Transmission Malfunction Message (Includes Video)
 

My 2008 3.0si has entered into "Transmission Malfunction" 4 times in about the last 3 months. See link below to see the problem in action;

‪IMG 2255‬‏ - YouTube

I took it in to BMW where they performed a diagnostic as well as kept the car overnight so a tech could perform a series of road tests. They could not recreate the problem and I was told I would have to repace the transission if it were to happen again. As you can see in the video simply stopping and restarting the car clears the fault and I have never experienced the problem twice in one trip, or even on the same day for that matter. I will say that it only seems to happen on longer trips, say more than an hour in duration. I have a relatively short commute to work and again have never experienced the probelm on a short drive. Any thoughts, comments, similar experiences would be greatly appreciated :thumbup:

Thanks for looking.

Regards,
monto

check the mass air flow sensor, had the same problem with a 3 series i changed the mass air flow sensor and no problem after

Did bmw give you details on what codes were set and what diagnostics they performed?!?!?

"Could not recreate" is a total cop-out: They have the error codes and do not need to 'recreate' the fault to get a pretty good idea of the issue.

Warranty? If yes, have them fix it. No need to recreate, show them the video- tell them the error is stored if they want to look....

Had the same issue and finally, after a few days of intermittent tranny failure messages, it wouldn't start and just kept cranking.

I dropped it off at my local service center and they replaced the cam shaft position sensor and another sensor and that fixed the problem.

I can get you details later, the paperwork is in my truck. It's a shitty issue though and really was dreadful to have it towed etc.

Good luck.

ard,

My statement reads;

Performed fault check and found faults for clutch C and E (6th gear) slipping. Ran test plan and it stated to check the fluid. Checked the fluid and it was good. Vehicle needs new transmission. Est. for transmission is $7,797. Parts need yo be ordered. Transmission # is 24007570279.

I followed up and asked the manufacturers part number; ZF6HP19TU

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
monto

1. BMW only replaces transmissions- they do not fix them. They do not troubleshoot down to internal components. The ONLY solution from a BMW dealer is 'replace'.

2. Did you search here for info? There are hundreds of posts about this...

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...tml#post822944
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...on-issues.html


The short answer is this: trannys are complex; you will likely need to find an expert to do a proper troubleshooting/diagnosis; you will likely not find EXACTLY the answer on the forum; you need to not use the BMW dealer.

GL

A

May I ask why you haven't just gotten a new tranny?

My 7 used to do that also, started around 80,000 miles, for some reason it was the mass air flow sensor.

+1, show them the video. Or take it to another dealer and see what they say.

Really? You can't figure that out??

Dealer wants ~$8000 for the new tranny.

And the fact is that it probably isn't the whole tranny that is bad, just an issue with the solenoid or valve body that controls one set of clutches.

Just from listening to the video, I heard 37100 miles, but now realize he was talking trip mileage. Paid attention and saw that the mileage on the car is 88k+. I figured it was still under warranty, but now I see the answer to my question :).

Damn man, I thought I put a lot of mileage on my vehicles. 25kish per year is pretty hardcore.

hotshark and spacegrey, you both mention the mass air flow sensor. I'm curious why a code wouldn't come up if the sensor was failing? I want to sound somewhat educated when having a conversation with my SA.

Thanks,
monto

For almost 2 years I made almost weekly trips to see my grandparents when their health started to deteriorate at around 250 miles RT. This coupled with a 68 mile RT commute to work over the same period led to the milage. Unfortunately my grandparents have since passed but have also changed jobs and moved to within 3 miles of the office. The short commute is almost to short to enjoy the X!

Cheers,
monto

Oh. I guess you are a BMW dealer only kind of person.

I thought a read of only a sampling of the threads on transmission issues would lead you to the conclusion that BMW dealerships are not trained to troubleshoot transmission failures...



There may be 30 issues that cause a 'transmission malfunction'... I'd want to make sure the two people who said "same thing, bad maf" are actually PRECISELY the "same thing"..not just that final warning, but everything the same...same codes or lack thereof..same diagnostics results...

Also, MAFs deteriorate over time- if it is fully dead, then you will get a code- but it is a known failure mode for mafs to partially 'go bad'. (Probably not know to BMW mechanics at dealerships....they are brainwashed into ''computer tells me what to do" and if there is no MAF code then the MAF must be good....)

A BMW dealer is the last people I'd have working on this....

GL

god I had a tranny rebuilt once. Never again. Rebuilt means old parts just the same (it was a '95, done 2 years ago). It wasn't cheap either. It died again shortly after with a different fault. I guess it's kind of like buying a used car.

New only or nothing.

ard,

Thanks for your posts. I'm not against taking it to an independent shop; I'll start looking in my area. On that note can anyone recommend a shop in the MA, NH, CT area?

Thanks everyone!
monto

Thats a good question, it may be sporadic, the dealer had my car for 3 weeks until they decided to change the MAS. I'm assuming it is'nt someting thats typically related to a tranny, so it is overlooked as causing a tranny problem. Personally I dont think there is anything mechaniclly wrong with you tranny, its probablly an simple electronic issue. IMO tranny malfunction means the tranny is not operating within specs.

1. All depends on who does the rebuild.

2. Afaik BMW only sells re-built trannies, not new.

3. Using the BMW rebuild/reman facility- with many new parts and core assemblies to choose from, ensures that you will get parts that meet spec. It is true that a local rebuild only has your case and your parts to use with the rebuild kit...

