Just bought my first X5. New challenge to make it run:)

[Bmwe5320023.0]

Finally bought my first X5!
The body is in great shape, 0 rust whatsoever.
However it has a few issues that I would appreciate some advice with.

I apologize that this post is so long...

VIN: 5UXFA53542LP39173


The biggest issue it that the car will go into Engine failsafe Prog, DSC Inactive and ABS error all at once. Transmission Failsafe prog will also pop from time to time.

The car won't shut off but won't accelerate either if I press on the gas.
My only two options are to restart it in neutral or to pull over, turn it off for a few seconds and start again.


I was suspecting the battery and the alternator.
I unlocked the voltage on my cluster and drove around with the voltage display "on".
My voltage while driving the car was between 13.3-13.6. I'm thinking it's a bit low...but I didn't see any spikes. Although when the car goes into the limp mode, I lose that voltage display.

When the car is parked and I check voltage via cluster panel, it displays around 11 - 11.5 volts. Basically this should indicate that the battery is completely dead, yet the car starts at -40 no problem.
I checked it with the multimeter right away, and it's showing 12.3 volts.
I'm not sure if the cluster panel is displaying the voltage properly then...it's a big high quality battery that was replaced just last year. Likely cluster voltage readings are incorrect, because I know my multimeter works well.
I charged the car overnight at 2AMP and it's now reading 13V. This indicates to me that the battery charges fine.

3 days ago I drove for about 400 km after buying the car and it would go into this engine and transmission fail mode every few minutes.
If I turned the car off, put it in neutral and started it again, the car would drive for a long time at around 100-120 kmph. The RPM however would go to 3500-4000 instead of the normal 2000-2500 before the glitch. The DSC and ABS light would also stay on.
If I pressed on the gas pedal all the way, the car would accelerate super slowly.

Another option was to get off to the shoulder, turn the car off for 30 seconds and start it again. In this case the car would drive without errors, with normal RPM and without illuminated DSC. But this would only last for about 5-10 minutes. Then the car would go into that failsafe mode again.
If I restarted it in neutral while driving, the car would drive for maybe an hour, but would still die at some point.

Other glitches:
When I turn the light knob to off, the trunk lid unlocks for some reason

There are 2 oxygen sensors hardwired under the hood. The seller told me his buddy got the wrong sensors (apparently from a different model X5 and just hardwired them).

I'm not sure why, but the rear left side tail lights aren't working. The previous owner simply wired the left rear tail light directly to the right rear tail light to get the power from there.
Now all the lights work but I get these errors:
- Check brake linings
- Check brake lights
- Trunk lid open
- Check rear lights

I also know there's an issue with the fuel smell, it could possibly be related.
When filling the tank all the way to full, the fuel smell is very strong, both inside and outside the vehicle. The previous owner told me that he replaces the fuel pump (passenger side) but did not use the new o-ring for the fuel pump.
He also said that the rubber hose by the fuel tank filler hose is damaged.
The smell does disappear when the fuel level drops down to 3/4.
I'm wondering if the fuel pump is bad (he said he used a cheap fuel pump).
Another possibility would be the o-ring for the fuel pump being bad, which would create the leak and also drop fuel pressure.
Maybe if the DME senses a drop in the fuel pressure and the car goes nuts.

From what I researched so far, a common issue seems to be a gasket getting stuck in the throttle body between the maf and the intake tube, causing those issues. I will check it shortly.

Crank sensor is another possibility.

I scanned for codes with a cheap scanner, even though the engine light is off:

P0121 Throttle position error
P0221 Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor
The person who sold me the car said that the brake switch needs to be adjusted, as apparently it trips DSC and ABS lights somehow.
P0222 Throttle position sensor is reporting too low a voltage
P0455 Probably the leak by the fuel filler neck
P0505 Idle control valve
P0735 Gear 5 Incorrect Ratio
P1602 Control module self test
P1638 Throttle Valve Position Control; Throttle Stuck Temporarily

I included the videos to show what's happening with the car. They're all very short

https://youtu.be/LwVNbFrD8GA

https://youtu.be/GhabmivyCfQ

My thought is to start by checking the air intake boots and throttle body to see if there's nothing stuck inside (I've got an inspection camera) and to see if the plate isn't sticking.
Next I can try cleaning the throttle body, MAF sensor and the idle control valve.

