Pictorial: Engine, Transmission, and Final Drive Oil Change
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:27 pm
The joys of changing our own oils! I have to say, working on the bike is considerably easier than on my car. 
It may not have needed the oil changes (it just had the 6k mile service done last year), but I wanted to get to know the bike, and also to know for sure what fluids it's running.
So, I went to the local auto parts store and picked up four quarts or Mobil1 15w50 Extended Performance and two quarts of Mobil1 75w90 Gear Oil. I know some of you say to use dino oil for the FD, but I checked with a BMW master technician, and he said synthetic is fine, and just to change it often. I can't see what a dino oil would be better than a synthetic oil in any regard, so I went with synthetic.
I know the first transmission fluid change isn't until 12k miles, but it has been four years since my bike was manufactured, so I wanted to change it. I also wanted to use a synthetic gear oil for the transmission, since I felt the shifting feels kind of rough, and as stated above, I like synthetic oils.
No for the fun part.... this was my first time working on a bike, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I read the maintenance manual and everything seemed straight forward.
Tools Needed:
3/8" drive ratchet
8mm hex socket
6mm hex socket
3/8" drive torque wrench
19mm box wrench or socket
74mm/14 sided oil filter cap
Funnel
A device to fill the transmission fluid (you'll see later)
Nitrile Gloves (you don't want to get in contact with used oils)
To start, put the bike on the center stand:
I was test fitting my oil filter cap, and which drain pan I wanted to use. Be sure to put down lots of newspaper so your significant other won't yell at you for dirtying the garage.
After removing the engine oil drain plug (8mm hex), remove the oil filler cap to relieve the pressure and let the oil flow more freely. While (or after) the oil is draining, carefully loosen the oil filter. Allow the oil filter to drain while it is loose (this way you won't burn your hands). I let the oil drain for about 20 minutes. While the plugs were out, I went to work on the transmission fluid, but I'll write about that later in this post.
Once all the oils have drained, replace the washer on the drain plug and torque to 23 ft/lbs. Now replace the oil filter. Make sure this is snug, but you don't have to extremely tighten it. Coat the rubber gasket with some new oil before installing. Some people fill the filter with oil before installing, but I have never done this. The oil pump will start circulating the oil when the key goes in the on position.
Get your funnel and fill with 3.5ish quarts of oil. Start it up, let it run for a bit, then check and add oil as necessary. Mine took 3.9 quarts, and I think it could have easily taken a full 4 quarts.
As for the transmission, it's very easy to access, but refilling is a slight challenge without the right tools.
This picture pretty much says everything you need to know. Make sure you can loosen the fill plug before you remove the drain plug. Mine were on there pretty tight, so I had to use a 14" breaker bar to help get some leverage to crack the bolts.
Gear oil smells nasty. Don't worry, I had already loosened the fill plug, I just didn't remove it.
Now with all the oil drained, it was time to refill with the new oil. This is hard to do because the fill plug is completely perpendicular to the ground, and not parallel to the ground (that would be too easy). In all seriousness, it is this way so that you can't overfill the transmission. Any extra fluid will run out of the fill plug. The solution to the problem:
I purchased this when I changed the rear diff fluid in our 3 series (same situation like on the bike). It was about $20 and is very handy. All you do is suck up the new fluid from the bottle, and then push it into the transmission. My transmission filled about 1.2 quarts, however you will loose some fluid in the gun and also it drips when you move from the bottle to the transmission. I'd say it was just about 1.1 quarts to completely fill until fluid started trickling out of the fill plug.
Bob's BMW sent me a washer kit, and of course they included one engine drain plug washer (OK), and then only one tranny drain plug washer, and three final drive plug washers.
Because of this, I had to reuse one of the washers. I changed the washer on the drain plug (since it's always covered with fluid), and simply reversed the washer on the fill plug. These aren't exactly "crush" washers in the sense that crush washers usually are "bubbled" and flaten once you tighten them. I have a feeling these washers could be reused a few times. Reversing the washer helps when reusing a washer incase it was curved or uneven after being tightened the first time.
Now onto the Final Drive. This one is even easier than the transmission, since it can be filled straight from the gear oil bottle. However, there isn't much room for a drain pan underneath, so I had to improvise.
I cut up an old windshield wiper fluid bottle, and used the bottom as a catch can. This fit perfectly and kept the oil away from the wheel.
This bike had Amsoil 75w90 oil put in at the 6k mile service, so I knew it was pretty fresh. I'm not a big Amsoil fan, however.
Everything there looked fine. I took my handy dandy Stremlight Strion (it's an HID flashlight) and looked inside the FD housing, and everything looked OK as far as I could see.
The magnetic drain plug had grey goo over it, but no shavings. I used some brake cleaner and cleaned them up.
For refilling, you need to accurately measure and look to make sure the fluid comes to the bottom of the fill plug threads. I read 250ml, so I filled up the empty Mobil1 gear oil bottle to 250ml and filled the FD.
However, I looked with my flashlight and this was still below the fill plug threads. I added another 50ml and then it was perfect.
For my first time, everything went smoothly. Also, it took just over 1 hour to do all three fluids. I have extensive experience working on cars, so this is essentially the same, but easier!
As for any "improvements" - it's too early to tell. I only rode around fora few miles and then I had to take a friend to the airport. I will say the engine sounds better, it's not making as many weird noises as it was before. I haven't had enough time to warm up and play with the transmission to see if the shifting is any smoother (although I'm sure it will be).
