*DIY* ZF8 Transmission Fluid & Filter Change | BMW M340i xDrive

[@TandeGarage]

Hope you've enjoyed the vidoe, and it has empowered you to change your ZF8 transmission fluid & filter by yourself, to potentially save yourself ~$1000! While you're attending this ZF8 Transmission service, it's not a bad idea to also change the transfer case fluid while you're already underneath the vehicle. Check out the link below to see how to change the transfer case fluid on a G20 BMW: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXiQhHekodqaeJo&t

[@Legolas6911]

Man, I just found your channel and as a person who is soon going to buy a M340i you are helping me a lot. Earned a subscriber!

[@TandeGarage]

Love to hear that, appreciate your support!! Good luck on your purchase - check out other videos in my channel and my M340i playlist, if you haven’t already!

[@Mpostor]

Nice video! I have been thinking about doing this as well, I am currently at 42k miles. I do not buy the lifetime fluid either.

[@TandeGarage]

Thanks! It’s definitely one of the maintenance items that should be tackled down, especially on tuned cars whether it’s engine tuned and/or transmission tuned.

[@dann0397]

Excellent video! Would you be able to link where you purchased the pan and fluid? Thank you

[@TandeGarage]

Thanks for the kind words! In the video, the pan I used was made by Hengst, of OE equivalent. The part number is 24115A13115. The Amsoil ATF/ATL was purchased from Amsoil website directly.

[@hockeygoalie35]

Great videos, between this, the transfer case, and diffs, You've given me the info I need to tackle it on my G80! If I were to do transfer case and ZF fluid in the same day, should I do the transfer case first? Also, out of curiosity, do you use ISTA at all? I've heard that's helpful for the transfer case fluid swap.

[@TandeGarage]

Appreciate the kind words, means a lot to me! I’m not too familiar with the G80 drivetrain, so I’m going to assume it’s relatively similar to the G20 and going from there according to my experience. If you’re going to do the tcase and ZF8 fluid service at the same day, I don’t see a huge difference between which to be worked on first. However, I did the Tcase fluid change first then the ZF fluid change, as I knew ZF fluid change is typically messier with fluid splashing, dripping, everywhere; and I know I’m a clumsy person when it comes to dealing with fluid (lol). I just didn’t want to swim in pool of oil, in case I missed the drain pan. If you’re careful enough, shouldn’t matter. About ISTA, I have access to it. But I also have an ancient Windows laptop from 2013 that runs ISTA terribly slow. I prefer not to use it until I get a new laptop that can handle the load that ISTA is asking for. And yes, I’ve heard from others, as well as the comment earlier indicating ISTA can open a valve to siphon the Tcase easier. I plan on trying that perhaps next year when I service again!

[@vytautaskryzius2556]

finally a person that shows step by step, planning on changing gearbox fluid on my g30 xdrive , i'm at 54k miles ( 88k kilometers) ,or should i wait to drive 6k miles before doing that ? much appreciate for the video,planning on changing differential fluid,along with transfer case fluid. EDIT: one more question ,i have a concern that i may be missing fluid in gearbox,should i check it at 35-50c range with the fill plug removed, to check if it leaks it out or not ? if it leaks, it's not missing,if it does not leak,is missing , right? :)

[@TandeGarage]

Hope this was helpful and that it’s also applicable to your G30 - at least it should be for the most part! - I don’t think that 6k mi to 60k mi is a big deal, to be honest. If you wanna change it now, not a problem - If you wanna change it later, that’s fine too. Shouldn’t make a difference. - Check the fluid and do the final warm (hot) fill between 40c-50c with the engine running. So this goes in order: Keep your engine running, go back underneath the car to remove the fill plug and have your drain pan ready just in case. If no fluid comes out, check your device to ensure it’s still within 40c-50c, then to pump fluid back in till it pours out. Wait till a steady drip, close back up the fill plug and torque it down. Alternatively, if fluid gushes out when you remove the fill plug at this stage, wait till a steady drip happens, then to close back up the fill plug and torque it. In short, you’re right - if it pours down when your remove the fill plug, you have enough fluid in the system; if no fluid comes out, you need to top the system back up. Cheers and good luck!

[@vytautaskryzius2556]

@@TandeGarage appreciate quick response, xdrive has to have 4 identical tyres correct? i mean same manufacturer,and same pattern. As right now i have ( for front 2 one manufacturers tyre,and for rear 2 other manufacturers tyre ( different pattern / thread ),while braking from 3-2 gear or in general slowing down,it sort of holds the car for a moment and then releases, like it's not linear braking , could this be due different tyres mounted ?

