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Car shifts bad - not transmittion fluid

4K views 67 replies 14 participants last post by  jackrules 
#1 ·
I have a 1998 328i Auto

It has been shifting really bad and slipping in-between between gears...


We put the car up on a lift, let the engine cool, and then checked to see if it had enough tranny fluid, and there was plenty if not too much.

What could if possibly be?

It's probably going into the mechanic on thursday, but any speculation would be great!


Thanks,

Jack
 
#38 ·
Hmm.. I posted another thread on here and everyone said that the car had to be cold to check the fluid...

Ill just wait for the stealership to give a proppler diagnosis, as they are probably the only place that's not going to rip us off for haaving a bimmer....
 
#42 ·
I never realy post on here, i usually browse. But i had a similar problem with my car. The first time it was running that way, i discovered the fluid was low, i knew it should have been changed and the gasket was leaking but i didnt feel like it at the time so i topped it off. it was a little better but it still had slipping or long shifts sometimes. i changed the fluid and filter and it was better for about a month. first and second gear were really long and downshifts were harsh. being a technician by profession it isnt hard for me to diagnose an issue as i have the resources, anyway...I pulled the pan and checked each solenoid. they were eather sticking or the o-rings were crystalized. i just went to U-pull and yanked some out of a newer year, cleaned them up and it was good to go.

long story short (too late) it was the valve body in my situation
 
#43 ·
thanks for the speculation - I wouldn't exactly describe my shifts as being long - but rather really harsh, and a big thud... almost like you drive off a curb (literly)
 
#46 ·
the tech that took the car when we dropped it off had initial thoughts of the problem not being in the transmission, but rather in the driveline between the tranny and rear wheels

I'll still wait and see what the REAL problem is
 
#47 ·
Well they should be able to diagnosis the issue.
Transmission has to be between 80-130 F to be accurate and fluid only dribbling out of the fill hole.
Harsh shifts can be low fluid but difficult to say as most of the time there is a delay then a harsh shift which in reality is the fluid flowing backward being picked up by the pump. If your read Wayne's write up on Pelican Parts he had this very problem.
Slipping usually means low hydraulic pressure.
Having pulled a lot of BMW auto tranny pans and cleaned them since the bottom of the pan has typically clutch material from wear and tear.
On high mileage transmissions I only ever change what is in the pan and don't flush it since I lost a transmission shortly after doing that.

Man a transmission with such low mileage should not have issue one. Hope the dealer can point you in the right direction...
 
#48 ·
The dealer said that theres loss of pressure because of leaking gaskits... the loss of pressure causes the thudding through gears...

I guess it's good and bad news... my dad OK'd the service for 800ish dollars.... I know it's a lot, but he doesn't really like mechanics other than the dealer to work on it...
 
#49 ·
Hmm - interesting. Any detail on what the $800 is actually getting you (scope of work)?

I'm also interested in the layout of the driveline since the tech's first thought was a problem downstream of the trans. Not knowing much about the E36, is there a straight shaft between the trans and the diff with just a universal at each end, or is the setup a more complex two-piece driveshaft with a center stabilizing bearing? In my experience, a driveshaft universal has a very characteristic sound and feel to it when it's going bad, and is nothing like what you described.

I'll promise you this, though...next time you have an issue that has any element of mystery to it, we'll go for a ride together to develop a solid diagnosis.
 
#50 ·
The initial tech thought it was bushings wearing out somewhere in the driveline. I'm sure someone else on here will be able to describe the driveline better than me.

The dealer is replacing the selector lever seal and trans. connector gasket. As I said before they thought that at running temperature the tranny was losing pressure.

On a side note david: They said it was about time to be replacing the Valve Cover Gasket, we had good timing on that! Thanks!

Hope fully they'll be done fixing it soon!
 
#51 ·
Did the tranny shop do the rebuild or did they install a rebuilt unit that they purchased from one of the volume remanufacturers? If it came from one of the volume houses they are the ones that are actually the warranty holders and they might be able to steer you to shop that will help you with your warranty issue. It might be worth tracking down the former operators of the original shop to find out. Only thing you'd be out is a bit of your time.

Be very careful in choosing if you do decide to get an E46. There is a class action lawsuit that was recently settled on rear subframe mount failures on E46s. Depending on the age and mileage of the car it may or may not be covered. Even if it is covered the fix is a major repair and BMW will have your car for 2-3 weeks. Be sure you do the inspection of the rear subframe mounting area before you buy. Do a search on rear subframe in the E46 forum for more info.

