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Thread: Transmission light Gears with exclamation point

  1. #1
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    2004 325Ci

    Transmission light Gears with exclamation point

    Hi guys,

    New to the board and I just got this problem with my 2004 325Ci.

    I went to the beach this morning and when I came back to start up my car I got this Gear with ! in the center I looked it up it said transmission issues don't drive like a idiot, and take it to BMW Center.

    When driving and coming to stop it will downshift really hard, kind of seems like it skips a gear or two?!?

    I read a few things about it being the MAS?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  2. #2
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    OH dear! Did you try turning the car off and back on a few times? Or starting the car in nuetral?? That is the failsafe for the trans shift patterns. It may not really have to shift that bad, but the Transmission Module is telling it to. Many things could cause this. Just hope that it is something small, that can be replaced. And hope that it is not something physically broken/cracked inside the trans.
    -///Mike ///Michael ///Mikey

    pwn noobs /thread

  3. #3
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    I tried turning it off and back a few times and waiting a while also but it didn't help.

    I just tried starting it in neutral and the light went away and its shifting normal again.

    I hope it doesn't come back.

    Thank you!

  4. #4
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    Haha no problem. My future advice, Come to complete stops before going from drive-reverse and visa versa. Also do not use the "manual" mode unless you are using it to decelerated down a 30% incline (or similar situation.) When ever you arrive at your destination, put the vehicle in park, and keep your foot on the brake. Next pull the hand brake and then release the brake pedal. This will put less stress on the parking pawl. And of course drive safely.
    -///Mike ///Michael ///Mikey

    pwn noobs /thread

  5. #5
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    Yeah....according to the E46 manual...it tells you to immediately take your car to the dealer.....Don't do this. Just monitor, and be nice to your car...or expevsive repairs will be in your future.

    by Dane Wilson, on Flickr

  6. #6
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    325i

    Transmission (!) fault

    im having the same problem. and i have done what ever1 says in the forums. still there. what causes this. and do i need to go to dealer. cause i live in middle of country. dont think it will make it to city in limp mode.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by crichmac View Post
    im having the same problem. and i have done what ever1 says in the forums. still there. what causes this. and do i need to go to dealer. cause i live in middle of country. dont think it will make it to city in limp mode.
    Good job using the search function friend, and welcome to the forums. I personally would not drive far. It puts more stress on the trans and you might end up breaking something else. You have AAA??

    Also you can try Disconnecting the battery pos. and neg. cables, then taking the two cables and touching them together. This will erase the memory inside all the modules including the trans module. At this point when you start the car it will not be in limp mode, untill it detects a problem. If there is a shorted/open electrical component inside the transmission, then the limp mode will immediatly engage again. It is definetly worth a shot tho. Otherwise you are off to a BMW independent shop or Dealer.

    Good luck.
    -///Mike ///Michael ///Mikey

    pwn noobs /thread

  8. #8
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    My car is in tranny limpmode and I tried your method of unplugging the pos and neg cables and touching them together and even before that i just disconnected the neg for 40minutes and unfortunately it still has the cog light on. I also noticed though when i started the car, i selected through all the gears and it seems to SLAM in to reverse, and then the rest of the gears are smooth shifts.

  9. #9
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    happens to me sometimes. Usually I just drive for a few minutes, find a place to stop, turn the car off and take the key out (make sure you take the key out) and wait a minute or two. That usually fixes me.

  10. #10
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    Holy thread revival! Such a win! Good thing you guys have used the search button properly. You guys should have looked for codes rather than trying to find a way to get around it or trying to learn to live with it. Any little issue can become a major problem. Transmission repair or swap for our cars can be ridiculously costly. Hope you guys figure out what the problem is and possibly get away with a cheap fix.

  11. #11
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    Sadly for some reason and just me luck, my OBD2 outlet doesnt work. All the fuses are good too.

  12. #12
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    E30, E36, E36, E39, E83
    I almost created a new thread for this, but I figured I would resurrect this old zombie thread...

    My issue mimics the OP's, with a few extras (Check Engine, Traction Control, Brake). It just came out of no where this morning when I started the car. I do have an E86 through and will post in the proper forum.

    20180308_065049.jpg

  13. #13
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    You have a failed wheel speed sensor. Have the ABS codes read to determine which one.

  14. #14
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    2002 BMW 330 CI Convert

    Unhappy

    Quote Originally Posted by slvrXI View Post
    Good job using the search function friend, and welcome to the forums. I personally would not drive far. It puts more stress on the trans and you might end up breaking something else. You have AAA??

