E36 gearbox warning light

[angel_eye328]

Hi there,im new here and i need your help regarding about my E36 325i coupe.I got this problem with my automatic transmission.Every morning,when i start the engine and drove it,there is an amber light lite up.Its a gearbox warning light.I had to stop the engine and start it again.When the light dissapear i can drive my car all day long without any problem.The problem is that the warning light only happen when the engine is in cold condition.So every morning i had to start the engine and let it warm for 10 mins or more.Anyone got any ideas why this happen during cold condition??If you have encounter this problem,let me know and how to rectify it.Thanks

 

[gwumpkus]

sounds like time to get it checked out.. its a harbinger of doom, that light is...the last time it hapened to me.. transmission died 2 days later..

 

[snchin]

when the light comes on in the morning, does the gearbox slip? you could plug the car to a modic and clear all the fault codes. then see if it comes on again. Just my opinion

 

[angel_eye328]

what really happen in that morning is that the warning light comes on and the gear didnt changed.Even when i press the pedal,the gear also didnt change.I havent checked to a modic yet.Well thanks guy,i'll give a try.

 

[Lee36328]

Originally posted by angel_eye328@May 11 2006, 09:37 AM
what really happen in that morning is that the warning light comes on and the gear didnt changed.Even when i press the pedal,the gear also didnt change.I havent checked to a modic yet.Well thanks guy,i'll give a try.

Your gearbox is halfway gone.

The warning light is trying to tell you that.

So, in other words, your warning light is working fine.

Send the box for a rebuild asap before further damage is done.

 

[AnGeLiCdEmOn108]

becareful and be prepared bro... if the warming light appears again, try to reboot by discon the batt terminal... bring it to your normal w/shop and get it diagnosed... be prepared with around 5k to 6k if your GB is going to kaput... it could just be some electronical device that needs changing...

 

[gier]

Bro angel_eye328,

Out of curiosity, what the mileage on your ride?

 

[Alvin C.]

My car is having the same gearbox problem but I handle it very carefully.

The gearbox doesn't change smoothly from 2nd to 3rd gear. I "help" it change by lifting my right root/ accelerator when the RPM reaches 2500. My mechanic diagnosed it and it shows error code 100 and error on "Speed Monitor". I was told it will cost RM 3k -6k to service depending on severity.

Anyone can advise on price and workaround ?

 

[hitman]

plug it to the computer.
it can be the following:
- gearbox gone
- error code
- kick down switch needs replacing.
the computer will tell you.

 

[Zoggee]

Welcome to the world of BMWs...!!!!! hurrah..!!!!!

 

[jarance]

What is the mileage on the car.. It is recommend that for an E36 gearbox,
the ATF (Auto Transmission Fluid) should be changed after every
100,000 Km. Beside changing the ATF, you should also change the
filter in the GB.

These are the basic requirement.

Gearbox problem could be due to the following problem:-

1. Solenoid not working in the gearbox. This could be easily diagnose
with a modic.

2. Contact shift worn out in the gear shift. This cannot be diagnose
but any experience mechanic who work with BMW car should be able
to detect this.

3. ATF - Low oil level in the gearbox.. This usually is the cause when you change
the radiator because most mechanic disconnect the ATF hose at the radiator
and cause the ATF to flow out.

4. ATF oil is degraded or filter is choked in the gearbox. This cause the solenoid and gearshift mechanism to fail sometime..

5. Last but not least.. your GB is kaput..

 

[chubby]

Agreed with opinions mentioned by all here

 

[angel_eye328]

i already check it to the w/shop and fault is 'gear monitor' and 'stall monitor'.The mechanic cleared all the fault code.I test it the next morning but still the warning comes out.Any ideas anyone?

 

[jarance]

Please informed the mileage clocked on your car.

have you checked the oile level in the gearbox.

Have you ever change the ATF oil and filter?

Ppl can only help you if you answer the question above..

 

[Alvin C.]

Thx Jarang.

My car's milege is 200K km. I changed the ATF (& flush) one year ago or ~ 25K km ago.

In fact, I regret to have a tranny flush cos the gear started showing "lag" in shifting after the flush. Another mechanic of mine actually advised me not to change the whole ATF but just half of it worrying it might be "too slippery" for the gear to engage. (??)

My knocking sensor shows fault as well when diagnosed but has been reset.

 

[angel_eye328]

For your information,my car's mileage is about 186,000 km and i recently changed the oil in the gearbox and also the filter inside it. Eventhough there is still a warning light,the only difference is that the shifting gear is smoother than before.But it still doesnt help.Any suggestion,guys?

 

[jarance]

Originally posted by Alvin C.@May 29 2006, 02:28 PM
Thx Jarang.

My car's milege is 200K km. I changed the ATF (& flush) one year ago or ~ 25K km ago.

In fact, I regret to have a tranny flush cos the gear started showing "lag" in shifting after the flush. Another mechanic of mine actually advised me not to change the whole ATF but just half of it worrying it might be "too slippery" for the gear to engage. (??)

My knocking sensor shows fault as well when diagnosed but has been reset.

First time that I have heard to change half of the ATF because
it will caused slippery.

The only time that this can happened is when the ATF viscosity
of the oil is wrongly applied. BMW only recommended only certain brand
of ATF to be used for the Gearbox. NOT all ATF oil are the same.

Knocking sensor have nothing to do with the gearbox..????
I could be wrong about this... Any expert to comment.

 

[jarance]

Originally posted by angel_eye328@May 30 2006, 07:51 AM
For your information,my car's mileage is about 186,000 km and i recently changed the oil in the gearbox and also the filter inside it. Eventhough there is still a warning light,the only difference is that the shifting gear is smoother than before.But it still doesnt help.Any suggestion,guys?

It look like you have done an oil change for your gearbox recently.

Just curious to know is whether the alarm came on after the
ATF was changed or before.

There is a small possibility that the wrong ATF could be used
because the viscosity is too thick and cause the alarm to come
ON. After oil is heated up, the viscosity is reduced (better flow)
no alarm is generated.

 

[angel_eye328]

i changed the oil an filter after the warning light comes.The oil used is recomended by the bmw agent.well thanks guy for your help.I guess its better for me to drive it to the bmw agent and have it checked thoroughly.

 

[zairiniz]

From your story, you might have to worry about the gearbox condition. Is there any burning smell? If there is, it means that your tranny is almost as good as dead. My advice is that, don't try to drive it even further, you may wreck it even further. The system is telling you that you have to take precautions before any further damage.

You'd better tow it to the nearest BMW expert and have it checked before the problem becomes worse. I had to replace my gearbox recently because when there was slippage, I thought it was because of the "cold gearbox" syndrome.