Water in transmission fluid, will not go into reverse, "limp mode"

Asked by Guru9YHLLP Feb 03, 2021 at 06:31 PM about the 2004 BMW 3 Series 325i Sedan RWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

After driving through a very large puddle, water got into my transmission fluid.  
Since parking (only driven less than 1 mile after puddle), the transmission light
is now on, and the car will not go into reverse.  Any suggestions on trouble
shooting, short of rebuilding?

2 Answers
41,330

TDolby answered 3 years ago

So you want to drain and flush the transmission fluid ASAP and get new fluid and a filter in there. But by the age of the vehicle and mileage, if the new fluid change doesn't work, you will be rebuilding or replacing it. Water swells the clutches.

Mark helpful
7,855

apbimmer98 answered 3 years ago

Yup... you need to drop the pan and get as much fluid out of there as you possibly can. New filter of course, and see what happens. You might be able to save it if you can get all the water out of the fluid.

Mark helpful

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