    Also you can try Disconnecting the battery pos. and neg. cables, then taking the two cables and touching them together. This will erase the memory inside all the modules including the trans module. At this point when you start the car it will not be in limp mode, untill it detects a problem. If there is a shorted/open electrical component inside the transmission, then the limp mode will immediatly engage again. It is definetly worth a shot tho. Otherwise you are off to a BMW independent shop or Dealer.

    Good luck.
    I have a 2002 BMW 330 CI and the Transmission light is on and the take off in 1st gear is very slow and straining however when I get over 30 mph its' smooth sailing. Going to try the quick fixes tonight before rolling into the mechanic.

    (Just bought the car yesterday)

    Also the driver door lock stopped coming up with the key or the lock in the console.

  15. #15
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    My e46 touring 2002 transmission shifts well on start and drive for 20min on nonstop drive but refused to down shift after a while. If restarted, it works normal for a short time a get stuck. Scans codes: Gear monitoring 5 (p0725), gear monitoring 4 (p0734), gear monitoring 3 (p0733), gearbox switch (p0705)...thanks.

  16. #16
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    I’m having the same exact issue, have you resolved the problem yet?

    [QUOTE=Kustommade;30025346]I have a 2002 BMW 330 CI and the Transmission light is on and the take off in 1st gear is very slow and straining however when I get over 30 mph its' smooth sailing. Going to try the quick fixes tonight before rolling into the mechanic.

    (Just bought the car yesterday)

    Also the driver door lock stopped coming up with the key or the lock in the console

    Please advise

  17. #17
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    Transmission light is an indication of a fault the transmission computer found and can lead to limp mode, depending on the fault. The only right way to figure out what's going on is scanning the transmission computer for codes. Changing your driving pattern or something like that is not a good solution. Something's broken, it needs to be diagnosed and fixed.

    Judging by your symptoms it sounds like it's something related to your torque converter.

  18. #18
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    Wink Dood DITTO

    Quote Originally Posted by Kustommade View Post
    I have a 2002 BMW 330 CI and the Transmission light is on and the take off in 1st gear is very slow and straining however when I get over 30 mph its' smooth sailing. Going to try the quick fixes tonight before rolling into the mechanic.

    (Just bought the car yesterday)

    Also the driver door lock stopped coming up with the key or the lock in the console.

    So the same crap happened with me, I bought it off a neighbor, f-en Dick, and a week later hella issues. For me it was1st 2nd and 3rd gear and it wouldnt really go past 3rd just hella slow like it was trying to go faster. I would have to shut it off and turn it back on. It was hit and miss, sometimes it did it sometimes it didnt. So I got new coil packs and spark plugs, replaced them all in the auto zone parking lot, drove our of the parking lot and seemed to work fine drove about 4 miles and the radiator hose blew, the bottom one. I didnt have the tools to fix it, one piece to the damn thing was stuck, I needed a j hook type thing, because the hose blew I wss smoking so I pulled into a parking garage, a paid parking garage. Couldnt get the tool until the next day. I got it and fixed it. Anyways I drove out of the parking garage and boom THE TOP radiator hose blew. At this point I was ready to light the car on fire and walk to my neighbors house to set him on fire. Oddly enough I had noticed a radiator hose in the trunk when I got the car from him so I just switched it out. 2 weeks later the top hose blew again, the key fobs stopped working,and the key didnt turn anything when i put it in the driver side door, it would just turn but nothing happened. I bought the parts on amazon for 5 bucks and did it myself with basic tools hella easy, you tube video 15 mins, fixed the door. As for the damn gear thing, smh, f-en pain in the ass, I still do this to this day, everytime I start my car I have to plug in my obd reader, everytime I start the car it turns on about 45 seconds into being turned on it starts running crappy like its going to shut off, and sometimes it does, but I run in the codes in the obd reader and then I CLEAR THE CODES, and bam it drives, I have to keep the obd plugged in, because if I idle at a stop light or just in park in a short while it starts running crappy and car shakes, sometimes it shuts off, so I clear the codes again and it's back running. My very first bmw and this had been my experience smh. Not to mention, the damn ABS button doesnt work so I can't turn it off!! AWD and i cant get loose. Ugh. 2001 325xi 160,000 miles, I've had it for 8 long much maintenance needed months and has not been the greatest experience. Hopefully the obd reader thing will help. It's a pain, because if you shut the csr off you have to unplug it and plug it in, I leave it in all the time while driving, because if I idle itll happen. Also random times usually pulling into a parking spot the car just shuts off. Sometimes right from idle at stop light, foot on brake. Light goes green I move foot from brake to gas, give it a tiny bit of gas, boom car shuts off. Embarrassing and aggravating. Wish you the best of luck

  19. #19
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    Just went through similar with recently purchased .04 325Ci vert. 136K

    Replace your battery. Just do it. You may think your battery is good. Do it anyway. H8 size, 130 bucks at Wally World.

