(Solved) No forward no reverse

TheFixer

Sergeant
Aug 16, 2020
493
352
0
Tennessee
Ride
2008 535i
Went to put gas in my 08 535i after fixing my condensation sensor and it refused to go into reverse or drive. >:/

No codes at all. I'm guessing it's the bridge seal in the transmission.

Looks like I'll be getting the mechatronic kit from FCP euro to do same tranny maintenance.

Lucky me.
 
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Jeffman

Major
Jan 7, 2017
1,618
1
628
0
How many miles on your tranny? What’s the tranny maintenance history like? Fluid changes? Filter changes?
 

NoQuarter

Major
Nov 24, 2017
1,662
1,066
0
Indiana, USA
Ride
Z4 35is, 535xi, X5 35i
Ok... you need to do a dedicated thread for you and this car so we can keep these "isolated" incidents together.

You'll get the help. We all love these problems to troubleshoot.

Sold my 535 so I need the buzz
 
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TheFixer

Sergeant
Aug 16, 2020
493
352
0
Tennessee
Ride
2008 535i
How many miles on your tranny? What’s the tranny maintenance history like? Fluid changes? Filter changes?

135k miles.

No idea of the history.

I did a complete flush and filter last month.

I should of done the whole mechatronic rebuild and replaced all the seals based on what I've read.

Just like when I flushed my Trans Am tranny and my seals and bands crapped out.
 

TheFixer

Sergeant
Aug 16, 2020
493
352
0
Tennessee
Ride
2008 535i
Ok... you need to do a dedicated thread for you and this car so we can keep these "isolated" incidents together.

You'll get the help. We all love these problems to troubleshoot.

Sold my 535 so I need the buzz

Lol. Might need too. Seems it wants to start giving me a headache.

Last year this time my ac compressor detonated and took all the pulleys with it. That was a fun job. Ended up doing a complete FBO being I was in there.

My biggest peeve with this car is all the little piddly things that break. Never ends.... but it's fun and wicked fast.
 

TheFixer

Sergeant
Aug 16, 2020
493
352
0
Tennessee
Ride
2008 535i
So the problem is a cracked bridge seal. 8 dollar part. It is pretty brittle after 140k miles. I wonder when it cracked....

Anyway, I pried the filter out of the pan. Pretty dirty for only a month of driving around after I changed it. I think all that crud is from the bridge seal.

I'll be changing all the mechatronic solenoids this time. Pricey parts. Ugh.....It'll be a few weeks till I get her back on the road.
 

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TheFixer

Sergeant
Aug 16, 2020
493
352
0
Tennessee
Ride
2008 535i
Here's some pics of me rebuilding the valve body with the sonnax zip kit.

Being i had it out i figured it's best to rebuild it.

There's definatley noticeable wear on the parts I'm replacing.

The pieces in the kit are way better than the stock parts.

Very easy to do this as well.

Here's the link for a write up by someone else

 

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TheFixer

Sergeant
Aug 16, 2020
493
352
0
Tennessee
Ride
2008 535i
Fixed. Road tested and everything works as it should. Really really freakishly smooth. I don't feel the shifts at all with the stock Trans tune. After a few miles I flashed to stage three and that's noticeable shifts....as it's supposed to be in stage 3. But much faster than before.

So if you lose forward and reverse completely it's that bridge seal for sure. If your low miles and no other issues you could probably just get away with replacing the bridge seal. I doubt any e60s here are low mileage though. Lol.

While it's out might as well get the solenoids and the sonax zip kit. It's not hard to do. Just tedious.

The fill procedure is probably the most tedious part. Pump in 4 liters. Then start the car and go through forward and reverse, with your foot on the brake, 6 times or so to get the fluid through it.

One thing to note with eshift. Until the fluid starts circulating enough to build pressure it won't hold in drive or reverse. Keep going through the procedure. It will start to hold in gear after a bit. I freaked out at first thinking nothing was fixed!

Then when the tranny reaches a temp of 100 degrees go back under and fill with fluid till it comes out. About another 4 liters. You can use the MHD monitors to watch the tranny temp. You're going to be doing this while the car is running.

Once that's done reset the tranny adaptations with protools and go for a drive.

Here's a link for the fill procedure


Also included pic of torque sequence for the pan.

The sonnax kit has all the torque values and sequences for the valve assembly.

Alright, that's all for now.
 

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