Alpina B3 flash - tranny clunky

[vtl]

Originally Posted by thezone135i

Hey Vincent, which of those flashes do I have? All is great except D mode is awful. My fuel economy has gotten worse with it changing so early and S is still too aggressive for passive driving. Manual is great but sometimes you just want to use D.

Maybe I should come and pay you another visit!

Yeah I flashed the older version, now that I know about the better ones it might be good to flash the 2nd alpins flash to get better driveability in D

[thezone135i]

Originally Posted by vtl

Yeah I flashed the older version, now that I know about the better ones it might be good to flash the 2nd alpins flash to get better driveability in D

Awesome I'll tee up a time one night when ur free!

[froop]

Originally Posted by OzJustin

Thanks froop. I've read your DIY - very handy!

Did you really fill with 9L of new oil including the torque converter? I had the sump pan & filler plug replaced when I had my fluid changed (only 70.000km on mine) but the mechanic said it was difficult & could only replace about 4L. I thought it was a bit odd given your DIY says 9L but they're a reputable workshop so didn't question. It cost me $500 so I'd be a little pissed having to do it all again with 9L of new ZF fluid. Can I reuse my new sump pan & where is the cheapest place to source ZF fluid locally?

My tranny generally only exhibits the symptoms when cold & 1st & 2nd seem ok. I have noticed the minor reverse clunk occassionally though. It's generally very smooth after a few minutes to warm up. Driving it on a saturday morning after it sitting for the week is when I notice it most.

Perhaps I try the Sport and 2011 flashes first before forking out for another fluid change..

The entire capacity of the system is 9L but I only was able to drain and replace 4.5L. This including running the car in gear whilst raised and cycling through the gears. Definitely you won't be able to drain and replace 9L. If you got a new sump pan when you last did the service you definitely won't need a new one. The sump pan has the filter and also a magnet pre-installed into it. Chances are you won't necessarily need a new one but it couldn't hurt.

I bought mine from the CTSC in the US however for some reason when other people tried to order through there he told them that he didn't ship overseas. Definitely wasn't the case with me. With the exchange rate now I'm not sure where would be the cheapest. Definitely not BMW though. A lot of people order through Schmiedmann (not Australia) and have good prices and experiences.

[Dackelone]

[OzJustin]

Cheers for the clarifications guys.

Do you see any harm in replacing the tranny fluid with 5L of stock ZF fluid this time rather than the LiquiMoly ie there will be a bit of both new fluids once done?

I'm still leaning towards trying a different flash first to rule that out though. The US Sport flash is the most appealing to me given it's closest to the original Alpina it seems. I was keen to try the newer Alpina flash but have read a few people have had it come out of gear so it's not 100% safe/reliable.

Can someone clarify the flashing for me. I assume that the ZB numbers correspond to a physical flash/firmware file that I need to download or are all the flashes available in the spdaten? Wedge performed for me last time.

[OzJustin]

Are there any aussie members who would be nice enough to remote into my pc (via TeamViewer) to perform the US Sport flash for me? I have a quality DCAN cable & the software.

I'd like to see if the different flash fixes my periodically lurchy tranny before I swap the fluid again.

[thezone135i]

Originally Posted by OzJustin

Cheers for the clarifications guys.

Do you see any harm in replacing the tranny fluid with 5L of stock ZF fluid this time rather than the LiquiMoly ie there will be a bit of both new fluids once done?

I'm still leaning towards trying a different flash first to rule that out though. The US Sport flash is the most appealing to me given it's closest to the original Alpina it seems. I was keen to try the newer Alpina flash but have read a few people have had it come out of gear so it's not 100% safe/reliable.

Can someone clarify the flashing for me. I assume that the ZB numbers correspond to a physical flash/firmware file that I need to download or are all the flashes available in the spdaten? Wedge performed for me last time.

I just tried the US flash and it was a bit lurchy in manual mode, seemed to raise the revs before changing up. Then I went to the Alpina v2 and wow what an awesome tune! Manual changes are lightning fast now and D is way more driveable than Alpina v1. Sorry cant help with remote flashing tho.

[vtl]

Yeah I wasn't impressed with that US sport flash. Only seemed to get nice shifts when you had your foot to the floor. Otherwise it would seem to hold revs for half a second before shifting. The delay between flicking the paddle and the transmission shifting seemed a bit long as well?