Just an interesting observation for the original poster. I sold a Volvo XC90, a really nice vehicle by the way, to a friend. Six months later, he got a transmission warning message. Dealer checked it out and told him it needed a new transmission for $7K or so. Thing was driving and shifting perfectly, and I felt really bad about it, but we decided since it was driving OK, he would just ignore the light and see what happened.

Two years later, the transmission fault light is still on and the XC90 drives and shifts perfectly. Clearly there was no significant problem with the transmission enough to warrant a new transmission.

you said his transmission was shifting perfectly.in the video his transmission doesn't upshift at all.not my idea of a perfect shifting transmission

I was able to get a friend's cousin to run the error code after clearing all faults and making the problem take place while on the highway.

0X4F83 (20355) transmission monitoring coupling C >invalid signal

Anyone have any additional information related to this code? The transmission goes into safe mode while downshifting out of 6th gear.

Thanks for all of the help so far.

Cheers,
monto

Slightly related but rather then dredge up an older thread or start a new one this may be the right place to start.

I have an '08 e70 that just started leaving stains in the garage. Dealership looked at it looks to be the valve body seal is leaking. It's a CPO vehicle so I don't know what the first 42k of it's life was like but I'm appalled that I'm replacing seals at 50k. Has anyone else had a similar instance? I didn't see any on a search other than for the e53's.

After doing quite a bit of reading on my issues I came across the following forum posting which discusses a leaking sleeve connecting to the mechatronics unit.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/arc.../t-401524.html

With respect to my slipping transmission an independent shop has recommended I replace the mechatronics unit. From the link above it appears as though many others have had good luck when changing the mechatronics albeit with different symptoms. Since the dealer recommended I replace the entire transmission at a cost of $7,800 I asked that they open a PUMA case to see if BMW NA is aware of any similar issues and if they can confirm this should resolve the issue. Any comments on the likelihood of the mechatronics being the culprit?

TIA,
monto

Hello, been here for a long time now looking for a solution to this problem. But mine occurs whenever I start the engine. I was suggested by the dealer to replace mechotronik unit which is over 3 000$ for my tranny (4.8i). Have you tried replacing MAF?

Which, the leaking or the malfunction message?

Transmission Faulty message. There was a post right above mine, but it has been moved or smth. Today the fault has not shown itself but when i start the engine at times it feels like i've been rear-ended, though the car is in Park. Diagnostics reveal that the trouble is caused by mechatronik unit, but I just don't want to believe this. there must that can be done to solve it by not paying 3000 $ for it. When the fault message is not poping up the car goes perfectly. When it does - the tranny won't shift up until restarted. Only happens when i start the car, never in motion

By the way - it had started just when I repaired sleeve leak problem, the morning after. It was done by some indy shop specialized in that.

The mechantronics unit is also called the 'valve body'...

A classic failure mode with automatic transmissions is failure to maintain fluid- fluid gets hot, begins to break down, BMW stupidly says "lifetime", wear particulates build up, wear increases...unitl a bit of something gets stuck in one of the small orificies in the valve body, or against a plunger, and the tranny is 'stuck'...a particular gear or function does not work- can happen in a bunch of locations, each with a separate symptom. Sometimes there is a bit of crap that floats around in a limited area- tranny works fine most of the time, but then when the part moves it can show a failure. (an additional failure mode is tranny and fluid gets hot, seals heat, shrink, degrade...hydraulic circuits cannot hold pressure, shifting pressures degrade, wear accelerates....this is much worse, as a rebuild is required. The symptoms of this are more 'continuous', and are worse when warm.)

If I was having issues like this, I'd try a few things. (And I KNOW this is absolute heresy on these BMW forums) and not necessarily in this order.

1. Complete and thorough flush of the transmission. Potentially reverse flow, with solvents.

2, Remove mechatronics, clean/flush.

I'd only consider this when the next step is replacing parts. Not much to lose.

GL

A

Awesome info!

Is there a separate procedure to flush the mechatronics unit specifically or just as part of the transmission?

Is there any way to test the mechatronics if you were to pull it out?

Thanks again,
monto

I don't know on both counts.

I suspect the factory has a testbench for testing it, as would a rebuild facility.... just from a macro view, there is probably not a 'need' for ZF to publish/make a test procedure- they are in the rebuilding biz.

What is the labor you are being quoted for swapping the mechatronic? Seems like 2 hours based on looking at the procedure. Close?

Yeah, mechatronic's only positive is that it sits quite handy for being freaking replaced. It takes less then an hour to do the job by prof.

Hey everyone, I just bought a 2005 bmw x5 3.0 I am getting noise coming from the rear passenger side ??? It's like a humming noise? Can anyone help me out? The more I accelerate it seems like the louder it gets?? Any suggestions?

Soo wrong place to post it, George. Go to e53 forum, search there

I'm being quoted $2,200 for the entire job. I didn't get a breakdown of the cost but I will tomorrow. I'm assuming replacing the mechatronics would require a fluid change as well which might increase the time required to complete the job?

I did get a price for a remanufactured mechatronics from the dealer for comparison. Part # 24 34 7 571 246 Rmfd Mechatronics $1,613.69. RealOEM link here;

RealOEM.com * BMW E70 X5 3.0si GA6HP19Z Mechatronics

I also attached the fault code info that the dealer pulled if this provides any additional information?

Thanks again,
monto