Cruise Control Got Stuck now Tranny is Slipping?

[kelhami]

Hi.

1994 BMW 530iT

So, whenever I started up the car, for the first 15-60 seconds it would crawl, like I was getting no power. I'd put the gas pedal to the floor and still sloooow. Eventually it would pick up speed and everything was fine... until I came to a stop, then the crawling thing would start all over again, every time I stopped.

So I took it to a tranny shop, they insisted it needed a rebuild, didnt even look at tranny, drove it around block and said, yep! rebuild. Then I took it to a BMW mechanic, he said... no, the RPMs arent rising while the car goes no where, cant be tranny... must be air flow meter.

Then one day, while cleaning out the gear shift area, I came across the "MAGNET," well, I didnt know what it was, but i plugged it in and waa laa! The power was immediate! No drag, no crawl... I thought I was a genious. But then I noticed a soft jerk as I started from a stopping position or sped up... the jerk got harder now and then, but never outta hand.

Then, because my car has been continually over heating, I realized that if I keep it under 30mph it wouldnt get any hotter. So I put it in cruise control... to keep it at 30mph but the throttle got stuck, I panicked. tried disengaing, tried gas, tried brake, finally put it in park (it revved and grinding and scared the hell outta me) and then I just turned it off. Turned it back on and it kept on revving and I couldnt get it outta park. Tried this a few times started to smell a burning smell and I quit turning it on and messing with the cruise control lever.

I got out, looked under the hood and saw the throttle was stuck... I snapped it down and all was well. But my car started jerking and kinda stalling and acting crazy. i parked it, came back several hours later and it seemed like the tranny went out/slipping. It revved up to 5, but wasnt going ANYWHERE! Kept shifting from Park to Drive to 4, 3, 2. etc... eventually it went forward, but then it jerks and lunges forward extremely hard, and gets stuck, revs high and wont move. Im afriad im destrying the tranny.

How could the stuck cruise control (throttle) have affected the tranny?

What can I do to check the tranny myself, and how do I do it (Ive never done this before, but I learn very fast).

Could anything else cause the tranny to "slip (?)" like low fluid, or something like that?

Other symptoms to consider:

Discovered today, several fan belts off-lined, shredding, one had shred part of itself around base of fan and the pulley it was on wasnt moving at all cuz it was so offline it wasnt really touching it.

Car is overheating after 10+ minutes of driving... cools off slightly or atleast doesnt get hotter if I stay under 30mph, or under 40mph, while turning the heater on.

Seems to be a leak, probably from seal in water pump.. not sure, but a water leak for certain.

The Air filter encasement is cracked and has two damaged holes in it.
The Air filter is dirty and needs changing.

Dont know last time tranny was serviced, Ive owned it a year and a half and, being my first car, have neglected it into disrepair.. .im trying to salvage it all now. I love this car and Im ashamed of how Ive treated it. :(

Someone help me, I want to save my car... and cant afford a tranny rebuild!
Hey, how hard is it to take out and take apart a tranny? Could I do this with a bentley manual or would I need to be a seasoned professional? is it all that hard to rebuild? Someone help, im desperate and willing to spend months with my head in manuals if it means I can get my baby beautiful again!

[pingu]

I think you've just learnt the hard way that you reap what you sow when it comes to car maintenance (or lack of).

Do some searches and you'll find loads of stuff about cooling. Several months of reading!

Also, have a look at:
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Engine/Coolant%20replacement.htm
and the rest of that site as there's lots of excellent information.

For the tranny, give Kurt Keller a call - a search should find his details (if I've spelt his name correctly - you might need to insert an 'o' somewhere into his surname).

Good luck.

[Dave M]

1) How could the stuck cruise control (throttle) have affected the tranny?

2) What can I do to check the tranny myself, and how do I do it (Ive never done this before, but I learn very fast).

3)Could anything else cause the tranny to "slip (?)" like low fluid, or something like that?

If this is not a fishing attempt, then its a really sad story and I feel for you. You have far more than a (likely) broken tranny as it sounds like you've been driving with, at minimum, a non-functioning cooling system. Your water pump is leaking and may not be working due to the belts. The belts may be chewed due simply to age, or, to something miss-alligned.

To address the immediate questions:

1) Cruise didn't do it, the fact you put a moving car in park did it.

2) Not sure if 'checking' the tranny is an efficient use of your time at this point. As the previous poster elluded to, you have long since missed the maintenance train and you're likey stuck with pursuing a 'new' or rebuilt tranny. Call Kurt Koeller (proper spelling) if you want some good auto tranny advice or take it to a TRUSTED shop or dealership. Auto trannys are extremely complex and not covered in DIY manuals for a reason. Here are phone numbers from a 2005 post. "Kurt Koeller can be contacted at (616)748-5735 or (800)624-3876." I won't discourage you from trying it yourself, but it will be quite an undertaking.

3) Yes, low fluid could cause this, but overwhelming evidence leads me back to the response to question #1.

Byy the sounds of it, you have a long road ahead of you if you want it back to a driveable condition. May be cheaper to look at a 'new' one???????

Best of luck

Dave

[kelhami]

Thanks guys,
I emailed Kurt. Hopefully, Ill get a reply. I feel like such an *******. I really screwed this car, just as I was beginning to love her so.

