E39 Gearbox issues - Vibration at 2000RPM - need advice pls

[yoman1979]

Hi guys;Need a bit of your expertise here and was wondering if anyone could pls advise me;I have a 1997 e39 528i auto, and from the moment I bought it (May 2011), the gearbox vibrates at around 2000 rpm and disappears when it goes higher (or lower).I have confirmed it is not damage to my wheels/rims - so that rules that out.To try to diagnose, I have done the following; I have also put the car into neutral and revved - result was no problem during revving...smooth.However when put into drive and driven, the vibration comes around 2000 rpm.the whole car judders until i acelerate. So that shows its an issue with the gearbox possibly?The interesting thing is when I did a ecu reset one time, the vibration went away for 1 day then came back again.For info, this vibration has been at the same level since I got the car till now even.Mechanic says there must be a problem with the gearbox internals but am not so sure.I was thinking of replacing my ATF (I have never replaced ATF before and am not sure what oil the previous owner used); but am not sure if this is the fix.Can anyone pls advise on what I could possible do/check?Cheers,Pro

 

[antiquer]

Maybe u want to check longshaft bearing and bush as well.

 

[mechatronic]

Japan or European E39? Please check the transmission mount. Very often broken.

 

[yoman1979]

Thanks antiquer, mechatronic for your replies.
Am really sure if Japan or European E39; how can I check;
Will check transmission mount but if its the trans mount, would that not create vibration throughout the rev range?(instead of 1800 - 2000 rpms only)
Antiquer, bushes have been replaced; longshaft has been inspected to be in good condition as of last year; this problem has been here for almost 2 years now

Cheers and any more opinions will be appreciated

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks antiquer, mechatronic for your replies.
Am really sure if Japan or European E39; how can I check;
Will check transmission mount but if its the trans mount, would that not create vibration throughout the rev range?(instead of 1800 - 2000 rpms only)
Antiquer, bushes have been replaced; longshaft has been inspected to be in good condition as of last year; this problem has been here for almost 2 years now

Cheers and any more opinions will be appreciated

 

[yoman1979]

Gents,
I replaced a leaking manifold but that did not solve the problem..any ideas?
Could it be gearbox ecu...or injectors??

 

[5150]

Hi, i'm drivin the same model like xcept mine is 96. Changed many things already so cant remember exactly. I'm not an expert but this is my opinion. Try changing your gearbox oil by using the BMW ATF oil and also change your rear axle oil by using Redline High Performance oil. And then change your air filter it may be shredded to pieces like mine was when i was having the damn vibration problems.... If prob still persists then check these things first:

1. Fuel pump - if its never been changed then change it. And if you change the pump make sure you change the floats also, there r 1 float for each tank.
2. Fuel filter.
3. MAF sensor.
4. Camshaft sensor.

In my experience gearbox problem is when there is a problem in changing gear whether upshifting or downshifting meaning it cant engage gears. Another one is the torque converter prob which gives a symptom similar to clutch slips in manual trans cars. So if u dont hv these problems better leave the gearbox alone bcoz its unlikely to be the culprit.

But i bet it is your air filter, if you had never changed it la

Gud luck.

 

[samloh_cm]

It could be your torque converter out of balance. Maybe you should let a gearbox expert have a look at your symptom. My 2 cents.

 

[alantiong]

u guys are on a wild goose hunt.. think think think before you spend all that money! its not the gearbox for goodness sake..

 

[yoman1979]

Hi guys, thanks for your input.
Alan, may I ask why you think its not the gearbox?

By the way, I did a decarbonizing of my engine and fuel system, and somehow the gearbox vibration has gone away (touch wood !). It has been ok for 1 week now. Engine now feels smoother and less jerky if ever it was.

Cheers