2004 X3 manual-xmission w/problems

[dj_2latino]

Greetings,
My '04 X3 is having major transmission problems after 83,000 miles. Anyone having this problem?
At 83K miles I began having hard slips and jerks in the engine/transmission while shifting gears. Now at 86K miles the problem has gotten worse. I took it in to the dealer and $475 later, they handed it back to me with absolutely no idea what was wrong with it. They called me three times to request more labor hours to continue "looking" for a cause. I went from $70 to $125 to $475 and the next request was to $580. This is what was done so far:
1) They ran a diagnostic check and found no errors.
2) They inspected the motor mounts and found them to be fully intact.
3) They drained the transmission fluid and found no metal shavings.
4) At this point, they made the call to request to drain the transfer case and look for metal shavings there as well.
I declined further inspection because I felt they were slowly trying to raise the price on me just for an "inspection" not to include the cost for the final fix action.
I took the X3 home and did the transfer case flush myself and found no metal shavings there either. Had I authorized this attempt, the next call probably would have been, "Nope. That wasn't it either sir. Can you authorize more labor hours so we can take the wheels off and look there as well? (Suckerrrr)"
Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? I still have no idea what is causing the jerks and slips between gears. Any recommendations?

[JCL]

No experience with a problem in this specific model, but if it is in fact a manual transmission as you say, and it is slipping and jerking, then I would be looking at the clutch before I looked at the transmission. Is it slipping? Grabbing? Hanging up? These are symptoms of damage to the pressure plate or clutch disk.

Can you give us any more details on the specific symptoms?

[AzNMpower32]

Hmm, if this is a manual transmission, then it's kind of odd and I can't really help you. Stop taking it to that dealership though!

[motordavid]

From memory, zero reports of manual trans problems here; there was an anecdotal
problem with the clutch release shaft, (one old poster on RoadToad had it fixed under warranty),
but nothing like your description...

Even in my perusal of other BMW forums, I think I can recall only a handful of manual tranny problems
under 100+K miles, and I suspect some of those were beaten on pretty hard.

I'd find a good indie and let him test drive it; I've been driving manuals for 45+ years and your
"problems" are hard to understand, let alone diagnose from here.
GL,mD

[dj_2latino]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']To be more specific on the symptoms, I don't think it's a clutch or pressure plate problem because it's not that kind of a slip. I don't lose power in any gear; the torque is just as good as when I bought it in all gears. The jerk I'm describing left me and the technician thinking that it was the motor mounts going bad. That's how it feels. As you rev up the next gear, the entire engine and transmission seems to jerk into place. THEN, when I put it in neutral and coast to a full stop, there seems to be a slight grind that lasts just before the stop is fully achieved and then it jerks to rest again. VERY WEIRD. You can almost feel a gyro type effect when this is happening. The same thing happens if I hit a bump or cross a R.R. track in 5th gear (55-70 mph). After such a 'bump' I feel the grind-gyro effect but much it pops back into place much quicker that when coasting in neutral to a stop. I hope all this makes sense. lol[/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']It has been suggested that the front differential could be going bad and another guy said to get rid of the Clutch-Delay-Valve (CDV) because it's known to cause similar issues.[/FONT]

[JCL]

The clutch delay valve (CDV) is only in play when the clutch pedal is being released. Once the clutch is engaged, there is no impact. The effect of the CDV is to potentially alter the timing to when the clutch engages, by slowing the return flow rate to the clutch master cylinder (delaying the engagement if you let the clutch pedal off too quickly).

If you are driving steadily, with your foot off the clutch, there is no impact from the CDV.

Sounds more like motor mounts, or a transmission mount. Could still be related to the clutch disk, if the torsional springs are bad. Doesn't sound like a transmission problem. Possibly a transfer case problem.

[mhouck]

Originally Posted by JCL

No experience with a problem in this specific model, but if it is in fact a manual transmission as you say, and it is slipping and jerking, then I would be looking at the clutch before I looked at the transmission. Is it slipping? Grabbing? Hanging up? These are symptoms of damage to the pressure plate or clutch disk.

