how to check what transmission is on 2004 e500

The following commodity gives detailed instructions on servicing the transmission on a BMW E60 5 series car. Even though nosotros have used a 2006 BMW 530xi to perform this service, this article can be applied to any E60/E61 v serial vehicle with minor modifications.

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One of the biggest misconceptions among many BMW E60 owners is that the transmission in their vehicle has a "lifetime" fluid fill and never needs to be serviced. And that misconception is well founded. Thanks to some very erroneous manufacturer messaging added to the lesser of BMW E60 transmissions, owners (and repair shops) have been led to believe that the transmission fluid never needs to be changed. This has created an alarming state of affairs for many 5 serial owners since in reality, nothing could be farther from the truth.

The sticker on a 2006 530xi transmission. This can be very confusing to mechanics - information technology does non hateful the manual oil never needs to be changed.

In BMW transmission manufacturing terms, "lifetime" does not mean the life of the vehicle. It means how long (in miles) the transmission was tested and certified by the manufacturer before information technology needs to exist serviced. In simple terms, the phrase "lifetime" is synonymous with "service life". In the case of BMW E60 six speed automatic transmissions, the service life is 100,000 miles. This requirement is conspicuously stated on folio seven of the Service and Warranty Information book for all BMW E60 v series cars produced from 2004-2010 (you can download a copy of the book from u.s.a. past clicking here).

We have e'er disagreed with the manufacturer'due south transmission service requirement for the BMW E60 5 serial. The BMW Repair Guide recommends servicing the manual in the BMW E60 5 serial every 50,000 miles to avert premature wear of its internal parts.

A BMW E60 transmission service involves draining and replacing the fluid, irresolute the oil pan gasket and installing a new fluid filter and magnets. Note that the transmission filter and magnets in the BMW E60 are integrated into the oil pan and cannot be purchased separately. The oil pan must be removed from the bottom of the gearbox in club to properly perform a BMW E60 transmission service.

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E6x 5 Series - All Models

BMW	E60	525i	M54 2.5L
BMW	E60	525i	N52 3.0L
BMW	E60	525xi	N52 three.0L
BMW	E60	528i	N52 3.0L
BMW	E60	528xi	N52 3.0L
BMW	E60	530i	M54 3.0L
BMW	E60	530i	N52 three.0L
BMW	E60	530xi	N52 three.0L
BMW	E60	535i	N54 iii.0L
BMW	E60	535i	N55 3.0L
BMW	E60	535xi	N54 3.0L
BMW	E60	545i	N62 4.4L
BMW	E60	550i	N62 4.8L
BMW	E60	M5	S85 5.0L
BMW	E61	525i	M54 two.5L
BMW	E61	530xi	N52 3.0L
BMW	E61	535xi	N54 iii.0L

Includes detailed office diagrams, part numbers and links to purchase all of the required components needed to complete this repair.

Before starting this repair, you must have the post-obit required parts.

All E60/E61 half dozen cylinder models (528i,530i,535i)

ZF Aftermarket offers spare parts and services under the ZF make. Maximum quality aspirations and technology expertise from original equipment industry are also successfully demonstrated in the spare parts market.

For use in all BMW 5 and 6 speed transmissions

Carmine Line has a reputation with racers and enthusiasts alike for creating products that perform and protect amend than any on the market. Redline D4 is a fully constructed oil that ensures proper shifting while providing ultimate wear protection. For apply in all 5 and 6 speed ZF and GM transmissions, meets Shell M1375.4 specifications.

Section 1 - Draining the BMW E60 transmission

There is a slight variation in the instructions when servicing the transmission in an xDrive (all-wheel drive) BMW E60/E61 versus a rear-wheel bulldoze model. The difference is accessing the transmission fluid fill plug. Unfortunately in xDrive model vehicles, the front end driveshaft blocks access to the make full plug, requiring the shaft to be unbolted from the transfer case and swiveled out of the mode (see images beneath). Since at that place is no front end driveshaft in rear-wheel drive models, there is clear admission to the fill up plug and no extra steps are needed. We give instructions below on how to remove the fill plug in both models.