I just figured I'd post this since I'm sure someone else will have the same questions I had before doing this. Thanks to everyone who helped!
- Anthony
It may not have needed the oil changes (it just had the 6k mile service done last year), but I wanted to get to know the bike, and also to know for sure what fluids it's running.
So, I went to the local auto parts store and picked up four quarts or Mobil1 15w50 Extended Performance and two quarts of Mobil1 75w90 Gear Oil. I know some of you say to use dino oil for the FD, but I checked with a BMW master technician, and he said synthetic is fine, and just to change it often. I can't see what a dino oil would be better than a synthetic oil in any regard, so I went with synthetic.
I know the first transmission fluid change isn't until 12k miles, but it has been four years since my bike was manufactured, so I wanted to change it. I also wanted to use a synthetic gear oil for the transmission, since I felt the shifting feels kind of rough, and as stated above, I like synthetic oils.
No for the fun part.... this was my first time working on a bike, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I read the maintenance manual and everything seemed straight forward.
Tools Needed:
3/8" drive ratchet
8mm hex socket
6mm hex socket
3/8" drive torque wrench
19mm box wrench or socket
74mm/14 sided oil filter cap
Funnel
A device to fill the transmission fluid (you'll see later)
Nitrile Gloves (you don't want to get in contact with used oils)
To start, put the bike on the center stand:
I was test fitting my oil filter cap, and which drain pan I wanted to use. Be sure to put down lots of newspaper so your significant other won't yell at you for dirtying the garage.
After removing the engine oil drain plug (8mm hex), remove the oil filler cap to relieve the pressure and let the oil flow more freely. While (or after) the oil is draining, carefully loosen the oil filter. Allow the oil filter to drain while it is loose (this way you won't burn your hands). I let the oil drain for about 20 minutes. While the plugs were out, I went to work on the transmission fluid, but I'll write about that later in this post.
Once all the oils have drained, replace the washer on the drain plug and torque to 23 ft/lbs. Now replace the oil filter. Make sure this is snug, but you don't have to extremely tighten it. Coat the rubber gasket with some new oil before installing. Some people fill the filter with oil before installing, but I have never done this. The oil pump will start circulating the oil when the key goes in the on position.
Get your funnel and fill with 3.5ish quarts of oil. Start it up, let it run for a bit, then check and add oil as necessary. Mine took 3.9 quarts, and I think it could have easily taken a full 4 quarts.
As for the transmission, it's very easy to access, but refilling is a slight challenge without the right tools.
This picture pretty much says everything you need to know. Make sure you can loosen the fill plug before you remove the drain plug. Mine were on there pretty tight, so I had to use a 14" breaker bar to help get some leverage to crack the bolts.
Gear oil smells nasty. Don't worry, I had already loosened the fill plug, I just didn't remove it.
Now with all the oil drained, it was time to refill with the new oil. This is hard to do because the fill plug is completely perpendicular to the ground, and not parallel to the ground (that would be too easy). In all seriousness, it is this way so that you can't overfill the transmission. Any extra fluid will run out of the fill plug. The solution to the problem:
I purchased this when I changed the rear diff fluid in our 3 series (same situation like on the bike). It was about $20 and is very handy. All you do is suck up the new fluid from the bottle, and then push it into the transmission. My transmission filled about 1.2 quarts, however you will loose some fluid in the gun and also it drips when you move from the bottle to the transmission. I'd say it was just about 1.1 quarts to completely fill until fluid started trickling out of the fill plug.
Bob's BMW sent me a washer kit, and of course they included one engine drain plug washer (OK), and then only one tranny drain plug washer, and three final drive plug washers.
Because of this, I had to reuse one of the washers. I changed the washer on the drain plug (since it's always covered with fluid), and simply reversed the washer on the fill plug. These aren't exactly "crush" washers in the sense that crush washers usually are "bubbled" and flaten once you tighten them. I have a feeling these washers could be reused a few times. Reversing the washer helps when reusing a washer incase it was curved or uneven after being tightened the first time.
Now onto the Final Drive. This one is even easier than the transmission, since it can be filled straight from the gear oil bottle. However, there isn't much room for a drain pan underneath, so I had to improvise.
I cut up an old windshield wiper fluid bottle, and used the bottom as a catch can. This fit perfectly and kept the oil away from the wheel.
This bike had Amsoil 75w90 oil put in at the 6k mile service, so I knew it was pretty fresh. I'm not a big Amsoil fan, however.
Everything there looked fine. I took my handy dandy Stremlight Strion (it's an HID flashlight) and looked inside the FD housing, and everything looked OK as far as I could see.
The magnetic drain plug had grey goo over it, but no shavings. I used some brake cleaner and cleaned them up.
For refilling, you need to accurately measure and look to make sure the fluid comes to the bottom of the fill plug threads. I read 250ml, so I filled up the empty Mobil1 gear oil bottle to 250ml and filled the FD.
However, I looked with my flashlight and this was still below the fill plug threads. I added another 50ml and then it was perfect.
For my first time, everything went smoothly. Also, it took just over 1 hour to do all three fluids. I have extensive experience working on cars, so this is essentially the same, but easier!
As for any "improvements" - it's too early to tell. I only rode around fora few miles and then I had to take a friend to the airport. I will say the engine sounds better, it's not making as many weird noises as it was before. I haven't had enough time to warm up and play with the transmission to see if the shifting is any smoother (although I'm sure it will be).
I just figured I'd post this since I'm sure someone else will have the same questions I had before doing this. Thanks to everyone who helped!
- Anthony
