Throttle Delay - SIB 1220404 - Dealer cant find!

[JMF1956]

I have a 2004 X5 3.0i that has the dreaded throttle delay. After searching I found numerous threads that discuss this which led me to SIB 1220404.

I stopped by my local dealer to purchase some parts and asked the service writer to look it up for me. He was helpful and tried his best but could not locate the SIB even after doing several text searches.

Can anyone post the contents of the SIB?

Specifically what revision level fixes this issue.

I scanned my DME and have all the info but don't know if I already have this revision or not. I have a guy that can flash ECU's but he wasn't familiar with this either. Before I pay him to do a flash, i'd like to find out if the rev he is going to do will support the fix. Supposedly he has access to all the revisions so in theory it should, but I'm an IT guy/ex firmware developer so its bugging me that I can't get definite rev level info.

Thanks in advance for any help

[bcredliner]

Does it accelerate normally otherwise?

[JMF1956]

Yes, No other issues with acceleration. It doesn’t do it all the time, but it seems from a dead stop sometimes you push on the pedal and there’s nothing, then it launches. It’s not a slip it’s just like there’s a dead spot or a delay.

Does not seem to do it in sport mode although I have not driven it alot in sport mode. One of the threads I saw said if it does not do it in sport mode then it’s a programming issue.

I purchased this about a month ago. I’m still trying to get used to the dead spot and I’m extra cautious when pulling out in front of traffic

[bcredliner]

Have you scanned for codes?

[oldskewel]

I'll say that I've never heard of this dreaded issue. Also, since you're finding it to be intermittent, it might be better to be cautious about coming to conclusions too early here.

Again, not familiar with that particular TSB, but I'd think that something programming related / caused / fixable would not be intermittent.

One problem I had very briefly on my 2001 3.0i that was maybe similar to your symptoms was a sticking idle air control valve.

I had it out while rebuilding the engine, and had cleaned it out even though it had been working fine before the teardown. After putting it all back together, it had this sticking-throttle behavior similar to what you're describing. (but the throttle was actually fine)

So I took the IACV out. Easy to test it - just hold it in your hand and gently rotate/shake it side to side. You should hear / feel the valve gently clanging around in there. That means it is moving freely. I heard no such thing, and found that when pushing the valve with a q-tip it was stuck almost solid.

So I cleaned it out until it moved freely once again - throttle body cleaner and q-tips / toothbrush / patience. Perfect once again after that.

I'm pretty sure my original cleaning must have loosened a lot more gunk in there than was actually removed, and it re-settled itself in a location that blocked the valve gate from moving.

This whole thing was a little surprising to me. I had mistakenly thought that the IACV only managed idle. But as I found clearly on this issue, BMW uses it for a pretty good range above idle when getting on the gas. That probably explains why this IACV is so much bigger than on other cars I've owned.

I had no codes throughout this.

[JMF1956]

Apparently this issue has to do with adaptability in throttle control.

I had done the throttle adaption reset method and it went away for a while but then it came back, again only periodically. definitely has something to do with a standing start acceleration .

Here one link that describes what I’m talking about

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...esitation.html

There are more on various forums. Google “throttle delay e53” and you will see what I mean.

For example:
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...tle-delay.html

Car has no codes no other drivability or running issues.

[oldskewel]

Well, I have not gone looking for that problem, but as a casual reader of this forum, I had never come across it before.

And I know the problem descriptions are just words, but I've read those links you sent, and your descriptions in this thread, and sure, I could read those words and say that yeah my stuck IACV issue fit those descriptions.

My situation was pretty easy to recognize and then know when it was fixed because it was completely gone, and then full-on stuck all the time, and then completely gone following the re-cleaning. I guess the engine rebuild thrown in the middle did cause some doubts, but it was still pretty straightforward vs. a problem that appears gradually without an obvious trigger. I know if this problem were to come on slowly, it would be tougher to diagnose.

I still think it would be worth it to consider the IACV. It's pretty easy to remove and clean.

[JMF1956]

I'll certainly look into that, however one of the older posts I read was about someone who purchased a new X5 that had the issue, just couldn't get used to it and the dealer ended up applying the update which fixed the issue.

New '04 X-5 3.0i, throttle problem? - Car Forums and Automotive Chat

Thanks for the tip!

[JMF1956]

Anyone have access to the actual text in this SIB?

[iansanderson]

BMW is known to delete old TSB's for some reason. From what I can find, that TSB advises the tech to update the DME's software to the latest version. There is also an update for 04-06 E53 VTG (Transfer Case Module) that was just released. I have the newest DME software, and it does help the throttle delay a bit, but it's still there. If the DME software doesn't fix it, I would look into the wiring harness for the EML and idle control valve and consider replacement of both. EML's go bad and they can cause an engine failsafe prog message with limp home, and other weird behaviors.