"Party-vi" (party-vi) 03/14/2016 at 09:57 • Filed to: None

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MRW the E46 transmission light turns on. Incorrect 5th gear ratio.

Cleared code and put 100 miles on it; haven’t been able to replicate the issue since. Hooray me.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 09:59

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Incorrect 5th gear ratio

“somebody snuck in in the middle of the night and changed some of the gears in your transmission! OH LAWDY” - the computer, probably.

Party-vi > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 03/14/2016 at 10:02

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Sometimes I think ZF just filed off the “GM” logos on this damn transmission and put theirs on it.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 10:04

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You don’t deserve the glory of TRANS FAILSAFE PROG *gong* on your obc, so you a get a transmission light.

Party-vi > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 03/14/2016 at 10:04

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Oh no. My 4-speed transmission with overdrive is now just a 4-speed transmission. What shall I do?

*Drives home anyway*

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 10:05

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I mean, I get that it probably compares the speedo encoder to the crank sensor and makes angry notes if there’s a mismatch for the current gear, but that’s a nearly useless thing to be doing. If the clutch (or clutches if auto) is slipping then that’s the kind of thing that will be obvious enough to anybody capable of making sense of “incorrect fifth gear ratio”.

Cé hé sin > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 10:06

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Didn’t BMW use a GM ‘box in some markets?

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 10:09

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With the zf5hp30 you’re stuck in 5th gear.

jariten1781 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 03/14/2016 at 10:11

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My thoughts exactly. What a dumb code...I didn't even realize it was a thing.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 03/14/2016 at 10:40

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Initiating surprise in three... two... one...

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 10:43

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They did. The 5L40 box made in France but of GM design did make it’s way into E39s amogst other cars from Munich.

Party-vi > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 03/14/2016 at 10:50

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I believe it compares input shaft speed to output shaft speed for each gear. It happened previously to 2nd and 3rd after I manage to turn my E46 into a momentarily-amphibious vehicle.

Party-vi > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 03/14/2016 at 10:50

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Nerp. It was shifting from 1st up through 4th, where it stayed doing about 3,000rpm at 60mph.

Party-vi > Cé hé sin 03/14/2016 at 10:51

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Yes they did. The GM transmissions are known for losing reverse gear in the earlier 3-series models here (and some 5 series IIRC).

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 10:59

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Wait, so it gave you a warning that something that can’t possibly have changed had changed?

Party-vi > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 03/14/2016 at 11:01

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It detected slip (I guess WTFK) in 5th gear and told me my shit is all fucked up. Hopefully it was just having a moment.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 11:03

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Does a BMW ever just "have a moment"?

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 11:09

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My wife had to take her 09 in for the transmission to get “checked”, she was super cagy about it and wouldn’t give me the details of what the guy told her. It was just a computer reprogramming but might be a similar issue?

Also now I’m entertaining the idea of a E60 535i with the Burger Tuning Jb4. There is an 09 with the sport package with 76k miles and it’s only 40 miles from my house, convince me this is a very bad idea... PLEASE.

Party-vi > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 03/14/2016 at 11:09

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Yes, it usually starts at the first title transfer and ends when it hits the junk yard.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 11:13

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FTFY: "Yes, it usually starts at the first title transfer and ends when it hits the median because the tire pressure was off"

functionoverfashion > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 11:27

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“Solve your BMW transmission light with this One Neat Trick”

Manual swap.

Party-vi > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 03/14/2016 at 11:41

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If you like the possibility of HPFP replacements, coupled with replacing the plugs and water pump and flushing the transmission fluid in the next 15k miles then yes, that car is for you. You won’t get much over 400hp out of it without swapping in bigger turbos though.

Party-vi > functionoverfashion 03/14/2016 at 11:44

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Manual swap is probably the same as replacing the auto trans. I’d love it but it wouldn’t be worth it on this car.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 11:50

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Hmm, well I only drive 20 miles a day to and from the train station and only average about 8k a year on my DD so that’s a good 1.5/2 years away and isn’t the HPFP covered by BMW for 10 years regardless of warranty status?

Edit: Also 400bph/lb-ft in a 4 door isn’t the worst thing in the world to have...

Party-vi > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 03/14/2016 at 12:29

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With so few miles you might have issues with carbon buildup as that engine is direct injection. With the little things that bug me I would consider getting another BMW, but I would make sure it has as few miles as possible.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 12:44

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Yeah carbon buildup would be an issue with so few miles, I’d need to find a local indy tech that specializes in BMW’s to take care of that on occasion. I’ve always had a soft spot for 5 series, specifically the E39. However E60's are pretty cheap these days and after reading Mike Kopstain’s article about modding an E60 535i I suddenly had an itch I needed to scratch lol.

Party-vi > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 03/14/2016 at 13:03

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It’s getting harder to find E60s with lower miles. I think my next car is going to need less than 60,000 miles on it, and finding a fun sedan with a manual is kind of difficult at this point.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Party-vi 03/14/2016 at 13:10

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True dat, that’s why I’m still driving the X-Type. Although the 6 speed ZF on the sport package might make me okay with not having a 3rd peddle.

functionoverfashion > Party-vi 03/15/2016 at 09:33

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Oh yeah I’m sure not. I remember a very enthusiastic guy on a bmw forum a few years ago, he manual swapped his 323 (of all things!) and I think even he eventually admitted it would have been better to just get a different car.

Party-vi > functionoverfashion 03/15/2016 at 10:58

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It seems like, in the case of swapping an automatic for a manual, it makes more sense to sell the auto car and purchase a manual-equipped car. This was the same thinking for Jeep Cherokee (XJ) owners that wanted the 4.0L instead of the 2.5L in their Cherokees.