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  #11  
Old 12-26-2016, 01:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MINIz guy View Post
136k miles on it. Lots of around town driving for most of its life. I'm not sure if I really want to crack off the pan since everything was supposed to be "lifetime." I might the next time I change the fluid.

The car hasn't seen the dealer in a good 7 years, parents are the original owners. Don't want to show up to the dealer asking for a trans software update if there isn't one.
Just a little freaky that we have the same color X5
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  #12  
Old 12-28-2016, 04:26 PM
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Originally Posted by MINIz guy View Post
Is it possible to find out what transmission software version my X5 has? Does anybody know what the latest software version is?

I have this hard shift to 2nd gear when the car coasts. If I accelerate up to ~15mph and then coast, the transmission loves to slam into 2nd gear and it is a terrible feeling. It is fine under regular and hard acceleration. Going to change the original fluid to some WalMart Dexron VI, but I'm wondering if it could be software related.

3 liter motor. GM transmission.
I know you reference the GM trans but the ZF one is probably simmilar? see below:

In this post i will be explaining why you have tranny issues like:

-harsh shift 2-1

-not able to shift into park when hot

-weak torque feeling

-tranny faults



All highlighted problems you can experience even on low miles cars less than 70-80k, it depends on at what speeds your car mostly runs. On the highway this tranny will easily last 200-300kmls.






BEST ADVICE FOR YOU: SINCE 99% issues with this trannies are related to valve body fluid pressure loss, i strongly recommend new (remanufactured) valve body from ZF, or have it rebuilt by REVMAX Converters or buy a SONNAX zip kit and do it yourself, but to get perfect results and save money and time you should consider entire valve body (mechatronic) swap or rebuilt with proper testing, so far revmax converters rebuild it good and provide warranty. If after you rebuilt or replaced valve body and reset adaptations, it’s not shifting well, it means transmission hardware (bushings or actual ctultches failed) and you need to rebuild it, but like i said main problem stats at valve body and then if not fixed in time you get worn out transmission. All those jolts, bumps or harsh shifts cause premature wear and tear on your tranny. Rule of them thumb is not to drive it if it jerks,or shifts wrong.

replacing just solenoids without rebuilding valve body, where accumulators/pistons always go bad after 60-70k, will not get you perfect results, but might improve shifting quality. Remember-cheap people usually pay twice (no offense).

So you hate the way tranny shifts and dealer and other shops didn’t find any faults and told you

it is what it is and this is how it is intended to work! Well it is total lie they are trying to get rid of you with.

In fact ZF 6HP26 6hp19, 6hp28 is a very good transmission, powerful, bullet proof pretty much if serviced in time and proper fluid pressure maintained! This tranny is still considered one of the best and has carbon clutches vs cheap paper ones you can find on Japanese cars. But this tranny has very serious and very

important weak spots you have to take care of:



-First thing first check tranny temperatures. If it is higher than 95C, then most likely you have a problem with tranny cooling system or your engine cooling has some leaks causing running it very hot.

6hp26_temps

Usually high temps indicate following:





1) engine cooling system problem- air bauble or airlock

2) if everything is good with cooling system, check your tranny oil cooler- it gets clogged up pretty often and also indicates that some clutches or TC clutch is worn out and that debris clogged oil cooler.

3) worn out TC clutch slipping overheating transmission fluid.



Your good engine temps are 103-105C and if it climbs to 107-110C in traffic, it means you’ve got a leak :

-lower radiator hose sensor leaking (usually shows a white residue around the sensor)

-valley pan under intake

-rear cover plate between tranny and engine. Very common after 100k or 8-10yrs.

-coolant tank cracked

-radiator cap leaking pressure

-coolant pipe seal leaking

-other cooling issues

It is very important to keep temps in specs not only because of few degrees, but because with leaking

cooling system you lose coolant pressure introducing air in the system, causing uneven cooling and overheating both engine and tranny. Good OEM specs are 103-105 cycle when idling and lower hose should be hot around 60-80C. When you drive it tstat is controlled by ECU therefore it keeps it cool on the freeway.

Easy way to test your cooling system

1) Disconnect aux pump connector assuming aux pump is working (they fail often)

2) Drive your car to warm engine well

Turn on heater on hot but low speed
check if you get hot air from vents for 10 minutes.
If after a minute you noticed your heater is not hot anymore, it means you’ve got a leak!
This Engine has self bleeding cooling system, which means you cannot get air pocket if system is well sealed.




So if engine temps are good and tranny still runs hot 100-110, it means heat exchanger is clogged with tranny clutches, TC wear and tear dirt. Replace it and check if it got better. This tranny will die quick if temps are not good.



–MECHATRONIC ADAPTER SEAL.

mech_adapyter



This adapter (number 2) usually lasts only 60-70kmls (BMW lifetime). Replace it every 60kmls even if tranny shifts well. It is very important because it keeps your mechatronic valve body under specified pressure therefore it controls how clutches are pressed! Which means if your gasket is weak your tranny clutches are not pressing well on each other causing premature wear and tear, also tranny pump and TC clutch will be affected. This square seal also can CRACK, in this case you will get tranny fail safe errors and even clutches slipping ERRORS, causing very quick TRANNY DEATH. DON’T DRIVE YOUR CAR IF YOU’RE GETTING ANY TRANNY FAULTS, EVEN AFTER RESTART TRANNY ERRORS GO AWAY FOR A WHILE, IT IS NOT A TRANNY COMPUTER GLITCH!!!

Mechatronic Seal Adapter 6HP26 & 6HP28 & 6HP32



YES THIS SMALL, CHEAP GASKET CAN DAMAGE YOUR TRANSMISSION PRETTY BAD.





-OTHER 4 RUBBER PIPE SEALS.

