another problem :(

[TC 94' 325i]

Hello again, my car runs great now, except the transmission control light comes on. it only does it when i try to start the car right away after i have driven for long distance. Sometimes the light does not even come on and everything works like normal.

i looked at the bottom of the car and the engine was oily, but oil levels are good, i am suspecting the transmission cooler lines possibly leaking. i degreased everything. i will check the lines again.

my question, what fluid should i fill transmission with?. Everything drives good with an occasional slightly rough (noticeable, but not omg what was that) downshift when coming to a stop, should i just take to a specialist? i have been driving real easy on it for fear of ruining it completely.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[johnnyBgood]

Originally Posted by TC 94' 325i

Hello again, my car runs great now, except the transmission control light comes on. it only does it when i try to start the car right away after i have driven for long distance. Sometimes the light does not even come on and everything works like normal.

i looked at the bottom of the car and the engine was oily, but oil levels are good, i am suspecting the transmission cooler lines possibly leaking. i degreased everything. i will check the lines again.

my question, what fluid should i fill transmission with?. Everything drives good with an occasional slightly rough (noticeable, but not omg what was that) downshift when coming to a stop, should i just take to a specialist? i have been driving real easy on it for fear of ruining it completely.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

You really should consider a trans service at this point, I had the same issues without the leak & after I did the trans service, the problem was solved. Fluid & filter change link below:

Red Line D4 Synthetic Transmission Fluid - For automatic transmission vehicle requires 5.3 quarts

Pelican Technical Article: BMW Automatic Transmission Fluid Change

jbg

[TC 94' 325i]

Thnx for the quick reply Jbg.

i will order parts right away and do the change, i just wasn't sure because some where in the manual says no to mess with it or something like that.

But i will give it try.

[johnnyBgood]

Originally Posted by TC 94' 325i

Thnx for the quick reply Jbg.

i will order parts right away and do the change, i just wasn't sure because some where in the manual says no to mess with it or something like that.

But i will give it try.

You are welcome, BMW claims that it is service free, but after I dropped the pan I found that the fluid was starting to gunk up, so just do it......make sure to jack it nice & high & use safety jack stands......


http://www.understeer.com/jackupfront.shtml

jbg

[TC 94' 325i]

also thanks for posting that link with info on how to jack up the car. me and my dad were able to lift the car up before when changing the fuel filter but i was real sketchy about it being safe.

[johnnyBgood]

Originally Posted by TC 94' 325i

also thanks for posting that link with info on how to jack up the car. me and my dad were able to lift the car up before when changing the fuel filter but i was real sketchy about it being safe.

No problem............




jbg

[TC 94' 325i]

So.. i changed to fluid, still had the light and clunking noise. i took it to my local transmission shop, and they told me it could be sticking valves and or bad solenoids. i had them replace two solenoids (2-3) and (1-2) i believe, $440 later and it still clunks, but no light. The tech told me when he dropped the valve body it was like silver liquid all over it clogging the solenoids. he wants another $1200 to open inspect and replace parts to... i think.

I am just thinking of buying a reman unit since mine has high mileage. does anyone have any recommendation on where to buy? closer to chico ca would be preferable if anyone is familiar with chico area.

or should mine be rebuilt? i would like to do the work myself as rebuild kits don't look like they cost too much, but i have very little knowledge of how automatic transmission works.

[TC 94' 325i]

Dont know if anyone still reading this, but my car works again, i wanted to wait a while before i posted my solution to make sure it worked.

5 months of the car sitting, i found a used transmission on craigslist with two computers or EGS supposedly bought form Bavarian recycling. I was about to swap it out but decided to replace the computer first since it would be easy. sure enough, 6,000 miles later no transmission light or hard shifting. I did notice delayed shifting when cold upon first startup, but i think that is normal and it only last for about a mile or so.

my guess is that it was a combination of bad solenoids and a bad egs.

[witeshark]

Glad it's sorted!