Car won't go foward only reverse

[thuffman]

1995 840ci, M60. Attempting to get the car back on the road. But a new battery in and started, it starts fine. However when I pulled it out of the garage and put it in drive, it was able to make it to the end of the block but once I turned the corner, it started going slower and slower. I turned it off, then back on, it went a little further but in the end I had to push it back to the house and back it into the garage. Outside of the battery, I replaced the radiator. I tried search the forum to see if there were any recorded incidents but could not come up with the right search criteria. Has anyone experienced this problem?

[rjjablo]

Check Trans Fluid Level

Is it the motor not responding or revving and not going forward?

[Timm]

Yes, we need to know if the revs went up but you lost drive (meaning the transmission is slipping) or the revs dropped (meaning the engine has problems). Unfortunately checking fluid level on the 5-speed transmissions is not so simple as the 4-speed (which has a dipstick).

Here is the filling procedure: https://www.meeknet.co.uk/Gen_BMW/ZF_5HP30_Gearbox.pdf

[thuffman]

Check Trans Fluid Level

Is it the motor not responding or revving and not going forward?

I will check. Regarding this point, I failed to mention that I also just changed the ATF. I leveled the car and filled until the fluid was coming out of the fill hole. My concern here is that I read the 5HP30 should take 5.5 quarts and the flow started dripping out about 4.5 quarts.

[rjjablo]

What did the ATF Fluid Look Like? What Color? How did it smell? Any glitter in the pan?

Has this car been sitting for an extended period of time?

[shogun]

do the fluid level check as shown here, that is very important http://www.europeantransmission.com/...ansService.pdf

[thuffman]

@rjjablo, the fluid was dark, there were no loose metal loosely floating however the magnetic disk was covered with shavings. It looked like a paste. The car has 168k miles.

@shogun I did not start the car and do the fluid check, I will attempt this today and report back.

In the event the transmission is slipping, is the a weekend warrior job, or pro? I've done clutches several times but never work on a auto transmission. Also how readily are the 5HP30's in the used market?I know they're used on the 7 series and I believe other non-bmw cars.

[rjjablo]

Check Fluid Level first

if that is fine, drop the transmission pan and inspect. Sludge is the clutch plates. Anything that is sticking to the drain plug is magnetic and is the steel plates, look for glitter

10 Hours by the book to do it, drop exhaust, driveshaft, I assume starter, bell housing bolts and flexplate bolts. For an M70 a lot of time is chewed up by the starter, no idea on the V8. I did it on jackstands in the garage by myself with a transmission jack. I have done other transmission so I am not a rookie. Not a weekend project unless you have a lift and a transmission jack. Air tools help a lot. I assume the 5HP30 is different like the 4HP30 with the shifter on the wrong side versus a 750, swapable but you would rather not. If you are going with a used transmission you want to swap front and rear seals in the transmission while it is out and it is easy.

What costs time is the stuff you run into that needs replacing and you have to wait for parts, like exhaust hangers, transmission mounts, U-Joints, driveshaft tunnel insulation etc etc etc

You need a female Torx socket set for the bellhousing bolts along with a lot of long extensions

Did it drive before you did the radiator and trans fluid?

[thuffman]

@rjjablo nswering the question , "Did it drive before you did the radiator and trans fluid?". Yes but it was starting to slip then, thats the reason I decided to change the fluid. Dos anyone know a good source for purchasing a used tranny in case it comes to that. What are the repairable parts that could be the cause of this and how can I tell if it's bad?

[Timm]

You are very short of ATF - you can get at least a couple more pints in when going through the gears as the procedure calls for.

[whiskychaser]

You are very short of ATF - you can get at least a couple more pints in when going through the gears as the procedure calls for.

+1. Aware of what the chart says but it may be over a litre short.

Once it is full and cable adjustment is checked, try selecting 2 in winter mode. That uses clutches A and F. You know F works because you get reverse. So if it does not move forwards, the fault is likely to be the A clutch. If a pressure check is fine, the clutch itself may well have had it.

