cawimmer430
Piston Pioneer
Hey guys,
I need some technical advice of what could potentially be wrong with my car,a 2007 BMW 118i E87 5-Door. I am hoping it's nothing serious.
Here's the problem. For a few weeks now my transmission (the ZF 6-speed automatic) has been acting weird - but only when the engine is cold. This never happened before when the engine was cold. The issue only shows up after a cold start and usually when accelerating from a standstill (at traffic lights) and sometimes while creeping at low speeds. I'll describe the problem as best as possible below.
Basically I'll start the car and head out of the city. All is fine until I reach the first traffic light. I keep the transmission in D and my foot on the brake, and when the light turns green I will gently press the accelerator and this is where the problem starts. I can feel the engine generating power but the transmission seems to have trouble transferring the power to the drive wheels. The car will move but the engine feels as if it's about to stall (it does not, though). There's a noticeable power delivery delay. If I am gentle on the gas the problem does not appear nine out of ten times. But if I am too hard on the gas when accelerating the engine sometimes feels as if it's about to stall (some slight engine stuttering is noticeable). This whole engine stutter process takes about two seconds and then disappears at the same time when it feels as if the transmission has finally managed to transfer the power to the rear wheels. This is a really unnerving feeling. I'm worried about eventually breaking down somewhere due to an engine or transmission (?) issue.
Now here's the weird part. As soon as the engine has reached its optimal operating temperature this problem pretty much disappears! Once the engine is warm I could be at a standstill in the city and accelerate either gently or hard without this problem showing up.
And this is why I am confused as to what the root problem could be. Is it an engine or transmission issue? Does it have something to do with hydraulic or transmission fluid? Is it a worn clutch? Or is it a software issue? Again, once the engine is warm this problem doesn't show up. On the highway or when I perform a kick-down there is no problem - the transmission works fine without any shift or power delays.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to what the problem could be? Has anyone experienced something similar? Unfortunately I cannot take a video of the problem because this is something that only the driver can only feel when at the controls of the car.
I've already been to the local BMW dealer in Munich and they claimed to have "fixed" my car (free of charge by the way) by claiming that the problem was my transmission and it simply needed a "software update" - well that didn't fix the problem. Before I bring the car to them again I want to at least give arm myself with ideas of what the problem could be. Thank you for your help!
I need some technical advice of what could potentially be wrong with my car,a 2007 BMW 118i E87 5-Door. I am hoping it's nothing serious.
Here's the problem. For a few weeks now my transmission (the ZF 6-speed automatic) has been acting weird - but only when the engine is cold. This never happened before when the engine was cold. The issue only shows up after a cold start and usually when accelerating from a standstill (at traffic lights) and sometimes while creeping at low speeds. I'll describe the problem as best as possible below.
Basically I'll start the car and head out of the city. All is fine until I reach the first traffic light. I keep the transmission in D and my foot on the brake, and when the light turns green I will gently press the accelerator and this is where the problem starts. I can feel the engine generating power but the transmission seems to have trouble transferring the power to the drive wheels. The car will move but the engine feels as if it's about to stall (it does not, though). There's a noticeable power delivery delay. If I am gentle on the gas the problem does not appear nine out of ten times. But if I am too hard on the gas when accelerating the engine sometimes feels as if it's about to stall (some slight engine stuttering is noticeable). This whole engine stutter process takes about two seconds and then disappears at the same time when it feels as if the transmission has finally managed to transfer the power to the rear wheels. This is a really unnerving feeling. I'm worried about eventually breaking down somewhere due to an engine or transmission (?) issue.
Now here's the weird part. As soon as the engine has reached its optimal operating temperature this problem pretty much disappears! Once the engine is warm I could be at a standstill in the city and accelerate either gently or hard without this problem showing up.
And this is why I am confused as to what the root problem could be. Is it an engine or transmission issue? Does it have something to do with hydraulic or transmission fluid? Is it a worn clutch? Or is it a software issue? Again, once the engine is warm this problem doesn't show up. On the highway or when I perform a kick-down there is no problem - the transmission works fine without any shift or power delays.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to what the problem could be? Has anyone experienced something similar? Unfortunately I cannot take a video of the problem because this is something that only the driver can only feel when at the controls of the car.
I've already been to the local BMW dealer in Munich and they claimed to have "fixed" my car (free of charge by the way) by claiming that the problem was my transmission and it simply needed a "software update" - well that didn't fix the problem. Before I bring the car to them again I want to at least give arm myself with ideas of what the problem could be. Thank you for your help!
