E30 Zone

helo there recently bought a f reg 325 tourer 71,000 on clock been stored for last 6 years only brought out for mot .. couldnt resist it as always liked them and love my v6 or straight 6's any whoo the other day it was like a manual with a slippy clutch and now have no forward gears only reverse doh.. normaly i would give up at this point but its a1 mint and ive just spent a few pound on a few mods so going to stick with it .. a few quistions is the box beyond repair ?? if so does anyone know if any other auto boxes fit..ie later models the 2ltr auto etc as they have the same straight 6 engine??? and finaly anyone got one there getting rid.. thanx in advance pete[/img]

my box done that so i took it a local gear box centre , they flushed it through and changed the filter and it has been ok now for 9 months! not saying this will work on yours but it,s worth a try aye!

would recommend the above course of action, get the fluid changed and a new filter put in the box. It is possible some valves are stuck in the valve body and some new fluid may help to restore normal operation.

This could be a driveway repair if you have some axle stands and a socket set. I think the gearboxes are largely the same ZF4HP22 across the range but there could be differences which are not physically apparent.

hi thanx for quick reply whats this filter youre on about and you say can be done on the DRIVE im a competent mechanic with tools so any help on whats involved at all and where/what this filters about as ill try it first before trying to put a new box in ...pete

when you take the sump off the bottom of the box, you'll see the bottom of the valve body and bolted to that will be a metal strainer with some mesh filter.

Remove and replace that and then bolt the sump back up (don't know if these sumps are a rubber or cork gasket or just instant gasket).

It is maybe worth doing a bit of a flush as there will be more ATF fluid still in the torque converter than you get out the sump, so maybe empty the sump, put the plug back in, fill it up to the correct level (ATF fluid is checked with the car/ box warm and engine running) then go for a drive to circulate the fluid. Then get back and drop the fluid and then take the sump off, change the filter and refill with fluid. That way you will flush it through more.

bit more of a ball ache mind you

As a rough idea, here is the strainer and bottom of the valve body on the auto box on my soarer

As above ! The local gear box center will have a machine that will pump fluid through the whole system so flushing out out any shit and saving you the head ache of rolling about on the drive! £10.22 for the filter from euro car parts ! i supplied this and they supplied oil and labour , final cost £60 and it took an hour!!

great thanx im sure y tourer will be up and running in no time and back on show pete

where do you top the auto boxes up from??? got all me bits then thought for a mechanic i know nowt about auto's or bm's lol pete

down the dipstick tube

ha ha dipstick appropiate word for me lol

Maybe, just maybe, your autobox ECU is in bad nick or buggered. It's easy enough to check. Where the wheelbrace is stored in the nearside cubbyhole in the boot, you'll notice that there's a small black box there. Remove this and open it up. My old touring had exactly the same symptoms as yours and opening up the ECU revealed a fair bit of moss growing inside it. A good clean was all it needed to get her going again.

georgen wrote:Maybe, just maybe, your autobox ECU is in bad nick or buggered. It's easy enough to check. Where the wheelbrace is stored in the nearside cubbyhole in the boot, you'll notice that there's a small black box there. Remove this and open it up. My old touring had exactly the same symptoms as yours and opening up the ECU revealed a fair bit of moss growing inside it. A good clean was all it needed to get her going again.

thats for the sports swithabel auto, normal autos dont have a seperat ECU do thay?

the sump gasket is rubber and a real pain to do on axle stands as it wants to fall off all the time and it requires some patience when doing!