Hey All:
Glad to have found this forum, been spending all my time over on bimmernut.com tending to my wife's BMW and hadn't found a comparably good tech forum until now.
I have an early 03 LS (before July 03) that has had its fair share of problems, but I have kept it hoping to resolve them all. COPs were replaced back at 90k miles, needs cats but I've not yet done those, will shortly now that I understand (thanks to this forum) that I don't have to go OEM.
Trans was fine until a few thousand miles ago and was in D4 (I've used that in town) but wouldn't upshift from1-2 and threw the E code. Found by driving it would manually shift 2/3/4 no 1st or 5th.
Took it to a tranny shop, he said 50/50 chance the solenoid pack would solve it, if not, needs to be pulled and rebuilt, there's a bore in the tranny case that commonly needs sleeved.
Hmmm.
Took my chances on the SP and it was same as before. Paid the man and said eff it, I will shift it until I decide what to do with the car. Probably unwise to pay someone to stick OEM cats in it and pay someone else to do the tranny. That'd run about what the car is worth in perfect running condition. Thinking I'd buy a bolt in aftermarket H pipe, and see if there is an option on the tranny. Maybe take a chance on a craigslist tranny n stick it in myself.
Still pondering.
The only material I found about a bore issue is in the valve body not the trans case. Any chance the shift issue is valve body related? Anyone familiar with this same condition? I read that there is band engagement in 2nd and 5th, any chance I'm really in 1/3/4 and not 2/3/4 (as displayed on the SST led readout) and this is an OD band problem?
I ran the codes on a generic scan tool months ago and forgot what they were, but in the 03 shop manual set I have the codes matched up to "internal trans problem".
Please LVC, I need a break on the LS.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. By the way, my mechanical ability is good home old school garage mechanic level. Have rebuilt engines, differentials, 3spd auto tranny (one) can run a lathe, have a lathe and a press, micrometers, borrow the OBDII scan tool, not super fluent in computer ese.
Glad to have found this forum, been spending all my time over on bimmernut.com tending to my wife's BMW and hadn't found a comparably good tech forum until now.
OK, duly noted. Did that. Read a gazillion old trans problem posts and haven't found mine. Here goes-
I have an early 03 LS (before July 03) that has had its fair share of problems, but I have kept it hoping to resolve them all. COPs were replaced back at 90k miles, needs cats but I've not yet done those, will shortly now that I understand (thanks to this forum) that I don't have to go OEM.
Trans was fine until a few thousand miles ago and was in D4 (I've used that in town) but wouldn't upshift from1-2 and threw the E code. Found by driving it would manually shift 2/3/4 no 1st or 5th.
Took it to a tranny shop, he said 50/50 chance the solenoid pack would solve it, if not, needs to be pulled and rebuilt, there's a bore in the tranny case that commonly needs sleeved.
Hmmm.
Took my chances on the SP and it was same as before. Paid the man and said eff it, I will shift it until I decide what to do with the car. Probably unwise to pay someone to stick OEM cats in it and pay someone else to do the tranny. That'd run about what the car is worth in perfect running condition. Thinking I'd buy a bolt in aftermarket H pipe, and see if there is an option on the tranny. Maybe take a chance on a craigslist tranny n stick it in myself.
Still pondering.
The only material I found about a bore issue is in the valve body not the trans case. Any chance the shift issue is valve body related? Anyone familiar with this same condition? I read that there is band engagement in 2nd and 5th, any chance I'm really in 1/3/4 and not 2/3/4 (as displayed on the SST led readout) and this is an OD band problem?
I ran the codes on a generic scan tool months ago and forgot what they were, but in the 03 shop manual set I have the codes matched up to "internal trans problem".
Please LVC, I need a break on the LS.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. By the way, my mechanical ability is good home old school garage mechanic level. Have rebuilt engines, differentials, 3spd auto tranny (one) can run a lathe, have a lathe and a press, micrometers, borrow the OBDII scan tool, not super fluent in computer ese.
