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View Full Version : Uh oh, crispy tranny?


SpecialSauce
09-25-2005, 09:14 AM
Revved the car up in neutral and *queue ominous music* Trans Program flashed across the screen. I hoped to god by some miracle if I just went to bed and pretended it didn't happen then it would magically disappear. To my surprise it did. Any thoughts from you 540 people out there? Keep in mind I'm a brainless kid who is driving a car that he has no business driving.
SpecialSauce
09-25-2005, 09:30 AM
I read a response in the archives about a man with a 7 series that did the same thing. I would like to know if turning the car off and back on made everything better, or if it's just delaying a tranny death. I'd also be interested to know what happened inside (mainly why the car 'limped'). Any input would be much appreciated.
632 Regal
09-25-2005, 09:47 AM
Only input I know is never to rev the car in park or neutral, it will kill the trans.

Good luck!
infinity5
09-25-2005, 01:30 PM
The trans-program message can be a result of a software glitch or a physical problem with the transmission. Considering it happened when you were doing the one thing you absoultely are not suppose to do with automatic transmissions, it more than likely was a physical problem. But since it went away, maybe you lucked out.

If it has just gone away then i would just drive nice and slow from now on, and start saving for a rebuild (they aren't THAT expensive).

If it comes back, try to reset the car's computer using Shogun's mehtod. It's been posted a lot. If that doesn't fix the problem, search some more for transprogram and try some of the other fixies. If nothing works, and it's staying in limp mode, then you more than likely fried one of the clutch packs and you're sunk.

Do you know how often the fluid has been changed? has it even been changed? if, and ONLY if, it has been changed on a regular basis, you might try that.
SharkmanBMW
09-25-2005, 01:37 PM
I had instance where I changed the shifter from S4 to Drive and accidentally went to neutral... the rpms were around 5000, as soon as it hit neutral and the rpms jumped, bing, limp mode.
Turn off, back on and it never did it again, I think it is a warning when the rpms get up high in park or neutral (among other issues of course, but in this case...)

I would say don't worry, but don't do it again!
It is smart to inform yourself about the tranny issues on a 540, but you may have just been "warned"!
Go easy on it! ;)