Scotty, a friend gave me his 2004 BMW 525i e60. Runs beautifully, but has the classic trans fault when you push it a little. Code P17E5. Easy to reset with BlueDriver if restarting car doesn't do it.
Videos I see say replace the solenoids and mechatronics in the valve body. I'm preparing to do the work. How likely is something else in the tranny to act up and make this repair a waste of my time?
I'm driving it in "manual" mode to keep the engine RPMs between 2,000 and 3,000. Helps prevent it from trying and failing to downshift for more power.
(ZF 6HP19 trans, M54 6 cyl 2.5L engine, 161K miles)
Thanks for sharing your time! Watching your videos every day.
Mark (Sim Pub) 😀
Any good methods to troubleshoot the shifting behavior to feel out whether bad solenoids are potentially the only culprit? Any patterns to look for or telltale signs?
Not unless you have access to a dealer level scan tool. If it is indeed a clutch pack that's slipping the entire transmission needs rebuilt, solenoids by themselves won't do it.
Automatic transmissions work based on hydraulic action, transmission fluid is supposed to always be clean. If you neglect it, the friction material will eventually start wearing off and becoming part of the transmission fluid itself. That's why changing fluid that's been neglected generally starts slipping if you change it.
ZF 6HP19 trans, M54 6 cyl 2.5L engine, 161K miles
That's around typical mileage where the automatic transmission starts acting up. I had a 1994 BMW 540i and the prior owners rebuilt the transmission at around that mileage. It shifted fine because it was rebuilt.
Got it. Well, I have a LAUNCH X431 Elite 2.0 PRO for BMW arriving today. Not dealer level or ISTA, but here's hoping it'll pull something for me. I will find out soon enough. Thanks for the feedback so far!
😀🔧
Good luck!
Well, the new scanner is great, and I get codes 299A and 4F85. Still no definitive answer though. Some saying new tranny while others saying to ignore that and solenoids etc will fix it, and it did for them.
Does anyone know if ISTA or INPA would be able to give a definitive answer as to whether the solenoids, mechatronics sleeve, or other valve body parts are the cause?
Some people take the tranny out and have the bushing replaced. Gotta be a way to not throw money at it and determine the issue before opening it up. Not giving up. 😬
I think I'm just gonna bag it! Not worth the work. Thanks for the input guys!
Well yeah, a clutch can be slipping inside the transmission
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Just when I was gonna bag it, I randomly overheard 2 guys talking at a store about solenoids and one turned out to be an "expert" according to the other guy. He thought that if I check the tranny fluid and it still has a little red color to it, then the valve body with new solenoids, sleeve, etc should do the trick and I don't need to rebuild or replace the transmission.
It doesn't just need to be darker red. It also cannot be gritty, nor smell like it's been burned. If any of the above are true, don't change your fluid, or the transmission will likely need to either replaced or rebuilt.
Valve bodies by themselves don't do much. They mainly provide the different passageways which are necessary to get the transmission fluid where it belongs at a particular moment. It's the solenoids that really matter. That's why when you flush the transmission fluid, anything that was in the pan could get lodged into the valve body, clogging it up. Your valve body is sort of a parallel to your brain. When you have a stroke, parts of your brain no longer function, or function incorrectly.
Any good methods to troubleshoot the shifting behavior to feel out whether bad solenoids are potentially the only culprit? Any patterns to look for or tell tale signs?
Thank you!! 😀
Just when I was gonna bag it, I randomly overheard 2 guys talking at a store about solenoids and one turned out to be an "expert" according to the other guy. He thought that if I check the tranny fluid and it still has a little red color to it, then the valve body with new solenoids, sleeve, etc should do the trick and I don't need to rebuild or replace the transmission.
Anyone want to chime in against that thought? I'm open to more opinions.
Thanks! 😀
It doesn't just need to be darker red. It also cannot be gritty, nor smell like it's been burned.
Good point. If it's clean, red, not burnt, and smooth, perhaps I do the new valve body pan, mechatronics, and solenoid kit. I think it'll cost me about $750 to do it myself?
If it doesn't pass all 4 criteria, I think I just put the fill plug back in and ride it into the sunset 🌄