E83 X3 3.0i 2004MY Transfer Case Fault Code

[LeMansBlue330d]

Hi folks,
My local indy quotes that a repair on my 2004 E83 3.0i is not possible to swap the gear inside the transfer case actuator and that a whole unit will need to be replaced; is this true?
Cheapest price I've seen on ebay £799.  BMW themselves quotes £2,250 for the part alone!!
I know some transfer cases can be stripped and the gearing inside can be replaced at a cost of about £20 for the parts.  A much better option but that's only if this can be done depending on the transfer case.

[jagr]

As far as I have seen you can replace the plastic actuator on E83 X3's.

https://axleaddict.com/auto-repair/BMW- ... em-And-Fix

[LeMansBlue330d]

The fault is with the transfer box itself and not that actuator, so it would mean the whole transfer box would need replacing, at a cost of 720 for a re-manufactured (swap for my unit) from this place in Blackburn I've found.

[Horizon]

[quote="LeMansBlue330d"]
The fault is with the transfer box itself and not that actuator, so it would mean the whole transfer box would need replacing, at a cost of 720 for a re-manufactured (swap for my unit) from this place in Blackburn I've found.
[/quote]
One of the members on here (KKX5 ) repairs / overhauls transfer boxes for a living, he's a regular poster, so he's the man to best advise / help you.

[kkx5]

Im the man from ebay (£720 recon) Got few 3.0i this week so maybe one off these is yours

[LeMansBlue330d]

Yep, that's me booked in this Friday AM! Need a second opinion on the fault, whether you can 'check' the fault codes to ensure it is 100% the transfer case/box before you make the swap?  I really DO NOT want to be spending hard-earned cash if the actual fault is the actuator or the gear within the actuator.

[LeMansBlue330d]

I also heard (and would rather replace this) about this here; http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=PA91-EUR-01-2004-E83-BMW-X3_30i&diagId=27_0110

[kkx5]

Hi. We do not swap gear inside the actuator. That is the worse you can do. Plastic gear is plastic for an reason. It acts as safety "fuse". If there is an transfer box issue, plastic gear need to brake. Unfortunately x3/x5 owners reads all those stupid stories on internet and keeps swaping plastic gears :wall: Thanks to bmw from 2009 there is no actuator motor with plastic gear.

[kkx5]

http://xdrivers.co.uk/forum/index.php/t ... #msg120933

[kkx5]

...few more pics of the transfer boxes after cheap fix

[LeMansBlue330d]

Those pictures look horrific, glad I got my transfer box swapped for a re-conditioned one, thanks kkx5 for doing it plus identifying the other advisories.  Having a 'nearly' 14 years old car at 144K miles sometimes doesn't seem worth the money to keep it mobile, but we still love the car, even though it only returns 18.5 MPG !!!! Ah well

[X5Sport]

Holy 

What on earth went bad on that?  Looks like the larger gear punched through the casing, or threw something through it!