Transmission fault - drive moderately!!

[freestyler898]

Hey guys,

I have just posted a thread on transmission fault in the following F01 7 series section: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...smission-Fault


Please have a quick glance if you think you might be able to help shed some light!


Thanks very much fellas!!

Cheers

[dworthy]

After reading the post on the other side, have you tried to pull codes from the transmission ECU? I know that your mechanic pulled codes, but you didn't specify which computer.

[bmwdirtracer]

I have read your post. As dworthy suggests, you need to have codes from the EGS (transmission computer). Since you've had warning lights, there ARE codes in that computer. I'd suggest that you need to take the car to a shop which has ISIS, also known as ISTA, which is BMW's own diagnostic and programming computer system. After the shop reads and writes down the codes, and follows through with any test procedures ISIS/ISTA suggests,, the tech should clear codes and load your car with the newest software.

I congratulate you on servicing the transmission - such attention to service will likely reward you with many years of happy ownership. But your car is a rolling computer - in fact, probably near 100 computers -- so you're always going to be needing ISIS/ISTA to keep track of what's going on.

[freestyler898]

Thanks Chris & dworthy for your valuable inputs.

As you probably guessed, I'm a newbie with these stuffs . Had no idea which computer he read the codes from but I managed to verify with him over the phone that they did use ISIS/ISTA. As I could only reach out to the service advisor for the time being (not the actual mechanic), I did not get all the answers to my questions which included whether he accessed the EGS. All I could tell from my last visit was that he plugged his laptop in and went through a list of "what seemed like a long list of all sorts of possible errors" however nothing was related to the transmission fault so he cleared them all and reinstalled software in the car which took 30 mins or so just for the installation. The service advisor did ask me to drive the car in for another diagnosis.

Question
1. Given that my last visit to the workshop was more than a week ago and the warnings had popped up no more than 7-8 times prior to that (& disappeared by itself on all occassions), could it be that the errors were not logged as the warning didn't stay on long enough? 2
2. Have scheduled to drop into the workshop next Monday, anything else I should ask the mechanic to have a closer at apart from what's discussed above?

Since I have posted the original thread yesterday, the same error came up twice - once without going away itself so I've had to drive off in 3rd gear until I pulled over, off/restarted engine and then it drove as normal.

Does feel like the error is popping up more frequently than at first and here to stay as well unfortunately ...

[freestyler898]

Yes Chris, as a matter of fact, cars in Singapore are horribly expensive! (117k for a Toyota Prius 1.8!!) I figured that despite the elevated costs of servicing my F01 it will work out cheaper in the long run than a brand new replacement.

As a sidenote, I've owned her for over three years now (bought it secondhand from a CEO who was chauffeured around. Apart from a worn doorbrake and the minor oil leaks mentioned in the orig post, she hasn't really given me any major problems until now. Being a 5-6yr old car, I do feel like certain parts are starting to give way (e.g. bouncy dampers) and god knows what next to go given the harsh city driving conditions - think of a hump every mile (in my neighbourhood at least) and lots of start/stop traffic in 95 deg F climate and you get what i mean!

That said, I still love the 3-4 hour drives that the family takes across to Malaysia once in a while where you're reminded that you can actually put the cruise control to good use for once.

- - - Updated - - -

Strange that my second post appeared in this thread immediately whereas my first that's addressed to the subject error had to be "reviewed for approval".

[bmwdirtracer]

While I consider your car to be worth whatever it takes to buy one, I'd have to be paid $117,000 per year to drive a Prius. (And I'd still feel like a jerk, no matter what they paid me!)

While I have nothing whatsoever to do with the management of these forums, I do know that there are certain protections in place which in theory allow pre-inspection of new people posting from, um, places outside our regular comfort zone. This should in no way imply that the forum, and its participants, won't give you our very best....besides, your second post hit right away, so you're in..... If you check out the forum rules, you'll find that brand new members have quite limited "freedom", for their first 10 posts....no pictures, only 1 private message, etc.

All the guys on this forum are very happy to share their experience and training; there are very knowledgeable guys from around the world here. I hope that we'll continue to see you here.

[freestyler898]

Hey guys, am posting this from my phone so pls pardon my abbrev. / spelling mistakes.

Unfortunately it seems I AM unable to post attachments (pics) or I just cant find the right link but the most relevant error code the mechanic seems to be able to detect is:
1D3901, ELectronic Transmission control (EGS), signal evaluation (turbine speed), Invalid sig... , 71747(mileage), Information (class)

According to the machanic, the mechatronics of the trans is faulty and needs to be replaced, costing several thousands.

I am on my way to getting a second diagnosis but in the meantime if anyone can shed more light that will be much appreciated.

Thks.

[freestyler898]

Hi guys,

Looks like the earlier post I posted from my mobile while at the workshop didn't make it so here I go again. Just been to the mechanic's and here are the list of error codes from ISTA (a shame I cant attach the actual pic).

FAULT MEMORY
CODE / DESCRIPTION / MILEAGE (KMS) / CLASS
===============================
1D3901 / Electronic transmission control (EGS), signal evaluation (turbine speed), invalid sig... / 71747 / Information
213401 / Power Management: undervoltage / 71654 / Information
400626 / Turbine speed sensor, short circuit to ground or open circuit / 71461 /
480932 / Brake fluid level too low / 0 /
800351 / CID video connection: no synchronization / 71749 / Information
8011FF / Ionizer: internal fault / 71747 /
801201 / Ionizer: malfunction detected / 71747 / Information
...
...
... i.e. a listing of other unrelevant errors?? occurred at mileages < 70k kms before I first encountered the transmission faults

The conclusion from the visit today is that the mechatronics is faulty and needs to be replaced. Apparently the part itself costs over $3k ($2k+ USD) - ouch! An alternative would be just to replace the solenoids which may/or may not resolve the issue. Obviously I'm completely clueless to all these so if anyone has any suggestions/experiences it would be much appreciated!!

