ZF or GM Auto box?

Morning Guys,

After may last post about the auto box I rang a recomended tranny shop to get it serviced and he asked me if the box was a ZF or GM box. How do I know. He also said that the GM box is "junk" and impossible to get parts for.

Has any body got any experence on this one. How can I find out which Box my car has.

Thanks

Mick

 

Edited by Mick523I

Andrew,

I was thinking along the same lines about this Tranny "expert". I have read other posts some from yourself and no montion of a GM box in a E39. Maybe I should ask KBANNON if he knows a tranny shop in Dublin. (are you out there KB)

Thanks again for your input its much appreciated.

Cheers

Mick.

The e34 were defently built with both ZF and GM boxes dont know about the e39

The gearbox place is not gonna know what box it is unless they have either ur chassis number or they have actully had a look

put ur chassis number into that link posted above

it wont tell u directly weather it is a zf or gm but the code will read something along the lines of A5S***X x being either Z or R or maybe even J

Z for ZF R seems to be for GM and J i have no idea what J is but i suspect that could be GM as well

Mick

I've just gone back and had a look at one of your previous posts regarding the revs rising and falling when you decelerate then accelerate on the motorway. As Andrew replied at the time, I think this is the torque converter working correctly but on my previous auto's I've always been able to apply enough accelerator travel to disengage this but without changing down. In my 525 I can't. I've also noticed the rise and fall revs bit at much slower speeds and lower gears and a general reluctance to change down without lots of accelerator travel which I'm sure isn't right - like the car is labouring. The odd thing is that I've been doing searches for days on all the UK and US forums trying to find someone with a similar problem but to no avail. It's a subtle problem but I didn't have it when I bought the car 18 months ago and I'm not conviced it's obvious enough for a dealer to pick it up.

Ah well - just to let you know you're not the only one with a problem!

Thanks for all your input.

Sir I am new to the Auto box and still ajusting to the drive. I am also the type of person who hears every single working part of my car. If I dont now why somthing is happening then I asume something is wrong. My wife thinks I am a freek...

The car drives very well and even over the mountains last night pulled hard so I think eveything is fine.

The other point of notice on my 5 is that it smells hot after driving. Not sure if this is normal, I may start a new post on this one or else maybe I should just relax and enjoy one of the finests cars I have owened.

Ragards  

Mick.

Aaaaaah another person saying that GM autoboxes are good! 

I would still say that 3 mode electronic autobox in my Vauxhall Senator is the best autobox I have ever driven.  I took the Sennie to an Automatic Transmission Specialist for a gearbox service and he said that he did not get many cars like mine in.  I thought he was meaning that there are very few 3.0i 24 V Senators on the road (<1000!) at the time but he meant that the GM autoboxes are so good, he doesn't have to fix them!

He did however say he used to get a few Mercs and Beamers in with the ZF boxes! Hopefully that is just because there are more auto BMW and Mercs to go wrong in the first place than there are GM autos to go wrong!

Anyone driven an automatic Toyota?

1.8i 52 plate Avensis with a standard Simpson 3 box +1 = Horrible. 

It was a standard 3 speed unit with overdrive (to give you a 4th gear equivalent) then a torque converter lock up (to give you a 5th gear equivalent).  It would try and do everything in 3rd gear.  Pull away. first, second, tttttthhhhhhiiiiirrrrdddd, fourth, then fifth.  No guts, just terrible for driving quickly.  Easy to drive right enough though, and enjoyable if you weren't in a hurry!

Andrew

Looks like i have a GM autobox in my e46 323Ci so. I'm interrested to hear how you get on Mick.

Edited by JohnH