BMW e46 330ci transmission light on , limp mode gear 4

[Daniel P]

Hello everyone, 

I’ve just bought my  e46 330ci 1month ago and the transmission light comes on the dashboard with the car going on limp mode , that what I’m getting of the tester , the car picks up speed very slow and it doesn’t seem to change the gears trough , 

has anyone had this problem before ?

appreciate any opinions , thanks you .

[Greydog]

Morning Daniel

Welcome to the Forum

You need to supply a little more information "how many miles ? is there any evidence the gearbox has been serviced ?" 

Your Gearbox is in limp mode 3rd or 4th gear this could be because the box is worn and needs a rebuild, it could be a service and oil change will fix it or it could be low transmission fluid due to a leak.

Of course the box in a 330i will have had quite a hard life 😁

Dave

[Daniel P]

22 minutes ago, Greydog said:

Morning Daniel

Welcome to the Forum

You need to supply a little more information "how many miles ? is there any evidence the gearbox has been serviced ?" 

Your Gearbox is in limp mode 3rd or 4th gear this could be because the box is worn and needs a rebuild, it could be a service and oil change will fix it or it could be low transmission fluid due to a leak.

Of course the box in a 330i will have had quite a hard life 😁

Dave

Good morning Dave , 

 

thank you for the reply, it has 146000 miles on the clock, gear box had full service around 110000 miles by the previous owner that had it for 7 years , before the prbolem came trough I didn’t feel any problem with changing gears as I think that was chenging smooth ,thank you .

 

Daniel .

[Greydog]

Morning Daniel 

!46k is no mileage and assuming the the service was a full one (Drain the flid, Drop the pan change the filter, check the solonoids and the External plug) and used the correct Fluid.

It depends on if you are a DIY capable guy or whether your wallet is going to take a hit

DIY, I would begin by checking the Fuid level and making sure there are no leaks. When checking the levels you could add a tube oof DR Tranny a "Snake Oil Additive" but I have seen it help a number of internal issues. Then reset the faults if they return you need more investigation. The issue could be a sticking/failing solenoid or serious wear internally. If you are not keen on DIY then you will need a good ZF specialist. It involves dropping the Fluid and gearbox sump removing the filter to expose the Mechatronix unit check the magnets in the sump carefully for and metal shavings and fragments everything has to  be very clean. 

Dave