05 545i Transmission Surging Issues help!

The OP symptom is typical mechatronic valve body failure usually ZF will suggest VB replacement unless the transmission adaptation values point to an almost worn trans.
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Originally Posted by MINI+BMWtek

The OP symptom is typical mechatronic valve body failure usually ZF will suggest VB replacement unless the transmission adaptation values point to an almost worn trans.
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You forgot about mechatronik adapter gasket, which in 80-90% will solve most of the problems!!!!
The point is not to drive a car with low oil pressure bc if that 20$ adapter!!!
But yes that 20$ gasket makes dealerships happy

Took mine to dealership drove around with technician but does not know what is the cause? Been having the issue for the last 3 years! Disappointed with BMW service care at this point, starting to think trade in.

Originally Posted by toviasart

Took mine to dealership drove around with technician but does not know what is the cause? Been having the issue for the last 3 years! Disappointed with BMW service care at this point, starting to think trade in.

What is yours doing?

Transmission pulls around 35 to 40 miles a hour. I took it to reset it it worked for two weeks and it keeps coming back. I also experienced transmission not shifting from 1st once then suddenly started shifting again. I can tell you the 545 hates cold weather..

Originally Posted by toviasart

Transmission pulls around 35 to 40 miles a hour. I took it to reset it it worked for two weeks and it keeps coming back. I also experienced transmission not shifting from 1st once then suddenly started shifting again. I can tell you the 545 hates cold weather..

Over and over same thing:
Mechatronik adapter, once you replace it you'll thank me a lot

Originally Posted by toviasart

Took mine to dealership drove around with technician but does not know what is the cause? Been having the issue for the last 3 years! Disappointed with BMW service care at this point, starting to think trade in.

I feel exactly the same way.

Originally Posted by SFbay

Over and over same thing:
Mechatronik adapter, once you replace it you'll thank me a lot

Do you mean sleeve or mechatronics as a whole?

Obviously one should check the fluid level first.. aside from that, the sleeve doesn't make any difference. Either it has enough fluid or it doesn't.

Next are solenoids, or a full mechatronics replacement. I haven't seen a case where either didn't fix this issue (although there aren't many who have done solenoids to be honest)

Dropping my car off next week to get mechatronics replaced under warranty; I can't wait to get rid of the back and forth shifting from 5th -6th!

That is good news. Let us know the outcome.

Also, I am curious how much you paid for the warranty, if you don't mind me asking

$1,895; Credit Union offered several options, I chose the 5 year/100,000 miles new car which ever comes first plan. Car qualified for a new car warranty since it had only 60k miles, warranty is B2B and covers everything including gaskets and seals! It can be extended for another three years if needed; I don't plan on keeping the car that long. It is going to be hard not to upgrade in a few years. It will pay for itself after the mech job.

I was about to say.. that is one of the cheapest I have seen, especially awesome given it covers seals. I'm not big on extended warranties, but for that price and on one of these cars, it's hard to not justify it

When I did my initial research; I found out there were common issues that affected the 545 and I wanted to protect myself from large out of pocket expense. I almost went with a 2008 550i instead; but the warranty gave me peace of mind.

Tranny fix update; the Indy mechanic I am working with could not pull a code in order to start the process to replace the mechatronics with the warranty company. The dealer, another Indy mechanic and a transmission shop was able to pull the code (4F85). I went back to my friend's shop to have him scan the car afterwards and the code was present. He doesn't do warranty work so he is out of the running. Now I have to find another Indy that does warranty work that I can trust. Obviously the dealer wants to just replace the tranny and the warranty company wants absolute proof this needs to be done. But that involves paying $600 out of pocket to drop the pan to see if any metal fragments are in the pan. I am confident there won't be any; the sealing sleeve does have a slight leak when I checked it.

I paid for the warranty and need to be patient to allow the process to run it's course. I have to force myself not to go out and replace the solenoids and change the oil on my own. Patience is not one of my strong suits.

Warranty company should just let you change the mechatronics yourself at a reduced shop rate

Originally Posted by schpenxel

Warranty company should just let you change the mechatronics yourself at a reduced shop rate

LOL! I wish! It would be done by now! The inspector must see a code on the scan in order to allow the tech to move forward. The Indy I was working with seems to have an issue with his software. Patience!

I decided to tackle the issue myself and use the warranty when it's a critical issue, plus the process is a PITA!

My solenoid kit is arriving tomorrow from The CTSC; I will also be swapping out the sealing sleeve and mechatronics seal adapter as well. If this takes care of the back & forth shifting issues and going into the limp mode, I will replace the pan and change the oil shortly afterwards. Klaus was extremely helpful, I definitely recommend ordering from him.

I hope to have good news soon.

Cool!

Hopefully we can add another success story, and confirm whether I was just lucky or if it actually fixes these things . I emailed with Klaus a bit and agree he was very helpful.

