Gearbox 4 or 5 speed?

[deepblueE34]

Feew, now that the intro is done, please allow me to ask my first question.I'm in doubt whether my E34 gb is 4 or 5 speed. Silly I know. My gear selector has PRND321. Is that conclusive evidence that it is a 4 speed gb? The previous owner claims that it is a standard gb.thanks!

 

[julianpang]

I hope i can help. May i know if your car was previously bought new in malaysia or was it a recond car previously? Are u running on M50 vanos engine?

Correct me if i am wrong, from what i understand is all Malaysian market E34 came with American GM 4 speed gearbox.

 

[deepblueE34]

Hi Julian,

Yes, it has the M50B20 engine with vanos. I think it is a local car, but not sure. I was looking for a VIN somewhere on the driver side bottom of the windscreen but didn't find any. Do you know where one can find the VIN? maybe then it would be easy to get the car specs. The gear is pretty smooth but from what i hear 4 speed gb makes for higher FC.

thanks!

 

[julianpang]

It's near driver's side and it's engraved at the highest point on the firewall. It is partially blocked by the black plastic thingy where the fresh air goes in.

If you can get the VIN number then it's a lot earsier to determine whether if it's 4or 5 speed.

 

[Iylia H]

you know, you don't have to look for the VIN numbers to know how many speed the car has. Just look at the auto gear levels itself.

for 4 speed = starts with P-R-N-D-3-2-1

for 5 speed = starts with P-R-N-D-4-3-2


as per exhibit 1;

Yes I agree on the part that 5 speed gives you better FC, due to it having better torque band due to its 5 gear selection.

 

[deepblueE34]

Julian thanks for your help. Tried to find the VIN but no luck. Will give it another shot.

Iylia, thank you for the nice diagram. Correct me if am wrong, but it doesn't say if P-R-N-D-3-2-1 means 4 speed. It says P-R-N-D-3-2-1 for 525 which may come with 4 or 5 speed gb. btw, if what i have is a 4 speed auto, is it recommended to change to a 5 speed jetco or it won't be that smooth. I read here that they cost under 1k, i don't know what other parts needs to change though.

 

[Iylia H]

pretty damn sure P-R-N-D-3-2-1 means 4 speed. The reason why I took that diagram is just for the sake of illustrating to you how it looks like. And the diagram might have been published before the lower cc 5 series were given the 5 speed auto upgrade, that's why it says for 525i, 530i etc.

In my opinion, if it's not a 5 speed, just use it until it konks, only then you change it to the 5 speed box.

I think the 5 speed would perform better than the 4 speed box, because it doesn't need to pull rev before it upshift. Cruising would certainly be a pleasure due to the low rev though the car is actually running fast.

 

[julianpang]

Based on my understanding, you need the below for 5 speed conversion:
1. 5 speed gearbox.
2. Complete gearbox wiring.
3. Gearbox ECU.
4. Long shaft.

It's hard to find all in one short unless u buy a complete half cut.

 

[macgy]

This is what i did, go to my mechanic, test drove his 5 speed e34, confirmed ok and told him I want his GB, all d above was migrate to my 4 speed e34 incl. the dashboard display(meters).

 

[deepblueE34]

Macgy, nice mechanic you got. If i may ask, how much did this transfer cost? and don't tell me it was for free! Am considering getting a japanese 5 speed gb if it helps put a dent on my bad fuel consumption, after exhausting other options.

 

[julianpang]

Macgy, nice mechanic you got. If i may ask, how much did this transfer cost? and don't tell me it was for free! Am considering getting a japanese 5 speed gb if it helps put a dent on my bad fuel consumption, after exhausting other options.

I am also looking forward to convert to Japanese 5 speed gearbox. Currently running on M50B25 with 4 speed gearbox.

Based on my current setup, I need the below for the conversion:
1. gearbox wiring.
2. gearbox ECU.
3. long shaft
4. brackets for gearbox.

I was told by my mech that the 4 speed gearbox is more expensive than the Japanese 5 speed gearbox.
To do a complete conversion to 5 speed inclusive installation and fluids, it is going to be approx RM2.6k. That is about the price of rebuilding my current 4 speed gearbox.

 

[tehyw]

bro... no need change lah! if u r going to change anything, it had best to be manual!

 

[Iylia H]

agree with teh... either go for manual or don't change... but if i were to choose whether to go for a 2nd hand 5 speed, i'd be better go for a GB rebuild... atleast all the faulty parts are changed, so more peace of mind, then a 2nd part (if you're lucky you get a good one, if not, your loss)

 

[julianpang]

Maybe i should wait till it breaks then worry anout it.

Iylia has a good point.

 

[Junior 34]

Agreed:top:

bro... no need change lah! if u r going to change anything, it had best to be manual!

 

[stig]

Haha RacunTeh strikes again...

 

[yusriyacob]

Thanks folks for the nice and clear conversations and finaly i found out that my GM gb is actually 5speed

 

[deepblueE34]

Strange. I thought GM gearbox come in 4 speeds only.

 

[yusriyacob]

So do i , very stran
ge isnt it