1997 BMW 528 Will not automatically shift

BRUCIE100

MEMBER
1997 BMW 528
6 CYL
AWD
AUTOMATIC
108,000 MILES

My car will not automatically shift. It will shift into reverse, etc. BUt, it will not shift automatically when going down the road. I had been having problems but thought it may be the unseasonably cold weather here in Alabama this winter because it was only doing it occassionally. I added transmission fluid and it seems to be worse now that before. I undertand it may have too musch fluid but I removed some this PM and drove it maybe a mile and it is still not shifting. What could be my problem?

Sunday, January 24th, 2010 AT 5:34 PM

3 Replies

DOCHAGERTY

MECHANIC
9,603 POSTS

It could be several things going on. 1. There is a bulletin for a Eprom update to deal with this issue, the part # will depend on the numbers on the EGS control module. 2. There is or there are broken parts internally, consider this as a possibility, and I am not recommending that it may be so. 3. There may be power and/or ground issue. I recommend proceeding with a sample of the oil, is it black and does it smell burnt? If so the next step is more challenging, fix it or replace it.

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Sunday, January 24th, 2010 AT 7:19 PM

BRUCIE100

MEMBER
3 POSTS

The oil does not smell burnt or look black. After reading some other posts concerning fluid, I am concerned about the method employed in checking the fluid. We simply started the engine and let it run for a few minutes. Turned the engine off and then checked the level by removing the cap to the ATF bulb. It appeared low so we added some. I will check the EPROM update also.

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Sunday, January 24th, 2010 AT 11:42 PM

DOCHAGERTY