Mechanic told me it's the Torque Converter, is it? Symptoms in thread.

[sandman512]

So, I own 2005 E46(4DSD), A/T. It has a 105,xxx miles. Just recently did the following:
1) Expansion tank
2) Radiator hoses
3) Thermostat
4) Water Pump
5) All pulleys
6) All belts
7) control arms
8) Plugs
9) Differential Fluid
10) MAF Sensor
11) Rear Brakes
I have one issue that for some reason I cannot figure out. When driving the car and hitting 40mph and 1500/1600 RPM, the car will bog down(RPM DROP) and make what sounds like a deep throaty type sound. I can either apply more gas and power through it or let up on the gas, then re apply and power through it. There are NO codes being thrown. A friend of mine send me to tranny shop(friends with him) and he took the car for a ride. He said, based on the test drive, that it's the torque converter. He scanned it again, no codes. He quoted me $1200 for a the torque converter job. I have another appt. set up f with a different mechanic for an evaluation. This mechanic is going to change out the transmission fluid/filter. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[MarcoZandrini]

Hmmmm, no codes. Odd. What tools were used to scan the engine computer (DME) and the tranny computer (EGS)? These cars’ computers are good, though not perfect, at storing codes when something happens. The trick is to scan them with the right software as the DME has many BMW defined codes. My recommendation is buy the OBDFusion app for your smartphone or tablet. It comes in iOS and android flavors. You’ll need an interface device that plugs into the obd2 port under the dash. Go to E46Fanatics and search for threads on OBDFusion in which jfoj has commented. He’s the guru. His comments will tell you which communications adapter to use and how to set the app up to collect data. The data are exported as a .csv file which can be opened with Excel. OBDFusion logs data for a wide variety of sensors in the engine.

I’d hold off on the torque converter. I would change the fluid and filter if it hasn’t been changed. “Lifetime fluids” was a marketing ploy, and not a maintenance philosophy!

[sandman512]

Hmmmm, no codes. Odd. What tools were used to scan the engine computer (DME) and the tranny computer (EGS)? These cars’ computers are good, though not perfect, at storing codes when something happens. The trick is to scan them with the right software as the DME has many BMW defined codes. My recommendation is buy the OBDFusion app for your smartphone or tablet. It comes in iOS and android flavors. You’ll need an interface device that plugs into the obd2 port under the dash. Go to E46Fanatics and search for threads on OBDFusion in which jfoj has commented. He’s the guru. His comments will tell you which communications adapter to use and how to set the app up to collect data. The data are exported as a .csv file which can be opened with Excel. OBDFusion logs data for a wide variety of sensors in the engine.

I’d hold off on the torque converter. I would change the fluid and filter if it hasn’t been changed. “Lifetime fluids” was a marketing ploy, and not a maintenance philosophy!

First, thanks for the reply, much appreciated. So, I am member at E46 Fanatics and have had Jfoj and Bawlidog helping me out tremendously. The knowledge those two posses have is unreal. I have ODB Fusion and have ran numerous logs and Jfoj have has reviewed them. It was believed that it was a timing issue, but no conclusive evidence. I have OBD Fusion and there are no codes being thrown on that. INPA was used to look at the DME and EGS(tranny I think) and there no codes there. I have an appt. scheduled on Tuesday for a filter/fluid change and he he is going ot scan the car again. At this point, I open to anything. I hope(wishful thinking probably) that this will fix the issue. Thanks again!

[MIKYZZ4]

Does anyone have a recollection of this specific symptom being caused by the DME,
and the recommended fix being a DME update?
I seem to remember a BMW TSB concerning this,
maybe try to confirm with dealership service department.

[sandman512]

Does anyone have a recollection of this specific symptom being caused by the DME,
and the recommended fix being a DME update?
I seem to remember a BMW TSB concerning this,
maybe try to confirm with dealership service department.

Thanks for reply. I checked the DME via winkfp and I have current version.

