2007 E83 2.0 manual transfer case problems.

[Trav]

Hi, I am currently looking at a 2007 X3 2.0 manual transmission and 94k on the clock with suspect transfer case related problems. The car drive ok after and NSR abs sensor changed due to sparatic speedo readings. Except for the knocking when aprouching full lock it is almost as if the back wheel are wanting to lock up. I am aware this is when the diffs and transfer boxes will be going through the most strain.

I have removed the servo and checked the condition of the plastic gear and the shaft of which it connects too cannot be turned by hand which I am led to believe is normal. Do these servos fail electronically and if so can second hand units be fitted for diagnostic purposes? The only reason I would ideally like to fit a second hand one is to keep costs down until the fault is located.

I have the following active fault codes.......

5F3A - DSC Transfer case malfunction.
5F39 - DSC Transfer case internal.
5462 - servo motor or coupling force too high.

I have been reading about the '*' rated tyres (this car has mix and match tyres, which I have advised to be changed) my only conern is That these faults are active there for will not clear, with the exception of 5462 which can be deleted and only comes back on the odd occasion. If it was the tyres the faults would clear and then come back when the car was in motion?

thank for your help and all suggestions welcome.

[X5Sport]

It might upon how much damage has already been done.  I don't know if the system gets to the point where once a certain tolerance is exceeded then the flag won't go away, or if it is an error than needs a different way of clearing it down?

Personally I would walk away and find one that is OK.  A broken diff or transfer box is expensive, and a failure in motion can be VERY expensive.

We do have a resident transmissions expert who will know the answers to your specific questions though.  kkx5 works with these systems.

[Horizon]

[quote="Trav"]
Hi, I am currently looking at a 2007 X3 2.0 manual transmission and 94k on the clock with suspect transfer case related problems. The car drive ok after and NSR abs sensor changed due to sparatic speedo readings. Except for the knocking when aprouching full lock it is almost as if the back wheel are wanting to lock up. I am aware this is when the diffs and transfer boxes will be going through the most strain.

I have removed the servo and checked the condition of the plastic gear and the shaft of which it connects too cannot be turned by hand which I am led to believe is normal. Do these servos fail electronically and if so can second hand units be fitted for diagnostic purposes? The only reason I would ideally like to fit a second hand one is to keep costs down until the fault is located.


I have the following active fault codes.......

5F3A - DSC Transfer case malfunction.
5F39 - DSC Transfer case internal.
5462 - servo motor or coupling force too high.

I have been reading about the '*' rated tyres (this car has mix and match tyres, which I have advised to be changed) my only conern is That these faults are active there for will not clear, with the exception of 5462 which can be deleted and only comes back on the odd occasion. If it was the tyres the faults would clear and then come back when the car was in motion?

thank for your help and all suggestions welcome.
[/quote]

When you say you are looking at the car, have you already purchased it , or are you considering it ?
Or when you say looking at it meaning trying to sort it , and you already own the car.
Miss matched tyres, especially on a staggered set up is the biggest cause of transfer box failure.
Are you running the staggered setup or are all the tyres the same width/ profile ?
I had transmission wind up symptoms and fitted the same size identical tyres all round and the problems went away.
As X5 Sport mentioned, it depends on how much damage has already been done .

http://xdrivers.co.uk/forum/index.php/t ... 982.0.html

[Trav]

Fixing it on behalf of a friend of the family. Yeh all fingures are pointing at tyres being first thing to try, just don't want to turn it into a money pit. The owner said it started of an intermittent fault and with the faults unable to clear, Would usually point me towards an electrical fault.

I'm currently away with work and never noticed if they were of the same width but they are all of the same profile. Just make and tread depths that are different.

[Horizon]

Different makes can be a big difference , mine had 3 different makes on it when I looked at it, so preordered a set of tyres even before picking up the car, as I know of all the problems others have had.
I measured the circumference of mine when they were taken off and there was a 35 mm difference between 2 tyres.
As said KKX5 on here overhauls transfer boxes (£700/800 ish I think ) sure he will be along to advise, as he's a regular poster.
I think you can pull the fuse for the Xdrive system to see if it drives better as a test

[Trav]

Don't suppose you would happen to know the fuse number and which fuse box it is in would you?

Yeh if the box is gone and with the added cost of new Tyres there will be every chance the car may be the end of the line for this one.

[Horizon]

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attach ... 1473561397
This is an interesting piece. It describes how the Xdrive system on the E53 X5 and the E83 X3 work.

[Trav]

Excellent artical. It has cleared up a few woes about the issues I have upon the tyres being at fault, Due to difference in tread and traction the on board computers detect too much slip and it is applying the brake.

In the case of the warnings either the damage is done to the transfer box or has anybody heard of the actuator being at fault? Or is the box at fault?

[Horizon]

[quote="Trav"]
Excellent artical. It has cleared up a few woes about the issues I have upon the tyres being at fault, Due to difference in tread and traction the on board computers detect too much slip and it is applying the brake.

In the case of the warnings either the damage is done to the transfer box or has anybody heard of the actuator being at fault? Or is the box at fault?
[/quote]
Can't really comment on what is causing your problems, but tyres are the main concern, I was speaking to a car salesman who said he had partexed an X3  with a customer and when they did the service before selling it on they had picked up that one of the tyres was badly cut on the inside. They fitted a brand new budget tyre, as they do ! And the customer picked up the car, 2 weeks later the transfer box went.
This is the guy I bought my X3 off, and he only mentioned that when I told him I had pre ordered a full set of tyres to fit to mine as soon as I got it home.
Funny he didn't mention that when he sold me a car with 3 different makes of tyres on it

[Trav]

This is what he sent me when I asked him what was on it.......

Would jacking all wheels off ground, supporting on axle stands and putting into first and letting them run not let me know if it was down to traction bais or Incorrect slippage readings that are caused by uneven wear or mismatched tyres.

My theory here is I've not removed all traction and wheels turning at same speeds. There for in theory surely it would come ok?

[Horizon]

Same as mine 3 different makes of tyres

[Trav]

Only one mismatching and it is a very recent edition to the car. (Last couple of weeks that is and the problem pre exists the tyre) Yeh a bit of a gamble for tyres all round would be a kick in the arse off of £600.

Think I will wait till I get home jack it up at all corners, drive and see if this stops the knocking. Was hoping someone on here found confirm this would help for ruling out tyres or not?

[kkx5]

Wrong/bold/mismatch Tyres will never ever give you any fault codes. Tell us, when you switch engine off and then back on, without driving, are there any lights on dashboard?

[Trav]

They go off for a short moment but straight back on. I assumed after a self test?

[kkx5]

Sounds like a transfer box is gone.