[thuffman]

@Timm - Thanks, I was unable to jack the car up but will get to it this weekend and give an update.
@whiskychaser - Thanks.

This weekend I'll get back to checking and filling the ATF. Just to update why this occurred. I hit something in the road that cause the pan to crack. I repaired it with some JD Weld but I did loose some fluid. I parked the car for a while and when I started working on it I noticed the slipping. It wasn't bad a first but now I have the current condition. Before adding the new ATF, I dropped the pan and repaired it from the inside. I have 3 quarts so I should be able to max it out. Hopefully this is all it is.

[thuffman]

Added the remaining three quarts this weekend. It wasn't until the very last bit of the 3rd quart that the fluid started leaking out. While the car was still on jacks, I tried putting it in gear and giving gas, the rear wheels barely moved. However the ASC triangle light started flashing so I'm not sure this was a good test. I will try driving this weekend when I have more people to help push it back into the garage if it's still having problems.

[Timm]

The rear wheels should make a thumping sound and turn about 3/4 of a turn before stopping again with them in the air - you can easily switch OFF the ASC and the wheels should spin normally.

[thuffman]

In preparation in case I need to replace the plates in the transmission, does anyone have a copy of the BMW 8 Series Manual All for 1994 pdf? I have on CD and it appears to have gone bad to the point I can't read it.

[Timm]

I think this is the one you need: https://www.meeknet.co.uk/E32/E32_Au...ismantling.pdf

I've only seen the 5-speed DIY repaired a couple of times and it is not for the average DIY'er!

[thuffman]

I think this is the one you need: https://www.meeknet.co.uk/E32/E32_Au...ismantling.pdf

I've only seen the 5-speed DIY repaired a couple of times and it is not for the average DIY'er!

Well that's not encouraging. Let me see how much a used unit costs.

[Timm]

About 500 quid in the UK - and there's so many to choose from on the auction sites....

[thuffman]

@Timm, I seen a few state side with the price ranging from $500 - $1300 USD. Some with shipping some without. The question I have is how to evaluate a unit like this, "BMW E38 740iL E39 740iL E31 Automatic Transmission ZF 5hp-30 1996-1997 OEM". Will this fit a 1995 M60 car?

[whiskychaser]

Make a note of the ZF part number which is on the plate on the side of the trans. It should read 1055000026 (BMW part 24001422476). That is the only one which will be plug and play for your car.

Is it possible that the object you ran over caused damage to the valve body?

[thuffman]

s-l1600tranny.jpg

@whisky - Heres a pic of the side plate and it appears to match. As far as damage to the valve body, I would have to say no there was no damage. The only thing that happened is the pan cracked and some fluid escaped. I noticed the slippage after having the car park for a period so it didn't happen immediately. Once I noticed the issue, I parked the car until I was able to get the ATF changed. I also notice it was hard to get the car in gear, and still is.

[whiskychaser]

If the car stood for a while, it is possible that the inner cable rusted a little so it is more difficult to operate. That can happen in as little as a week or two if the car is not used. To check operation, you need the lever inside the car and the one on the side of the trans pushed fully forward (park). You can then release the cable and operate it to see if it is free. (Use two spanners to avoid kinking the end of the cable) If it is fine, try moving the lever on the trans. It will be firm but you should be able to move it by hand. If you can't there may be a problem with the manual valve. They can break but when they do, the lever usually gets easier to operate.

The plate confirms the trans in your car is as expected. Even if there is a warranty on a replacement trans, it still means doing the job all over again. So it is obviously wise to investigate all possible causes before you remove it

[thuffman]

@whiskeychaser that jpeg was from the 1997 tranny I was asking about that's for sale. I just wanted to make sure I could use it in my car.

[thuffman]

UPDATE: Sunday lowered the car off the jack stands. Went reverse/drive a few times in the garage to make sure I had a some power. From that point, I went back and forth in the driveway a few times. Once I felt confident I went around the block about 5- 6 times. The transmission never slipped. In fact it felt smooth on the shifts. Next I'll take it for a longer test but I'm felling pretty good so far.