[@TandeGarage]

@@vytautaskryzius2556 not necessarily the case for xdrive - some models come with staggered setup even. As long as the fronts and rears are within the tolerance range, it will be okay. But from my understanding, it will be ideal for the front and rear tires all of them to be same manufacturer and same model to best perform; so that it doesn’t create a huge bias in, for example, gripping power. To your question about the 3-2 shift, that is a bit weird and I don’t really have an answer for you unfortunately. But like how you have assumed, I will start with swapping the tires.

[@vytautaskryzius2556]

@@TandeGarage got stock r18 alloys with identical tyres, will swap them over,and will see if that get's rid off the issue,or i will try to unplug transfer case,to see if that's the issue... time will tell.

[@benp1059]

I just noticed that you didnt use the bmw fluid for transmission, is the amsoil atf compatible with zf 8 speeds, is it safe to use on bmw transmission, usually amsoil is used for toyota/lexus transmission

[@TandeGarage]

I’m using Amsoil ATL according to Sutphin Tuning (xHP ZF tuner) suggestion. It’s one of the Group 5 oil that can handle more “abused” and severer duties of a tuned transmission, before the fluid starts to break down. According to the specs and info provided by Amsoil, it meets the OE (equivalent) fluid part number (83 22 0 142 516, 83 22 152 146) for the ZF 8 speed transmissions used on these cars. If your transmission is not tuned, OE or OE equivalent will be completely fine for your application. I have had great experience with Liqui Moly ATF 1800 in my previous F30 330ix. Others have also spoken greatly about ZF Lifeguard 8, which is an OE fluid used on these transmissions.

[@itzjustmo2715]

great video! Im still watching these in the hope of getting an m340 with ur exact spec. Would you say that there are still some out there? same color and year

[@TandeGarage]

Thanks for the comment! To be honest with you, I wouldn’t be surprised if there will be some coming out to the used market later on in the year. Some original leases are ending by the 5 year mark (2020 Model Year is usually delivered to customers in 2019). 2020 MY lease owners who keep the car after the lease is done will be 50/50. And I’m expecting there will be some with the same spec as mine should be out in the market in the next couple of months.

[@itzjustmo2715]

@@TandeGarage ah very true! I didn't consider the possibility of lease markets. That's very good to know, I really hope that I end up with one that I want and love. Keep up the great vids! I'll make sure to keep up with your videos haha

[@benp1059]

Should i look for the EGS temperature sensor or oil temperature sensor? My car was park inside a hot garage the whole day and when i turn on the car in the afternoon , the EGS temp show 116F which is 46C already, am i still able to do the hot fill even though vehicle not running from warming up, and the temperature rise quick as soon like 5 mins, maybe the vehicle was park inside a hot garage all day

[@TandeGarage]

Till this day, I still don’t know which one should it be, to be honest lol. But the car NEEDS TO BE turned on when you’re performing the final hot fill. As long as the car is running (you want the torque converter has already sucked in its portion of fluid) in which it only happens when the car is on),I do not assume warming up or not matters - you would just want the fluid to be in temp, in order for it to be expanded in the right level and be in the right viscosity. Good luck!

[@benp1059]

Yes, i always have the engine running to check the transmission oil temperature , maybe the car wad inside hot garage all day and did not have enough time for the oil to cool down, i will try again in the morning when the car sit overnight Thanks again

[@benp1059]

What scan tool do you use to read transmission temperature?

[@TandeGarage]

I used Protool (only on Android). But I’ve tried Bimmerlink, and it reads the same as Protool. If you have Bimmerlink, don’t bother getting Protool, at least as of right now. IMO Protool’s support on G-chassis vehicles is not as effective as earlier chassis say the F-chassis platform.

[@benp1059]

If i dont have the temperature gauge hook up, can i just measure how much it came out and put back same amount? Is it possible just drain and fill without replacing the pan with 35k miles ? Because im planning to change the fluid every 30k miles and replace the pan at 80k or 90k miles

[@TandeGarage]

1. Measuring how much comes out and how much to go back in can be fairly inaccurate, taking mine as an example in the video even. Refilling requires the procedures shown in the video within the transmission temp window. ZF transmissions are, as far as I know, rather picky when it comes to refilling fluid; and would not “allow” you to fill it back up to the desired level without following the specific procedures. I’m going to have to vote that a scan tool of any sort is required for this job. 2. I think it’s possible to drain and fill if you are servicing that early in terms of its mileage. From experience, the OEM fluid and these aftermarket fluids (i.e. Amsoil, Adrenaline SS, Liqui Moly, etc) are pretty compatible with one another. I wouldn’t worry about it too much about its compatibility down the road. A lot of people are running aftermarket fluids, myself included, and there’s no way to get every ounce of OEM fluid out without an overhaul job. I haven’t seen anyone really mentioned their ZF had broken down due to fluid change unless it’s constantly abused. Hope this helps!