By the way, the car still behaves the same way (transmission error on start-up, drives normal somtimes when it goes away after driveoff, other times when it doesn't go away it engages 3rd gear only).

Looking forward to your replies!! Thanks heaps!

[bmwdirtracer]

The very first step I would ask you to take is to have the mechanic unplug the electrical plug of the transmission, and inspect it for oil or other contamination, and clean it thoroughly with electrical contact cleaner, and make sure that none of the male pins or female receptacles actually move, or can be pushed away from good contact. This is in a service bulletin.

Truly, if the electrical connections appear to be in good shape, and pass the above examinations, I believe the accepted fix is to replace the transmission. Hopefully, one of the forum's dealer techs will add his experience to this thread.

[freestyler898]

Thks Chris for your valuable inputs!

Looking forward to any others with ideas/suggestions... much appreciated!

[freestyler898]

Quick question guys, does the mechatronics unit need to be removed (in any manner) during the process of replacing 2 faulty transmission oil cooling hoses? I know it would be helpful to specify exactly which part of the cooling lines but all I could recall was that the leaks (& hence the replacement of the hoses) could be seen from directly underneath the car when the underbody shield is removed.

I am trying to evaluate the possibility that the mechanic that did the cooling hose replacement screwed up the valve body (if indeed he needed to meddle with the mechatronics unit).

Thanks

[bmwdirtracer]

No; hoses/pipes are completely external.

I think it's very odd that you have air conditioning codes which occur at EXACTLY the same mileage (Ionizer), and a video code two miles later......and then, there's the "undervoltage" code, a hundred miles earlier, and the turbine speed sensor short/open circuit code a couple hundred before that.

To me, this suggests electrical issues -- perhaps a primary circuit issue, ground problem, etc. I would absolutely check that transmission electrical plug and all its pins, for cleanliness and pin movement.

Also, the turbine is the torque convertor, so it is possible that's your issue.

[freestyler898]

Thanks for your inputs as usual Chris.

Just an update on things - I've finally had the mechatronics/valve body replaced (after having 2nd opinions from other workshops which all came to the same conclusion that it was the most likely culprit after checking the electrical side of things proposed above were ruled out). I've just had the car back today and as you'd expect with a brand new mechatronics, the transmission error message has gone away during startups although I'd give it a week to finally declare the old problem has been fixed.

A new problem/rather observation has now surfaced! The gear changes (esp. downshifts) are now noticeably jerky. Prior to the mechatronics being replaced (even with the intermitten error messages), gearshifts were very smooth without any jerks at all as I had described in my original posts. That's now completely changed.. gear changes can now be felt (not so noticeable during upshifts but during downshifts especially when going from 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st) you definitely get a good jolt as if a car behind just kissed your rear bumper gentle enough not to cause any dents. The mechanic says this is all normal after a mechatronic change & reprogramming as the software has been reset and over time as it gets used to the driving style, it will get better. When they drained the atf oil to pull out the old mechatronics, they also did an "atf oil flush" on the gearbox as they claimed there were some minor metal residue on the oil pan. Whilst I wasn't there (car had been left with them over the weekend) to witness it myself, I was quite surprised with that finding as the previous two occassions where I personally monitored the condition of the atf oil, I had not noticed any sort of metal dust/shavings. However, there was quite a bit of muddy looking sludge that had stuck onto the oil pan - which I think is normal? It isn't a whole lot.. but a thin layer enough for you to wipe up with a mcdonalds serviette. I was initially a bit concerned with the flushing as I had read the negative issues of performing one however they claimed that it was simply a "fill atf oil & drain" process which didn't involve any machines or pressure being exerted (i.e. the draining of oil was just subjected to gravitational forces as they started the car on a hoist and cycled through the gears). I guess you could say that the flushing method is almost akin to simply performing an ATF oil change twice with good clean oil to ensure that the entire transmission is filled with fresh oil.

Anybody got any thoughts/inputs on the jerky gear changes or flushing of oil?? Thanks and appreciate your help!

[RaduR]

If i were you i would ask how much transmission oil did they filled in when they changed the mechatronics. I say that because i had the same problem as you in my workplace with an 2013 X6 that was having hard shifts downwards and upwards only in full throttle. The problem on that one was it came out of the factory with 700 grams of oil less. Please ask them if they drained the converter as well and how much oil did they put in after they replaced the mechatronics.

[freestyler898]

If i were you i would ask how much transmission oil did they filled in when they changed the mechatronics. I say that because i had the same problem as you in my workplace with an 2013 X6 that was having hard shifts downwards and upwards only in full throttle. The problem on that one was it came out of the factory with 700 grams of oil less. Please ask them if they drained the converter as well and how much oil did they put in after they replaced the mechatronics.

Hey guys and all of you interested/following this thread - just thought I'd revisit this topic with some closure.

Four and a half months into the new mechatronics replacement and all I can say is that the gearshifts are running smooth as before!! It does indeed take time for the new part to "run in" as the notchy gear changes can be felt up to even 2.5-3 months, although it probably took longer due to the fact that I was doing short trips/low distances. I have discovered that the jerking intensity decreased gradually over time.

Thanks for all your inputs and hope this helps.