95 530i m60 auto won't shift out of 2nd gear.

[djpr2001]

The car has been parked because of overheating issues but we're trying to get it back on the road.

Started having issues where it wouldn't go all the way into park. Were using chocks to be on the safe side. After some research we replaced the Bowden cable or shifter cable whichever it's called. Goes into park fine now but still won't go into overdrive.

I have a feeling it could be a number of issues but....Would the experts (you guys) think that starting with new atf and filter (poss. solenoids) be a good place to start?

[whiskychaser]

Is the shift cable adjusted correctly now and what gears can you actually get in 'D' or selecting them manually?

[djpr2001]

Pretty sure it is now. This is actually the third one 😑 Had a friend install the first two and he broke both of them so yeah. Third time we did the install ourselves.

I haven't driven it yet. Husband just said it isn't going into overdrive. Didn't want to push the speed because it might be low on atf and then there's the infamous overheating issue which we're still troubleshooting.

We've either got a coolant leak OR......another question. When you add coolant and don't bleed.....can that cause the puddle? Again I haven't had much to do with the repairs this go round so I'm just relaying what the guys are telling me. What info would help?

[whiskychaser]

Did your friend break the other two cables because he couldn't get the shift lever to move? There is a manual shift valve inside the trans and that may be sticking or actually broken now. That aside, 5th would be overdrive so I am a bit confused when you say it will not shift out of 2nd gear. Which gears can you actually get?

If you need to add coolant, it is going somewhere. If you top it up and it is makes a puddle on the floor without even running it, then of course you have one serious leak. You need to bleed it with the heater set to maximum temp. If you get consistent hot air coming from the heater, you may not have air in the system at all

The more information you can give including what you have done to correct the problem(s), the easier it is to help and the more suggestions you are likely to get

[djpr2001]

Okay so first, no the shift lever was moving just couldn't get it to stay in park. Not entirely sure we had the right cable as I seem to remember there are two Bowden cables, one is shorter and is in the door or something?

Initially it wouldn't go into overdrive. The other gears were fine. We haven't had any problems with anything except overdrive until now. We got park back, shifter is moving smoothly just won't cycle past 2nd now. We've got park, reverse, 1st and 2nd and that's it.

As far as the coolant sounds like there's a major leak we just can't find it which seems odd if it's that major. The coolant puddle is located behind the drivers side front tire if that's of any help at all? Read on another subforum about pressure testing but there was some disagreement about what psi?

I'm trying to remember everything that's been happening but it's been sitting for months and I'm having a hard time remembering everything now. The only major thing I can think of is the heater core which failed in a spectacular fashion which has all been repaired, and we had to replace the power steering pump after that.

I'm working on this one and an e39 so I'm trying to get them straight in my head! 😁

[Layne]

Sounds like it needs $5000 in repairs to become a $1000 car again.

I would start by removing the cable entirely, and just shifting the transmission into the D position manually (one person holding the brake, one reaching under the car to move the lever) since the cable replacement seems to be the root of the problem. Take a short test drive without overheating it. If you get all gears, drop that for now and go back to the overheating problem. If you do not get all gears, then seriously consider scrapping the car.

Many common electrical issues will cause the electronic controls to put the transmission in "limp mode". That means only 3rd gear. This can be a very easy fix, but it sounds like that is not what you have though. If there is ANY shifting happening, but not ALL of the shifting, it's almost certainly a mechanical problem and not electrical.

[whiskychaser]

Does the display in the cluster reflect what position the lever is in i.e. PRND432? If so, proceed as Layne suggests and disconnect the cable at the trans end. Push the lever on the trans fully forward to get park and make sure the lever inside the car is in the same position. Pull it back one click at a time and do the same with the lever inside the car and see what you get. Make sure the shaft going into the trans is actually rotating with the lever. If it is and you are still no better off, you MAY have a broken manual shift valve inside the trans. It is a cheap part and can be replaced without removing the trans. But make a note of what happens in each gear position and report back.

BTW, could you clarify if the car shifts from 1 to 2 (and can get reverse) or if it will only select 2

[djpr2001]

Sorry just now getting back. We solved the problem for now anyway. The auto/man selector switch is wonky. It keeps sliding into the manual position. We rigged it and so far so good. Easily cycling through all gears.

The park issue may have been partially because of a rumpled guard(?) The piece that has a hole for the shifter? We replaced that as well since it was bunching up.

Got it inspected but they recommended replacing the tie rod ends soon so we're doing that this weekend. Overheating issue will be addressed next.

Love this car but wow.....

- - - Updated - - -

It's actually sad that we didn't even consider the easy fixes first since that has NEVER been the problem!

[whiskychaser]

Great to hear you now have all gears and it has been an easy fix. The mode you select should appear in the cluster and it will default to E or A (economy) when you first start the car. Page 17 here explains in more detail:
http://www.e38.org/electran1.pdf

Good luck sorting the overheating. Sounds like you may have a reliable car very soon

[djpr2001]

Hmmmm....about that! Cluster is nothing but crazy symbols and pixels dancing. We got a read for about a minute when we put the battery back in then it went back to its craziness. That's on the fix list as well 😁

Thanks for all y'alls help!

[djpr2001]

Line running from radiator to fill tank had a crack! Upon all our puttering around it finally failed in a rather spectacular manner! Good news is have been driving it around all day with NO mechanical issues! Temp is stable. Gears are fluid. Getting front end aligned tonight after the tie rod ends were replaced and hopefully the remaining fixes are simple.

Will search posts for answers or make new post for help with instrument cluster!

[K Fox]

Good to hear that you got those issues fixed - these can be really nice cars when they work right. Your instrument issues are a rather well known thing to his chassis - there ar capacitors in the cluster itself that give out due to the age of these cars now. Fixing it means pulling out the cluster and replacing those capacitors. There are several threads here in the forum on the topic, so a quick search here for something like "cluster capacitors" or something along that line will likely get you a lot more info and maybe even some pictures.

Only other thing I'll throw out there is to not cheap out on the suspension and steering parts - those cheap 'kits' out there are really garbage, and you'll end up re-doing the work quite often if you try them. Best bet is to stick with Meyle HD at the minimum, Lemfoerder is best. They last a lot longer when installed properly.

K Fox (had a cheap ebay set of bushings wear out in only 400 miles... garbage)

[djpr2001]

About that.......just replaced the tie rod ends and the idler arm. Now she's (the daughter) getting hard shaking in the steering above 45 but sometimes it levels out and smooths other times it continues. Any suggestions? Could we have missed tightening something up?

[Layne]

The shaking can be many things (search for "shimmy" on here and you'll find many cases). Most common is the thrust arm (aka: upper control arm) bushings. However, the longer it persists, the more things will be destroyed by it. Eventually everything will be loose, and and you'll have to change all parts at once to fix it. It will even wear out the steering box, which is not readily replaceable except with another used one that may also be worn out.

So never drive along at the speed that causes the shimmy, get past it as quickly as possible. And then fix the problem as quickly as possible.

[Frank87]

It sounds like a moneypit but the only way to get a BMW from the 90' real well, is too go ALLin. Get the wheels balanced, replace the upper and lower arms, stabiliser rubber and arms and check the steering box for play. Replace the little flex disc on the steering wheel shaft (real easy) and you are probably 100% on your way to a totally new car.