More transmission problems

[Jachenbach]

Hello again,
Last October I shared with the group my 92 525 wagon displayed the tran prog error. I changed the oil, cleaned the valve body and learned that what I thought was water intrusion was actually condensation caused by a poor vent design.

For the last 15K everything was fine. Last night hard shifts followed by almost stalling in idle. No error codes. Could this be a torque converter or the last breath of the transmission?

[genphreak]

Did you clean/unclog the vent orifice at the rear/top? These block commonly on many cars, bimmers no exception.

[Jachenbach]

I will try, is it worth changing oil, cleaning valve body, changing filter? What are the signs for torque converter troubles?

[whiskychaser]

Sounds like your ATF may be running hot or you have a pressure issue. Maybe check out this article?:
http://www.transtec.com/downloads/re...2nd_q95r-n.pdf

[Jachenbach]

I have left the car idle for the past three weeks now I get the trans prog error message and the engine turns over but does not start. Could the two be related?

[632 Regal]

Check the battery voltage, it wont start if it is low don't matter if it turns over or not.

[Jachenbach]

I will today let's hope that is the problem

[genphreak]

Bad battery is a common cause of airbag and auto trans errors on M50 e34s.

And system voltage dropping under 12V means ECU stops firing the injectors or the spark. Of course voltage typically drops lowest once it has cranked for a bit, so when the battery is bad this happens pretty fast. As the car seldom fires on the first crank, a poor battery will cause a persistent no start condition- even after charging. I've tried to get what I thought was a good battery charged back in service but it turned out to have died early due to shorts in the touring trunk wiring causing boot or doors open condition (This keeps a relay or two energized and increasing battery drain from <50mA to well over 150mA. Over a year or this it took a toll on the battery (lead acid batteries don't like being discharged regularly)

All that said, IIRC an e34 won't crank if the battery is below 12V when at the time you turn the key.

[632 Regal]

All that said, IIRC an e34 won't crank if the battery is below 12V when at the time you turn the key.

It will crank all day long, just wont fire.

I have a rather long story about an E31 I used to own.... wasn't the battery(s).

[genphreak]

Ah yes, true indeed. I was reflecting on cars equipped with the later EWS or DWA (all '95 e34 and most e32): I think EWS stops cranking as well as fuel and spark, depending on what triggers or fails. Prior models do not exhibit this behaviour/'have this feature'