Re: E34 T Tranny question

["Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

John,

Could it be that your car is starting in second gear rather than first gear? 
  I have a '93 525iT, and if I start out in second gear the car will feel 
like the transmission is slipping.  As a check, once you've driven a bit (so 
your problem isn't occurring), put the transmission in manual mode and 
select second gear to start, and see if it feels the same as what you're 
experiencing in the morning.

It could be something as simple as low fluid level.  I don't believe that 
your car has a transmission dipstick, so there's a PITA method for 
accurately checking fluid level.  It's best left to a qualified mechanic to 
check.

Do you ever get any messages from the Check Control system?

As an aside, my 525iT has a JimC chip, and it raises the redline to 7000 
rpm.  However, if I let the transmission shift for itself, it will shift at 
a maximum of 6000 rpm.  Well, one day I decided to put the transmission in 
manual mode, and rev it to redline.  As soon as the rpms exceeded 6500 (old 
redline), the Check Control computer displayed a Transmission Program 
message, and it would no longer shift itself into first gear.  Starting from 
a complete stop felt very sluggish.

I shut off the car and restarted it, and the problem went away, as did the 
Check Control message.

I think that the transmission program freaks out when RPMs exceed the 'old' 
redline, because it doesn't know that the engine chip has been modified, so 
it's programmed to think that something bad happened.

- -rb

>
>Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 23:01:15 -0500
>From: "John Byrne" <supro@domain.elided>
>Subject: E34 T Tranny question
>
>Howdy listers. The tranny on my '95 E34 Touring (31k mi.) seems to be
>slipping on the first acceleration of the morning. Which is to say, that 
>when I first hit the gas after starting the car, it takes considerably more 
>pedal and RPM to get it to move than a) it used to and b) it does at any 
>other time (including the second acceleration of the morning, a stop sign 
>one block from my house).
>
>After that, it seems fine.
>
>Any thoughts? Should I be as alarmed as I'm inclined to be?
>
>Thanks,
>
>John Byrne

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