If anybody has any other advice, comments, etc they are all welcome.

I was all psyched out because I was beginning to become a very very novice gearhead and had planned to turn old "Jezabel" here into a sleeper. I had it all planned out turbo-charge and all that. Now I cant even get her to run right.

Hey, If I bought another car, what would be best to do with this one? She doesnt appear to be all that sellable. Also... what cars would ya'll recommend? I need a wagon (have kids), and I want the comfort and handleablity of the 530i that I had before, also want lots of power and smooth ride. Lastly, I'd like something that I could really convert into a bit of a sleeper= power/speed.. oh yeah. (I wouldnt mind cup-holders though)

Should I go out and get the same car... or is another model better for me?
:sigh: I miss my car already. God, I hate myself right now. I dont even wanna go out there and look her in the eye, poor little baby, she tried so hard and I just ruined her. :(

ANYBODY HERE THINKS SHE'S WORTH TRYING TO REPAIR... I FEEL SO ATTACHED AND GUILTY, BUT I DONT WANNA POUR MONEY INTO HER WHEN IT WILL BE TO LITTLE AVAIL?

[bad_manners_god]

I voted for the last one....considering it won't go into drive.

I think you're best soution would be to find ANOTHER 530IT and keep your current one as a parts car for it.

[whiskychaser]

Sounds like your tranny is dead and the motor isnt far behind because its been overheating all the time. Everything is fixable. It just depends how much money you are prepared to throw at it and how much downtime you can accept. Once you have done the sums you will come to a very prompt decision.

[Phatty5BMW]

Doesn't someone on here have a trans for sale for a 530 for a few hundred bucks? That would be my route. They aren't really that hard to put in... Thats what I would do...

[Phatty5BMW]

Here

http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38029

[kelhami]

Thanx Phatty... what do I look for when buying a used tranny?
What are the pros and cons of this particular one that I should consider?

Thanks for your help, its really encouraging. :)

[Ken35i]

Ye gads! Judging from this post and your other one, you've done some serious damage to your car. :(
Fixable? Yes. But if you were to get a machanic to do it, it will be very expencive.
Do it yourself? Well if you can't do basic maintantence then pulling an engine apart and putting it back together is really not recomended to say the least.

If you want to learn to look after a car (which I encourage you to do) and modify it (which I don't), I recomend a simpler car. Purhaps a Japanese car and one that's a bit older. These German cars will last a very long time, but need regular maintanence to do so. The Japanese cars are alot cheaper to fix and take a bit of neglect and rough treatment a bit better.

A good site on learning how an engine works is http://www.howstuffworks.com

About the current work that needs to be done, get a quote from a couple of places. See what your up against. Best of luck ;)

[Phatty5BMW]

Thanx Phatty... what do I look for when buying a used tranny?
What are the pros and cons of this particular one that I should consider?

Thanks for your help, its really encouraging. :)

Well the pros is that is the one for the 530 :) The cons, its a used trans, but its for cheap and will/should do the trick. I would atleast inquire about the trans. Hopefully its as good as he says it is... I don't think there is much you can really look for on a used tranny. It either works or it doesn't. I would say check for visible leaks on it and replace the seals before you install it. I dont know how many miles were on your trans before it failed, but I think you do have a very good chance with it, especially for the price.

Depending on you mechanical ability, its not really that hard to do, but like somone else said a shop will charge a lot to do it. The way I look at it, fix what you got, don't give up and don't go and buy somone elses problems. You have your car, you said you love it, don't give up on it. These type of things happen and just think, when you fix it, you will have your car again!!! Don't give up!!

[Phatty5BMW]

Just curious, Have you figured out what you are going to do with your car yet?

[kelhami]

Just curious, Have you figured out what you are going to do with your car yet?

Hey Phatti...
No, not yet, I'm still trying to evaluate all the problems and costs/ difficulty of repairs. Right now Im working with Kurt - The super nice tranny guy in MICH. via phone to diagnose and rule out some issues. Tonight I disconnected the battery and connected the neg and pos battery cables together to reset the comp memory and determine electrical probs... We'll see what happens tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for me :)

Thanks again for all your help and concern, this kinda support makes me proud to be a bimmer owner, even if a reformed/not very good one just yet. ;)

I'll keep you all posted.

[genphreak]

How did the throttle stick? I had the Cruise Control jam on at the setting I had given it once- it 'jammed' because the cancel signal from the brake light switch (on the brake pedal) was faulty (it has another circuit for the CC cancel). I panicked too (broke against the engine) and eventually cancelled the CC using the stick... but it damaged the transmission a little. It survived 2 years more on synthetic fluid, but you have a 5HP18 and they die differently to the old 4hp22s. You can get a new 5hp18 or a manual conversion done for very little... the overheating won't be so hard to sort out; just flush her out properly, test the water pump and all the hoses and hose connections, belts, etc. Make sure there is no water in the oil or oil in the coolant. If not, it is all easy little things, though you must follow the instructions carefully to get them done right. Buy the right coolant, hoses and other parts (replace the thermostat for sure), once you know it is going to be good. If the car is in decent condition, there is no point scrapping it for simple stuff... there aren't many left this good and they are worth looking after in my book.