[WhiteonWheat]

Ok, so I'm still wondering - How do these wires end up snapping or breaking apart? Is it that super superior German engineers didn't give these wires enough SLACK to freely move from right to left and back to engage DS mode and eventually they just snap off!? Surely not!???? Please help educate me, I guess I'm clueless, LOL!

[pedrobmw]

Um, yes. Read Mike-y's post, and watch the video. Or just open up your center console and see for yourself. The wires are under a lot of tension when the shifter is moved to the left to engage DS mode.

Originally Posted by WhiteonWheat

Ok, so I'm still wondering - How do these wires end up snapping or breaking apart? Is it that super superior German engineers didn't give these wires enough SLACK to freely move from right to left and back to engage DS mode and eventually they just snap off!? Surely not!???? Please help educate me, I guess I'm clueless, LOL!

[JTWCT]

How would I disconnect the shifter cable from the transmission?

[mike-y]

Originally Posted by JTWCT

How would I disconnect the shifter cable from the transmission?

There is a pin that holds the cable to the transmission selector (under the car) you have to release and then pull it all out through the cabin. I briefly looked at the procedure in the Bentley manual, but haven't tackled the job yet.

[Squark]

I have been hesitant to use sport mode much because I know this is such a common issue, but I followed your instructions and released the slack in the wires before mine broke. Now I can drive without worrying if/when the wires will break. It didn't take too long to do, and the hardest part for me was getting the rubber mat under the shifter tucked back in. Thanks for this great DIY!

[83k]

Originally Posted by mike-y

There is a pin that holds the cable to the transmission selector (under the car) you have to release and then pull it all out through the cabin. I briefly looked at the procedure in the Bentley manual, but haven't tackled the job yet.

Where exactly under the car is this piece? I opened up my shifter and found no split/damaged wires. The PRND panel lights up when i pull the shifter to the left, but automatically goes back to auto after some time. If i manually pull it back from left to D mode, the dash still reads it as M2 mode. Would this be a hardware or coding issue?

[g911turbo]

Originally Posted by pedrobmw

If you're certain that it's not the wires, (That is, you've removed all the black electrical tape after the wiring harness has been pulled free from the black plastic and the electrical insulation around the wires is all intact, and there are no fractured wires), then I suppose it's possible that the shifter mechanism itself might be damaged. It is a mechanical part, after all, and might just be worn out or damaged. I don't think I'd be willing to try to take that apart, though, to fix it. Maybe Mike-y can weigh in on this one.

My dealer wanted to charge me $1000-$1100 for parts and labor to replace the shifter assembly, so I would make sure that you have exhausted other options before you spring for it.

Button everything back up, including the wood trim connections on top, before you assume fixing the wires didn't work. FYI, I had no DS mode and a broken white wire. Soldered it, screwed back on the small cover and screwed down the shifter assembly, still no DS mode. It was only after I put the top cover back on that DS mode came back.

Thanks OP and others for an excellent post / video.

[tclippinger]

All DYI'ers I wanted to post photos of Pre-Fix and Fix of my DS Mode 2006 325XI thanks to ALL This is why I love this forum - Answers to ALL- I'm fixing problems as my car ages, yup 184,00 MILES and running strong.

Thanks again

[tturbolife]

Thanks for this post, really helped me out

[tturbolife]

Ugh. I get an error now every time i start the car about making sure the car is left in park. I cleared all the error codes in INPA and it still pops up. All the wires are fixed now and I have no problems with shifting or going into any mode. Any ideas?

[tturbolife]

Nvm, had the same problem as pedrobmw. Took everything apart again and found that the little piece connecting to the solenoid came off. Everything is good now. Thanks again for the awesome DIY!

[col127]

Dumb question - is the only way to join the two split wires together via soldering & shrink wrap tube? I don't know how to solder wires together... can I join them together via a wing nut? My e91 no longer downshifts and I am for sure not paying $1000-$1500 to get it fixed. :P I don't have any auto experience, but I don't mind looking around and seeing what's there as long as I can figure out how to take apart everything.

[DUI Elite]

This happened to me too, but I get no errors when the car is on / can shift out of park normally.

I only get the yellow transmission symbol after putting the car into park and removing the key

Wondering what the hell is going on. Might have thrown a soft code error that needs to be cleared now. (I shifted from neutral to park ONCE before connecting the PRND panel by accident). Went for a drive and everything, EVERYthing else is normal.

[DUI Elite]

Update: Looks like the car needed a certain number of "good" rechecks before clearing the light.

I drove it around normally for the rest of the day for errands and it cleared itself. (4 stop and starts in total).

