2004 330 xi transmission problem - interrmittant no forward or reverse

[sbmania]

I purchased a 2004 330 xi from a local used car dealer. 98k miles. Car runs fine except every 4-6 weeks or so, for no apparent reason, I start the car, move the automatic transmission shifter to either reverse or forward, and the car will not go into gear. When I step on the gas, the engine just revs. Shifting it back into park results in a gear grinding noise, but still no movement either forward or reverse.

The first time it stranded me, I had it towed to BMW Atlantic City, NJ, I then Ubered to a nearby car rental place, got a rental and was able to get home. The dealership said when they looked at the car the next morning, it worked fine. They could find nothing wrong with it, no error codes, etc. So they replaced the valve cover gasket which they said was leaking, put rear brakes on it which they said were too low, and charged me $1700.

A month later, it happened again. When pushing the car to get it lined up with the flat bed and hooking up the chain to pull it onto the flatbed, suddenly the car went into reverse when the tow truck driver went to shift it from park into neutral. (It had failed the night before and still did not shift the next morning when I went back to it. But started to mysteriously work half way through the tow procedure.) Since the car started working, I declined the tow and drove it to a locally respected transmission shop. They kept it for a week, drove it, but could not recreate the problem. They said the transmission appeared solid and couldn't find anything wrong with it. They changed the trans fluid, charged me $350, and sent me home.

Two weeks later, its happened again. I towed the car out of my driveway onto the street with my pickup truck and there it sits unable to go either forward or backwards. The trans shop says the next move is to remove and rebuild the trans to the tune of $3500-4500. They say, as does the BMW dealer, that they have never seen or heard of a problem like this. I can't imagine my car is the only one in the world that this has happened to. Anybody out there able to provide a little help to this new BMW owner? Or how I can get it running again short of towing it into another shop for a big bill with no results? Why does it work perfectly, break, and then work perfectly again?? This might be my first and last BMW, unless I can get it going without breaking the bank!

[dhurley34]

Does it not want to move only after it has sat for a long time (8+ hours)?

[sbmania]

Does it not want to move only after it has sat for a long time (8+ hours)?

Not really. In one case, it had sat overnight after a 2 hour drive, started and ran well for 15 minutes the next morning, and then would not go into gear after a quick trip to a store. In the second case, it had run well all day, but refused to go into gear after sitting in a restaurant parking lot for an hour or so. The third time, it had sat for two days and would not go into gear when I first attempted to drive it.
Strangely, and maybe not related, both previous times, it started working while in the process, or after having been lifted up onto a flatbed trailer to be towed to a shop. Currently, it is sitting in the street and I can not get it into gear. I tried jacking up the front of the car to simulate being pulled up onto a flat bed, but it did not have any effect, either because its not related or because I could not get the front end up high enough with the jack.

[MarcoZandrini]

For clarification, does the car have a manual or an automatic transmission?

[Raddee]

330xi, so that's a ZF box right? Do you get a transmission error symbol (cog with an exclaimation mark) next to the gear indicator on the gauge cluster?

[dhurley34]

330XI is GM A5S390R

[MarcoZandrini]

Every time I read a thread about automatic transmission issues I breath a sigh of relief because I have never owned a car that had one of these transmissions. They can pry the shifter knob out of my cold, dead hand.

[sbmania]

I get no error messages on the dashboard, and the mechanic said it is not generating any error codes that he has seen. Currently, the car has been sitting at the curb for the last three weeks. I can not get it to go into gear and the trans shop said to figure 4-4500 if I bring it to them for a rebuild. I got an offer of 1500 for the car as it sits, but having paid 6500 to purchase it four months ago, that is too bitter a pill to swallow right now.

[dhurley34]

Buy a low mile replacement from a wrecked car and pay someone to install it. Won't be anywhere near 4500 and just as effective.

[MarcoZandrini]

Find a reputable indie shop that specializes in bimmers at www.bimrs.org. Have the shop scan both the engine computer (DME) and the transmission computer (EGS) for codes. The transmission fluid and filter should have been changed by now. Do you have records showing that the fluid and filter have been changed? If not, have the shop check the condition of the fluid. Brw, the only way to check the fluid is to get the car up in the air and remove the fluid fill plug. I’m betting neither has been changed. I recommend that you have the shop change both unless the fluid looks clean.

NMW used to tout “lifetime fluids.” It was a marketing ploy and not a maintenance philosophy. The fluid and filter should be changed every 50-60k miles. Period.

[sbmania]

I'll check www.bimrs.org for a local shop. The transmission shop I took the car to when it was working changed the trans fluid and filter and said both looked good. They couldn't find anything wrong with the car. They said the next step would be tearing the whole transmission apart and rebuilding it. That's what they wanted 4500 for.
PS Are there solenoids inside of the trans? Is it possible one of them is stuck and causing the problem?

[MarcoZandrini]

Yes, there are solenoids in the transmission. Did the shop scan the EGS for codes? What computer did they use?

[sbmania]

The shop scanned the car, as well as the BMW dealer. Don't know what computer they used but they both said there were no error codes displayed. I wondered if a stuck solenoid could be the problem since twice in the past the problem seemed to go away after the car was lifted onto the back of a flatbed. Maybe the stress on the car or the upward angle of the car being pulled onto the flatbed causes the stuck solenoid to pop back into position??
BTW, I talked to Bavarian Motor Works in King of Prussia near me (recommended on bmrs.org) but the guy I talked to said he had no idea what to do other than to put a rebuilt trans in the car. That would put me back in the 4k plus range for the repair. He also said a used trans would be a thousand or two cheaper if they could find one, but it would only carry a 30 day warrantee.

[MIKYZZ4]

Have the mechanics concentrate on the shift linkage and condition,movement of set position switch,
along with check and cleaning of the electrical connection/wiring.
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=24_0990
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/par...&q=24357532668

[MauiM3Mania]

This issue is somewhat common with the GM A5S 360 R automatic trans. It was produced in France by a GM subsidiary and put in a number of BMW models. A friend had issues with a E46 325 and this thread was helpful. https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=706809

[sbmania]

Interesting article, but none of my local shops have any interest in finding the problem. They just want to rebuild the entire transmission and bang my for 4k. Wish I could find some guy local the the Phila, PA suburbs who knows his way around BMW transmissions and want to make some cash money!

[MauiM3Mania]

Did you read the first post in that thread which addressed the action which has helped many owners of that transmission?

[dhurley34]

The same transmission is used in Cadillac CTS's from the same era. The TCC solenoid is fairly easy to replace. Its even a GM part and cost about $25. You might also want to replace the solenoid that regulates internal line pressure.

Drop the pan and filter. Pull out the clip then remove the solenoid, put the new one in, then reinstall the filter and pan then refill.

There are 5 total solenoids in the trans. Three on the back and two up front. The TCC solenoid is located on the drivers front of the valve body. Line pressure solenoid is on the passenger front.

The three rear solenoids control shifting. If I lived in PA I would gladly do it...

[Raddee]

The thing is - the solenoid physically breaks apart and the broken bits end up in the valve body, which in turn blocks the reverse. So you can replace the solenoid, but it probably won't fix the reverse issue. You'd need to open up the valve body for that, which is tricky because it has tiny balls inside you'll need to keep in place.