Quote:
Originally Posted by trader4
Most likely culprit is the transfer case chain, slipping on the sprockets.
The chain gets stretched over time. It can be inspected by removing
the drain plug, at least on the transfer case on 2002 3.0 vintage.
With the plug out, you can see the chain and use a screwdriver to
see if there is play in it or not. It can be replaced for ~$100 in parts.
It's possible it's the driveshaft splines too, but from what I've heard,
seems that failure mode is usually complete, ie once it starts the
splines strip so bad that the car won't go. The chain thing can go on
for a long time. That's what it was here, several load click/pops
when starting out from a stop. If you applied very little acceleration,
it could be avoided.
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I'll back trader4on this one. There was absolutely no warning when my front driveshaft splines gave away. I had just finished driving non-stop from Odessa, Texas to Arlington, exited the interstate and the splines went as I tried to accelerate from 20 mph to 35 mph. Initially, I thought the torque convertor had gone out. On disassembly, it was obvious that rust had developed on the splines for quite some time until they failed completely.
2002 X5 3.0 290,900 miles
2014 428i 12,700 miles
2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles