'95 540i trans problem ZF 5H-30-no forward gears

[rick95540i]

SunBum posted a thread on this same problem...I mean the EXACT problem,but no takers on getting an answer.
I have a '95 540IA with a problem in my ZF 5H30 tranny. ...neutral is partially reverse...reverse works OK...forward gears don't...feel like brakes are on -it inches forward in forward gears....I got the car home by shifting-many times, till it just caught. Then it ran normqlly (??). At home..I shut it off for a few hours...tried it again, in the driveway and it worked as it should- as if nothing had happened! . I just tried it in the driveway, back and forth a little, but forward gears worked!....I quickly put it into park, but I know it will just fail again. Since it 'fixed' itself, it makes me think it could be an electrical contact in the shifter or ECU or a harness to the trans. Possibly a failur of the little balls in the valve body. Anyone else (besides SunBum had this problem?Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[mattyb]

"no takers on getting an answer"

-but at least some advice in the right direction! how long u had the car and what country is it in? when was the last time the tranny fluid was changed? have you taken it to a professional? between all of us here most things can be fixed but at the end of the day you might consider taking to an indy and having it professionally assessed. doesnt sound electrical and most folks here dont have a crystal friggin ball.

-who the fk is sunbum? did he do a search? cause there would have to be a million pages on this. Use the search function on the first page.

Best of luck

[BlueM60]

without knowing after of the factors previously stated-fluid quality etc. I would say it sounds like a definite valve body issue. The valve body check balls are plastic it most, if not all of the 5HP 30's. Sludge, etc can cause them to jam, or work eraically which would cause pressurized fluid to go all kinds of places it shouldnt, it could also be elctrical. First things first, check the condition, level of the tranny fluid, this has to be done from underneath the car at the tranny itself. A bit of a PITA without a lift. Hope this helps somewhat.

-Ben

[rick95540i]

without knowing after of the factors previously stated-fluid quality etc. I would say it sounds like a definite valve body issue. The valve body check balls are plastic it most, if not all of the 5HP 30's. Sludge, etc can cause them to jam, or work eraically which would cause pressurized fluid to go all kinds of places it shouldnt, it could also be elctrical. First things first, check the condition, level of the tranny fluid, this has to be done from underneath the car at the tranny itself. A bit of a PITA without a lift. Hope this helps somewhat.

-Ben

Maintenance records show the trans had a filter & fluid change (LA2634) 31K miles ago by dealer. I don't know if there were other fluids used in the trans before that, but the dealer didn't say the fluid was incorrect or anything. The fact that it was drivable AFTER the first failure led me to believe it may be electrical, or the valve body. I have driven it, back and forth in the driveway and it now shifts properly. I'm sure it will happen again though.
Another lister-SunBum also asked the list for help or the identical problem on the 8th of Oct. That thread didn't really come up with any answers, but I was hoping others had the same problem before and solved it. I would think if it were the check balls in the trans, others who had used unapproved fluids (Dextron II) would have resulted in this type of failure. it had got to be something faily common- for two 540is to have the identical problem. Unfortunately, a search on the list has not come up with anything fruitful.
Thanks, Ben

[tim]

Sorry nobody chimed in to give you a direct answer, but the Valve Body issue on the 5hp30 is a known problem, and BMW issued a TSB on the subject.

As to your problem- the shift lever is connected to a cable which mechanically moves the shift lever on the tranny. If you move the lever and the tranny wont shift or engage gears, the problem is the valve body (or perhaps the shift cable itself), and not electrical. You didn't mention whether you had gotten the "trans prog" error. If you had a purely electrical problem you would.

The original check ball for the reverse gear pressure line in the valve body was manufactured too small by ZF, and the plastic material had a tendency to wear. This led to the ball becoming jammed in the relief bowl for the reverse pressure line, and causing either the no reverse, or all reverse problem. The ball can wear unevenly, causing an intermittent failure such as yours, but in all likelihood, when that line is pressurized and the ball hits the valve in the right way, it'll get stuck again. Eventually, it will get stuck so bad that back pressure from restarting it won't be enough to get it out, and the car will be frozen in gear like so many others' before you.

The good news is that a Valve body rebuild is relatively cheap ('bout $400 to get a reman in swap for your core). If you were on warrantee the dealer would have done it for you. The tough part is paying to refill with the fluid. You could reuse your old stuff. Search on "jaggi" to find an online source as well as information.

Most of the guys around here who really know about the issue would recommend you get in touch with Kirt Koeller. Search on "kirt" for details about your problem and how to contact him.

[Tiger]

That's DEFINITELY valve body problem. I had the same problem. Call Kirt Koeller for valve body rebuilding/swap.

[rick95540i]

Thanks Tim...clears up a lot. I assume Kirt Koeller is the expert in this area. Won't he mind being bothered by callers?
Thanks again for the succint advice.
Rick

Sorry nobody chimed in to give you a direct answer, but the Valve Body issue on the 5hp30 is a known problem, and BMW issued a TSB on the subject.

As to your problem- the shift lever is connected to a cable which mechanically moves the shift lever on the tranny. If you move the lever and the tranny wont shift or engage gears, the problem is the valve body (or perhaps the shift cable itself), and not electrical. You didn't mention whether you had gotten the "trans prog" error. If you had a purely electrical problem you would.

The original check ball for the reverse gear pressure line in the valve body was manufactured too small by ZF, and the plastic material had a tendency to wear. This led to the ball becoming jammed in the relief bowl for the reverse pressure line, and causing either the no reverse, or all reverse problem. The ball can wear unevenly, causing an intermittent failure such as yours, but in all likelihood, when that line is pressurized and the ball hits the valve in the right way, it'll get stuck again. Eventually, it will get stuck so bad that back pressure from restarting it won't be enough to get it out, and the car will be frozen in gear like so many others' before you.

The good news is that a Valve body rebuild is relatively cheap ('bout $400 to get a reman in swap for your core). If you were on warrantee the dealer would have done it for you. The tough part is paying to refill with the fluid. You could reuse your old stuff. Search on "jaggi" to find an online source as well as information.

Most of the guys around here who really know about the issue would recommend you get in touch with Kirt Koeller. Search on "kirt" for details about your problem and how to contact him.

[632 Regal]

Sunburn claimed he replaced the valvebody

That's DEFINITELY valve body problem. I had the same problem. Call Kirt Koeller for valve body rebuilding/swap.

[tim]

He won't mind. Its what he does. I'd call if I had a problem, just tell him you heard about him on the board. Tell him the issue, he may have a different diagnosis, but I doubt it. Your problem is pretty clear. He will also give you info on how to drop the pan and replace it yourself. You will need to get the car up and level to do it though- and you may be better off finding an indy or a tranny shop to do it for you, as the refilling procedure is very very important to get right. If you take it somewhere, make them swear they'll do it EXACTLY as Kirt says to do it. I'd say half the (non clutch pack failure) 5hp30 problems are valve body, and the other half are incorrect fluid level.

And yes, he is "the" expert for those in the know. He rebuilds ZF's for a living, and taught most of us board old timers what we know, as he used to be a frequent poster on the old board back in the the day.

Thanks Tim...clears up a lot. I assume Kirt Koeller is the expert in this area. Won't he mind being bothered by callers?
Thanks again for the succint advice.
Rick

[tim s]

Full Name: Kirt Koeller
Job Title: ZF Transmission Expert
Company: Auto Sports Unlimited

Business: (800) 624-3876 ex 5735
Business 2: (616) 748-5735

E-mail: europetransman@hotmail.com






tim s.