ZF Transmission won't select 1st gear manually

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OnTheFritz
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2017 11:20 pm
Location: Monroe, MI

ZF Transmission won't select 1st gear manually

Post by OnTheFritz »

So I recently came across a weird issue with my transmission. After months/years of working correctly, it no longer wants to select first gear if I have it set to "321" mode. When I move the shift lever all the way down to the "1" position, normally the "1" gear indicator on the dash lights up like the other gears, but now that light stays out and first gear isn't selected as it should be. First gear still works normally in the S and E modes, and nothing slips, so the transmission internals aren't the issue. This leads me to think that an electrical contact on the shift lever simply isn't working properly, based on the symptoms and the fact I can still move the lever into the "1" position like normal.

Is there anything I'm missing, and what should I clean/look at first to get this working again?

EDIT: went and checked this morning, the 1 gear light lit up like normal, ran the car, and could manually select first gear again. Everything's good again, for now :-"
Anyway, I'll keep this thread up for a while in case this happens again or info about preventative maintenance is posted
8/87 635CSi A, #3266516
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