4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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Forum BMW Models 5 Series (E12, E28, E34, E39, E60, E61) 1996 - 2003 (E39)

No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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02-03-2010, 03:33 PM

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Feb 2010Champaign, Illinois

486 MR2, 91 MR2T

No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

Hello, Reverse gone out on your BMW with ZFtransmission? Maybe this write-up will help you! The particular car I am working on did not haveany forward gears, but the failure was so similar tothe normal no-reverse complaint that it shouldhelp. This is NOT for the casual do-it-yourselfmechanic. You could very easily miss a small detailwhen tearing down or re-assembling thetransmission and cost you all the labor and partsyou put into it. If are going to have to install aused trans anyway, what can it hurt to attemptthe repair yourself?Drain all the fluid you can from the vehicle, andremove the trans. This takes about 2 hours. Rollthe trans onto its back on a table covered withheavy paper, and remove the pan. Remove the 2bolts holding the filter, and remove the filter.Throw it away. If you have the classic no-reverseproblem, you will probably find several dozenaluminum "teeth" bits that have broken off thecenter support drum. These allow the snap ring tomove too far and the brake clutch pack "D" will notbe able to engage. Pull the clip that holds the electrical connector andpush the connector into the case. Remove the boltholding the output speed sensor into the case andthread the bolt back into the case so you don'tlose it! Unclip the 2 pin connector on the bottom ofthe valve body that leads to the input speedsensor. Unlike what I have shown in the picture,leave the wiring harness plugged into all the

#1

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cacrawfo

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4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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solenoids. It is easier to just bring it out with the

harness attached.

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02-03-2010, 03:38 PM

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Apr 2005Burlington/Freehold

NJ9,297

2000 Z3 2.3A

Sounds incredibly interesting, however, since you are a new member, you're not able to showpics.

#2

Who, me?

amancuso

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02-03-2010, 03:42 PM

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Jan 2007Waterford MI

1,4412009 C350

Also removing the trans without proper tools and a lift will take a lot longer than 2 hours for mostpeople here. Still would be interested in seeing the pictures.

#3

Scouser at Heart

Vipsa

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02-03-2010, 03:52 PM

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Feb 2010Champaign, Illinois

486 MR2, 91 MR2T

I forgot to mention, the VERY first step of any transmission or hydraulic repair is to pour

#4

Member

cacrawfo

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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approximately 1/2 quart of ATF over your head. You will be getting very oily and dirty soon, somight as well start it off right. Now you can carefully remove the valve body! You will see lots of Torx screws... the VB is 3pieces, and we want to remove it in one piece. Some of the screws hold the pieces together,while the largest screws hold the complete VB to the trans case. Remove all of these largescrews and set them aside. Have a clean cardboard box or shop rag on a flat surface ready toset the VB on. Lift it out, and it should be free from the trans case, as long as you disconnectedthe wiring from the input speed sensor. Be advised that there is a piston in the VB that engagesthe shift arm coming through the side of the case. It should slide free of the shift arm as you liftit up. You can now remove the input speed sensor and set it aside, remembering to screw thebolt back into the case so you don't mix it up or lose it!

Here is what you should have after removing the VB from the case. Note that I left the harness inthe case and both speed sensor are still installed. I advise leaving the harness attached to theVB and removing it all as one unit. Look at the far left of the picture, you will see 2 plastic tubeswith o-rings on them. These are the oil feed and pressure lines from the oil pump. One passesthrough the VB directly to the filter. This feeds oil from the bottom of the pan to the oil pump inthe front of the transmission. The other is pressurized oil from the pump to the VB. These tubesneed to be removed to allow you to remove the pump from the case. One tube will come outeasily, and might even have stuck in the bottom of your VB. The other has a metal thingy in it, toremove it push it down slightly and turn it CCW, it should disengage some tabs and come out witha spring behind it. The tube itself is held into the pump by some tabs. To remove it, first take offthe top o-ring so you don't damage it. Grab the tube firmly with some needle nose pliers and pullstraight up firmly, rocking it around slightly in a circle to get the tabs to disengage. Even if youdo everything right, you may break the tube. It is a replacement item, and it is not a bad idea toget both tubes new.

Now it is time to remove the front pump cover and pump, and all the "guts" of the transmission.Remove all the bolts holding the pump in. You should have a flat, clean area of your workbenchready with some cardboard on it to place the parts on as they come off. Also, a jar of vaseline ortrans assembly lube to "stick" bearings or races to the trans parts so you don't lose track ofwhere they go. Using a combination technique of pulling on the nose of the pump cover casting, and pushing onthe pump from the inside of the transmission, remove the pump from the case. It is 2 seperatepieces, but you want to keep the pump together, and "clocked" correctly. There are fluidpassages that go between the 2 pieces, and if you rotate it when you bolt it back together it willnot work. Due to the arrangement of the pump bolts, you should not be able to get it off, butbetter to keep it correct from the start! Carefully study all the pictures, and you can see where Isplit the gearset/clutches. If you just yank on the pump nose, it may not split where you want itto, so pull on the nose and push on the gearset in the middle of the large opening next to theinput speed sensor to get it to come apart as shown. Pay close attention to any bearings/bearingraces that may come out as you are taking the pump out. Immediately put them back on theshaft they came off of, holding them in place with a dab of Vaseline!