Can you give us any more details on the specific symptoms?

Interesting...

I recently purchased a 2007 X3 3.0 si ("M" , for what it's worth )
with a manual. (about 50,000 kms on the clock)

It is in great shape and my wife and I searched for this particular model with a 6 speed as we have always liked the manual feel.
That said we have been disappointed with its "feel". From 1st to 2nd, it often "clunks" as though one is "dropping" the clutch.

I took it into Calgary BMW and they say nothing is wrong with it.
That was a month ago and it still seems to do it every now and again. Sometime while reving high on the shift and sometimes not so...
We really cannot pinpoint what brings on the "clunk" but will be taking in again soon and asking for another diagnostic.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by mhouck

...we have been disappointed with its "feel". From 1st to 2nd, it often "clunks" as though one is "dropping" the clutch.

This sounds a lot more like the CDV, or clutch delay valve. Not sure if you have had experience with this component before, but essentially it screws up your sense of timing between when you expect the clutch to engage, and when it actually does engage. It restricts the fluid flow back to the master cylinder on clutch release, to a certain flow rate. It has no restriction on clutch depression, as it is a one-way restrictor. The dealer is used to how it drives. If it is a new vehicle to you, and particularly on the 1-2 shift, you may be surprised at how it is sometimes a clunky shift, and other times it is fine. If you let the clutch out at the same rate as the restrictor flows fluid, then it is fine, it is when you go faster that it comes into play. It was intended to reduce driveline shocks, but I am of the opinion that the driver should be in full control, not just partial control.

Go to www.zeckhausenracing.com, select BMW and X3, and read about the CDV there. Read the link that explains the theory of the CDV as well. Dave Z will ship you a modified CDV that is very likely to solve your problem. Alternatively, you can just remove it, but that is apparent to the dealer. I have done the CDV mod on several BMW vehicles, with good success.

If you are comfortable working on your own vehicle, it is a straightforward 15 minute job. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, take it to an independent mechanic with the part from Zeckhausen, and they will be able to do it very easily (print out the instructions from Zeckhausen so they know what you want done).

[mhouck]

Originally Posted by JCL

This sounds a lot more like the CDV, or clutch delay valve. Not sure if you have had experience with this component before, but essentially it screws up your sense of timing between when you expect the clutch to engage, and when it actually does engage. It restricts the fluid flow back to the master cylinder on clutch release, to a certain flow rate. It has no restriction on clutch depression, as it is a one-way restrictor. The dealer is used to how it drives. If it is a new vehicle to you, and particularly on the 1-2 shift, you may be surprised at how it is sometimes a clunky shift, and other times it is fine. If you let the clutch out at the same rate as the restrictor flows fluid, then it is fine, it is when you go faster that it comes into play. It was intended to reduce driveline shocks, but I am of the opinion that the driver should be in full control, not just partial control.

Go to www.zeckhausenracing.com, select BMW and X3, and read about the CDV there. Read the link that explains the theory of the CDV as well. Dave Z will ship you a modified CDV that is very likely to solve your problem. Alternatively, you can just remove it, but that is apparent to the dealer. I have done the CDV mod on several BMW vehicles, with good success.

If you are comfortable working on your own vehicle, it is a straightforward 15 minute job. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, take it to an independent mechanic with the part from Zeckhausen, and they will be able to do it very easily (print out the instructions from Zeckhausen so they know what you want done).

Your diagnosis sounds bang on, but I'll visit the link and do some more reading.
Thanks so much for this. I'll keep you posted!

[JCL]

Originally Posted by mhouck

Your diagnosis sounds bang on, but I'll visit the link and do some more reading.
Thanks so much for this. I'll keep you posted!

Just a comment that the dealer may not be comfortable doing the job. Any shop you trust that has a hoist and a licensed mechanic will be able to do it without getting any air in the system (which would require bleeding the clutch, thus taking a little more time).

Jeff