Speaking of Klaus, don't freak out if the old solenoids are a slightly different color. If I remember correctly my old green ones were replaced with new blue ones. I was freaking out though when the colors didn't match up and sent Klaus about 10 emails in 5 minutes, lol. Ultimately they just changed the color and I realized the part numbers were the same.

Also, just remembered you sent me a PM. Sorry about that, I never did give you a call. It sounds like you already talked to thectsc though, but let me know if you have any other questions and I will try to help

FYI, I think I've said this before but just wanted to make sure--the "sealing sleeve" is quite difficult to get all the way out of the car. I actually couldn't get mine out. You'll need star (female torx) sockets and/or wrenches in order to remove a mount on the back of the transmission to give you enough access to get it out. You can get it out of the transmission fine.. it just gets jammed between the transmission and part of the car body

Originally Posted by Vapiano

I decided to tackle the issue myself and use the warranty when it's a critical issue, plus the process is a PITA!

My solenoid kit is arriving tomorrow from The CTSC; I will also be swapping out the sealing sleeve and mechatronics seal adapter as well. If this takes care of the back & forth shifting issues and going into the limp mode, I will replace the pan and change the oil shortly afterwards. Klaus was extremely helpful, I definitely recommend ordering from him.

I hope to have good news soon.

It will be a total success story. But if I were you I'd try mechatronik adapter first, and then solenoid pack

Are you referring to the sleeve or something else?

Originally Posted by schpenxel

Are you referring to the sleeve or something else?

Here is the link to the mechatronics seal adapter MechAdapt. This needs to be replaced if you are removing the mechatronics unit; I have not read where swapping this alone will fix the issues most are having. The sealing sleeve and solenoids; yes.

I read a review from 2004 where Motor Trend experienced the same back and forth shifting issues on a brand spanking new 545i when they tested it. This has always been an issue; I guess not enough R&D from the company they purchased the solenoids from.

schpenxel, give me a buzz later today when you have a chance; I do have a few questions for you.

Thanks.

Yeah everything I read said even the slightest leak at that seal would be really bad, so you should always replace it when pulling the valve body (mechatronics, whatever, lol)

I read an article about that transmission where they went from square 1 to in production on that transmission in a really fast timeline, something in the neighborhood of 2 years I believe it was? I'm sure that didn't help. It blows my mind nobody noticed the issues though when test driving the cars.. especially if car and driver found it that quickly

All parts are in! I will be doing the solenoid swap first thing Sunday morning; I hope this does the trick. I will keep you posted.

Let us know how it went!

Inquiring minds want to know

Super Success!

Today I replaced the solenoids, sealing sleeve, mechatronic seal adapter, oil pan gasket and drain plug. I decided not to change the pan until I was sure the repair was going to work. The job took 2.5 hours; I used a friend’s shop with power tools and a lift, it made all the difference in the world and the task simple.

After completing the job; I let the car run for 5-7 minutes to warm up. I put the car in reverse, removed my foot off the brake and the car immediately started moving backwards. Before the swap there was a significant delay before the car would move. The back and forth cycling between 5th and 6th at 32-40 mph no longer exists, shifting is smooth as butter. The stuttering and jerking when coming to a stop, no longer exists. The car did not go into limp mode during hard acceleration or when manually downshifting as it had before. The shifting was almost unnoticeable.

Anyone having any of the issues below must do this repair; it's not that complicated; just take your time. Total cost for parts and shipping: $527.

After two months of dealing with this; I can say that I am a very happy camper! It’s like having a new car all over again. Night and Day!

List of issues with car before repair:
2-3 second delay before the car would move when selecting reverse
Transmission cycling back and forth between 5th and 6th at 32 - 40 mph
The car would stutter/jerk when coming to a complete stop
Car would go into limp mode occasionally under hard acceleration or when manually down shifting (Code on file: 4F85)

Repair Steps
1. Drain transmission oil
2. Reset transmission adaptation via Snap On scan tool
3. Pull Pan, remove gasket and replace with new one
4. Disconnect sealing sleeve power connector
5. Unlock sealing sleeve lock and remove sleeve
6. Remove mechatronic unit
7. Remove solenoid cover and bracket
8. Pull solenoids and replace with new ones
9. Remove and replace mechatronic sealing sleeve
10. Replace mechatronic back in transmission
11. Replace sealing sleeve and lock bracket
12. Reconnect power connector to sealing sleeve
13. Replace oil pan
14. Add 4 quarts of transmission fluid and reconnect filler plug
15. Start car and let it run until the transmission temps get to 84 degrees, used a Snap On scan tool to determine temperature
16. Turn engine off and add more transmission fluid until it started to run out, reconnect filler plug
17. Check for codes
18. Drive to test
19. Replace heat shields and transmission cover
20. Enjoy issue free, smooth shifting; put a smile on your face transmission in your 5 series!