BMW E90 DS Sport Mode & Manual Mode Automatic Shifter Repair
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- A common problem with the E90 cars with steptronic transmission is the loss of Sport Mode (DS) and (M) mode caused by wires breaking inside the shifter assembly.
After happening to me twice, I figured out how to give the wires more slack so they (hopefully) won't break again. This is a quick guide showing how to repair the wires yourself and get back your Sport Mode.
You'll need T30 and T9 Torx bits, a flathead screwdriver, and a little patience.
Thanks for watching!
Mike
I want to express how thankful I am to you for posting this video. After becoming spent out on car repairs after an issue with my undercarriage, the last thing I needed was more car trouble. Of course this is when my M and DS begin to fail. Luckily I came across your video and you have saved me time, trouble, and money. Thank you so much for posting this video!
I recently had this problem on my 2008 e90. Got quoted $500-1000 to replace the whole shifter assembly. I followed your instructions, and sure enough the green wire had snapped, and the other wires were all partially cut! I re-soldered everything, and left the wire untucked as you've shown. Everything is working again -- THANK YOU!!
was unable to put my car into sport. so i checked it out and a wire was broken in half. you saved me probably 800 if not more by not bringing it to the dealer. YOUR THE MAN lol beers on me!
Mike, thanks so much for posting this video. BMW quoted me over 900€ to replace the whole gear selector unit. It cost me 2.40€ for a pack of cable connectors and the job was done in 2 hours thanks to you and the clear and concise way you explained the operation. As you said, I removed the loom from the "pinched" position BMW had it in and left it free to move around so not expecting anymore problems in that area. Once again, many thanks.
Thanks for this. Been dealing with this for about two months, not having sport mode on my 335 and my shifter acting a fool during important moments has been a royal pain to say the least, but I can make the repair and solder the wires up with better routing.
thanx a lot man... BMW dealership was asking for almost $800 to replace the whole thing, and I fixed it (thanx to you) by only $8 worth of solder and etc.
Thank you so much. Very helpful and cost-saving!
One tip: do not leave any coins or small items in the ash-tray! (I did so. The coins fell into the shifter assembly while dismantling the middle console. I did not manage to get all of them out of there. One coin has to remain in there forever!)
Great video! My white wire was severed and the rest weren't far behind. Repaired all seven wires in
I can’t believe this worked. Thank you bro. Saved me a ton of money
Thanks for the video! I didn't lose DS or M. but I just did this to prevent it from happening. This was an informative video!
Thank you so much for this tutorial. When I was on my way home this morning I noticed that my steptronic would not manually shift. Thats when I noticed DS was not showing when engaged. I pulled the shifter and saw that there were wires cut. I plan on working on it after I get some sleep. Thanks again this saved me so much money
Thanks so much bro... i just managed to repair my DS after watching this videos 30mins back... keep it up.. im a first time BMW owner and i bought it used... this was really helpfull .. took it out for a test drive and its perfect
Thanks for the help - was able to fix mine easily. Hardest thing was I had to get a T9 for the side part. one wire broken completely in two and 2 others about to break. Didn't have to remove the shifter, just pulled it up and to the side.
Thanks again
I ended up redoing the original shifter repair, and soldered the wires together. It's working great, so I never attempted to swap out the shift assembly. From what I could tell, you had to disconnect the selector cable from the transmission under the car to pull the whole thing out. Didn't look terribly difficult, but I didn't have a lift and since it's fixed properly now, I don't have much incentive to do it.
Thanks Mike, your video is a gift that keeps giving! I thought i was in for a major repair bill but followed your instructions & mt DS is back! thanks again.
Excelent post, using you video as a guide a was able to fix the DS mode in my car, I just have to fix one wire.
I didn't remove the shift, I just add an extension for the broken wire, and I made the job with the shift on place.
Thanks Mike! Was wondering why I was getting the gear indicator when all the wires were good. I forgot to move that little post back into place. Great video!
