740i Tranny problem!!

I own a '93 740i. I am having a problem with the reverse gear. It weems to be worse if the car is warm. I place the car in reverse and nothing happens. I feel the car shift(back end seems to lift slightly) but car will not move. It's like I'm in neutral. I feel the transition from neutral to reverse but no movement. Once the car has sat for a few hours it works just fine. The local BMW dealer just gave me a quote for 6k+ to replace tranny. They told me the reverse clutch was completely burnt up. I asked why it worked just fine in the mornings and the answer I received was"They just do that sometimes.", whatever that means. Any ideas or comments would be appreciated.
thanks

Scott

Hi

Worst case could be the clutch gone, whatever - the box would have to
be taken out - best advice is got transmission specialist.

I have 740i 97 selects false neutrals - bm dealer quote 4 - 5 k to replace, cost 1100 for a complete rebuild with a torque convertor
and full electronic set up.

The guy who did job also sub contracts to the BM dealership so
there is a profit here somewhere !!!

Regards.

Has anyone done a main line pressure check? Before assuming that the tranny is bad I would have a line pressure check done. This is a typical problem when the fluid pressure in the valve body drops due to filter contamination. Have this checked before dropping thousands into a new tranny. Is your tranny a ZF or GM?

I have the same problem with my 93 740I. It has 130K on it.
It just recently started to display a delay in the reverse gear engagement and the other day it just sat in idle when the shifter was put in reverse.
I took it my mechanic and he said it needed a $6500 (Ouch) factory rebuilt tranny. I called a few transmission shops and they state that they can overhaul it for a few grand. My mechanic says I'm just looking for trouble. I picked it up at the shop to take it to the transmission shop and now the reverse is working. I guess it's a ticking bomb. It seems that this is a common problem on the 5hp30 transmission.
Any suggestions out there?

I had a similar problem (maybe not exactly the same). Check this article and see if this is what you are seeing. It's much cheaper than replacing the tranny.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t38804.html

Most of us suffer from the same problem and have received similar EXPENSIVE recommendations and/or solutions. I just had my transmission fixed for $650, way below the original $6k - $7k estimates for replacement. First, I experienced the exact same "sluggish symptoms", stuttery response and eventually a "humming noise". This past Tuesday as I was taking my car for it's servicing, it felt as if I was driving with the emergency break on the whole way to the shop. When I finally got to the shop I was greeted with GREAT NEWS! The manufacturer of our problematic transmissions has issued a "fix-it" memo. <excuse my lack of technical jargon> The problem stems from 2 little balls that regulate transmission fluid within a maze of tiny chambers. The year our car was produced, the balls used were made of a rubber/plastic material. Who knows why ($). Anyway, since the material is less durable, those balls wear down and start doing random stuff within the chambers and getting stuck. The shop I use told me that one of those balls was actually stuck in a chamber as opposed to free floating and doing its job. Here is the surprising part, those two replacement balls cost $2/each. Amazing! The labor was about $650. My car hasn't run this good in over a year and a half. The strange "humming noise" has also disappeared. This was just about the best Christmas present I could asked for. -Good Luck- and get that 740i fixed and running smooth again....

p.s. there was also leacky gasket where the wiring enters the transmission I had replaced while they had the thing open (+$75).