nath 134 Report post Posted August 19, 2021 Hi guys I have an Alpina-modified (switch-tronic) 5hp19 auto in my E36, and a standard, adaptive 4hp-18FLA(quattro) in my Audi urS6. Both cars are in near perfect condition. From a standstill if you plant your foot, the Alpina will rocket away- chopping through the gears very quickly and with no fuss. She also changes just fine with no flare etc when cruising. Occasionally coming down a hill she will hold a lower gear and take a moment to come out of it, which to 'me' is noticeable. Also the torque converter seems to decide when it does and does not want to lock up depending on your compass bearing to Mecca. The engine does not over-rev as if the trans is slipping. The Audi on the other hand will happily lock the torque converter at reasonable motorway speeds in the top gears, and stay locked such that she feels far less 'slushy' and more connected than the BMW. Obviously they are programmed differently, but would I be right in considering a full transmission service on the BMW? Both cars have done 140,000km and have had fluid changes in the past. I would prefer a firmer feeling at motorway speeds in the BMW. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hqstu 780 Report post Posted August 19, 2021 Sounds like normal behavior for a 5HP19. I'm not sure what sort of "firmer" feeling you are looking for? A full transmission service is a fluid / filter / pan gasket change - that's it as far as I'm aware, and if it's had fluid changes before with car at just 140,000km then I'd expect there would be little noticeable difference? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nath 134 Report post Posted August 19, 2021 12 minutes ago, hqstu said: I'm not sure what sort of "firmer" feeling you are looking for? At higher speeds, there's a distinct feeling between tq locked and unlocked, that is the feeling. I'm noise/vibration phobic... sometimes for fun I stand on the floor area of my boat above the driveshaft just to see if it feels like there is a new resonance in the bearings which may not have been there before.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted August 20, 2021 I dont know what Alpina have modified about it but 5hp19 is pretty smooth transmission. The TC lockup is a more gradually controlled transition. I would expect it more 'slushy' than the Audi 4hp which is probably on\off type lockup. Not sure what '..take a moment to come out of it' part means? If you have diagnostic software you should be able to see what the TC is doing in regards to lockup based on your throttle inputs. Was an adaption reset done when they changed the fluid? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nath 134 Report post Posted August 22, 2021 On 8/20/2021 at 2:56 PM, Eagle said: I dont know what Alpina have modified about it but 5hp19 is pretty smooth transmission. The TC lockup is a more gradually controlled transition. I would expect it more 'slushy' than the Audi 4hp which is probably on\off type lockup. Not sure what '..take a moment to come out of it' part means? If you have diagnostic software you should be able to see what the TC is doing in regards to lockup based on your throttle inputs. Was an adaption reset done when they changed the fluid? The modifications are to enable the steering wheel shift buttons and for it to hold those gears, also there is no sport mode, just normal or switch-tronic. The box shifts faster than the normal auto. Take a moment to come out of it- well just that- it can hold the engine braked low gear for too long when it is no longer required, when I would expect it to change up into a cruise gear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted September 7, 2021 Iirc TC lockup that varied in % based on load, speed etc was introduced on the m54b30 flavour of 5hp19. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