1. Jack and support your auto at all four wheels using bike ramps or stands. The BMW Repair Guide does not recommend using jack stands to back up your vehicle unless the wheels need to be removed for the repair. For more than information on jacking and supporting your vehicle, please encounter our commodity BMW Jacking and Supporting for Repairs and Maintenance.
2. Remove the engine (front end) belly pan. The belly pan is held in place on the BMW E60 with phillips head screws.
3. Using an 8mm nut driver, remove the underfloor (rear) belly pan from the bottom of the car.
4. Locate the transmission oil pan cover, approximately in the middle of the vehicle.
5. Before draining the transmission, always loosen the fill up plug first. Never attempt to drain the transmission until you have successfully loosened the make full plug. You lot exercise not want to find out afterwards y'all tuckered the transmission that the fill plug is stuck and yous cannot refill the pan.
6. The fill plug on BMW E60 transmissions is located on the left upper rear of the gear box...above the oil pan. As discussed at the beginning of this department, xDrive cars require the removal of the front bulldoze shaft to access the plug.
7. XDrive "all wheel drive" models - Locate the front bulldoze shaft where it is mounted to the transfer case. Using an E12 external torx socket, remove the 4 bolts anchoring the front drive shaft to the transfer case. If the wheels of the vehicle are off of the ground (the car is on a lift or y'all are using jack stands), yous will need to detect a helper like our handsome fellow below to depress the brake pedal while you remove the bolts - otherwise the shaft volition but spin freely. Grasp the drive shaft and gently lower information technology from the transfer example. You lot tin can at present easily access the fill plug at the rear of the transmission.
8. Rear cycle bulldoze models - Locate the fill up plug at the left upper rear of the transmission as shown in the step 6 image above.
9. Using a T50 torx flake and a breaker bar, loosen the plug but do non remove it. DO Non REMOVE THE PLUG. Removing the plug volition crusade fluid to pour out. You simply want to break it gratis and confirm that it tin can be removed during the filling procedure below.
10. Position a 5 gallon drain pan nether the transmission. Locate the bleed plug on the bottom of the oil pan. Using a T50 torx bit, remove the bleed plug and allow the pan to thoroughly drain.
11. When the oil pan has completely drained supplant the plug. At that place is still a lilliputian fleck of oil left in the pan...replacing the plug will proceed it from draining on the floor (and on you) when the pan is removed.
12. Using a T40 torx scrap, remove the 24 oil pan bolts. The oil pan bolts are at a very low torque, so they should come out hands. It is perfectly adequate to reuse the oil pan bolts if they are in skillful condition. If for some reason you have to replace ane (which rarely happens), you can reorder replacement bolts by clicking here.
13. Grasp the oil pan and carefully remove from the automobile. Remember the pan still has quite a chip of oil left in it. Dump the remainder of the oil in a drain pan.
14. Unpack the new oil pan and verify the part number. The oil pan should come up with the gasket, magnets, and the drain plug already installed...verify that they are. As well verify the drain plug has been torqued correctly to 8 Nm (6 ft-lb).
15. Remove the plastic shipping cap off of the pan's oil filter. This tin be discarded.
16. Using a rag and some CRC Brakleen, thoroughly clean the transmission surface that the oil pan attaches to. Brand sure to remove whatever dirt, crud and oil…all of these can affect the gasket's seal and cause leaks.
17. Elevator the new oil pan into position. Make certain the oil filter fits snugly into its opening in the lesser of the manual.
18. Utilise the T40 torx bit and hand tighten the mounting bolts back into the pan.
19. Torque the transmission oil pan mounting bolts to 10 Nm (7 ft-lb).

