e38 Gearbox issues - Slow shifting

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Skinner on April 1, 2010 at 6:52pm

Hi Steve,

Sorry I have been so so so busy this week. I have only been able to buy the proper BMW filter this week. Still need to book my car in for the service. Now I have the filter I am tempted to just do it myself.

The best test the bloke did was: Put it into drive accelerate and hold the revs between 2 - 2.5k. If the car accelerates ok through all the gears (Count them) nice and steady with no major jerks or probelms then chances are the box is in pretty good nik and all you need is a bloody good sevice!

I will be doing the service very very soon and will take pics if its at the garage or if I do it and will defo report back.

Do the test and report back, have done so much research I might be able to help. Like the bloke said at the garage you can read to much and worry yourself! I was considering valve control rebuilds and clutch packs and new torque converter when the actual problem was crappy oil!

Another test is when the car is stone cold, Start up the engine and go from drive then stop and go to reverse, if the change is slow/thumpy/noisy then your fluid is too low.

What is the milleage on your car? I know that over the years the oil degrades and becomes more like water, when it is cold the oil is thicker and the box copes ok, when its up to temp the oil is too watery and causes problems.

Also another problem I have heard and that I think i have is that when you start driving from cold the fluid is too low causing bad gear changes and frothing of the fluid. No matter how much driving or how hot it changes like shit. Let the car sit for an hour or so allows the bubbles in the fluid to escape but the fluid is still hot enough to expand and be enough in the box. If my engine is hot but has sat for an hour or so then is drives an absolute dream (but can still catch it out on downshifts)

Steve Bignell said:

Hi Andrew, ive been reading your post regarding your gear shift issue and ive taken a great interest in the section on oil and filter change.
I have the same sort of problem on my 535i e39 sport ie. lundging into first gear coming down the box but this only happens when the engine is red hot, about 15 mles of driving. I am curious as to whether your filter and oil change sorted the issue. Look forward to your reply, thanks Steve

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Skinner on April 13, 2010 at 3:54pm

Ok another problem solved!

As you will read above I was going to take the gearbox to a specialist to have them change the fluid for my bad shifting problems. I left it a few weeks and the shifts got worse and worse and worse, then the box started to make funny noises and all gear changes were sloppy, slow and felt weak. Also when you booted it the engine revved way to high compared to the speed and acceleration. I was starting to think the gearbox was dead or at least the torque converter.

Seeing as I already had the filter and I could get the correct oil from VW round the corner for £9ltr I decided to tackle the change myself.

Anyone who is thinking of doing this...all I can say is that if you can hold a spanner then you will find it easy! The hardest bit was coming up with a solution to pump the new fluid back in.

Anyway...I dropped the pan and the oil didn’t smell of burnt oil nor was there much sludge or dirt, so I continued...the magnets pan etc were cleaned, old filter out....new on in, all bolted back up and new oil pumped in. This is where I realised where the real problem was. I measured the oil that came out and worryingly only 3ltrs came out!! 6ltrs when back in!

With it all topped up to the max and it shifting through the gears smoothly, I lowered it down and took it for a drive. I was wondering if it would work after all the stories you hear on here about 'fibres' in the oil and I was unsure of the damage I had caused running it with very little oil in it. Took it for a decent run and oh my golly gosh! It’s like a brand new gearbox! Changes are super smooth, it’s massively quieter, it accelerates very well now and the car feels livelier! The oil change has completely and utterly transformed it from a sad juddering wreck to a super smooth quiet BMW like it should be!

So for you those of you out there contemplating whether or not to do this, my experience was good! And like I heard someone say online...if your gearbox is at the stage where it is relying on basically dirt in the oil to work then its f****d anyway!

Ill post some pics up as soon as I get my phone working again.

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