This is what should be staring at you now.... The input shaft. Scared yet? You should be, but toobad! You are commited now!

Last edited by cacrawfo; 02-03-2010 at 04:03 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

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02-03-2010, 04:07 PM

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Jan 2007Waterford MI

1,4412009 C350

#5

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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Wow this looks like it will be an EPIC DIY. Keep it going .

Scouser at Heart

Vipsa

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02-03-2010, 04:14 PM

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Feb 2010Champaign, Illinois

486 MR2, 91 MR2T

This is what the pump assembly and first few clutch/brake pack sets should look like on thebench.

Note the 2 pieces to the pump assembly, in between the pump inlet/outlet holes there is a bolthole for a pump bolt. If you follow that up you can see where I made a mark on the inner pumpcasting with a white/silver Sharpie pen. Make a mark here for yourself in permanent pen orscratch a small mark with a sharp tool. This will help you line it up when you are installing it.

Now you can take more internals out. Next pieces should be the main planetary gearset. Try toget it out in one piece, if it comes apart carefully put it back together before you forget how itcame apart!

You should now be at a point where you cannot get anything more out without removing thecenter support drum. You should also be able to see now why reverse will not work. In fact, someof the brake frictions and steels may be barfing out at you because the snap ring cannot retainthem without the little ears that broke off. To remove the center drum, you have to remove the3 large bolts from under the valve body. With these bolts out, you can slide the drum out. Try toleave the rearmost clutch packs and planetary set in the transmission, you do not need to takethem out to replace the drum!

Here are the 3 bolts that hold the drum in place. Note the 3 holes and 2 threaded holes. Thethreads are where the VB bolts on, but the 3 holes are for fluid to pass into the drum to activateservo pistons "D", "G" and a 3rd one. "D" is on only in reverse, while "G" is applied in P,R,N,1, and2. In my car, "G" side of the drum had failed, so I got no forward or reverse! Also note the larger"window" in the case on the left side, between the drum and the park lock. Try to get the drumto separate from the rest of the trans there. Leave as much in the case as you can. I took out

#6

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cacrawfo

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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more than needed and this is what I got...

By now you should have an impressive/depressive pile-o-parts that looks like this:

Now you will have to forgive me, I was so oily at this point that I did not get a few criticalpictures of disassembling the brake packs out of the broken drum and installing them into the newdrum! I will try to describe it as best I can! Another option is to take the broken drum and packswith your new upgraded ZF drum to a trans shop and ask them to swap it all over for you. To remove the packs, pry the snap ring out with a small screwdriver. Turn the drum over andshake out all the frictions and steels, keeping them in order. Set them aside. Do the same for theother side of the drum. The two sides are different sizes, you cannot mix them up! You have onemore step to do to get the drum down to its most basic form. You will need to compress thespring and remove a snap ring to be able to remove the large shaft in the center of the drum. Imade a special tool to do this: a short length of 3" steel exhaust tubing with a small "window" cutinto the side of it so you can have access to the snap ring to remove it. A small bench press willaccomplish this, it only takes a few hundred pounds of pressure.

When you are pressing it you need to support the center of the shaft opposite the side with thesnap ring. There is a wave spring on the other side of the drum as well, and you can putunwanted stress on the drum with the press if you do not support the center shaft. This centershaft should now be able to be pulled free from the drum. This is where the one-way clutch(sprag clutch) is located. Be careful to keep the shaft in the sprag when you take the assemblyout of the drum. What you should have now is the center support drum with both servo pistons inplace. (in the bottom of the drum)

Here is what my broken drum looked like. Keep in mind the typical no reverse problem is the otherside of this drum!

Now you need to remove and transfer the servo pistons from the broken drum to the new drum.Remember those 3 holes in the case I showed you? Here are where they go in the drum itself.The 3rd hole passes through to the center shaft you just removed to apply another clutch pack.These are the 2 we need to be concerned with. Using shop air, blow air into one of the holes to"pop" the servo piston out of the drum. Here is what you get! Do this on both sides to get thepistons out. See how they cause the brake packs to engage?

