Gearbox Problem
 

Hi,
I have got a 2000 4.4i sport with an auto gearbox. For a few weeks the gearbox has been playing up. Mostly when cold it wont change gear when its suppose to. I can switch to sport mode and shift freely through all gears without a problem and when I return to auto it works fine and its forgoten about but then a few days later the problem re-occurs. I have just nipped out to the shops and it will not change via the autobox, but the manual works fine. I have stopped driving her anyway as I am replacing the rear ABS speed sensor today (hope this has nothing to do with it). Thanks

Hi again,

I have now replaced the left rear speed sensor with no joy (this is the one the fault code pointed to). The three lights still come on the dash and the gearbox still goes into failsafe mode randomly. I have been told it might be the ABS module. Could someone please confirm that this could be the problem or point me in the right direction to get this problem resolved. Thanks for reading.

Sounds a classic transmission problem... I haven't tried it with my X5 (thank heavens) but on my ex-Pathfinder, when this happened (not shifting gears when it should) it was an early warning that the trany is going down... I remember changing the oil and adding some additive for protection, which improved the situation a little, but after few months i lost the reverse gear and bye-bye gear box...

how many miles do u have on the clock?

She's done 95K miles. What I can't understand is that the gearbox is sweet as a nut when the lights are off or its in sport mode.

The left rear abs sensor fault could be caused by the instrument cluster as well, I know it's crazy but BMW tends to have complicated wiring. More often than not the right rear speed sensor fault is the DSC module, left rear is the cluster, and the fronts are usually just the sensors...

It may be worth going to the dealer and trying a new gauge cluster for the sensor problem, then having them make sure the transmission is full of fluid (has to be topped off from underneath with engine running) then have them reset all transmission adaptations to see if it helps the shifting problems. (worth a try)

To be honest, I am having all sorts of problems electrically. I have a radio that the sound just goes off for no reason and then comes back on when I return the next day. I have heater/blower problems. I have changed the large resistor under the dash with a new one, this makes the blower system work but it makes the fans run very slowly with the ignition off (but enough to kill the battery over a space of 24hrs). So I had to put the old one back in and have a manic windless blower system again. And the problem previously described. I love my X5, I love BM's (got a 2000 325 Ci Sport in black) but the problems I have with my X5 is killing me. Whatever I replace seems not to be the problem. Anyway, thanks for pointers Weasel.