2001/2 e39 540i - nutty auto gearbox??

[english68]

Not sure, but I think I have trouble brewing - all advice gratefully received! Just went on 30m round trip (all damp country lanes) and for the last 5 miles or so, my gearbox developed a real need to be in second gear.

I could slip into manual mode and override to get to speeds above where it will not allow itself to change into second, but once remotely slow enough it slots down into that gear again and will hold it for quite a long time. It does go up into 3rd and 4th once it has hung on for a while.

It's like a sort of extreme-sport mode...

Trouble? - or some driving-style-influenced gearchange setting?

Already spent a fortune on this car and hoping I haven't got to sort the transmission too...

Thank you for looking.

english68

[SJobson]

Could be something simple like the tyre pressure in one corner being too low - fooling the speed sensors.

[matt uk]

It can sometimes deond on your driing style. If you are driving in a sporty manner, my 530i auto will often hang on to lower gears. Also, driving down hills makes the auto box hold onto lower gears for longer.

[uk68charger]

Thank you for the replies...

Everything seemed to be back to normal next time out so for now I will blame the wet, bendy, hilly lanes I was driving along.

Checked tyre pressures too and found the fronts were both 7psi down, so that could have been the trigger too?

Thanks again.

[monthefish]

I had a similar problem - gearbox seemed to be 'indecisive' and not as smooth as it used to be. I was thinking that it was either adapting to my driving style (swift progress), or that big bills were looming.

I changed the tyres (they were getting a bit low, around the 2mm mark) and the problem went away overnight.

[papercup]

wheel sensors are the staple diet of the E39....and they affect what gear is selected

I have an intermittent thing when towing with my 540....every now and then it drives for 5 minutes or so in third gear...