You need to closely inspect both the inner and outer O-rings on the servo piston. On the side ofthe drum that failed, the piston can over-extend because the snap ring does not restrict themovement. This can cause the transmission fluid to eat away at the outer seal as the oil "squirts"around the o-ring. Here is the failed outer o-ring on my trans. It obviously got replaced when Ire-assembled it.

Using Vaseline, lube the o-rings, inner and outer bore of each side of the new drum. Gently pressthe servo pistons into the new drum. Re-install the center shaft, paying close attention not todamage the piston ring seals on the shaft. You must compress the spring again with the specialtool and re-install the snap ring. Now you can re-install the brake pack frictions and steels,followed by the snap ring. Now you can put it all back together! It takes some twisting and turning of the clutch and brakepacks to get them all to slide together. When you install the frictions, make sure you line all theinner tabs up so the next assembly will fully seat into them. You can turn the output flange ofthe trans to help it all mesh into place, or sometimes it is handy to lock it in park to turnsomething against it. you should never have to hammer or press HARD on anything! When it is

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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lined up and meshed correctly, the center support drum will be the correct depth so you can re-install the 3 bolts. Don't ask me the torque, I looked up a standard value for that size thread. The rest of the planetary's and clutch/brake packs can now be installed, it helps to have a helperthere to twist the input or output shaft to get things lined up. Don't get frustrated!!! Remember,you are saving $3,000+ doing it yourself! This part is tough, but what more can I say, go slowand make sure you don't lose a bearing or race when you are trying to get it all to mesh. Stickthem to the shaft with Vaseline so they stay put. When it comes time to install the pumphousing, pay careful attention that you get the front and rear pump housings lined up correctly!This is where that mark will come in handy, as you can see it from the bottom of the trans....With it all back together, you can install and tighten the bolts that hold the pump to the case.Install the pump to valve body plastic tubes, and the spring and metal thingy into the pressuretube. The speed sensors can go back on, and the valve body can go back on as well, payattention to the gear selector piston!!!!! Of course, the torque converter needs to be properlyseated all the way into the pump housing! Install the new filter, and new pan gasket. Install transmission, and fill with fluid to the top pluglevel. Start the car for about 20 seconds, then shut it off and fill again. You should now be ableto start the car and let it warm up for 10 minutes or so to get the fluid to a temp where you cancheck the level accurately. Run it through reverse, neutral, and drive a few times to let the fluidget to all the parts of the valve body and servos.

Hopefully, (cross your finger and toes!) you have reverse and all the other gears as well! This isdefinitely a detail-oriented repair, but there is no magic to it if the no-reverse was indeed causedby the failed drum and there was no resulting damage.

Here are the parts you have to have at minimum to do the repair:

New upgraded center support "D" drumouter servo piston O-ring for "D" new pump fluid tubes with o-ringsmain pump housing o-ring (goes around pump)filter pan gasketfluid

I only had the new drum, and the failed o-ring was a total surprise, so I had to stop and order it.It is best to do this repair quickly as your chances of getting it back together go down as thetime increases! It took about 2 hours to remove the trans, 45 minutes to tear it down, and 1.5

hours to swap the new drum in and put it back together. 1.5 hours to get the trans back in.

Not bad for someone who has never opened an auto trans before....

Last edited by cacrawfo; 02-03-2010 at 05:12 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

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02-03-2010, 07:53 PM

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Oct 2009Rutland, Vermont

517E39, E46, E30,

W126

Wow, that is unreal. Did you have a Bentley manual or something to guide you with this? Or justa large quantity of beer?

Either way, Bra-Vo.

#7

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clarkitect

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02-03-2010, 08:07 PM

Join Date: Apr 2005

#8

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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Location:Posts:My Cars:

Baltimore, MD4,141

Blown 530

Curious myself about some of the torque values

Crazy CrackerBMW CCA Member

Jackcat559

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02-03-2010, 08:39 PM

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Mar 2008New York City

252011 335d, 2002

325xiT

Dude this is epic! If I had the time and a second car I would have definitely tried this! I had tohave my Transmission rebuilt by ZF.

#9

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thunderaudio

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02-03-2010, 09:18 PM

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Sep 2009San Antonio, TX

1922002 540i Sport

WOW!! Thanks for the writeup. i don't think i'd ever try this but was facinated with theknowledge you shared.

#10

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camoore

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02-03-2010, 09:34 PM

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Jul 2005Western PA

16198 528i,06A6,11Ford

Flex

I might be crazy enough to try that, but only if I had a spare that I was sure would work. Love totake things apart, especially if I don't know what the hell I'm doing.

#11

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occhis

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02-03-2010, 09:44 PM

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Sep 2006Martinsville VA

2,0632003-525i BMW

If I had a hat on --I'd take it off for you dude--what a DIY---how did it all turn out for ya

#12

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Poolman

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#13

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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02-03-2010, 10:38 PM

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Dec 2008Lynnwood, WA

1941997 540iA, '06

GSXR

Wow, thats awesome. Nicely done. Maybe if I have some free time I can start fixing BMWtransmissions for others. I've torn apart Ford and GM's, shouldn't be that much harder.

