E9X Thought I destroyed 4th gear

veer90

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Nov 16, 2016
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West Nyack, NY
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e90 335i 6MT
Got a weird one for y'all:

Last night I attempted a WOT redline shift (regular fast shifting not power-shifting, throttle was lifted) from 3-4 and the car didn't go into gear. Shifter went into the gate for 4th gear but I floored it again instantly hit redline and the car went nowhere. Slowed down, took the car out of gear and re-selected 4th, and everything worked as it should.

So 4th gear is fine but for some reason did not engage when I tried WOT quick shifting at redline. Any other driving condition is fine (drove it to work today no problem), and if I granny shift it at redline it will go into 4th no problem.

Just rowing through the gears at idle, 4th feels no different than any other gear.

I'm running a Spec 3+ clutch / mfactory smfw, and pentosin FFL3 (ZF recommended fluid)

Thoughts?
 

Rob09msport

Major
Oct 28, 2017
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Straight line or around curve sometimes tranny mounts being soft or worn can cause gear alignment issues with shifter just uneducated guess
 

titium

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Nov 8, 2016
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Australia
I have the N54 transmission, GS6-53BZ. If FFL3 isn't the right fluid what fluid should I be using?

You need MTF lt3 or lt2 depending on your trans. GS6-53BZ is lt3, early n54s are GS6-53DZ and use lt2. Easiest way is to check the sticker on the box it tells you which one you need.

As for who makes it I'm not sure i bought mine from a dealer.

That pentosin FFL3 is lt-5.
 

veer90

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Nov 16, 2016
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West Nyack, NY
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e90 335i 6MT
You need MTF lt3 or lt2 depending on your trans. GS6-53BZ is lt3, early n54s are GS6-53DZ and use lt2. Easiest way is to check the sticker on the box it tells you which one you need.

As for who makes it I'm not sure i bought mine from a dealer.

That pentosin FFL3 is lt-5.

Realoem lists my transmission as DZ and MTF LT3. Now I'm even more confused

I would just get whatever the PN is from the dealer but they want $47 for a liter and fuck that nonsense roflmao
 

titium

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Nov 8, 2016
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Australia
Realoem lists my transmission as DZ and MTF LT3. Now I'm even more confused

I would just get whatever the PN is from the dealer but they want $47 for a liter and fuck that nonsense roflmao

Check the sticker on the box itself.
Best off sticking with oem fluid imo. Driven a 185k car with original fluid and it shifts better then my 130k trans with redline MTL.
 
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dyezak

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May 4, 2017
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The symptoms you describe (and the behavior that caused it) makes me think it might be a bent shift arm. Not much you can do about it now but don't gorilla the trans into gear at high RPM. The syncros in these transmissions can't spin up the gears that fast and you end up going nowhere fast.
 

Bnks334

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Dec 1, 2016
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Check the sticker on the box itself.
Best off sticking with oem fluid imo. Driven a 185k car with original fluid and it shifts better then my 130k trans with redline MTL.

Just want to throw it out there that most n54 boxes are stamped LT-2. BMW came out with the LT-3 formula right around the same time they started using the n55 gearbox and thus both boxes were stamped for use with the newest spec lt-3 fluid.

I am pretty sure BMW would just tell you to put lt-5 in the n54 trans since the latest fluids supersedes past fluids. If you go looking for lt-2 you're not going to find anything other than some very old stock bottles.
 
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ShocknAwe

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Jan 24, 2018
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Curious, why OE MTL vs the redline mtl replacement? Used both, felt the redline fluid produces a smoother exchange.
 

veer90

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Nov 16, 2016
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West Nyack, NY
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Just thought I'd update the thread. Had a buddy help me bleed the clutch and we found a crapton of air in the line. Properly bled the 3-4 shifting issue is gone. I'm shifting hard enough to where I'm hitting shift bog torque limiter.

Shop that installed the motor will be hearing about this... they yanked the transmission along with the motor :rage::rage:
 
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