Damn same thing for me I'll have to go back in and look at that little post as well
My S MODE went out last night. I thought it was a software problem so I reflashed my DME. Still no S MODE. I will try what you did this weekend. Thanks
This is epic! Thanks sooo much. I just completed the procedure on my 2005 E87 1-series. Note that the whole center console has to come out on the 1-series. You saved me 1000-2000,- $ (Norway).
Thanks again!!
Worked!!! Thank you!! Green wire was cut and repaired. Hardest part was getting access to the t9 screws as you really had to swivel that gear assembly out.
Mike, I have the same problem on my parents' E90.
I'll try fixing it in a couple of weeks using your tutorial.
Thanx a lot!
Thanks!!! Took me about 20 min! All my wires were shredded haha
Was it not working in sport mode?
My thanks as well. Just repaired my 2007 335i last night. In my case, ended up soldering the white wire together, as it broke very close to the shifter body & a crimp connector wasn't a good fit. So, grand total for repair was $19 for a cheap soldering iron & electronic quality solder. Two shops had quoted new shifter installs close to $1K. Now, both DS mode & Steptronic work just fine.
Very helpful. Bunch of thanks from Turkey. My next corner drift will be for you, downshifting to 2nd gear :))))
Thank you for this video. saved me allot of hassle and money.
I'm going to take a look at this after work. E92 335. First downshifts didn't work - just yesterday sport mode doesn't engage either. Since it's an X-drive, the cover removal is a little bit different but still able to access the parts I need I believe.
Talking with my mechanic he said check the grommet before the wires themselves, but I'm wondering how a grommet can impact that. I'll report back. Thanks for the video! Almost smacked myself in the dome trying to remove the shift nob after 100k miles of it never being removed.
Thanks for the video, small note: Side torx screws are T10 I think as I was able to use my (German ;) ) T10 screw driver :)
Thanks for the tutorial Mike. I had to solder 3 wires and then rerouted the wires as per your example.
Awesome work bud. Took me 30 minutes and saved a lot of mucking around. Very good video
Thank you sir. I wasn't able to remove the side plastic thing with the shifter still in the car... the bottom screw was too deep for me to reach... I did manage to pry it out enough to get the cable out though...
Once you have the three first bolts out you can just pull the assembly up out of the console
Thank you a million times, worked a dream. Was able to get the shroud screws out with a 10 Torx too.
Thanks for posting this. Just did the repair on the white wire.
Thank you Mike. This video was perfect. Exactly what I needed to fix my 2006 330i.
Dude this is really helpful. i just noticed yesterday that my shifter's having some problem (no DS mode or light). I have an E90 and always uses the manual shifter (streptronic) i just opened it today and noticed a WHITE wire snapped. just need to solder the wire and hopefully it will fix it.
You are a true gentleman thanks so much for taking the time!!!!
Thanks for the reply. I'll try it tomorrow but I was worried I would break something including the metallic cable that probably connects the shifter assembly to the gear box underneath the car
Thank you very much for this useful video, i fixed myself and save 665€ with your tip and now everything works fine as before
BMW Warranty would change the whole shifter : they suck !
This is a great video, I was dreading this fix with the short amount of wire to work with, but your trick is going to make this job much easier!
You'r the man !!! Had the same problem!!! You save me a lot of money!! Greatings from Germany
Thank you very much for taking the time to make such a to the point video, perfect.
Hi Mike, thx for the vid. I also have this problem & bmw quoted to replace unit, bad news is that i`m out of warranty. So i`m taking the car to an ex bmw machanic this week, hoping that it is the wiring. Will let you know. Cheers, Jacques - South Africa
Hello, Mike i repair all wire but still same problem gear works P R N D but still Ds not working ? any ideas why ?
My car is E60 2006 6 gears box same as yours shifter.
Right on , I figured that . To get to it it seems u have to take the center console off again . So I have been just using the emergency release ... Lol. I will pull it off and take a look though . Thank you
Discovered my grey and purple wires were cut so I spliced them back together and relocated the harness to avoid the pinching.
Symptoms :
Inability to shift down in M mode.
Transmission refuses to stay in Sports mode.
It's an easy fix so check before taking it into a shop. A new shift assembly starts at around $800.00
you will* need a torx screwdriver set and electrical tape to do the fix.
