Car dies in other gear except neutral or Park

1986 BMW 528E
186,000 MILES • 1.7L • 6 CYL • RWD • AUTOMATIC
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JANICE ELSEMORE
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Just bought this 86 528e and it seemed that it took a long time to warm up before the transmission would work at all. It starts right up in park or neutral but if I put in gear it dies. If you warm it up for 15 minutes, you can use all gears, but if it has to idle at all, such as a stoplight the same problem. I had the transmission serviced and then was told it needed a torque converter. Does this sound right?
Feb 4, 2016 at 2:06 AM
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DOCHAGERTY
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The issue does not sound like a torque converter problem. The idle control on the ETA motors is regulated with the Idle control valve and idle control module. Both will probably require replacement, and they can be expensive. Check google for cheap bmw parts and ask for ICV and ICU cheap, good luck.
Feb 6, 2016 at 10:07 AM