level either, it slopes toward the garage doors, I think so if you hose the floor down, the water will run out toward the doors. The quickjack comes with 2 different height spacers. I put the taller ones toward the low side, then fine tuned with some 1/8" plate steel spacers so everything was dead level using a carpenters bubble level.
cool. thanks. I'll give that a try. mine is worse, kinda side to side and front to back.
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      06-24-2020, 02:27 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by najnad View Post
I need to do the thrust piece one of these days. Nice mudflaps, I wish they made a version that goes with the M-sport bumpers/trim. And cool lift! I wish I had one of those instead of ramps when I did work in my garage when I had an M3.
The Thrust piece is really easy, if you have the tool, probably 15min once it's up in the air with the belly pan removed. Just make sure you have some BMW FB-1 grease, other grease may work, but I got a tube of FB-1 to be safe.

Why are you driving your M-sport in mud anyway? jk... They do reduce the tires from flinging dirt on the side in rain or snow. They may look out of place on the M-sport anyway since they are black, unless of course you have a black vehicle.

The quickjacks have been getting some good use. It used to take some time and effort jockeying jack stands and floor jacks around. This save a lot of time, which is valuable to me, so they were well worth it.
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      06-26-2020, 02:31 PM   #14
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After reading another post where people removed the transfer case/transmission support, I updated my original post for how I changed my fluid without removing the support. It works fine both ways so choose your preference. I choose the less work way
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      06-27-2020, 04:52 PM   #15
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Just wondering what quickjack version you have and if you have any special pads that you use to raise the vehicle without damaging the lift points?
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      06-27-2020, 06:04 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deeLow View Post
Just wondering what quickjack version you have and if you have any special pads that you use to raise the vehicle without damaging the lift points?
I got model BL-5000SLX. It came with (4) 2" & (4) 3" tall solid hard rubber blocks that go between the lift points and the jack so zero damage. You can use the 2", the 3" or stack a 2"+3" depending on how much height you need. I've use them on my Z4 ///M coupe, E39, S10 pickup, VW Corrado and X3 so they're pretty versatile. Only takes a few minutes to set up or tear down. Costco puts them on sale for $999 shipped.
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      06-29-2020, 11:31 PM   #17
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Pungo,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I have a 35i that want to do the transfer case oil replace but because of the confusion about reset the adaption, i never did.

Really want to do it right. can you share how do you get the ista install? when do you find them?
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      06-30-2020, 08:29 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RL325xi View Post
Pungo,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I have a 35i that want to do the transfer case oil replace but because of the confusion about reset the adaption, i never did.

Really want to do it right. can you share how do you get the ista install? when do you find them?
Use the search feature in your favorite browser and enter "ista install".
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      07-01-2020, 10:54 AM   #19
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I believe not all X3 transfer cases have a drain plug. It may be that the 3.0L 6cyl does not have a drain plug (mine does not) and the 4cyl does or may depend on the year. Therefore on some you need to suck out the fluid from the fill hole which is a pain, and access is an issue.

Regarding the fluids, save you money, you don't need to get overpriced BMW fluid. For the transfer case, Motul Multi DCTF meets the spec (TF 0870) and is what I used and was relatively inexpensive. For the diffs I used applicable Amsoil gear oil and for the tranny I used Amsoil transmission fluid that meets the BMW part number. Oddly for my 2013 35i application, it is not the Amsoil DCT fluid. There are other options as well. I did this all 2 years ago and 60K kms later, zero issues.

Regards,
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      07-01-2020, 11:38 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FranzX3M View Post
I believe not all X3 transfer cases have a drain plug. It may be that the 3.0L 6cyl does not have a drain plug (mine does not) and the 4cyl does or may depend on the year. Therefore on some you need to suck out the fluid from the fill hole which is a pain, and access is an issue.
Yes, I mentioned in the 1st post that not all transfer cases have a drain plug and the fluid will need to be sucked out if there's no plug. Mine is a 2011 6cyl 35i and has a drain plug. Not sure how to determine which vehicles will have a drain plug besides looking.

Tip: Once I filled the case and it ran out the fill hole, I rotated the front driveshaft a few times and was able to add a little more fluid.
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      07-02-2020, 04:01 PM   #21
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wanna quick check how long did it take you to do the transmission replace pan etc.
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      07-02-2020, 05:18 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by romero1990 View Post
wanna quick check how long did it take you to do the transmission replace pan etc.
I did not time it, but once the fluid was drained, I'd estimate 20-25 minutes using power tools to remove the old pan and install the new one. The longest time was torquing the fasteners in a 2 step process following the critical torque pattern. The pan is a very simple swap with all the fasteners easily accessible. The complete job, including filling to the correct level took about an hour since I had to wait for the trans fluid temps to get to 40C before completing the fill procedure. YMMV
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