[legoman67]

there was no tsb for this symptom that im aware of. the common one that there is an update for is the delayed park to drive engagement when cold.

winfkp wont tell you about tsb related updates.

[MarcoZandrini]

You’re in good hands with jfoj and ‘dog. The noise may be the clue. How old are the 2 large post-air filter hoses? I’m wonderibg if one of them is partielky collapsing. Just a thought.

[sandman512]

You’re in good hands with jfoj and ‘dog. The noise may be the clue. How old are the 2 large post-air filter hoses? I’m wonderibg if one of them is partielky collapsing. Just a thought.

So, replaced both hoses as one of them had a HUGE tear in it. IIRC, the noise was present with the old hoses and still here with the new ones.

[MIKYZZ4]

How a huge tear was not indicated by a code is strange.

[sandman512]

How a huge tear was not indicated by a code is strange.

Sorry for the confusion. A few months ago, the car threw a few codes for I believe lean bank 1, 2 etc. We changed the plugs, problem cleared up. A few weeks later, it was running a tad rough. I did a closer engine inspection and noticed the boot tear. Ordered the boots and two days later installed.

[MIKYZZ4]

Run a scan with a BMW specific scan tool/software for a more in depth diagnosis.

[sandman512]

Run a scan with a BMW specific scan 8tool/software for a more in depth diagnosis.

I have an appt. with a highly recommended mechanic. My regular indy is good, but not so much for diagnosing stuff. More of a replace and fix. Anyway, I have inpa, winkfp and don't know how to use it. I had another person remote in and check the dme and egs for me. Fwiw, I have obd Fusion and torque pro. Thanks again.

[MIKYZZ4]

Cool,report back with what he finds, and the outcome of fix.

[sandman512]

Cool,report back with what he finds, and the outcome of fix.

Ok, reporting back after a few hours with the mechanic. The first did he did was test drive the vehicle and we reproduced the issue at hand. From there, he scanned the vehicle and found no codes. From there he put it on a lift and went inspected the under carriage for anything that can be a contributing factor; negative results. He then drained the tranny fluid and removed the pan. He called me in and the fluid was jet black and it appeared liquidity. He cleaned the pan and the magnets. There were minimal filings(he indicated that it looks really good). He put everything back together, put the tranny fluid back in, ran it through the transmission. We went for a test drive. The vehicle shifted much more smoothly than before. At this point, the problem did NOT present it self, BUT I was extremely easy on the car while driving home. I should note, we went to a local reputable tranny shop he deals with. The issue was explained to the owner and said, it sounds like a torque converter(lock out) issue. He said, change the fluid and filter, which we did. He said, change it gain in 3 months and get as much fluid out as possible. He said, change again in 6 months and get as much out as possible. So, hopefully this will solve the issue. I will update this thread as I progress as hopefully it helps others. Thanks!

[MarcoZandrini]

That sounds like the plan. Many folks swallowed the “lifetime fluid” propaganda. It was a marketing ploy, and not a maintenance philosophy. As a result, their trannies blew up after 100k miles. The SA would say, “Well, your transmission needs to be replaced, but the fluid lasted the transmission’s life.”

[sandman512]

That sounds like the plan. Many folks swallowed the “lifetime fluid” propaganda. It was a marketing ploy, and not a maintenance philosophy. As a result, their trannies blew up after 100k miles. The SA would say, “Well, your transmission needs to be replaced, but the fluid lasted the transmission’s life.”

So, drove the car today, but once again went really easy on it. Haven't heard the noise come back, but at this point, I am not looking to reproduce it until I have a few miles on the tranny. I for one bought into the LIFETIME fluid and after doing some extensive reading came to the realization, at least for me, it was a fallacy. Here's hoping I nixed the issue in the bud!

[MIKYZZ4]

It seems you caught it in time!

[sandman512]

It seems you caught it in time!

I am praying. Drove it around locally today and went easy on it. I figured it wouldn't hurt to give a few miles and then try and reproduce the noise. I'll update this thread as needed as hopefully to help someone else.