"D" disappears when driving???

[GreenerBeemer]

Hi all,

I am new, so my apologies if this post is not in the right place. I have a 1992 525i with 49K miles (yes, 49K for a '92...that is not a typo). On occasion, while driving, where the E D is on the dashboard (E R reverse, E P park, E N neutral), it will disappear, and the car shakes slightly and I guess would stop but if you wiggle it, or shift to neutral and back to drive, it's fine. Any idea what would cause this??? It doesn't happen too frequently, and seems to be at lower speeds/when coasting. Acceleration is smooth and fast. Speedometer matches tachometer when accelerating. ATF is full and looks clean. No smells or grinding, etc. Help please! Thanks!

[shogun]

maybe you clean the shift selector contacts http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_13.htm

[GreenerBeemer]

That actually makes a lot of sense...I would have to have my mechanic do this as I don't want to mess it up. Thanks so much for replying!!!

[e34.Dom]

Could also be your neutral safety switch. It’s underneath where the shift selector is and basically is what tells the OBC what gear you’re in. Mine went out on me a few months ago and I was unable to start my car at all because it didn’t know what gear it was in and would fail safe to not starting. This is a common problem for the “TRANS PROGRAM” code also. It’s around $100 for the oe replacement part and it’s sorta a b**** to replace. Good luck!