Need help! I followed your video I followed it and repaired the broken wires. Thanks for that! Now my problem is the gear shifter light stays on all the time. If I disconnect the blue connection then I am not allowed to downshift but I can go into my manual mode.
Yes, that is a classic symptom of one, or more of your wires being broken or nearly broken. Sometimes the copper wire will break, but the plastic insulation still holds the two ends together, which makes for glitchy behavior.
Unfortunately for me I couldn’t see any wire damage. Probably going to have to buy a new assembly
I've never seen or even heard of a "T-9" Torx. Mine only go down to I think T-10 at the smallest.
Than you. Super helpful tip!
Thanks for a great guide! Just did this and manual mode is working again! However, I got one problem: Now the yellow transmission warning symbol light up after every time I park& shut down my car. Any ideas?
Did you make sure the little post was back inside the arm connected to the solenoid? Check the video at 4:20, and you can see where I point to the post that has to go back into the slot in the arm.
Mike Y.
I remember checking that little post first time but seems that it's very easy that it slides off again... Problem solved now and everything works right! Thank you very much!
Worked for fixing my 2009 135i today. Thanks so much!
Every one of the wires in the harness snapped on me.... and they all snapped down near the base of the shifter, so I really didn't have much wire length to work with down there... I like how U did your extensions (you called it ghetto! :-) ) what did U use for those extensions? (The red clampy lookin things -- is that heat shrink? what brand?) I might need to do that, cuz I have a hunch my fix today is not gonna be too solid...
Thanks! this video saved me a boat load of money!
You'll have to find a way to repair the wire.. if there is no more wire left (like it pulled out from the socket), then you'll need to replace the whole shifter assembly. You can find the automatic shifter assembly for less than $100 on eBay now.
Great video. Having the same problems myself and will attempt to repair this week. When I shift into DS mode, the Auto transmission stays on and can't do manual or DS mode on the screen. ONE question: SHould I disengage the battery or pulling those plugs over the cover tray sufficient?
Pulling the plugs should be enough. That will cut all power to the shifter assembly.
hello, I have a problem and its driving me insane. I followed these exact steps and I even exposed all the DS wires by cutting the black tape and blue plastic. There is aboslutly no wire in there that is cut, all my wires seem to be in great condition, does this mean I need a new shift?
Was it hard to put in sport also resistance I mean?
Would the transmission not shifting when you click up or down, or shifting without you clicking up or down be a sign that these wires are being worn down? I've experienced both of these symptoms and I was always under the impression my fluid is dirty or the valve bodies had some contamination.
I don't understand how to tell when the wires are damaged. I've gone nearly 50k miles using only manual mode on my car. The function for DS and manual shifting still work, but they just seem glitchy.
Hey man, I'm sorry to ask such a stupid question, but how did you get the shifter out of the car? Were you able to leave the transmission cable connected and just remove the shifter, or did you have to disconnect the cable too? If you had to disconnect the cable, how easy was it? Thanks for the awesome video, it's the only one I could find!
+Charles “Chuck” Alford dude. i had the same question in my head. it was a biotch trying to get it out. So i just left it in and did the work i had to do. was to scared of ripping a wire underneath or something like that.
Fuck yeh! thank you! My E61 had that problem and I fixed it in like 2 hours total work P
Superb video dude just fabulous!
Thank you!
Hello, Mike...my problem is that S mode do not shift so display always shows D mode and manual shifting do not work. is this the same problem as you show here. thanks !
Thanks for the info, repair itself was easy enough, after seeing this vid - 5 out of 7 wires 1/2 way snapped, one did snap and only one was long enough to stay intact. German precision, right? My butt.
Thanks for the video - very well done
How long did it take you to replace a broken shifter with a working shifter?
HELP
I have a swapped 328 wagon with 355 guts and cant get to S mode.
My wiring is good and even tried another shifter.
Any ideas?