Section two - Refilling the transmission with fluid

Refilling the BMW six speed transmission is a two step procedure. First the transmission oil pan must be initially filled. Afterward the initial fill, the transmission must be warmed up to its terminal fill temperature (100F) before topping off with fluid. Per the manufacturer (ZF) specifications, the vehicle must exist running and the transmission in park while topping off the transmission - topping of the transmission with the engine off could cause an under filled manual.

1. Remove the transmission make full plug.
2. Using a fluid transfer pump, fill the oil pan with approved fluid until it starts to run out of the fill hole.
3. Replace the plug and snug up with a T50 torx socket. DO Not torque the plug yet...it will be removed again to bank check the concluding level of the transmission fluid.
4. Next, the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) level needs to be checked. In guild to get a right ATF level reading, the fluid must be at a temperature betwixt 86-122 degrees Farenheit (we recommend 100F). The right mode to determine the temperature of the ATF is to use a diagnostic scanner. If yous are a dwelling mechanic and do not currently own a diagnostic scanner for your BMW, we encourage y'all to purchase one every bit soon as possible. A diagnostic scanner is equally important to your tool chest equally a set of socket wrenches. Y'all can buy a very affordable BMW diagnostic scanner past clicking here.
5. First, connect your diagnostic scanner to the OBD-II port located in the driver's side footwell. Do non start the vehicle nonetheless .
6. With the vehicle off , scroll through the diagnostic scanner menu until you observe the screen that monitors the transmission fluid temperature in alive data. You want to keep the vehicle off because information technology may have you some fourth dimension to find the right screen. You lot don't want to offset warming up the fluid until you are all ready to go. The post-obit prototype shows the correct screen on the Schwaben (Foxwell) diagnostic scanner. This screen will differ amongst scanner manufacturers.
7. Start the vehicle. Depress the restriction pedal and hold. With the brakes applied, SLOWLY shift the transmission into contrary, then neutral, then into drive. Pause in each gear about three second. Repeat this process six times, then put the vehicle dorsum into park. This volition circulate the fluid through the manual. Closely monitor the diagnostic scanner.
8. When the diagnostic scanner shows the transmission fluid at 100 degrees Fahrenheit leave the engine running with the transmission in park and go on to the manual for the final fill.
9. Remove the fill plug on the transmission. Add transmission fluid until it flows out of the drain hole. Information technology volition accept another iii to iv liters to completely fill it. The manual is now properly filled.
10. Replace the fill plug and torque to 32 Nm (24 ft-lb).
11. With the vehicle even so running check for whatsoever leaks in the oil pan gasket. If you see any visible leaks, use y'all T40 torx socket to snug up the mounting bolts (no more than 1/8 of a turn).
12. xDrive models - Turn the engine off. Reinstall the front driveshaft to the transfer case. Torque the mounting bolts to twenty Nm (15 ft-lb).
13. Replace the forepart and rear abdomen pans and lower the vehicle.

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Section 3 - Resetting the transmission's adaptation values

It is very of import that at the end of whatever service piece of work or repair to the ZF six speed manual, the gearbox'due south adaptations are reset. The adaptations are a "learned" code stored in your manual'due south estimator module that changes the performance of your transmission based on past driving habits and driving weather condition. They also brand changes based on the habiliment and tear of internal parts. Not resetting the adaptations after this repair may cause reduced performance in your transmission and potential long term damage to its internal components.Resetting the adaptations is extremely easy and only takes a couple minutes. You must take a BMW diagnostic scanner to reset them. Don't accept a BMW scanner? You tin can purchase the same inexpensive scanner we use past clicking hither.

1. Plug your BMW diagnostic scanner into the OBD-Two port and start the vehicle.
2. Depending on which scanner you have, you volition demand to become to the screen that allows y'all to reset the transmission'due south adaptations. Every scanner is unlike...the following images prove how to practice it on the Autophix ES910 scanner.
3. Afterwards the adaptations are reset, plough off the auto and remove the key. You are now finished and can drive the vehicle.

BMW E60 Transmission Service Finished

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Source: https://bmwrepairguide.com/bmw-e60-transmission-service-2004-2010-5-series-all-models-2/

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