Help- On and Off Reverse Gear Failure

[Young Swee Ching]

Hi guys.My E46 318i is experiencing reverse gear failure on and off.... I have sent it to AB and it costs me RM1800-00. The problem came back again after a month. I sent it to AB again and after a week the problem is back. Now every time I do an emergency brake, the reverse gear will not even engage...... anyone with same problem and know where to have it solved.... I have lost my patience with AB....

 

[fabianyee]

Assuming your gearbox is auto, when u say u can't engage reverse, do u mean you can shift into R position but nothing happens or it can't go into R at all? And if it can't go into R, does that mean you can go into P slot as well???

 

[Young Swee Ching]

Thanks fabian, Y.yes, I can shift into R but nothing happens. I can shift into P, D, R and N without any problem.

 

[NKTOB]

Thanks fabian, Y.yes, I can shift into R but nothing happens. I can shift into P, D, R and N without any problem.

Sounds like u need a second opinion after AB..

Gearbox specialist like MScope or other service workshop e.g. MSpeed. Th mechs there shd be able to pinpoint the fault.

cheers

 

[crtee]

i have the same problem on my e46 325i,at first my R is not working then later even i switch to D it can only run at 1st gear and it wont shift to 2nd gear...have sent the car to AB but they say the gear transmission spoilt and need bout 20k to repair so now im headache dunno to go where

 

[ferry]

try check your selector switch. located at bottom of your gear lever. it cost RM100++ for E36 and not sure for E46. maybe the contact part dirty or dry contact.

 

[ferry]

that is a big problem. for me if we send to pakar (AB), we should get the best result and should be the problem solve., otherwise that is try and error job.... kalau i belasah balik AB sampai ok.... rugi oooo antar kat AB problem still there.

 

[fabianyee]

we would be going to Sapura Auto this coming Sunday (28 January 2007) for test drive and free inspection.

Perhaps you can get your second opinion there.

Check out this thread: http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10518

 

[jarance]

i have the same problem on my e46 325i,at first my R is not working then later even i switch to D it can only run at 1st gear and it wont shift to 2nd gear...have sent the car to AB but they say the gear transmission spoilt and need bout 20k to repair so now im headache dunno to go where

Not sure about E46, but for E36, the problem could be due to faulty solenoids in the gearbox transmission. Faulty solenoids can be detected when the modic is plug in. The modic can also simulated or forced the solenoid to switch on to test it function.
BTW, the alarm is recorded.

As mentioned by ferry, there is also a possibility of worn out contact for the gear selection. This problem will cause your car to go a bit crazy as it does not know what is the selection of the gear shift if the contact is worn out.

Another possibility is the alignment of the gearbox cable and shift position.

Of course, if the ATF have not been changed after 100,000 km, please changed it along with the filter in the gearbox. (applied to E36 not sure about E46)

BTW, check the ATF level in the gearbox. Sometime they are also the cause.

FYI, I did have problem with solenoid and worn out contact before. Most of time it give the indication that the auto transmission is kaput but after changing the respective parts the problem disappered.

So before you decide to overhaul the gearbox, do the above first. It small cost compared to a gearbox replacement.

 

[jarance]

that is a big problem. for me if we send to pakar (AB), we should get the best result and should be the problem solve., otherwise that is try and error job.... kalau i belasah balik AB sampai ok.... rugi oooo antar kat AB problem still there.

yes, it a bit disappointing but since the problem is not solved the first time round, you have the right to ask the workshop to fix it without any additional cost to you within the warranty period of the part replacement.

Problem is the frustration of going back to the shop a couple of time for fix it.

That why it is good to have a bit of a knowledge about your car. When I have an alarm code for the auto trans failure, the mechanic says that this alarm could means that the gearbox is kaput. but having read from info from this and other forum, I decided to change the oil filter and AFT instead. Also found that the oil level is low (leak out during radiator replacement). Now the auto trans is still working. Save me a bit of money if decide to overhaul.

The gearbox is built to last. It dont fail easily. Most of time it the other thing that make the gearbox "failed"

 

[crtee]

thanks for ur advice jarance,i have actually went to ask carl benz and they said only certain parts are need to change but it also cost roughly bout 5k....now im waiting for AB's sales advisor to claim this repair cost for me and it would take about 10 days for them to know the answer whether is ok or reject and my car is still below 100,000 km.it is only 82000 km