What trans do I have

[duby55]

Can any of you tell me what trans is in my 1991 525i. Its an automatic. I have spent time going thru the archieves here and am still unsure what transmissions were used in this particular car. Are 525 and 535 automatics the same, and what year transmissions should I be looking for? I will appreciate any help. I want my car back, I hate that old Grand Marquis.

[Ross]

The GM one. No dipstick, right?

[duby55]

You know the one, it takes a special touch to get it out.

[winfred]

it's the gm tranny with the two oil pans, 91s had a dipstick, a tranny from a non vanos (91-92) 325 or 525 will work, on the 325s you need to use your flange that bolts to the driveshaft as the one on the 325 is smaller (bolts right up, usually doesn't even need a new seal), 93-95 trannys look the same but the computer and wiring is not compatable

[Ross]

In that case I'm the dipstick. I was under the impression that '90 was the last year for the ZF trans in the 525.
The ZF 4hp22 then, a better box in my opinion.
Did any of the GM trannys have a dipstick guys?

[Ross]

You the man!

[duby55]

Thanks for the information, it will be very helpful knowing what cars to look at being I can also use a 325 trans, it may be eaiser to locate a decent one locally at a reasonable price. Your help is much appreciated. Thanks.

[Bin_jammin]

Yeah, the 4hp22 out of any car will work, all you'll need to change depending on what it comes out of are the bellhousing, the valvebody. and possibly the tailshaft and housing (if it's out of a 4x4 Range Rover. Also, I've been told by a ZF rebuilder near me that the 4hp24 will bolt to anything that the 4hp22 will bolt to, uses the same wiring, and has beefier parts. The only downside is that it's 1/2 an inch longer, and the same thing that will fail on a 4hp22 is what will fail on a 4hp24, which is the planetary. So basically all the beefier internals are useless on the 24 because it will fail in the same way.

Just an FYI, in case you can find a 24 on the cheap.

[winfred]

if you have the twin cam engine it's a gm tranny, if you have a the old single cam motor it's a 4hp22, all 4hp22s are not the same, of the EH cars theres two different computer systems (for e32/34 m30 cars, e28/23/24 are different still) with the break being around the end of 89 and they are not compatable unless you want to remove the carpet in the car and change the wiring harness, theres tail housing differences on just about every model (which can be swapped) and theres tail shaft differences (which requier just about a complete tear down to change), the gm tranny is a little more standardized, they changed the computer system for 93 and up and the 5 series runs a larger flex coupler then the 3, but the tail housing is the same so you just unbolt the center nut and swap them

[Bin_jammin]

if you have the twin cam engine it's a gm tranny, if you have a the old single cam motor it's a 4hp22, all 4hp22s are not the same, of the EH cars theres two different computer systems (for e32/34 m30 cars, e28/23/24 are different still) with the break being around the end of 89 and they are not compatable unless you want to remove the carpet in the car and change the wiring harness, theres tail housing differences on just about every model (which can be swapped) and theres tail shaft differences (which requier just about a complete tear down to change), the gm tranny is a little more standardized, they changed the computer system for 93 and up and the 5 series runs a larger flex coupler then the 3, but the tail housing is the same so you just unbolt the center nut and swap them


Actually, all 22's are the same, and the 24 uses the same case too. The only differences that would make them application specific are the bellhousing and valve body. If he's got a dead 22, he can install the 22 out of damn near anything else, jaguar, peugot, bmw... whoever happened to be using it. Drain the fluid out of the tranny. Take it down ,and unbolt the bellhousing. Next remove the pan, filter and valve body. Swap valve body and bellhousing rom your tranny to the new one you're installing, and reinstall.

True, depending on application you may need to swap tailshafts. That's simply big nut. Output shaft housing requires removing the tailshaft, then the housing. Changing the output shaft is basically a few more steps until you ge to the planetary, and just swap them out. It's not a complex job if you've ever been near an automatic transmission, and if you haven't it's just a matter of following directions.

Just FYI (again) The 4hp24 uses the same housing as the 22. It's 1/2 an inch longer at the tailshaft, because of the way the output shaft is splined and because it uses a longer, thicker stator for added strength. You can use the valve body from your 4hp22 on a 4hp24, it will bolt up and work perfectly with your ecu.

[duby55]

The wealth of information from you all is great. I thought I was totally screwed, because I have very limited funds right now. Having an understanding of what I have and the possibiliy of getting a trans from a different vehicle opens lots more doors. I am going to stop at a few local salvage yards tomorrow and see whats available. Again I can't thank you all enough for all the info. Thanks again!

[whiskychaser]

The wealth of information from you all is great. I thought I was totally screwed, because I have very limited funds right now. Having an understanding of what I have and the possibiliy of getting a trans from a different vehicle opens lots more doors. I am going to stop at a few local salvage yards tomorrow and see whats available. Again I can't thank you all enough for all the info. Thanks again!
Before you shell out some cash, can I suggest you take a look at the plate on the gearbox? Yes I know the exhaust is in the way but it will tell you for sure what you have. I say this because your in Europe you car could have the ZF 5HP18 gearbox which itself has about 12 different variants