E30 325I AUTO BOX

[jamsieboi]

hi

just been to see a 325i sport coupe with an autobox. car seemed in good order and you could notice the difference between "E" and "S". i know what the S is what does the E stand for?

my main concern is the car seemed to have a bit of lag before it pulled off but then it seemed fine. i have never owned an auto so i don't know if this is normal any ideas.

also the car looked pretty much rust free cept the inner lip of the arches where starting to blister which wouldnt cause me a problem just wondering if its on the arches is it likely to be everywhere else

[SPADGE]

E = Economy

[jamsieboi]

makes sense

[MONSPORT42]

E is for everyday driving and works like any other auto, it uses all the gears and goes in to overdrive/lockup for economy at just over 50mph (depending on what diff you have). You can use kick-down for overtaking or move the gear lever down to 3rd, or even 2nd.

S is sport mode and as already described it holds the gears and changes up at higher revs. It only uses gears 1 to 3 and won't change up into 4th. You can also change manually in this mode and hold the gears to even higher revs so you have more control if you're pushing hard. You can also change down and you get engine breaking just like a manual which also gives more control for hard cornering etc and also to be in the right gear on the exit of corners/bends.

3-2-1. This primarily desined to give control in difficult 'traction' conditions like snow and mud so that you can pull away in 3rd when low revs are needed. Not advisable to use this mode in everyday conditions or long periods as it will 'boil' the box!

[gra325i]

You can also change down and you get engine breaking just like a manual which also gives more control for hard cornering etc and also to be in the right gear on the exit of corners/bends.

thank you... ive been trying to tell folk this for months but most folk laugh and say autos dont have engine braking

Jamsie
i used to hate autos till i learned how to time the bm box now i love it...if i sit at 75 in "E" my engine,s only ticking over at 2600rpm = about 32mpg,id say thats pretty good in a chipped sport
unfortunatly the lag is characturistic of the auto box but you soon learn to bring the revs up a bit by holding the brake at the lights etc...i,ve beat the odd sri/gti this way on the 1/4 mile
as to the arches, they are the first to go so if theyre only just startig to bubble chances are the rest is good..
HTH Welcome to the zone by the way

[mrLEE30]

3-2-1. This primarily desined to give control in difficult 'traction' conditions like snow and mud so that you can pull away in 3rd when low revs are needed. Not advisable to use this mode in everyday conditions or long periods as it will 'boil' the box!

also designed for pulling loads, it will hold the gear rather than changing (or trying to)which can '' boil the box''

as for engine braking yes it works to a certain degree... but if you change down too early the box will not engage the lower gear until the engine speed is appropriate, same in 1,2,3 it will still change up once the engine speed for the box has been exceeded.

the lag is normal for all autos as the torque converter is basically two fan - type things in a fluid (the transmission fluid) one ''fan'' is turned by the engine which turns the fluid which turns the second ''fan'' which turns the drive train/gearbox, the lag is due to this lack of a physical link beteween engine and box.

mrlee

[snoops]

You can also change down and you get engine breaking just like a manual which also gives more control for hard cornering etc and also to be in the right gear on the exit of corners/bends.

thank you... ive been trying to tell folk this for months but most folk laugh and say autos dont have engine braking

Jamsie
i used to hate autos till i learned how to time the bm box now i love it...if i sit at 75 in "E" my engine,s only ticking over at 2600rpm = about 32mpg,id say thats pretty good in a chipped sport
unfortunatly the lag is characturistic of the auto box but you soon learn to bring the revs up a bit by holding the brake at the lights etc...i,ve beat the odd sri/gti this way on the 1/4 mile
as to the arches, they are the first to go so if theyre only just startig to bubble chances are the rest is good..
HTH Welcome to the zone by the way

why what does holding the brake do??

[gra325i]

means you can bring the revs up higher before you move thus eliminating most of the lag try it it works

[mrLEE30]

what does holding the brake do

heats up your transmission fluid nicely!!

What he means is hold the brake with left foot, rev the engine and hold it around 2-3 K rpm , then release the brake, the car should take off quite well (unless its a 320 like mine )

but as i say it will heat up your fluid so dont hold it too long, it also airates the fluid causing it to loose its hydraulic properties (as hydraulic fluid is not compressive compared to air hence why you bleed brakes of air) this will cause eventually even more loss of drive and require regular fluid/filter changes

[jamsieboi]

how often do the boxes need there fluid changed. what sort of milage would you expect before you run into any difficulty its currently standing 105000.

Im ideally looking for a manual but they are getting harder to get in good condition especially in northern ireland. So im tempted by the auto

thanks for the replies