Thank you for the video, i have a 1 series BMW E87 automatic, and i have the same problem P R N D and the M1 2 3 4 5 6 are functional BUT NO DS mode, i checked the wires very closely they’re all OK no broken wires i tried every possible way but nothing helps, help me please
If M mode works properly, it must be something else. perhaps something inside of the shifter itself is faulty. Might be difficult to figure this one out if no wires are broken!
Oh i have 2007 335I and it has idrive so its a little different the way the console come off but should be similar wires
Exactly what I needed! Thanks for posting.
Quick question before you decide to fix the issue where there any issues with the transmission not shift properly in just drive
No, Drive mode was fine, it was only when the shifter was in sport mode
This video is 8 years old but I am hoping someone would see this comment, my 08 335i shifting lights and DS mode will not functions, both the paddle shifters and the shifter (after attempt 1) work to shift gears but sport mode doesnt engage?
hey Mike Y, are you still monitoring this video for follow up questions? I am a little lost as to the removal of the shifter or partial removal of it....you show the fix on the extra shifter you had and say you don't need to remove but I am not sure I follow that...do you have to remove the side plate to unhinge the wires from where they are set from the factory (btw, how stupid was that? really?) thanks and I hope you understand what I am asking- Bill
Once you take off the (3) bolts that hold the shifter down to the center tunnel, you can lift it up and tilt it around without removing it. The shift cable will still be attached, but you can still move it around enough to perform the fix.
Hi Mike, I am having this problem - cannot shift to lower gear manually when in DS mode. Everything's ok if I leave it in DS auto - it shifts up n down beautifully on its own. What do you think could be the problem? Thanks, mate.
Yes, that is exactly what happens when the wires start to break. Good luck!
Thanks, Mike! Will try to get to repairing the wires soon!
Hi Mike - great video! Question; could this be the same form of repair if my 335i doesn't shift down? Shifting up works though, yet useless without shifting down not working. Mechanic quoted up to $700 for a new shifter. Could it just be the wiring for shift down apposed to a whole new shifter?
+Karl Gibson Yes, that is very similar to what was happening to my shifter before I repaired it.
+Mike Y. If the shifter was completely broken it wouldn't be able to go up and gear as it is only doing now? Correct?
There are 6 or 7 wires in that bundle, and there are different symptoms depending on which ones are broken. I'm pretty sure you have a broken wire or 2 that is causing this behavior.
I test drive a 07 328i....manual mode worked but only up to third gear. Tried to upshift to fourth and nothing. Went back to regular D and auto mode no problems. Before I spend a lot of money can this problem able solved by re routing the cable and possibly splice a new piece in if damaged? Other than that vehicle was fine....
Yes! my car did something similar before I fixed the wires. at the very least, open it up and take a look.
Thanks. I wound up getting a 2010 528i C Drive sedan. Shifted smoothly and got $1500 off for fairly minor normal high mileage items, alignment, rotors warped, and the usual Valve Cover Gasket. Rotors may be resurfaceable if not I can get a new set of fronts and have a good starting point.
hey mike. I have a similar issue and i suspect i would find my answer by opening up the shifter as u do here. My DS mode still works when i slide the shifter over however i can not downshift with the shifter. I can upshift with the shift and with my paddles i can up and down shift as normal. so it s jus the not being able to downshift with the auto shifter stick. any idea of where to look specifically or what wire or module controls this ? thanks for any help and for jus generally showing how to get to the wires
Thank you,
Chase
Yes, not being able to shift up or down is from a broken wire. Your 335i should have the same exact shifter, but pulling off your trim is a little different because of the iDrive. you'll need to pull off the idrive knob first to get the center trim off, and just be careful and make sure to disconnect all the wires. Good luck!
My ds mode stopped working after i installed a led shifter and i have no ds mode no more no wires are cut or nothing
Hey mike. My white wire has snapped from the solder point. Is there a way to disassemble and re solder it?
I don't know if it's possible - I never tried to take it apart. I guess you can try yourself, to see if you can get access to the part you need. Good luck.