    After doing that, it improved, but would still occasionally get the light. I had the exact same symptoms. With the COD (cog of death) it was still perfectly drivable but the shifts were abrupt. I take this as the computer making more abrupt shifts to preserve the trans through less clutch slippage.

    I then did a partial fluid change, about 3 quarts, as I was told to do a partial if fluid is older. Since the fluid change, I have had ZERO CODs. Shifts like new.

    Not sure if the fluid mattered or if it had finally cleared codes after a few miles on the new battery.
    Last edited by wannabemer; 07-05-2020 at 09:48 AM.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by UsmcChris View Post
    So the same crap happened with me, I bought it off a neighbor, f-en Dick, and a week later hella issues. For me it was1st 2nd and 3rd gear and it wouldnt really go past 3rd just hella slow like it was trying to go faster. I would have to shut it off and turn it back on. It was hit and miss, sometimes it did it sometimes it didnt. So I got new coil packs and spark plugs, replaced them all in the auto zone parking lot, drove our of the parking lot and seemed to work fine drove about 4 miles and the radiator hose blew, the bottom one. I didnt have the tools to fix it, one piece to the damn thing was stuck, I needed a j hook type thing, because the hose blew I wss smoking so I pulled into a parking garage, a paid parking garage. Couldnt get the tool until the next day. I got it and fixed it. Anyways I drove out of the parking garage and boom THE TOP radiator hose blew. At this point I was ready to light the car on fire and walk to my neighbors house to set him on fire. Oddly enough I had noticed a radiator hose in the trunk when I got the car from him so I just switched it out. 2 weeks later the top hose blew again, the key fobs stopped working,and the key didnt turn anything when i put it in the driver side door, it would just turn but nothing happened. I bought the parts on amazon for 5 bucks and did it myself with basic tools hella easy, you tube video 15 mins, fixed the door. As for the damn gear thing, smh, f-en pain in the ass, I still do this to this day, everytime I start my car I have to plug in my obd reader, everytime I start the car it turns on about 45 seconds into being turned on it starts running crappy like its going to shut off, and sometimes it does, but I run in the codes in the obd reader and then I CLEAR THE CODES, and bam it drives, I have to keep the obd plugged in, because if I idle at a stop light or just in park in a short while it starts running crappy and car shakes, sometimes it shuts off, so I clear the codes again and it's back running. My very first bmw and this had been my experience smh. Not to mention, the damn ABS button doesnt work so I can't turn it off!! AWD and i cant get loose. Ugh. 2001 325xi 160,000 miles, I've had it for 8 long much maintenance needed months and has not been the greatest experience. Hopefully the obd reader thing will help. It's a pain, because if you shut the csr off you have to unplug it and plug it in, I leave it in all the time while driving, because if I idle itll happen. Also random times usually pulling into a parking spot the car just shuts off. Sometimes right from idle at stop light, foot on brake. Light goes green I move foot from brake to gas, give it a tiny bit of gas, boom car shuts off. Embarrassing and aggravating. Wish you the best of luck
    I had a similar problem but when I would drive long distances (80 miles or more) the car would sometimes lose power and when I pushed the gas to accelerate it sounded like it was bogging down. Turns out it was the fuel pump. Prior to that it was the MAF sensor. I checked the MAF sensor and one of the very small/fines wires was missing on the sensor. I replaced the MAF sensor and it helped but not to long after replacing the MAF sensor the symptoms reappeared. Anyways, long story short it turned out to be the fuel pump.

  21. #21
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    Ok so now my problem is I have 3 codes. Code P1112 coolant temperature sensor high output,
    P0174 & P0171 bank 1 & 2 lean. With the transmission gear with ! Coming on as well. However, when I turn the car off and back on the limp mode light goes away. My question is: would the coolant temperature sensor make the limp mode light come on. I'm thinking it would because if the coolant temperature sensor is not functioning properly it could ultimately lead to damage to the engine or transmission. Another question is would the p0171 & p0174 (most likely a vacuum leak somewhere) make the tranny go into limp mode? Btw I replaced all the secondary air pump vacuum lines, the vacuum line going to the fuel pressure regulator, the main hose coming from the top of air intake F-valve. MAF looked good but I cleaned it with MAF sensor cleaner anyways. No major suction when I remove oil cap so the CCV seems to be working. Oh and the fuel pump was replaced about 2 months ago so i am hoping it's not the fuel pump giving the lean codes. I have a K&N cold air intake, I'm not sure about this but I don't think it would cause lean codes? The k&n boot is hard plastic and has no cracks. The second boot looked good and when I sprayed it with throttle body cleaner the engine did not rev. I haven't checked the DISA valve yet. The only other thing after that is the injectors. Is there a DIY way to check the injectors? The car starts, runs and idles fine.

