E39 "ATF oil only"

In checking the fluids on my 2003 E 39 I noticed what appears to be
the power steering reservoir (small tank with plastic cap and
dipstick). The cap says "ATF oil only." The owner's manual doesn't
deal with this at all.

Is this really the power steering reservoir? If so, should I use ATF
fluid or power steering fluid? Finally, I assume that the two marks on
the dipstick are the "hot" and "cold" levels.

Am I the only person who thinks that the owner's manual for this car
stinks?

Thanks in advance,

Ambrose

On Feb 21, 11:15 am, wrote:
> In checking the fluids on my 2003 E 39 I noticed what appears to be
> the power steering reservoir (small tank with plastic cap and
> dipstick). The cap says "ATF oil only." The owner's manual doesn't
> deal with this at all.
>
> Is this really the power steering reservoir? If so, should I use ATF
> fluid or power steering fluid? Finally, I assume that the two marks on
> the dipstick are the "hot" and "cold" levels.
>
If your reservoir says "ATF OIL ONLY," then why are you considering
anything other than ATF fluid like "power steering fluid?" Use ATF.

Further, the two marks on the dipstick is Maximum and Minimum, not
"hot" and "cold." IF the fluid goes below the lower Minimum mark, add
ATF fluid.

If you're planning on doing any sort of repairs on your car, I highly
recommend you fork out the $$$ and get yourself a Bentley Manual:

http://www.bentleypublishers.com/product.htm?code=B502

D4 ATF. Redline is very good. Mobil 1 good enough. Change every 30-32K.

R / John

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> In checking the fluids on my 2003 E 39 I noticed what appears to be
> the power steering reservoir (small tank with plastic cap and
> dipstick). The cap says "ATF oil only." The owner's manual doesn't
> deal with this at all.
>
> Is this really the power steering reservoir? If so, should I use ATF
> fluid or power steering fluid? Finally, I assume that the two marks on
> the dipstick are the "hot" and "cold" levels.
>
> Am I the only person who thinks that the owner's manual for this car
> stinks?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Ambrose
>

ditto, but if he asks the question "can I put power steering fluid where it
says ATF ONLY".... maybe he shouldn't be doing his own work even with a
Bentley!


"bfd" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> On Feb 21, 11:15 am, wrote:
>> In checking the fluids on my 2003 E 39 I noticed what appears to be
>> the power steering reservoir (small tank with plastic cap and
>> dipstick). The cap says "ATF oil only." The owner's manual doesn't
>> deal with this at all.
>>
>> Is this really the power steering reservoir? If so, should I use ATF
>> fluid or power steering fluid? Finally, I assume that the two marks on
>> the dipstick are the "hot" and "cold" levels.
>>
> If your reservoir says "ATF OIL ONLY," then why are you considering
> anything other than ATF fluid like "power steering fluid?" Use ATF.
>
> Further, the two marks on the dipstick is Maximum and Minimum, not
> "hot" and "cold." IF the fluid goes below the lower Minimum mark, add
> ATF fluid.
>
> If you're planning on doing any sort of repairs on your car, I highly
> recommend you fork out the $$$ and get yourself a Bentley Manual:
>
> http://www.bentleypublishers.com/product.htm?code=B502
>
>



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On 21 Feb 2007 11:15:40 -0800, wrote:

>Am I the only person who thinks that the owner's manual for this car
>stinks?

No, you're not alone. The power steering fluid reservoir is not
mentioned in the owner's manual.

Although, I do share others' concern that you would put anything other
than ATF in it.

Given your question, I think you should also ask why you should not
put water in the engine, instead of oil.
--
Dan.

In article . com>,
> wrote:
> Is this really the power steering reservoir? If so, should I use ATF
> fluid or power steering fluid?

What is 'power steering fluid' ? All the systems I've ever had use auto
transmission fluid.

--
*If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

> Given your question, I think you should also ask why you should not
> put water in the engine, instead of oil.
> --
> Dan.

Thanks to those of you who offered your kind advice.

To those of you who think I shouldn't be trusted to lift the hood of
my car, let me explain. I have two containers in my garage. One says
"Automatic Transmission Fluid" the other says "Power Steering Fluid."
Neither of the labels uses the acronym "ATF." Although I strongly
suspected that ATF meant "automatic transmission fluid," I wondered
why the cap would say "ATF oil," which would literally mean "automatic
transmission FLUID OIL." To be sure that ATF didn't have some other
meaning, I thought I would check. Given that the owner's manual is
written so poorly, it wouldn't have surprised me if it meant "Advanced
Tactical Fighter Oil."

Ambrose

"Dave Plowman (News)" > wrote in message
...
> In article . com>,
> > wrote:
>> Is this really the power steering reservoir? If so, should I use ATF
>> fluid or power steering fluid?
>
> What is 'power steering fluid' ? All the systems I've ever had use auto
> transmission fluid.

My suspicion is that it's ATF repackaged at a higher price. Most PS fluids
I've seen are typically in pint containers. ATF is invariably 1 Qt or
larger.

R / John

> wrote in message
ps.com...
>> Given your question, I think you should also ask why you should not
>> put water in the engine, instead of oil.
>> --
>> Dan.
>
> Thanks to those of you who offered your kind advice.
>
> To those of you who think I shouldn't be trusted to lift the hood of
> my car, let me explain. I have two containers in my garage. One says
> "Automatic Transmission Fluid" the other says "Power Steering Fluid."
> Neither of the labels uses the acronym "ATF." Although I strongly
> suspected that ATF meant "automatic transmission fluid," I wondered
> why the cap would say "ATF oil," which would literally mean "automatic
> transmission FLUID OIL." To be sure that ATF didn't have some other
> meaning, I thought I would check. Given that the owner's manual is
> written so poorly, it wouldn't have surprised me if it meant "Advanced
> Tactical Fighter Oil."

My apologies for not being more informative. The PS reservoir has a cap
with 6 (IIRC) flutes on it, to the left (driver's side) of center just
behind the fan shroud. The dipstick is integral to the cap. The fluid of
choice is synthetic ATF. I would not use generic parts store ATF or power
steering fluid. If the fluid has not been changed since new, drain the
reservoir (use a suction device) and fill with ATF. Drive about 50 miles,
drain and fill. Another 50 miles, drain and fill. You'll have flushed the
system, expended a quart of synthetic ATF, and not had to fiddle around with
hoses, clamps, etc under the car.

To differentiate, the oil filter canister is almost on center, is larger
diameter, and has a 36mm hex head fitting on it for removal (a 36mm socket
works well). DIY oil/filter changes are quick and easy if you can get the
car up on a lift or jacks. I'm conservative when it comes to oil changes,
but regardless of your trust in the service indicator, change it once a
year. 5W30 synthetic motor oil, the OEM stuff is fine.

Coolant is added through the expansion tank, passenger side of radiator.
The fill indicator should be flush with the top of tank neck when cool
(nominally 15C/60F). Use 50/50 BMW coolant (it's expensive) and distilled
water. Check your service manual for minimum service interval. Half that
if you plan to keep the car a long time.

Brake fluid reservoir is under the driver side micro filter housing if you
need top fluid off. Bleed/flush every two years at an absolute minimum.
One year is better. Ate or similar fluid.

Differential needs service every 30-32K. Drain and refill with 75W90
synthetic gear oil (not limited slip variety).

Auto trans. Who knows? BMW recommends flush and fill at 100K, probably too
late to do much good.

Manual trans. 30-32K. Synthetic ATF if you value no-sweat cold weather
shifting, Redline MTL if you want better lubrication and can finesse a shift
or two until the trans warms up in cold weather.

You're right. The owners and service manuals aren't particularly
enlightening. The Bentley manual is very good and not cheap. Recommend you
check the roadfly E39 newsgroup: http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/.
Too much goo gah stuff, but informative as well and E39 specific. Over
almost 6 years of E39 ownership, I've accumulated a number of links that
cover just about every quirk of the car (and there a more than a few).
Welcome to the club.

Wishing you all your pixels for a long long time,
John

In article om>,
> wrote:
> To those of you who think I shouldn't be trusted to lift the hood of
> my car, let me explain. I have two containers in my garage. One says
> "Automatic Transmission Fluid" the other says "Power Steering Fluid."
> Neither of the labels uses the acronym "ATF." Although I strongly
> suspected that ATF meant "automatic transmission fluid," I wondered
> why the cap would say "ATF oil," which would literally mean "automatic
> transmission FLUID OIL." To be sure that ATF didn't have some other
> meaning, I thought I would check. Given that the owner's manual is
> written so poorly, it wouldn't have surprised me if it meant "Advanced
> Tactical Fighter Oil."

I might be able to help with an explanation of ATF in the UK.
Many years ago there were only really two autobox makers - Borg-Warner and
General motors - that were fitted to a variety of makes of cars. And they
used different lubricants. I *think* one was mineral based, the other
vegetable. They were generically known as ATF for B-W and Dexron for GM.
It could be that B-W registered Automatic Transmission Fluid or the
initials as a brand name.

It would be interesting to know what specification your Power Steering
Fluid follows, as both ATF and Dexron are used for this purpose too. I
suspect in the older days it influenced the choice of seal material rather
than anything fundamental in the design.

--
*Is there another word for synonym?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.