When all else fails, just give up. But make sure you leave no sign of even trying. (oOO\(lll)°(lll)/OOo)

#13

The BMW Enthusiast

544iAe39

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02-04-2010, 02:16 AM

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Dec 2008Lynnwood, WA

74500' M5 | 06' 330i 6

Spd

I think Dan (544iA) and I may use your DIY to repair my tranny! Anyway that you could tell mewhere you got the parts from and how much you paid?

#14

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BrandonWA

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02-04-2010, 02:35 AM

Join Date: Apr 2006

#15

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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Location:Posts:My Cars:

richmond, virginia1,861

98' 740il

your one hell of a "noob"

btw great diy, but i has manual

past cars 99' 328i, 01' 325xi, 97' m3/4/5, 00' 540i-6, 01' 325ci-5, 93' 325i-5, 00' ///M5,95' 325ipresent 98' 740il,98' ///M3

layo and bushwacka!

540iboy

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02-04-2010, 07:04 AM

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Dec 2007Upstate

36802-540iT

Wow dude! And here I thought pulling my interior panels to fix a water leak was likecomplicated.

#16

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M3People

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02-04-2010, 09:57 AM

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Nov 2009bm

171err

Nice DIY!All that for a broken clutch-pack snap-ring retaining lip.Not bad man.

#17

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turbo20psi

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02-04-2010, 12:55 PM

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Feb 2010Champaign, Illinois

486 MR2, 91 MR2T

Yo, Thanks for all the props! I was very pleased with myself when it all went back together andactually worked! It was either going to work and I would brag about it, or it would blow up onstartup and I would never speak of it again..... I got my parts from Transtar, they have local branches all over the USA. You can also try CobraTransmission Parts, they have all you need for the ZF.

I spend about $300 total with parts, filter kit, and fluid. (Maxxlife ATF)

#18

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cacrawfo

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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I just bought an 01' 740il with trans issues, hopefully I can pull it off again...

Carl C

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02-04-2010, 10:41 PM

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Nov 2009vacaville ca

1001998/528i-2007fj-

CJ5

That is without a doubt the most awsome DIY Ive seen yet,You are the MAN!!!

#19

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528imwayne

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02-04-2010, 11:09 PM

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Mar 2007Middle of a corn field

12,377E39

hamster/ruberbandPWR

Absolutely amazing!Are you a mechanic by trade?How did you know how to do this?Did you use a book?I wonder if any of this would apply to the GM transmissions?

Pictures of the 740iL?

Thanks!Jason

#20

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Jason5driver

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03-16-2010, 08:09 PM

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Mar 2010Calgary, AB,

#21

ThreeFlow

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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Posts:My Cars:

CANADA1

'98 528i

I shall be attempting this soon, I am SO HAPPY that you posted this DIY cacrawfo!!

My 528i's auto tranny just recently started acting up. It can engage into reverse, but none ofthe drive gears work any more. It wasn't sudden, it happened over a few days getting worse overtime. Hopefully I can restore my tranny to working order using your guide!!

Living in Canada I'm unsure as to where to source out the required parts (not wanting to go tothe stealership unless absolutely necessary). Any suggestions?

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03-16-2010, 08:27 PM

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Jan 2009Chicago South IL

4,6272003 530i Sport

nice job but not for everybody ... looks like for professional mechanics only

E39 4 ever

M54 GARAGE SALE

BMW E38/E39 Rear Axle/Differential Bush Tool

#22

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champaign777

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03-16-2010, 09:07 PM

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Jan 2007West Michigan

14,39798 540iA (Prd 11/97)

Welcome to the forums

Nice job Carl. I don't think I'll be tackling that anytime soon. Lol.

#23

BMWCCA 484984

jamesdc4

4/7/14 No Reverse? Fix it YOURSELF!

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« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

E39 Ugly Mugs | Registry Photos

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03-17-2010, 12:05 AM

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Jan 2010Charolotte, NC

27'98 540ia

That is one hell of a DIY. Good post!

Now if I can just find that thread about replacing the oil filter mounts.

#24

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Edgeburner

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03-17-2010, 12:44 AM

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Jan 2010Goodlettsville, TN

62902 530i

Man this is awesome. I was scared to death of breaking the trans in this car when I got it. Nownot so much Im not gonna worry bout it at all now, just enjoy manual sport mode more often

For those interested ZF has a distributor locator on their site as well as lots of good referenceinfo. Distributors

ZF Friedrichshafen AG / Product Catalog

2002 530iA - 18" Style 65's

#25

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bmw chris

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