X5 e70 Transmission Malfunction Error-PLEASE HELP

[anth101]

Hi everyone, I hope this post finds you well. I am new to this forum, so let me start by expressing my appreciation for the enormous amount of knowledge that exists in this forum.

However, I have an issue that I believe has yet to be discussed in that particular fashion in this forum.

Long Story Short: I get transmission malfunction errors (transmission malfunction, drive moderately and reduced acceleration). 3rd Time in 2 months and was quite scary.

Car: Bmw x5 e70 3.0si '08, 45k Miles

Symptoms: This error doesnt appear normally. The shifts are smooth, no jerks at all, DS works like a charm. However, when in D and I'm in traffic, you guys know how the auto box downshifts when you increase the throttle beyond a certain point? e.g u're cruising with 45mph and 1500rpm and you want to accelarate, you push the throttle hard.
Now, when i do that in the same exact situation the rpm stay still even though the gas pedal is almost floored. If i keep it there for like 3-4 seconds I feel the car "strugling to make a decision", like it doesn't know what to do, the yellow icon appears on the dash and the car switches to DS or stays in Drive but in a lesser gear.
I stop on the side of the road, shut off the engine, restart it, and the error is gone, car goes like a charm. In the same situation like the one I explained earlier (cruising at like 45mph), if I take my foot of the gas, and then kick down it immediately after it downshifts no problem. It's like it doesnt understand that it's time to downshift when the gas is fully pressed in a slow manner from steady, but only when u absolutely kick down the s*** out of it.

Any ideas? Anybody with a similar problem? I have tried doing the reset for the trans however the 25sec wait doesnt seem to work on my vehicle.

Could it be that the oil in the Trans needs to be flushed and changed? Maybe a software update? Idk im just guessing.

I'm really anxious and very dissapointed with my car since I know question its safety, and its a shame cause she's a beauty. I really dont know what to do. Please help.

[Torgus]

Given how old it is a trasn flush is probably not a bad idea as it's probably oem fluid. That being said I doubt it fixes your problem...maybe it masks it for a short while. Maybe a bad solenoid in the valve body? I'm really just guessing.

Your best bet might be to take it to a good indy and see what they say. Or sell the SUV and move on.

[anth101]

hey Torgus, thanks for your answer.

Well thing is, imho it sounds more of like a software problem than an actual mechanical one?The trans so far smooths very shiftly, no jerks, and the acceleration is spot on. I have an Indy appointment tomorrow, I'll see what they tell me, I doubt they'll know much since no errors appear. It'd be a shame to sell the car when it's been running brilliantly for years for something that could potentially easily be fixed imho.

What would the symptoms of a bad solenoid be in the trans valve body? Are they anything like the ones im experiencing atm?

[anth101]

UPDATE: the following error was present "ratio monitoring clutch e" for my trans when we plugged it in the ecu reading device.

Any ideas in how to fix it??

Im planning on doing a trans fluid flush and seal changes. Is that going to be enough though for the problem to go away?

[smassey321]

Originally Posted by anth101

UPDATE: the following error was present "ratio monitoring clutch e" for my trans when we plugged it in the ecu reading device.

Any ideas in how to fix it??

Im planning on doing a trans fluid flush and seal changes. Is that going to be enough though for the problem to go away?

Are you doing this yourself? If so you may want to change the solenoids/pressure regulators at the same time. I am now have having to drop my pan a 2nd time to do this on my 325. I wish I had just done it all the first.

Also, Send your code and symptoms to ZF and they will give you an opinion. Technical Inquiries - ZF Friedrichshafen AG

[ingenieur]

+^ Need the BMW code - contact Klaus @ Genuine ZF Parts

[Jersey John]

Originally Posted by ingenieur

+^ Need the BMW code - contact Klaus @ Genuine ZF Parts

Did you use INPA to grab the codes!



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[anth101]

Originally Posted by smassey321

Are you doing this yourself? If so you may want to change the solenoids/pressure regulators at the same time. I am now have having to drop my pan a 2nd time to do this on my 325. I wish I had just done it all the first.

Also, Send your code and symptoms to ZF and they will give you an opinion. Technical Inquiries - ZF Friedrichshafen AG

Is that an easy process? whats the cost associated with this work? I'm starting to think that this is a lost battle. I was considering changing my Oil cooler, since the Coolant fluid level's drop considerably and im trying to work out whether it's associated. 1/4 of a tank after 2 weeks.

Guys at the bmw said the didnt find coolant when they dropped the pan from my transmission though

[smassey321]

Originally Posted by anth101

Is that an easy process? whats the cost associated with this work? I'm starting to think that this is a lost battle. I was considering changing my Oil cooler, since the Coolant fluid level's drop considerably and im trying to work out whether it's associated. 1/4 of a tank after 2 weeks.

Guys at the bmw said the didnt find coolant when they dropped the pan from my transmission though

I just finished changing my solenoids/pressure regulators last night. My daughters car now drives like new. The solenoids/pressure regulators were $300. Plus I needed a few extra quarts of fluid to replace what I could not save. Any decent transmission shop should be able to do this in a couple of hours. I had already replaced the fluid, pan and 5 seals a few months ago.

ZF 6HP19 6HP26 6HP32 Auto Transmission Solenoid kit ZF# 1068298044, 2004-UP | eBay

https://5series.net/forums/diy-do-yo...thread-137584/

Did you contact ZF from the link posted earlier? I told them what was going on and they told me what to do to fix it.

My issue was related to a harsh downshift when coming to a stop. This only happened when when the car was hot, having been driven for 30+ minutes, so the solenoids are definitely affected by heat.

[ard]

This is not a 'software problem'.

IMO 'flooring the accel' and 'letting the trans kick down under full throttle' are all excellent ways to reduce transmission life.

Id do the fluid change NOT A FLUSH. What 'seal' are you planning on changing? If you have the skill, popping out the solenoids and checking for smooth operation would be a good idea