Mike Y. Hey mike thanks for the reply. I actually did end up fixing it. But I had very little of the wire left to play with so I soldered it back now it works with plenty of play in the wire
hi mike i am ganna have to replace shifter unit ( bought stolen and recovered E90 325i with broken shifter ) any idea how to disconnect and replace unit( underneath of car ) from transmission ? any code need to be done ? thanks
You'll need to get under the car. A lift will make things easier. Look for where the shifter cable connects to the transmission gear selector on the left side (USA Drivers side). Remove the nut that holds it on, and you should be able to pull the whole thing out from inside the car. Good luck
dude how did u take the whole assembly off ? that's literally why i'm here
Hey thanks for the response . I ended up doing the same thing and I fixed it. However it was temporary because I didn't splice them well enough I guess and it came apart. I now fixed it properly but in doing so I now have a transmission light on when starting car and when Turning off . And I can't shift out of park u less I use the emergency release u see the boot. I know I disturbed something and I remember reading about it but I can't pin point what it is. I think u mentioned in a post somewhere cause someone did the same thing . Do u know the part or place I need to correct ? I think it's has something to do with that solonoid on the right and that post maybe , I jus haven't opened it up all the way to mess with it . Also do u know if that transmission reset is real or is that jus bs cause when I have don't it I dot notice anything then again I don't have a n issue really . Lol... This car is getting old time to sell it ...
+cbt20003 Sounds like you didn't put the solenoid arm back on the post. check the video at about 4:19 for where that is. That little post is what unlocks the shifter when you turn the car on. if it's not connected to the arm, you'll get the transmission error and can't shift out of park.
Hey Mike, could this be an issue if the transmission intermittently gets stuck in park after sitting over night? e92 335i.
Does anyone know if the BMW X5 E70 model, which has the newer "joystick" gear controller, can also be opened up & repaired so as to restore DS/Auto function in much the same way?
If the cabling is similarly placed next to the shifting area, it would seem that BMW didn't improve the layout/ design for the newer models either, but I would like some confirmation. THX!
? mine broke on the opposite side of what yours did, my question is, is there enough wire that I can still do the splice
ryan kinney are there wires on the other side of the shifter? I don't remember any on that side. Unless you mean your wires broke at a different spot on that harness. I couldn't say for sure if this will work for you, but it's not too hard to try!
i've been looking for how to remove the step tronic and replace whole assembly. not sure repair wires, but how tfff did u take off the whole assembly bro ?? thanks for showcasing it. if anyone can help me remove whole assembly ty !!
Hey, I never actually got around to removing the shifter assembly. The extra one in the video is a spare I bought second hand before I made the fix, thinking I had to replace it.
from what I remember reading in the service manual, it shouldn't be too hard to remove the whole assembly, just remove all the torx bolts from the top, and then you have to disconnect the shifter cable from the transmission from underneath the car. send me a PM, and I'll try to find the page for you
Can I use electrical tape to reconnect the wires
hi im just wondering if my problem is related. to this fix i cannot downshift on my steptronic but i can shift i got a 335i 2008 e90 (sedan) im gonna check my wires later after i sleep a bit summer is at the door and no way in hell am i driving automatic all summer lol! (please let me know what kind of wires should i buy for the fix im kinda newb in fixing a car
+Sebastien Houle - It is most likely a broken wire in your shifter. Mine was doing almost the same thing. you can get typical wire you find at auto parts store. Usually it is about 20 gauge or 18 gauge.
Excellen! Thanks for upload. Cute kitteh also :)
Dude my white wire the whole thing came out. How can i get sport mode back??
Merci !!!!!!!! thanks a lot !!!
how would you do this on an E93 convertible? You need to disassemble half the car to remove the central console trim! can you get to the wires by just removing the black gear selector trim?
Yes, you can get at the shifter assembly by removing the black trim, but there isn't as much room to work with.
Hi Great video btw and many thanks. However, if I can pick your brain on my situation. I have 335i 2007 sport package, the car was fine I removed the shift knob to wrap it with carbon fiber vinyl put it back following Bentley manual and your video. Now when I shift down to "D" it takes M2. move it to DS shift up/down nothing happens, also paddle shifters are useless. Now I drive the car let it to run on M2 switch to neutral then “D” it will change from M2 to M3 or M5 or M6 depends on my speed. Transmission Fluid ZF is replaced with filter last summer and Bavarian Scan tool gives no error codes regarding Transmission. Any thoughts/ideas??