Ozjustin, if you've already got a setup you should just follow this guide:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=874072

I've done this many times and its not difficult if you follow the guide to the letter. You installation should already include all the flashes I listed previously.

[tharaka]

Originally Posted by vtl

This info came up on e90post in the australian section a couple weeks ago:

ZB 7601492 (Stock Flash)


ZB 7603527 (BMW 2011 Flash)
- No gear indicator
- D shift rpm raised slightly ~1800-2000
- Downshift rev match not like Alpina but better then others
- 6800rpm shift point


ZB 7615835 (Original Alpina B3 Flash)
- Gear indicator (D1, S1)
- D shift rpm relatively low ~1500-1800
- S mode shift rpm 2800-3000
- Great rev match downshifting
- 7000rpm shift


ZB 7603537 (New Alpina B3 Flash)
- Same as 7615835 except:
- Smoother
- Slightly higher RPM D mode upshifts ~3300-3500


ZB 7603541 (Euro Sport Flash)
- No gear indicator in Drive, M/S still have it i.e. S1...S6 / M1...M6
- D drives just like the stock
- S a bit more aggressive than stock


ZB 7601494 (US Sport Flash)
- No gear indicator in Drive, M/S still have it i.e. S1...S6 / M1...M6
- D feels stock
- S stays in gear longer than the B3, Shifts at ~3300-3500
-M is more impressive than the B3 at shifts

If anyone in Melb needs help flashing I have the setup at home to do it.

I'd love to get your help to flash to the US Sport software!

[vtl]

Originally Posted by tharaka

I'd love to get your help to flash to the US Sport software!

Wasn't impressed with the US Sport flash at all, shifts were no where near as good as the Alpina. Alpina flash 7603537 is the way to go in my opinion. PM me if you want to me to flash your vehicle.

[OzJustin]

It's funny that some people say the Sport flash shifts are superior to Alpina & others say the reverse. I'm in two minds about trying a different flash now. I love my original Alpina flash (perfect for the way I drive) except for the occassional lurchy upshifts. I went for a small drive the other night & it was very smooth..go figure. I hope a second tranny fluid flush will correct this.

[vtl]

Might try resetting the adaptations for the transmission in INPA. I don't own an auto so not 100% sure how much of an impact it makes but worth a try. Might save you from paying for another expensive flush.

[OzJustin]

Originally Posted by vtl

Might try resetting the adaptations for the transmission in INPA. I don't own an auto so not 100% sure how much of an impact it makes but worth a try. Might save you from paying for another expensive flush.

If you read through the earlier posts in my thread you'll see that I've already reset all adaptations. It did seem to help briefly but I have still noticed the lurchy upshifts over the last few months. ?

[thezone135i]

I know that mine at stock was a little lurchy if upshifted at a weird time eg, say let the revs hang on a little too long and then change. I found with the first Alpina flash this was not any better just the shift itself was quicker but D was horrible. The 2nd Iteration is way better. Shifts are really quick and the lurch less pronounced but still there if I let the the revs rise slowly to high and then change but I think that's the way the gear box works. I find that if im going to drive like a grandma I just leave it in D otherwise if Im looking for a more aggressvie drive then M or S is the way to go and these modes work way better with the 2nd flash. Is this the kind of lurchy change you mean? D is also way better now as it hangs on to gears a tad longer and doesn't get bogged down like the first Alpina.

[ccdre]

Originally Posted by vtl

Wasn't impressed with the US Sport flash at all, shifts were no where near as good as the Alpina. Alpina flash 7603537 is the way to go in my opinion. PM me if you want to me to flash your vehicle.

I have to agree with this comment... I like the D and S mode on US Sport flash but the M mode shifting seems way slow... slower than bone stock and slower than Alpina... Just my $0.02

I think ZB 7603537 (updated Alpina?) is next on my list of the AT6 flashes to try...

[thezone135i]

Originally Posted by thezone135i

I know that mine at stock was a little lurchy if upshifted at a weird time eg, say let the revs hang on a little too long and then change. I found with the first Alpina flash this was not any better just the shift itself was quicker but D was horrible. The 2nd Iteration is way better. Shifts are really quick and the lurch less pronounced but still there if I let the the revs rise slowly to high and then change but I think that's the way the gear box works. I find that if im going to drive like a grandma I just leave it in D otherwise if Im looking for a more aggressvie drive then M or S is the way to go and these modes work way better with the 2nd flash. Is this the kind of lurchy change you mean? D is also way better now as it hangs on to gears a tad longer and doesn't get bogged down like the first Alpina.

