BMW 318i E36 DIY Transmission

1. Park your car in a flat surface and pull the parking brake lever. Use the provided jack to lift the front end of the 318i off of the ground. Place jack stands behind the front wheels on the frame of the vehicle. Lower the vehicle until it rests firmly on the jack stands.
2. Locate the drain plug on the rear transmission sump and position the recycling container directly underneath. Remove the drain plug and let all of the fluid drain into the container. Replace the drain plug when the fluid is finished draining. Torque the plug to 18 ft-lbs of torque for accuracy.
3. Unscrew the bolts that hold the sump to the transmission. Carefully pull the sump from the transmission after removing all bolts. Slowly lower the sump to the ground, as it is likely to still have fluid.
4. Place a fluid recycling container underneath the smaller, front transmission sump. Remove all of the bolts that hold this sump to the transmission except for one. Pull down on the sump and let the fluid drain into the fluid recycling container. Carefully remove the last bolt holding the sump into place and remove the piece from the transmission. Lower this sump slowly to the ground, pouring any remaining fluid into the recycling container.
5. Clean the inside of both sumps thoroughly. Use a lint-free cloth for best results. Locate the transmission fluid filter that is attached to the newly-exposed transmission on the 318i. Unscrew the bolts that hold this filter canister into place and slowly remove from the transmission. Clean the filter connecting area and any area where the transmission fluid sumps rested as thoroughly as you can before reinstalling all of the parts.
6. Hand-screw the new transmission filter into place and attach using the old bolting hardware. Fill the smaller, front-loaded sump with transmission fluid and raise into position on the transmission. Place the new transmission gasket, provided in the transmission filter package, between the small sump and the transmission. Use the old bolting hardware and tighten bolts to a torque of 9 ft-lbs. Bolt the empty, larger sump into place using its old bolting hardware.
7. Remove the filler plug on the side of the larger sump. Use a transmission fluid pump to inject new fluid into this sump until filler hole starts to overflow with engine. Replace filler plug when you are finished adding transmission fluid.