Also, if the E46 you are looking at has an auto tranny, check to see if it has the latest program loaded into the transmission controller (dealer visit with the VIIN number). The E46 autos have an issue with slow engagement when the tranny is cold. There is an updated controller software version that has to be loaded by the dealer to fix it. The cost is about $250 and it is not a warranty or recall issue so it's out of your pocket.
 
#52 ·
not having this vehicle in front of me makes diagnosis difficult. however, a simple guage check will tell the tech whether or not mainline (max pressure) is being lost, or if it is in an apply circuit (a particular shiftpoint).

since, if i recall correctly, this happened in all gears, i would suspect a mainline bleed if the trans fluid level was correct as my next suspect.

as a side note, a proper rebuild *can* be bench tested through all of the circuits to be certain of no leaks. it looks like this one may have been overlooked (not abnormal in volume rebuilds for shelf stock).

regardless, i hope that you have the vehicle back in tip top shape soon.


df
 
#53 ·
there a tip how to check oil level... :thumbup:

 
#55 ·
Alright

The car came back from the dealership after $835 of work to change two gaskets.

I get the car back, and after less than a mile, it starts thudding through the gears. After 10 more thuds, we turned around and drove it back to the dealership. Drove it with the head mechanic and he had absolutely no idea what it could possible be.

They kept the car planning to run more tests on it in the coming days.

Any more ideas from you guys????
 
#56 ·
Hmm.. Did it thud like that before you brought it to them?

With luck they buggered your tranny and owe you a new one!


I fcuking love it when the $tealer screws up on my car!
 
#57 ·
Hmm.. Did it thud like that before you brought it to them?

With luck they buggered your tranny and owe you a new one!

I fcuking love it when the $tealer screws up on my car!
The thudding was the reason we brought it in in the first place.

The stealer basically didn't change a thing for 800+ dollars. Even I could have done that.
 
#58 ·
Well then they screwed up and fixed something that wasn't wrong. Either way they owe you money back at this point.
 
#60 ·
It can be your tranny controller. check that.
 
#61 ·
This thread is kinda past it's prime, but I'll tell you all what the dealer finally said.

The dealer said that is definitely an internal transmission problem. Possibly the torqu converter, but they aren't sure. The told us we should track down the shop that did the tranny work, and ask them what kind of parts they used. As the parts were probably cheap and are giving out already.

I really don't think I'm going to give this car a 3rd tranny before it makes it to 100K. :(

IDK what to do
 
#62 ·
This thread is kinda past it's prime, but I'll tell you all what the dealer finally said.

The dealer said that is definitely an internal transmission problem. Possibly the torqu converter, but they aren't sure. The told us we should track down the shop that did the tranny work, and ask them what kind of parts they used. As the parts were probably cheap and are giving out already.

I really don't think I'm going to give this car a 3rd tranny before it makes it to 100K. :(

IDK what to do
5sp?
 
#63 ·
I have a 1998 328i Auto

It has been shifting really bad and slipping in-between between gears...

We put the car up on a lift, let the engine cool, and then checked to see if it had enough tranny fluid, and there was plenty if not too much.

What could if possibly be?

It's probably going into the mechanic on thursday, but any speculation would be great!

Thanks,

Jack
does it get really tight to move the shifter sometimes? and then all of a sudden it will select smoothly?

happend to mine to . now i need a new box:mad:
 
#64 ·
The dealer said that is definitely an internal transmission problem.
well that gets a big 'DUH'....

Possibly the torqu converter, but they aren't sure.
so they have no diagnostic chart to check a torque converter???:confused:

The told us we should track down the shop that did the tranny work, and ask them what kind of parts they used.
as if you already haven't tried that already...:tsk:

As the parts were probably cheap and are giving out already.
beekuz zey ahr not fruhm zee fazerlandt, zey must be inferior!!!:eeps:

IDK what to do
take a deep breath, get your money back (as the dealer obviously has not been able to 'fix' the issue), and get another opinion from a trans repair center. i'm sure there are some around that are good. if nothing pans out, you could try getting a unit from trans specialties.

sorry for the hassle this has been, but i am seriously dissapointed in the dealership. if anybody has the exact information to figure out exacty what the cause is, it would be them. i would say they either:

a: are afraid of touching it because they don't want to deal with it
b: no longer have an 'a' tech capable of rebuilding a trans properly
c: both a&b, which is most likely (sad to say)

i hope it works out for you, keep us in the loop.

df
 
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