Gearbox woes

[Stevejspm]

I know this subject has been covered many times before but after searching I can't find anything close to what I'm experiencing. Here goes.......

2004 3.0d, 152,000 miles, no previous gearbox work history.

I bought the car just under a year ago with no gearbox or drive issues. The car used to really noticeably change down gears when slowing down from speed, almost to the point where the car was braking for me, this no longer happens, it does change down but it's nowhere near as noticeable as it was.
When driving along normally without 'booting' it the gears change up no problem with a distinct drop in revs with every gear change, now when I 'boot' it the revs barely drop with the revs staying high, almost as if I was keeping my foot on the throttle in a manual vehicle.
The fuel economy has dropped to 21mpg (driving like 'driving miss daisy') the fuel economy guage is poor even with very light throttle.

Now I've been told torque convertor but searching on torque converter symptoms it says.... Misfire, which I don't have ( it's still very smooth), the car will roll back if on an incline (mine holds itself no problem).

There is a local transmission company that I spoke to & he instantly said " rebuild gearbox & replace torque converter at a cost of £2030 inc vat. I do have warranty with WMS & they've told me the torque converter is covered for mechanical breakdown (not wear & tear as stated in the small print). The transmission company have said they'll fight my case on my behalf.
If the warranty company refuse to pay then in screwed.

Could my problems be related to torque converter or as simple as an oil & filter change?

I'm really stuck & not sure how to play it without spending out unnecessarily.

Can anyone advise?

Many thanks

[X5Sport]

Get to someone who can read any fault codes that the gearbox system has recorded.  Any BMW Dealer can do it, but not every Indy.

The fault codes (if there) will give you a clue as to where to look.  TC failure is about £250 in parts plus fitting.  If the clutch packs are damaged then the gearbox repair costs rise accordingly.  You may not need a complete rebuild.

Richard

[Stevejspm]

Many thanks for taking the time to reply Richard.

I'll do as you suggest & get the fault codes read first.

Do you think my symptoms point towards the TQ & how many hours labour would the average replacement be?

[X5Sport]

All I can tell you is that when mine failed BMW needed about 30 mins to read the codes.

The whole labour time for a complete (mine ate itself) rebuild was about 17 hours including removal and refitting.  I'm guessing it's going to be about 5-6 hours removing and refitting with the rest being the work for the internals.

Mine had a new TC, major overhaul kit (new clutches & brake packs), oil pump, oil filter, fluids & gaskets.

I lost all forward drive and had limited reverse, plus a nasty rattle from the TC turbine.

Richard

[ChrisLux]

I've just had my 5/05 repaired for almost identical problems , and it was the MAF that was faulty , so
definitely get a fault code reader on it and/or diagnostic computer like INPA , because no point spending
money on gearbox if it isn't faulty .

There was a thin film of oil contaminating the MAF which meant that the air measurements were incorrect
hence it wasn't sure when/if to change up down , it felt flat with no torque and I was down up to 8 MPG on a run .

[Stevejspm]

Many thanks for all input & advice. I'm going to book the car in at my local dealer to get ALL fault codes read.
It's very frustrating not knowing so hopefully this'll give a definitive answer.

I'll keep the situation updated.

[Steamyrotter]

[quote="ChrisLux"]
I've just had my 5/05 repaired for almost identical problems , and it was the MAF that was faulty , so
definitely get a fault code reader on it and/or diagnostic computer like INPA , because no point spending
money on gearbox if it isn't faulty .

There was a thin film of oil contaminating the MAF which meant that the air measurements were incorrect
hence it wasn't sure when/if to change up down , it felt flat with no torque and I was down up to 8 MPG on a run .
[/quote]

That's interesting.
Not heard of that before.
Think I'll have a pre-emptive nose in mine.

[quote="Stevejspm"]
There is a local transmission company that I spoke to & he instantly said " rebuild gearbox & replace torque converter at a cost of £2030 inc vat.
[/quote]

If they have just said that off the cuff without even checking the basics then i would steer well clear of them...

It cold be something as simple as a dodgy battery or alternator....

You need to get codes checked and the gearbox fluid pressure monitored,,
I know i keep harking on about that but if the pressure is not right then the box will always feel like its slipping.

[Stevejspm]

I now have an update......

Took the car to a local BMW techie today. He accessed ALL modules & ECU's on the car. There were 23 logged faults, all old stuff from sensor disconnection, battery change etc but nothing that pointed towards gearbox issues.

So he cleared all logged faults & took the car out for a good seeing to!

Uphill, downhill, booting it, gentle driving, up & down the gears....his comment was "for a car of this age & mileage it drives very well, I can't find anything wrong with it". His conclusion was that there is possibly a minor engine issue which is giving the impression of a gearbox fault. His comparison was 'when you have a headache & jump on the internet & ask many 'experts' why you have a headache, before you know it your diagnosed with a brain tumor!
I think I've looked into this so deeply I've convinced myself that the gearbox is faulty, how wrong was I!!

Well he gave the car a damn good going over & found no issues. I have however booked it in for gearbox oil level check, engine oil service & thermostat change (engine not reaching temperature, which he pointed out).

I'm a very relieved & happy bunny & thanks to all who contributed.

[Sanj]

Glad to hear this - can mess with you're head and make everything feel like cr@p. Hopefully the ownership experience isn't too spoilt. 

[Stevejspm]

Thanks Sanj, my exact words to my missus this afternoon after getting the car back "I love my car again, I hated it when I thought it was knackered!" I don't think I could really ever hate it!

[X5Sport]

[quote="Stevejspm"]
Thanks Sanj, my exact words to my missus this afternoon after getting the car back "I love my car again, I hated it when I thought it was knackered!" I don't think I could really ever hate it!
[/quote]

Does that work for wives too...... O:-)

[Steamyrotter]

Engine temperature could cause gearbox misbehaving...
There are a lot of things the gearbox ECU (EGS) take into account.

The EGS changes the way it operates the gearbox to enable engine and gearbox to warm to optimum parameters.

Have a nose at:-
http://www.e38.org/electran1.pdf

Will go some way to describing how complicated they decided these needed to be!!!

[Dizbit]

I had bad gearbox issues. The Auto Gearbox Centre in HOVE, got it all sorted and at a reasonable price. The one place that actually diagnoses the fault and focuses on that. So many I rang just wanted to throw in a recon box.