Please help. Transmission control module Light on
 

Please help I need an expert. Yesterday I noticed that my transmission control module light came on. The same day I noticed that my foot pedal broke. The bottom portion of the pedal is broken. Only when i push the pedal all the way down to downshift is when the light comes on. I can drive without down shifting and the light won't go on. When i downlshift the light comes on. I have to pull over. Turn off the car for 10 seconds and restart it to reset the light. I figured id ask here first and then go to the dealership and become broke for 1 year. Any help will be much appreciated.

1.) Gas pedal is broken? Like a clean break or just cracked?

2.) I assume your car is an automatic since you're pushing the pedal all the way down to downshift.

3.) Is this the yellow light at the bottom of the gauge cluster that has a hazard triangle with the arrows in a circle around it?

Gas pedal has a break on the very bottom where it is attached to the floor. The break is across the bottom of the plastic pedal.

Yes the car is a automatic.

Its the yellow circle with the exclamation point in the middle. I looked at the manual and it says that it is the Warning indicator lamp for the transmission control module.

I forgot to mention that my car is a 95 ti. Beside that i do not see any difference in performace and nothing else is wrong that i can notice.

I had the same problem
 

I have a '97 auto and I had the same problem. It would only happen when it was really cold (like -15) and my supercharger would put out ~12-14 psi because of the cold weather. When the car would shift at this high of boost it would kick on the tranny light. The car would shift but it was really hard, like the tires would squeal when it shifted....not good. I figure it had something to do with pushing the tranny to hard.

I have decided to swap out the auto for a manual, so that will solve my problem, but not yours. I would try changing your fluid. Sorry, that's my only suggestion. I doubt your gas pedal has anything to do with it.

If it turns out your tranny is crap, I will sell you my auto tranny for whatever it costs to ship it to you.

Good luck!

Yeah! Yeah! I know! This thread had been sleeping S-O-O-O-O peacefully ... until I came around and screwed everything up!

1996 318ti manual trasmission.

Anyway, in an effort to keep similar information together and avoid ANOTHER thread called "Please help. Transmission control module Light on", here's MY problem:
http://bmw318ti.info/windowregulator/TCM.JPG
I did a gauge cluster swap today. Now the light to the right of the "CHECK ENGINE" light is on. When the car was running it stayed illuminated. Since I had never seen that light before, I thought it was a funky "CHECK ENGINE" light. I pulled out my OBD-II scanner to read the code ... all clear. Huh? Then I noticed with the key on/engine off, there was also a "CHECK ENGINE" light illuminated (as there should have been). Consulting my handy-dandy owner's manual, I believe this is the "TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE" illuminated. The references in the owner's manual seem to only talk about automatic transmissions, so I'm hoping this is just an automatic gauge cluster vs. manual transmission drivetrain issue and I can just remove that bulb, but I don't know!

On a related happy note, my SRS light is now illuminated. I know what you're thinking, but I did follow the procedure outlined in Pelican Parts "101 Projects" book, namely I disconnected the battery. Oh well, I knew there was that risk and I prepared myself to buy a $200 reset tool before embarking on the transplant. Luckily, it's only $135.

Does the SRS warning follow the gauge cluster or the car? In other words, if I put the old cluster in, will the SRS still be illuminated?

Look for my <sarcasm>exciting</sarcasm> gauge cluster swap blog posting soon! More exciting (though relatively minor) problems!

My bad! The other light illuminated is the ABS, just like in the photo. I think I was so paranoid about the SRS that I saw it illuminated when it was clearly ABS! Any ideas?

If you were local I would scan that ABS light for you and tell you exactly what the problem was.

I would start by removing the abs sensors and checking for debris and any damage to the wires.

Why would it suddenly come on? I suppose the bulb could have been out. How much is the ABS tool?

Mine wasn't cheap but this machine is a beast.
http://www1.snapon.com/modis

This may be an inexpensive alternative.
http://www.bavariantechnic.com/

I think my mechanic has one of those Snap-On scanners. I didn't pay close attention to it, but I believe it looked similar to that. He just opened his own garage, so I know it's a new model. He said he got every bell & whistle, all the cables, etc. And I thought he said it was around $10K. He said he was told it would work on every car, but recently found one that it wouldn't work on. Snap-On admitted that there was that ONE car it didn't work on and he chided them about saying it worked on EVERY car.

So, what about the Transmission Control Module? Worrisome or not?

For the ABS, think I should put a known good bulb in the ABS socket of the old cluster to see if It illuminates? If there's not really an ABS problem, but the light got tripped anyway,would the error state stay with the car or only the cluster? In other words, Is the error state stored in the cluster like the mileage is, or elsewhere in the car?

Yeah, that cluster came from an automatic car, right?

I bet the gear just lights up because it does not know what else to do.

Is the bulb on your old cluster burned out in the ABS port?

Could be you have had a bad ABS sensor for awhile and just didn't know it.

I'm not sure. I'll have to ask Marvin.


Not sure about the bulb. It's easy to miss one NOT lighting up when you first turn the key, but damn hard to miss when they stay illuminated!

OK, I just came up with a plan. Well, I'm not much of an electrician, but I decided I'd remove the bulb under the ABS label and wire it up to a AA-battery ... it lit ... very dim, but it definitely lit. I attribute the dimness to the 1.5V battery.

NOW what????

Find a safe lonely area and try braking to lockup and see if the ABS pulse occurs in the pedal?

I bet you have either a out of adjustment wheel sensor or the pump died.

Dave

Looking at a photo I took of the clusters after removal of the old but before installation of the new, I can see that the transmission control module socket is empty on the old, but populated in the new. I suppose that answers one question. Only the ABS issue remains, I THINK!

http://bmw318ti.info/gauges/backs.jpg