2001 BMW X5 Transmission problems

Tiny
WALZ
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 BMW X5
  • V8
  • AWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 93,900 MILES
I have a problem with my X5 4.4 2001 Auto Transmission.

After driving for a while, the transmission does not shift properly anymore. Usual operation at startup is quite good and not any sign or jerkyness or error message.
The first 10 to 15 minutes the transmission works fine, also it does not feel jerky in any way. When I put it into drive I hear a clunk but after that nothing.

Shifting is also still carried out smooth, however the shifting point is much too high, I need to rev the engine to about 3 to 4K before shifing occurs. Usually it would shift much sooner, around 2K to 2.5K I believe? It definately feels wrong.
It means I drive on the highway only in 2nd or 3rd gear at very high revs. Need to push the pedal hard to force gear shift at v. High revs, up to 5K sometimes.

Shifting down would also occur too soon when comming from higher gears, leading to a jerky braking at traffic lights as the revs are too high on the downshift. But this issue is more irregular whereas shifting up becomes a constant problem after running the car for a while.

I also tried to change gears in manual mode.
When I want to shift into i.E. 3rd gear at revs below 4K it would not engage the gear and the display would show a drop back to 2nd after 3rd was shown on the panel for a brief moment. I felt that 2nd gear was still at work. Same applies to shift gear 1to 2, 3 to 4, etc. I can only do the manual mode shift at high revs (min 3.5 to 4K)


what could be the problem here? Computer did not produce any error messages either. Do I need to get the transmission disassembled?

Please please help.
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 AT 9:56 AM

6 Replies

Tiny
DOCHAGERTY
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,601 POSTS
The EGS may not have set faults that can be read with generic software and the issue may be something from the historical file of the vehicle. How were the faults read out? What has been done so far? Has the issue been diagnosed by a BMW professional? All I want in this is to get some clarity in these responses and to give you answers that eventually lead to a correct diagnosis and proper repair.
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Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 AT 9:03 PM
Tiny
WALZ
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
The codes were read from an Actron scanner 9180. Been having problems with P0171 and P0174 and am try to solve that issue. I'm taking the car to the BMW dealer next week.
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Thursday, August 7th, 2008 AT 5:35 AM
Tiny
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Let me know the findings from the dealer and please repost with the vehicle identification number and I will track their progress.
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Thursday, August 7th, 2008 AT 8:36 AM
Tiny
TAKNIGHT4
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
This issue sounds like what I began experiencing randomly last week. Any update on it? I've read on a few sites that for other year models, there is a transmission reset for a harsh shifting problem.I'll try this but wanted to see if you had this resolved yet.
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Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 AT 6:41 PM
Tiny
ZEESHAN_NOORANI
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Dear Walz as u have defined ur problem with ur X5 iam having same problem I just wana ask did u solve ur issue if yes plz let me know whats the solution

i will appreciate ur help
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Sunday, March 20th, 2011 AT 11:12 PM
Tiny
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  • MECHANIC
  • 9,601 POSTS
Well?
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Friday, October 26th, 2012 AT 6:28 AM

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