[@benp1059]

Can i just drain and fill for vehicle just 35k miles? What is torque on drain plug? Is it ok to reuse the old drain and fill bolt?

[@TandeGarage]

I would say to drain and fill closer to at least 80k km or 50k miles. I don’t remember the torque spec of the drain plug specifically, but it does indicate on the drain plug as soon as you see it physically. The first time I did this on my F30, I did reuse the old drain and fill plugs for about 1500km - in order to better dilute the system. It worked fine for that 1500km. However, I can’t comment on extended period of mileage over that using the old hardware.

[@benp1059]

I had perform a drain and fill transmission fluid, after measuring 4.5 quarts came out, but when i tried to refill it only take about 4 quarts and it started to drip, is that short 1/2 quart(500ml) is ok? I dont have the scan tool to measure transmission temperature, so i use the infrared thermometer to measure under the pan temperature to 107F about 40C Should i drive around a few minutes more and come back try to refill that 1/2 quart?

[@TandeGarage]

Infrared thermometer is very very ineffective in gauging the temperature of the transmission, especially in this drain and fill process on the ZF. At least that’s what I’ve heard from others. You’d be better off getting a more affordable OBD2 reader such as ones on Amazon; or better yet a Bimmerlink full access. If you got 4.5 qts out, I’m going to say you should have been able to refill at least 5 qts back in. I wanna assume you’re currently running low on fluid. Not ideal, but not the end of the world as long as you aren’t launching or doing anything crazy at the current state.

[@benp1059]

First, i want to thank you and appreciate all your help! What i did was just drain and fill fluid , i did not remove the pan because i only have 35k miles So low on 1/2 quart is ok for driving high speed free way? What short of half quart will do any harm to the transmission? Should i perform another hot fill after i buy the obd scanner tool? Will it effect anything?

[@TandeGarage]

@@benp1059 Gotcha. A bit low on transmission fluid shouldn’t do much harm to it as long as you aren’t squeezing performance out of the transmission, aka launching, sport plus high rpm shifting, etc. And yes, when your OBD scanner arrives (hopefully in the soon future), just gotta perform the final fill between 40c to 50c - since technically you have already done the initial fill and maybe more. Make sure the car is running when you’re performing the final fill, so the torque converter has sucked in its fair portion of fluid, that is accounted for in the final fill process. Best of luck to completing the job!

[@keke8335]

How did manage get the car on 4 jacks? According to the manual it only has 4 jack points..

[@keke8335]

Btw great video!

[@TandeGarage]

Check out my playlist about how to lift up a G20 on 4 jack stands! Essentially, i’m lifting up the centre lifting points in the front and the rear diff in the rear; then to leave the jack stands on the factory jack points. Hope this helps, cheers!

[@MattAnders-Madziar]

hi - what is the model number of the pan for your 2020 m340i ?

[@TandeGarage]

The transmission pan filter made for 8HP45 fits completely fine with our 8HP51. That said, the part number for the pan I used is 24115A13115. Good luck!

[@Tromas494]

@@TandeGarage I'm planning to do this service on my 2021 m340i xdrive and I believe the model is actually 8HP51X. In the video, you mentioned the pan is different for mild hybrids (2021+) but I believe it is the same.

[@TandeGarage]

@@Tromas494 I believe the part# for your MH application will be 24118743462 instead of the one provided above. There isn’t a lot of info and pictures about this part; but if you manage to find a picture of the actual product, you can see there’s, what seems to be, a separate smaller pickup port with o-ring, along with a pickup tube that goes to the integrated filter. What that does - I’m not entirely sure. Would you be able to use the non-MH pan for much much much cheaper? Possibly, but I personally wouldn’t risk it. Hope this helps your journey of making the right decision that works best for you. Best of luck!

[@Tromas494]

@@TandeGarage Thanks for highlighting this) Seems they might be different after all. Called my local dealer with my VIN and I was told to look for a service kit with part number 8743462 (without prefix 2411 you provided). ZF also makes those, $200 ish where I live.

[@TandeGarage]

@@Tromas494 Genuine BMW is always always way more expensive than OE/OEM, yet OE/OEM have been working just as good for me so far. I’d definitely go for ZF or even Hengst, which I’m using, if they share the same part#. Good luck!

[@lilachouse]

lifetime until warranty ends 😂

[@TandeGarage]

That will be the only logical explanation for BMW to say that 🤷‍♂️