Worse case I can simply replace MAF, TPS and ICV one by one and see if anything changes.

Please let me know what you think.

[amancuso]

What year/engine? Automatic or manual?

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by amancuso

What year/engine? Automatic or manual?

Putting the VIN number provided into RealOEM indicates a Jan '02 build M54 3.0i.

[Bmwe5320023.0]

That's right, automatic.

virtual sim online free
Time to get to work

[CapeX5]

WOw, I hope the person paid YOU to take that POS away! You have quite a bit of work on your hands. I would start with all of the screwed up wiring and than go from there.

[Bmwe5320023.0]

Haha dude I think you're over reacting
The wiring at this point I don't really care about...
What I need to figure out is why it goes into limp mode.
ICV and throttle body were pretty clean and unobstructed!
There was one little wire broken on the MAF sensor (maybe I broke it while taking it out) and there is some small hose that's all brittle. Not sure what has hose is for.
So at this point I don't understand what the issue is.
I'm leaning toward replacing the throttle body because OBDII is giving me so many throttle body related errors and there's nothing that I can see visually.

[Effduration]

Hey Man CapeX5 is not over-reacting..These cars don't do well with hacked up wiring. Many of the car's systems are inter-related, and it's possible several of your codes are related to bad wiring...You should fix that first. I would.

These cars very rarely have a problem with a bad throttle body. I would not replace it just yet.

That cracked hose is a vacuum or vent line. You should pay extra attention to vacuum leaks and fix those first. They can lead to a whole host of codes, including some of the ones you got. You might consider a smoke test to help you identify vac leak.

[EODguy]

+1 on the wiring.

The e53 has so many interconnected systems and logic circuits, etc that I've wanted to make the BMW engineer wake with a horse's head in his bed....

Sent from my SM-A730F using Tapatalk

[Bmwe5320023.0]

I don't mind fixing the bad wiring, but I don't really know what/how to fix. Are you talking about the brake light errors? I could try tracing the wires for continuity. Could be a problem with LCM.
I accidentally damaged my MAF sensor and now my transmission is jerky and I get code P0102. Same symptoms as here
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...af-sensor.html
Well at least I know the MAF sensor was working so I'll replace it and this will be easy to fix.

I found another user who had the trunk lid open when turning off headlights.
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...unk-opens.html
Looks like a problem with the switch.

I'll replace the broken hose tomorrow. When the car was running, I put my finger over where the hose connects to the back of the engine and felt some suction. So that hose definitely does something.

Tried driving after cleaning throttle body etc. but still the same issue.

[CapeX5]

I have a feeling that I know how this is going to go end up. I will try to be nice. You have a plethora of talented people here who will attempt to guide you-but only to a certain extent. Many of us have been messing with these for a long time and are willing to share our experience. But, if you just want to go about this like fixing a 1978 camaro, I am out. You need specific tools for these cars, i.e. software/scanners. These are not expensive. And I will warn you, just throwing parts at this will empty your wallet quickly and you will not have accomplished anything. Enough said-carry on....

Originally Posted by Bmwe5320023.0

I don't mind fixing the bad wiring, but I don't really know what/how to fix. Are you talking about the brake light errors? I could try tracing the wires for continuity. Could be a problem with LCM.
I accidentally damaged my MAF sensor and now my transmission is jerky and I get code P0102. Same symptoms as here
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...af-sensor.html
Well at least I know the MAF sensor was working so I'll replace it and this will be easy to fix.

I found another user who had the trunk lid open when turning off headlights.
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...unk-opens.html
Looks like a problem with the switch.

I'll replace the broken hose tomorrow. When the car was running, I put my finger over where the hose connects to the back of the engine and felt some suction. So that hose definitely does something.

Tried driving after cleaning throttle body etc. but still the same issue.