[ajaye]

Originally Posted by col127

Dumb question - is the only way to join the two split wires together via soldering & shrink wrap tube? I don't know how to solder wires together... can I join them together via a wing nut? My e91 no longer downshifts and I am for sure not paying $1000-$1500 to get it fixed. :P I don't have any auto experience, but I don't mind looking around and seeing what's there as long as I can figure out how to take apart everything.

I'm not a fan of wire nuts on stranded wire. Or ever, really. The handful of racecars I've worked on with friends use absolutely as little solder as possible for signal/low current wiring though, almost always a crimp connector of some kind. Too many added points of failure and too hard to track down problems and fix at the track is always the argument.

I'd use 2 port Wago lever nuts before a wire nut. All these need is the two ends of the wire stripped back the correct length. They are awesome when you have to hang like 50 fluorescent light fixtures or trying to do a stranded-solid connection. Prob overkill in your case.
http://www.wago.us/wago/press/press-...etail-1122.jsp

Something like TYCO/AMP snap-in connectors (electronics aisle at the depot) would be my choice for a crimp connector just because they aren't much larger than the wire itself and the terminals don't disconnect without considerable force. Just make sure you use the correct size based on wire size and a good crimp tool.

[col127]

Wow I like those wago lever nuts! It says it's for 28-12 gauge wiring... Are the wires in the BMW 12 gauge? They look pretty thin so not sure if the lever nuts will work?

Anyone know what the gauge is?

[ajaye]

Originally Posted by col127

Wow I like those wago lever nuts! It says it's for 28-12 gauge wiring... Are the wires in the BMW 12 gauge? They look pretty thin so not sure if the lever nuts will work?

Anyone know what the gauge is?

The smaller the number referring to gauge/AWG, the larger the diameter the wire is. So 12 is the largest those wagos accept, 28 is the smallest. Its hard to tell from a picture, but if I had to guess they are 18-22 gauge wires. And really, if you get lever nuts and they don't look like they will work for whatever reason, they are great to have around anyway. I keep a handful of 3 ports with me when I work on pretty much anything.

[col127]

i brought my car into an indy shop today to have this repair done. they fixed it (cost of $200 - $100 for diagnosis, $100 for labour - i could have checked it myself, but i don't have the soldering skills so i figured i'd just bite the bullet and do it), but the gear issue has come on. there is a FE87 code error - failed shift solenoid in the shifter assembly. my car goes into drive no problem from park - the actual 'issue' according to the shop is that i can move the gear selected from park to drive without my foot on the brake. this is a child-lock safety thing...

do you guys think this is still the issue with the PIN not being moved back into the right place? i was hoping they would investigate if the PIN had not be returned back to the post, but the owner was a little difficult to deal with so i just left. thanks for the advice. i might have to take appart the assembly to see...

****UPDATE TO THIS**** i decided to just follow the OP's instructions and take apart the car (totally freaked me out since i don't know anything about cars) to check the post. it was not 'pushed in' - so i pushed it back together and connected everything back together and the gear light is GONE!!!!!

i only screwed one of the screws back into the plastic cover over the solenoid since it was pretty awkward to take them out and i wanted to make sure it actually worked. now that i everything back together, i don't know if i really want to go through all the hassle to put back in those two little screws. any issue if i leave them off? i'm assuming it's no big deal since it's just for the plastic cover?

thanks all! thanks OP for posting this.

[crashoverride]

A huge shoutout and thanks to the OP I cannot drive without it being in DS mode and wasn't in the position to pay hundreds easy fix for all.

[gatorheel]

Good DIY. Just make sure you fully reassemble the unit before you try to go to DS mode because it doesn't work if you dont. I thought my fix didnt work using small Positaps to connect the wires so I soldered it but I bet I didnt need to because I didnt reassemble when testing using the Positaps. On that note, Positap was super easy and would probably work as an alternative to soldering.

[Saintor]

amateur style



A few traps.

First believe the guy in the video about *HARD* to remove the knob. Yeah I got it in the face and I have big hump on my forehead now.

Second I was prepared to have a good stripper tool but I neglected to have a good crimper and my F-F connectors were terrible to have a good crimp.

Third, watch out not to drop anything (like a connector) or you'll feel sorry. You can see one of my connectors about center. It seemed benign until it started to block the mechanical interlock. I wasn't able to move my shifter (stayed in park) until I had moved the damn stick connector a bit clear .

Live and learn. But my manual mode works. 6/8 wires were damaged, 2 were even cut.

[chris@strutmonkey]

Great DIY! I was not able to upshfit in DS mode, but this made it an easy fix. Easy, easy. BTW, up shifts are controlled by the purple wire. Also, I used a T10 torx for the three small screws and it fit perfectly. Also, I did not return the wires back into the tight space that caused them to break. Instead I electrical taped them to the inner side of the shifter housing - there is a lot of free space there - not sure why bmw did not use it in the first place.