E39 Transmission upgrades

[Ichomancer]

Hello folks!

This is like "What suspension should I get" only, the transmission version :)
I'm very curious what sort of transmission upgrades or modifications have people here made?


I've been doing some research on different transmissions. Currently I have an 99 E39 528i and I'm fairly certain my transmission is a Jatco 5RO1- a jerky skyline transmission that was fitted in a lot of the JDM models, and I think the South African ones as well.

It's a pretty old transmission, it loves to violently lurch into gear, especially during colder weather. However, I also wouldn't be surprised if a previous owner did a little bit of upgrading to the transmission, it's got very stiff springs and downshifts absolutely beautifully.

That being said- all the previous owners treated the transmission as if it was a german ZF tranny. I wouldn't be surprised if it were on its last legs.

As a result, I'm looking into other options. I would definitely be open to upgrading to a superior transmission once the Jatco breaks. While I have never used a ZF, I imagine it's probably a little nicer. Not sure about the reliability of ZF, but the Jatco definitely doesn't "feel" reliable, especially this far into its life.

I've been lucky in the sense that I've never had any transmission problems before in my life, so I'm pretty inexperienced about what the good options are- such as rebuilding, getting a refurb, or finding an upgrade.

I would not mind a performance upgrade, as the tranny is currently my "weak point" when it comes to driving a little faster.

Cheers!

[ross1]

Its not a Jatco or ZF. It is a GM (France) built unit.
It is quite durable when cared for. No need to condemn what you have until it its problems are diagnosed. From what you describe I'd first check the fluid level.
There are no other boxes that will be "plug and play".
"downshifts absolutely beautifully"? If you like rowing gears a manual swap is a fairly easy project. Lots of write up if you look for them.

[Ichomancer]

Its not a Jatco or ZF. It is a GM (France) built unit.
It is quite durable when cared for. No need to condemn what you have until it its problems are diagnosed. From what you describe I'd first check the fluid level.
There are no other boxes that will be "plug and play".
"downshifts absolutely beautifully"? If you like rowing gears a manual swap is a fairly easy project. Lots of write up if you look for them.

What do you mean by "It is a GM?"


I've been playing with the idea of a manual swap quite some time. I love most things about it, other than my fear that I won't be able to put the interior back together as nicely.

Also I apologize if it sounded like I was condemning my transmission- if anything I've come to really enjoy the absurd jerkiness of it. I just wouldn't be surprised if it blew up.

[Jaaap]

According to TIS the 528iA could have one of these transmissions:
A4S 270R / A4S 310R
A5S 310Z

The last letter denotes the manufacturer:

G = Getrag
J = Jatco
R = GMPT (General Motors Powertrain)
Z = ZF (Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen)

[Ichomancer]

Mine is made in Japan though, which I do believe is a little "unique." It is a Six-cylinder pre-facelift Japanese 5 speed.
Some info I have is as follows:

"Some pre-facelift six-cylinder petrol models were fitted with the 4-speed GM 4L30-E (A4S270R) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_4L30-E_transmission)[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) transmission. Six-cylinder pre-facelift cars built for the Japanese market were fitted with the Jatco 5R01 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatco_5R01_transmission) 5 speed automatic transmission. All other six-cylinder models were fitted with 5-speed transmissions, either the GM 5L40-E (A5S360R) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_5L40-E_transmission),[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) GM 5L40-E (A5S390R) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_5L40-E_transmission),[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) or ZF 5HP19 (A5S325Z) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP_transmission) transmission,[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) depending on the year and model. V8 petrol models were fitted with either the 5-speed ZF 5HP24 (A5S440Z) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP_transmission)[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) or the 5-speed ZF 5HP30 (A5S560Z) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP_transmission).[40] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-40)"

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#Automatic_transmissions

[taz.]

Mine is made in Japan though, which I do believe is a little "unique." It is a Six-cylinder pre-facelift Japanese 5 speed.
Some info I have is as follows:

"Some pre-facelift six-cylinder petrol models were fitted with the 4-speed GM 4L30-E (A4S270R) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_4L30-E_transmission)[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) transmission. Six-cylinder pre-facelift cars built for the Japanese market were fitted with the Jatco 5R01 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatco_5R01_transmission) 5 speed automatic transmission. All other six-cylinder models were fitted with 5-speed transmissions, either the GM 5L40-E (A5S360R) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_5L40-E_transmission),[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) GM 5L40-E (A5S390R) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_5L40-E_transmission),[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) or ZF 5HP19 (A5S325Z) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP_transmission) transmission,[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) depending on the year and model. V8 petrol models were fitted with either the 5-speed ZF 5HP24 (A5S440Z) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP_transmission)[39] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-Electronic_Transmission_Control-39) or the 5-speed ZF 5HP30 (A5S560Z) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP_transmission).[40] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#cite_note-40)"

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)#Automatic_transmissionsPre Lci 528i also has 5HP18 in them.

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