Yesterday i was driving along going up a fairly steep hill in the dark. I was traveling about 10-15 mph i believe and though i was in D2. so without looking i switch the gears trying to find just the normal drive and mistakenly threw the car in reverse, the car stopped fairly quickly and i didnt seem to hear any grinding or anything. Have i just shortened the life of my transmission or caused any damage? how long to they usually last in an E30?
I'm sure the transmission technologies are different, but I did that accidentally in my mother's automatic car (yuck -- 2003 Nissan Sentra) while at 40mph (don't ask - I forgot I was driving automatic and wanted to put 'er in fifth!). The engine cut off and when I stopped, it started right back up and the transmission has been fine since. I hope that eases your worries a bit - if it's working fine, hopefully it will continue to do so...
that has to be the 'sickest' of feelings.... 'that little goof just cost me a new transmission!' Kaa- Ching! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ it's good to hear that in reality they did not self-destruct...
jeepers, i've missed my share of shifts, & heard all kinds of 'orrid graunching noises from my 5-spd manual. However, I've never managed to break anything (except for once, back in '87, when the whole hydraulic system failed & the clutch-pedal stayed on the floor at an inopportune moment). The car suffered from stiff-shifting when cold, but that prob was totally solved by switching to synthetic transmission fluid. Other than that one instant (& subsequent master-cylinder replacement under warranty), I've *never* had any transmission probs. Despite v. hard race-track & street use, I'm still wearing the original clutch-plates, so the thing seems fairly bullet-proof to me.
It sounds like he's got an automatic - and it sounds like you're talking about a 5spd? The automatics are definitely not as bulletproof as the Getrag 260's in most e30s. However, I can imagine that when the automatic was designed and produced that they kept in mind the exact thing that occured. If anything, there's probably a mechanical mechanism in there that prevents the gears from shifting into reverse when still in motion. If it didn't explode, I honestly think you'll be fine. Besides, if it does die - all the more reason to switch to a 5speed! And, when it does - if you do want to stick with the auto, check out all the car forums, because there's tons of people that do 5spd swaps, and have to use their autos as boat achors because nobody wants em.
That mechanism has got to exist. If I use logic here, I would assume that since gear selection decisions (when in Drive) are made electronically, there would be some kind of electronic control over whether or not Reverse can be engaged when the vehicle is in motion [forwards, at least]. Thinking about that actually made me be more confident that there's no actual damage done... ... or at least I hope I'm right.