Actually Im going to change what I said here. I had a good long drive yesterday (only had the Alpina updated flash for about a week) and I could not fault the gearbox behaviour at all. No lurchy up changes, not even if I left the gear in a high rev and then changed, all manual changes are lighting fast, up and down. This is def the flash to get.

[OzJustin]

Originally Posted by thezone135i

Actually Im going to change what I said here. I had a good long drive yesterday (only had the Alpina updated flash for about a week) and I could not fault the gearbox behaviour at all. No lurchy up changes, not even if I left the gear in a high rev and then changed, all manual changes are lighting fast, up and down. This is def the flash to get.

What rpm does the newer Alpina flash change gears in D-mode? 3300-3500rpm seems pretty high if accurate.

[thezone135i]

Originally Posted by OzJustin

What rpm does the newer Alpina flash change gears in D-mode? 3300-3500rpm seems pretty high if accurate.

Ill check it out next time I drive it (probs tomorrow) its definitely still lower than stock but higher than first Alpina flash. tbh I still prefer stock and the US flash is closer to stock as well which I prefer but...the manual changes in the new Alpina are worth it.

[ccdre]

Here are my $0.02 from few days of experimenting with various TCU flashes...

7603537 - Gear indicator in D/S/M mode, D is still grannyish, upshifting around 1500-1700 rpm, S mode feels great and M is quick and smooth.

7601494 - "US Sport flash", D feels stock, S has gear indicator and shifts later than stock, M feels slow (slower than stock!)

7615835 - Gear indicator in D/S/M mode, D is ridiculous, upshifting way early - if you were to let someone drive your car, they would say that something is definitely wrong. S/M mode is great with M somewhat rough but very quick

7603527 - No D/S gear indicator, S not as aggressive as the Alpina but good "stock" feel to it, M pretty quick but not as quick as the '537 or '835

If there was a way to combine S/M mode from 7603537 with D mode from 7603527, we would have a winner...
For now, I'm gonna stick with the '3537, put some miles on it and maybe just avoid D unless I'm highway cruising .

[thezone135i]

Originally Posted by ccdre

Here are my $0.02 from few days of experimenting with various TCU flashes...

7603537 - Gear indicator in D/S/M mode, D is still grannyish, upshifting around 1500-1700 rpm, S mode feels great and M is quick and smooth.

7601494 - "US Sport flash", D feels stock, S has gear indicator and shifts later than stock, M feels slow (slower than stock!)

7615835 - Gear indicator in D/S/M mode, D is ridiculous, upshifting way early - if you were to let someone drive your car, they would say that something is definitely wrong. S/M mode is great with M somewhat rough but very quick

7603527 - No D/S gear indicator, S not as aggressive as the Alpina but good "stock" feel to it, M pretty quick but not as quick as the '537 or '835

If there was a way to combine S/M mode from 7603537 with D mode from 7603527, we would have a winner...
For now, I'm gonna stick with the '3537, put some miles on it and maybe just avoid D unless I'm highway cruising .

+1 for this. Spot on.

[OzJustin]

Thanks for this. It sounds like the 537 Alpina flash is worth a try. Good to hear that D-mode shifts are still quite low. I wonder why others say it shifts at 3300rpm+... They must have lead foot throttle adaptations.

[ccdre]

Originally Posted by OzJustin

Thanks for this. It sounds like the 537 Alpina flash is worth a try. Good to hear that D-mode shifts are still quite low. I wonder why others say it shifts at 3300rpm+... They must have lead foot throttle adaptations.

To be honest, I'm already getting tired of the 537 after driving for couple hundred miles with it... The D mode is pretty much useless. I don't understand how people live with the Alpina flash for any period of time. Unless there's something wrong with my car, the low RPM upshifts go against everything that our 1ers are about - it literally takes away the fun of driving.
I'm in 6th gear at 40-45Mph!

I wonder if anyone actually had a chance to drive the Alpina B3 car that this flash is intended for, as it is (for me) hard to believe BMW would release anything like that.

Sorry about the rant... lol

Dre