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Thread: PLEASE HELP - E38 Trans Buzzing

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Gilbert, AZ
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    E36, E46, E38, Charger

    PLEASE HELP - E38 Trans Buzzing

    1996 BMW 740IL E38



    So about a week and a half ago, me and my buddy ran over a cawking gun left in the road by construction workers. We hit it going about 50mph in a 45mph zone. It tore up the transmission pan and it went into the trans failsafe program about 10 seconds later. Luckily, we were close to his house so we trucked it to his house until the fluid ran out so we turned off the car to not cause any damage. We pushed it the rest of the way back to his place (Which was not easy in a big body bimmer).

    We spent days trying to find a pan for his car but all the pans we found did not match his pan. THe part number of the pan that matches his car is 24-11-1-422-146. All the other pans we found were completely square. We thought we finally found a shop that had over 50 bmw parts cars but when we got there, we found that we werent in luck because the pan they pulled was square like all the others we found. He agreed to weld the pan back together for $100. We agreed since we had no other choice. We took it home, layed the gasket, torqued the pan to the trans at 12ft lbs and topped off the pan with ATF while the car was level to the ground. We turned on the car and it runs through all the gears on the shifter properly and theres no slipping.

    Everything is fine until you get the car going. Theres a buzzing/grinding sound whenever we accelerate and I assumed it the was filter that may be dirty. I think everyone may assume that too but my problem is, the trans fail safe program turns on EVERYTIME it hits 4th gear in Drive.

    We can live through the buzzing but I want to know if anyone might have any ideae why it might be doing this. Is the trans toast? Will the dirty filter cause the trans fail safe program to kick on whenever it hits 4th gear? Anyones word helps.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Japan
    Posts
    54,655
    My Cars
    11/88 E32 750iL+98 E36M3
    Moved to E38 forum.
    do once more a fluid check based on this https://www.europeantransmissions.co...ansService.pdf
    The filter can be a problem, maybe it also has been damaged. If the filter is cracked somewhere else, it will suck also air above the ATF level, usually it sucks the ATF from the bottom of the pan. Same is with a defective o-ring on top of the filter where it goes into the trans, if that o-ring is damaged or does not fit, air is sucked, then you hear the typical whining sound in the trans.
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Gilbert, AZ
    Posts
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    My Cars
    E36, E46, E38, Charger
    We came to the conclusiom that it might be the torque converter running dry or even broken. We will check thw filter though

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
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    Japan
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    11/88 E32 750iL+98 E36M3
    ".... to his house until the fluid ran out so we turned off the car to not cause any damage."

    So you just continued to drive although the trans pan was leaking and you drove till there was no fluid at all?
    Then you may have damages to the trans clutch packs and also to the TC.
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    2,665
    My Cars
    750IL/540iT/R53/E46Vert
    96 740 - sounds like a 5hp30 transmission - also sounds like you killed it.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
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    NY
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    750IL/540iT/R53/E46Vert
    Or - how much fluid did you add. A 5hp30 takes 13.1 liters of zf fluid - did you get a compatible fluid? If you underfilled, it could be contributing - and Shogun made a good point about the filter.

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