6hp26Z_selas



They 5,6,7 also control clutch pressure, but even if they are flattened pretty bad transmission won’t give you any errors. Its always good idea to replace it- you’ll notice a difference how your tranny shifts. European Auto Parts at discount prices | RM European has these seals under transmission parts section.



–SOLENOID KITS. 2 TYPES

solenoids_2-MOST COMMON E65, YOU DON’T NEED PARKING SOLENOIDS SINCE THEY NEVER GO BAD, SO YOU CAN USE M-SHIFT SOLENOIDS, BUT YOU CAN GET E-SHIFT PACK AS WELL, WHICH IS 200$ MORE.

http://www.thectsc.com/products/sole...ift-36-45.html

solnoid_pack

Yes they go bad and are not simple solenoids you used to know from old school trannies. Now these are pressure regulators and they do not only work open\close operation, they control pressure and after so me time they get clogged, overheat, etc. So if your tranny temps are good and your tranny shifts hard, it could be your solenoids. Its good idea to replace them every 100k, because they control everything in the tranny. You will be surprised how tranny shifts with new solenoids. And you don’t need 2 parking solenoids, so you can use 200$ cheaper kit, which fits 5,6 series without E-SHIFT. Also dont be scared if you open your transmision and find out that color is not the same- relax it changed color because of temps and age. There are two types of kitsAll the parts at very good prices can be found here:

Mechatronic Parts: Genuine ZF Parts





-GUIBO FLEX DISC. They usually go bad after BMW lifetime period 60-70k.

Common Symptoms:

a) hard 2-1 sift

b) at stop you can hear clunking when shifting from P-R-D

c)overall tranny shifting quality



-Tranny fluid level.

oil_pan_metal

Yes due to leaking oil pan gasket you might loose some fluid. Always check tranny oil pan for leaks and tranny fluid level (use BMW sealed tranny fluid level check procedure). It is always better to install metal oil pan- it never leaks and cheaper to maintain!

You can add BMW OEM PENTOSIN brand fluid or you can use MOBIL1 or CASTROL synthetic ATF fluid (10$/qt) import multi vehicle formula, believe it or not it has same specs if not better than BMW fluid and works great. Tested for 160kmls. BMW will only recommend OEM FLUID of course, but its up to you, so please do not comment here that different than OEM fluid will kill the tranny. But always make sure it has the same specs of course. Mostly Dextron 6 fluid applies as well for this trannies.



UPDATE: TRANSMISSION RUNS MUCH BETTER WITH OEM ZF FLUID OR SHELL M1375.4 FLUIDS, SO BETTER SPEND FEW MORE BUCKS FOR CORRECT FLUID. FEBI OR ZF WILL WORK GREAT.



-Torque converter clutch.

TC

Yes it can go bad just like any clutch, because this tranny engages this clutch very early causing premature wear and tear. In sport mode it can engage clutch as early as at first gear!! That’s why we get decent mpg from this tranny. In other words it is more like a manual tranny with torque converter working only at very low speeds and low rpm. So I would not recommend driving it very aggressively in the city, unless you enjoy paying 4-5k for a new tranny. Don’t forget this tranny handles 300-400hp and some impressive torque. Driving in normal mode, TC can last up to 300kmls!!

most common symptoms of bad clutch:

-sometimes when clutch is very bad it will throw 1721 error clucth slip

-bad MPG. Without TC clutch your car is still driveable, but you can feel its very weak even though engine feels strong

-after 4th gear tachometer arrow is not steady

-weak pickups, downshifting when driving uphill

-bad slipping clutch will overheat tranny pump and finally will kill internal tranny parts (clucths, valve body, seals, etc)

good news you can have your TC rebuilt for around 300$ and from personal experience i must say its not as perfect as new, but decent still.

IMPORTANT NOTE: DON’T FORGET TO RESET TRANSMISSION ADAPTATIONS AFTER ANY REPAIR DONE ON THE TRANSMISSION!!! IF YOU DON’T RESET IT, TRANNY WON’T SHIFT ANY BETTER BECAUSE IT REMEMBERS BAD VALUES.

I know its a long list of issues, but if you take care of your tranny every 80-100kmls it pays for itself pretty good. Most important thing for this tranny is correct fluid pressure and temps, other parts like clutches are very durable and made with highest quality standard. Don’t forget the same tranny they still install on newest Bentley, Rolls Royce, Audi, Maserati and other luxury brands. This tranny is way more reliable than Mercedes one or Lexus trannies with same specs. Great prices on BMW parts you can get from European Auto Parts at discount prices | RM European, they are pretty good and sell only OEM parts from original suppliers. All transmission parts you can find here 6 Speed Parts: Genuine ZF Parts



ORIGINAL ARTICLE ON: TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS | BMW LOGIC7
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  #13  
Old 12-28-2016, 08:56 PM
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That's good info, but it doesn't apply to me. I have none of those symptoms
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  #14  
Old 12-30-2016, 12:16 AM
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So, 500 miles in and still no rough 1-2 shift. Maybe it was low on fluid or the old fluid was too worn down. Anyway, I made a quick video showing where the fill/drain holes are on the GM transmission and how easy it is to access.

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Last edited by MINIz guy; 12-30-2016 at 10:07 AM.
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  #15  
Old 12-30-2016, 12:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MINIz guy View Post
So, 500 miles in and still no rough 1-2 shift. Maybe it was low on fluid or the old fluid was too worn down. Anyway, I made a quick video showing where the fill/drain holes are on the GM transmission and how easy it is to access.

Video isn't working. Would like to see it!
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  #16  
Old 12-30-2016, 10:07 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iansanderson View Post
Video isn't working. Would like to see it!
Fixed!
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