Much appreciated
hmm, did you check and make sure the 2 plugs under the shifter plate were seated properly?
Mike Y. Thanks Mike for the prompt reply, yes I even tested the wires with OM meter, plugs it unplug it same. I even tried unplug both blue and black plugs to see any difference but nothing. Do you think the shift lever went bad and i just need to replace it ?
very strange. so there is no difference with the plugs in or out? sounds like something happened and somehow the whole assembly isn't getting power. Maybe upstream from the shifter. Maybe check the fuse box for any fuses that may have tripped.
Mike Y. Mike you wont even believe it, i checked with a volt meter every fuse just incase :). Im just trying to avoid paying $700 for a new Shift lever.
yikes.. I'm out of ideas right now. but don't pay $700 for a new one. I still have that extra one from the video, and can sell it to you if you end up needing it. I hope you don't though!
I have 09 X6 with fully electrical shifter ia this common issue on those models too? I used MS mode probably 5 times during 2 years today noticed it won't go MS at all, it did like this a year ago and got fixed magically, what should I do thanks
Peter C I'm not sure if the X6 uses the same shifter assembly or not. But most BMW's from 06 to around 2011 or so did, so it's worth a shot. I'd remove your shifter cover and take a look
Thank you, Its similar to X5 E70 2008-2014 model, not like in video, this shift gear does not move a lot like, when taking into D or R, I removed it but did not checked inside, maybe should take it apart, I took for diagnostic to BMW dealer, and dealer told me Shifter needs replacement, lol that's what I told him shifter needs replacement, I thought they would tell me exact issue, electrical mechanical or whatever
Merci pour cette vidéo je vien de régler mon problème
How do you disconnect the cable from the trans
I believe you need to get under the car to disconnect the cable.
Where do i buy/locate the replacement cable. Mine has the same problem.. cant put the car in DS mode
if you follow the video, you shouldn't need to buy any more wire. you'll need to splice the broken wires together. you can use butt-connectors or solder+shrink wrap.
Mike Y. I've got a 2006 BMW 530 xi. Transmission does not slip. Runs awesome in sports mode & regular auto mode BUT..... when I put it to the left & drive it up thru the gears in m-1& so on, it won't go up out of m-1. ????????? Would this fix it ???
I can't remove the t9 screws as the whole unit is too close the side panelling!
Make sure you remove the three T30 bolts that hold the shifter assembly to the transmission tunnel (1:47 in the video). once those are removed, you can pull the shifter up and gain clearance to the T9 screws on the side.
if i could i would donate you bcuz you've saved me around 400€
can anyone tell me where i could find one of these? the actual name?
It worked fine, but my transmission light came on. Any ideas??
Did you make sure the arm on the solenoid went back on the post correctly? go to 4:19 in the video. That post controls the transmission locking feature, and you'll get an error light if it's not connected properly.
Mike Y. Ill check it out, thanks !!
Does anyone know if this would be the same procedure on a bmw 135i. I know the console is the same but does anyone know if the shifter is? Any help would be appreciated.
Yes, it should be the same!
+Mike Y. I did some research on the forums and it looks like I gotta take out the whole center console to get to the t9 torx for the cover over the wires. thanks for the reply.
You don't have to, loosen all of the T30 Torx screws and then tilt the whole assembly to the side. You have just enough clearance to get the T9 in there. This procedure worked on my 135i.
Could this cause a transmission to get stuck in park after sitting overnight, got my car diagnosed and no transmission codes at all.
Andrew, not sure. I've never heard of the wires causing an issue with the lockout switch, but it may be possible, as the solenoid is part of the shifter assembly. it wouldn't hurt to check it.
How do you remove shifter assembly?
My brother in Christ, this is literally covered in the video.
Soldered white cable still no ds
Mines i found no cut wires after i installed my led shifter it stopped working did u find out wat happend @ paul ashley