[MtBMW73]

I just changed the oil in my 2013 E92 manual transmission. It took about a quart and third before fluid began dripping out of the fill hole. Based on other posts I've read about manual tranmission fluid change, this may be under-filled.

I have been unable to find any definite answer as to the exact fluid capacity of the 6MT. One post I found said "just under two quarts."

Here's the second bottle with a mark I drew of where the level is in bottle. I am wondering if I should try pumping more in? Seems strange that it would come dripping out if it wasn't already full. Maybe my car isn't precisely level on the jackstands but it sure looks like it is.

[mrjimyjohn]

That seems maybe a bit more leftover oil than I remember, but I used the exact same MTL containers and filled with less than 2. I had bought three. If you're up to the fill hole i wouldn't worry - did you drain the oil cold?

[MtBMW73]

It was kind of lukewarm. I had driven the car about 15 minutes before I started, and by the time I got all four corners up on stands, it had more or less cooled down. It was also only about 30 degrees out. I let it drain until it was just barely a drip before reinstalling the drain plug.

The car is still on stands in my driveway so I might try lowering the two driver side stands one notch tomorrow and see if it will take any more fluid.

[MtBMW73]

So before I crawled back under the car and removed the skid plate and then the fill plug, I figured I'd measure how much actually came out of of the transmission.



I poured that into a graduated measuring cup and it came out to just under 38 ounces. I actually put more than that back in when I refilled. So I think I'm safe.

[GSB]

I pumped exactly 2 liters into the transmission before a small amount dribbled out of the fill hole. Maybe a tablespoon or two came out.

[Malteser_wfj]

Mine definitely took less than 2l. It was about 1.2-1.3l I think from memory.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2072106

[MtBMW73]

Originally Posted by Malteser_wfj

Mine definitely took less than 2l. It was about 1.2-1.3l I think from memory.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2072106

Thanks for confirming. 40 ounces (which is about how much I pumped in) = 1.18294 liters, so close enough.

[GSB]

Fascinating. I jacked the front of my car up high so the transmission was at an angle for draining. Then I dropped it close to level for the refill. Maybe that's the difference.

[Malteser_wfj]

Originally Posted by GSB

Fascinating. I jacked the front of my car up high so the transmission was at an angle for draining. Then I dropped it close to level for the refill. Maybe that's the difference.

Yeah quite possibly!

I had mine as level as I could get with both the front and rear on axle stands for both draining and filling.

I'd driven the car for 20-30 minutes beforehand so the fluid wasn't dead cold but also completely warm.

[GSB]

Originally Posted by Malteser_wfj

I had mine as level as I could get with both the front and rear on axle stands for both draining and filling.

I'd driven the car for 20-30 minutes beforehand so the fluid wasn't dead cold but also completely warm.

Interesting. My car was dead cold when I drained it, so temperature and viscosity wasn't a factor in my larger fill volume.

[Malteser_wfj]

Originally Posted by GSB

Interesting. My car was dead cold when I drained it, so temperature and viscosity wasn't a factor in my larger fill volume.

The drain plug is pretty dead in the centre of the gearbox though so I don't see how having the front of the car raised higher than the back would have encouraged more fluid to come out.

Either way I don't think having more fluid in will cause any damage and I certainly tried to get as much in as I could lol

[GSB]

Originally Posted by Malteser_wfj

The drain plug is pretty dead in the centre of the gearbox though so I don't see how having the front of the car raised higher than the back would have encouraged more fluid to come out.

Either way I don't think having more fluid in will cause any damage and I certainly tried to get as much in as I could lol

Oh, I'm sure that we've ended up with the same amount of oil in our trannies, I just think I drained more oil OUT somehow. When I dropped the front of the car to level the transmission, nothing more came out of the drain hole, so I'll bet there is oil hiding somewhere in the front of the transmission that comes out only when the car is lifted! Possibly inside gears, bearings and other nooks and crannies... oil that might just sit there in little puddles when it's level. Also, the shape of the transmission changes and narrows to the rear of the drain hole, where it approaches the driveshaft.

[Malteser_wfj]

Originally Posted by GSB

Oh, I'm sure that we've ended up with the same amount of oil in our trannies, I just think I drained more oil OUT somehow. When I dropped the front of the car to level the transmission, nothing more came out of the drain hole, so I'll bet there is oil hiding somewhere in the front of the transmission that comes out only when the car is lifted! Possibly inside gears, bearings and other nooks and crannies... oil that might just sit there in little puddles when it's level. Also, the shape of the transmission changes and narrows to the rear of the drain hole, where it approaches the driveshaft.

Ahhh I see what you're saying now. That makes sense to me

I'll try having it raised when draining next as I want to try a bit of an ATF blend to help make it smoother in winter when it's cold.

Since putting in the OE stuff I've realised the OE stuff is designed for a brand new gearbox and mine is on 120k miles so it probably wouldn't hurt putting in something a bit thicker/smoother in an MTF/ATF split maybe 60:40 or 70:30 to make up for some of the wear on the syncrhos

[GSB]

I'd be interested to hear if your oil fill quantity increases by lifting the front.

Do be careful with MTF/ATF blends. I know that several people have tried it, but the oil manufacturers warn against it because the additives may chemically react with one another, causing them to break down, lose their effectiveness or even become detrimental. Experimental blends are a mystery concoction that have never been tested, and may even harm the gearbox over time. I'd rather go with a properly designed and tested solution.

[GSB]

Today, I decided to replace my manual transmission fluid again because I didn't like the feel of the non-synthetic Febi Bilstein 740580 5W80 MTF when cold. I decided to refill with a full-synthetic GL4. Unfortunately, Pentosin MTF2 is no more, so I grabbed the BMW MTF-LT-3, before that disappears too. (BMW is replacing it with MTF-LT-4, which is a GL5 double-clutch transmission fluid).

I jacked up the front of the car as high as I could get it, drained the transmission dry, then dropped the car to level. Another 1/2 a cup of fluid came out. Then I lifted the front again, tightened the drain plug and refilled with the BMW fluid. All 2 litres went in without a single drip of spillage. Then I dropped the car to level, and once again, 1-2 capfuls came out, just like last time.

So this transmission takes exactly 2 litres or 2 quarts with very little spillage, as long as the old fluid is thoroughly drained by lifting the front of the car. (1 litre = 1.06 quarts).

With the BMW fluid in the transmission, it now feels the same as it did before, even when cold. And I won't have to worry about it again.