  22. #22
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    01 330ci

    Quote Originally Posted by Raddee View Post
    Transmission light is an indication of a fault the transmission computer found and can lead to limp mode, depending on the fault. The only right way to figure out what's going on is scanning the transmission computer for codes. Changing your driving pattern or something like that is not a good solution. Something's broken, it needs to be diagnosed and fixed.

    Judging by your symptoms it sounds like it's something related to your torque converter.
    I bought mine back in 2015 and ran great for the first couple years other than the occasional fuel pump hiccup.
    then the D drum in the trans broke "no reverse" (the 1st of only two times I took it to a shop). the second time was two months
    after I got it back I got the dreaded crankcases icon. I took it back to the same show and they said the torque converter burnt up
    but didn't know why so they replaced it since it'd only been two months.
    fast forward two years and the icon returned but was acting more like a bad slip than the 5th gear start it felt like before.
    So I checked the fluids and everything seemed ok.

    I'm just thinking it's time for a manual trans swap. how much work would I be getting into with this route?

  23. #23
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    i replaced the d drum in my 5hp19 transmission and after putting everything together my transmission is in limp mode. the cog of death wont go away no matter what ive done. i touched the battery cables together to reset the codes and its new fluid in the transmission so it shouldnt be the culprit. im getting a p0128 and p0444 code from the last time i scanned the car and im not sure why those would put me into limp mode. i unplugged the maf and it still doesnt change anything.

    car wont go above 3000 rpms in drive but in neutral and park it will do so. in reverse it slams into gear and changing gears makes the entire car jerk. its very slow from a dead stop since its stuck in 4th gear but itll still go up to 50mph no problem and i didnt take it any higher than that. this cars been like this for almost two years now and i havent found any list of all the possible solutions to try and fix this.

    im not trying to fork over an arm and a leg at the dealership to get it fixed.

    it also has a new battery in the car so the low voltage shouldnt be a problem as far as i know.

    im a little everywhere in this post since im typing as im thinking about the symptoms. any ideas as to what to do?
    Last edited by e46ducked; 07-01-2022 at 02:44 AM.

  24. #24
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    That is a disappointing outcome for all the hard work you have put in. Those are engine ECU fault codes (thermostat and EVAP system). You need to be reading the fault codes in the transmission control module. Have you checked that the selected gears and mode appear correctly in the cluster, that the ATF filling procedure was followed and the cable is adjusted properly? Did you remember to hook up the manual valve?

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by e46ducked View Post
    i replaced the d drum in my 5hp19 transmission and after putting everything together my transmission is in limp mode. the cog of death wont go away no matter what ive done. i touched the battery cables together to reset the codes and its new fluid in the transmission so it shouldnt be the culprit. im getting a p0128 and p0444 code from the last time i scanned the car and im not sure why those would put me into limp mode. i unplugged the maf and it still doesnt change anything.

    car wont go above 3000 rpms in drive but in neutral and park it will do so. in reverse it slams into gear and changing gears makes the entire car jerk. its very slow from a dead stop since its stuck in 4th gear but itll still go up to 50mph no problem and i didnt take it any higher than that. this cars been like this for almost two years now and i havent found any list of all the possible solutions to try and fix this.

    im not trying to fork over an arm and a leg at the dealership to get it fixed.

    it also has a new battery in the car so the low voltage shouldnt be a problem as far as i know.

    im a little everywhere in this post since im typing as im thinking about the symptoms. any ideas as to what to do?
    Did you rebuild the valve body while you were redoing the trans? If so, it's highly likely that you have one or more of those vile little plastic discs in the wrong place. And there is NO FREAKING PLACE on the Internet that will tell you with assurance which one came out of which hole on your particular car. You can find information on which ones were possibly in there, but unless you have extremely good pix pre-disassembly you may be screwed. Oh, and you don't want to swap valve bodies between car makes, like E39 to E46, etc. Please do not ask me how I just happen to know this.

    It's also possible that you misassembled some of the valves within the VB. It's possible to get one in backwards.

    If you didn't touch that then you may have one of the drums misassembled. It's not likely but it is possible.
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