Fall Line DCT pan feedback?

[spammysammich]

Is there anyone else running this pan or pan and mechatronics cover combo? I’m considering it for my upcoming service. I like the idea of a viton gasket. Yes I’m aware of the BMW Motorsport offering but it never seems to be in stock when I look and I have no interest in running the OEM gasket.

[wyatth]

I've had the lower pan installed for about 3 years. I recently removed the cover and confirmed it's still bone dry. Granted, that's only about 10K miles and no track use. My lower pan had the typical weep around 50K, but my side was still dry (I'll probably go with the Fall Line side pan if/when that part starts leaking).

slcook54 Had the same pan installed shortly after mine and it was weeping (he tracks a lot), but we believe that was due to a pinched or defective gasket and not the use case. Fall Line sent a new gasket and to my knowledge it's been dry since. Somewhat of a PITA for him, but it's not that hard of a job and the fluid was able to be reused.

The piece is really well made and engineered. The baffles are improved over stock, it has deeper cooling fins, it adds .5L of fluid, the gasket should be a lifetime solution, and the design keeps it from being the low point on the car (and also why it does not need the extended pick up). The Slon pan adds a little more fluid and has taller baffles, but there are reports of it scraping since it becomes the low point of the car (and thus needs the extended pick up). Both are good solutions with their respective pros/cons. That said, for the price of these pans, you can get 2-3 OE plastic replacements, so the calculus/benefit depends on your use and long term plans. Ultimately I am happy with the Fall Line pan.











Here you can see the cooling fins if you squint, and how it fits perfectly and flat above the felt cover.

[spammysammich]

The plan is for this to be a forever car. It is past the collector desirable mileage so I want to make it as leak free as possible. As much as I do enjoy wrenching I much prefer my cars keep their fluids on the inside,my Subaru is putting it to shame with regard to keeping the garage floor clean 😂😂

[spammysammich]

For the record I’ve got a combination of the lower pan weeping towards the rear end of the pan and the pressure filter o-ring pissing out about 3 tablespoons of pentosin every time I start the car. I’m very curious as to how bad that o-ring is now. I want to find a viton replacement for it too. I’ve never liked the gasket material BMW chooses for its pans.

[wyatth]

The o-rings on top? Yikes. I have not seen an upgraded solution for that issue, and it's hardest leak to address.

[spammysammich]

Originally Posted by wyatth

The o-rings on top? Yikes. I have not seen an upgraded solution for that issue, and it's hardest leak to address.

No the o-ring for the pressure filter cap on the driver side under the giant snap ring.

[spammysammich]

Previous owner did the mechatronics plug o-ring up top before selling to me.

[spammysammich]

wyatth is the gasket a large o-ring that you have to set in place? I can see that being somewhat easy to roll the ring and cause a crease or pinch in it if that’s the case.

Also, check your side pan periodically folks! One of my lower screws had backed out more than a quarter turn since the last DCT service.

[wyatth]

It comes with the gasket already in place.

[spammysammich]

Thanks for the pics. I pulled the trigger on the pan and filter kit. I got the jet pump and pressure filter kit/service kit from FCP. If anyone has pic requests let me know and I’ll try to post them.

I won’t crack it open until temps are averaging in the upper 50s in the Seattle area. Even on quickjacks and me on a creeper I can feel the cold drawing life out of me. This shit will have to wait until warmer weather

[roastbeef]

i have it. its nice. no issues.

[wyatth]

Does it still hold fluid with speed holes in it?

[spammysammich]

wyatth thanks for the advice. I got way too excited to drive the car again so I forgot to take a pic of the installed piece but it’s done and so far so good. I was able to add a little over 6 liters of fluid in and I think I may be able to squeeze a little more because I ran out of ffl4 before it became a steady stream of overflow. I might top it off after a while if the transmission is grumpy.

The pressure filter cap was shot. I replaced the jet pump, suction filter, cooler orings and pressure filter. Took my time and double checked everything. 4 hours on a creeper under quickjacks including a pizza break to let it drain thoroughly

I used a mortar mixing tub from Home Depot to make a large drain pan, popped the main plug, waited, unscrewed all the pan screws except for the front two and left those with about a quarter of the threads engaged. Pried down the rear of the DCT pan to let the rest of the fluid drain into the tub. This kept my floor relatively clean and minimized the amount of pentosin flowing into my armpits. 😁