M54 EDK Broken!!! (3.0 X5 throttle valve)

[Jluttyx5]

My wife's 2001 X5 3.0 has alot of yellow lights on and is idling like it's a blown, acohol small block Chevy with 14:1 compression and .700 lift cam.

service engine, eml, brake, abs, maybe more lights on.

The idle is like rumble/almost stall/rumble/almost stall/rumble.... It does the same when in gear.

I looked for vacuum leaks. The MAF and rubber elbow going to the intake manifold are new.

My mechanic brought his code reader up to check it out. The code reader says "throttle valve jammed".

I found the boot coming from the MAF loose.

This is where I step in. Not sure I need to pay to get this fixed. It's going to cut into my Christmas shopping.

Is there any "how to" or DIY EDK replacement? I want to just pull this one off and see if it is stuck?

[chubyball]

The best way to help you is taking some pics and post on here, that way we can give you suggestions. Pics are thousand words. Good luck!

[Jluttyx5]

Pictures are worth 1000 words. As soon as I figure out where it is and how to remove it, I will photograph it for you.

Does anyone have some advice on the procedure? Anything would help. Thanks in advance!

[Jluttyx5]

Our 2001 X5 3.0 started acting progressively worse a few days ago.

THIS CAR ONLY ACTS UP WHEN I AM OUT OF TOWN!!!

I like this X5 alot. I have built and repaired cars and motorcycles and hottubs and winery equipment for years. I only have a BMW mechanic because this car only breaks while I am away for work.

At its worst, the car was showing all the warning lights were lit and the car maxed out at five miles per hour.
I'm pretty sure that even the "SCHVEINHUNT!!!!" light was on.

At idle, it was surging with a huge lope in the idle and fluctuated from 200 to 1200 RPM. It was backfiring and stuttering horribly.

In a panic, my 8.5 month pregnant called me and screamed, "Where do you want me to tow my car?"

I said, "TOWED????"

She said, "DON'T START WITH ME!!!!!"

So, she left the car where it was and I drove all night to get home from my business trip. I stopped only for naps and kept going. I limped it home the next day after I found the plastic intake tube loose at the MAF sensor.

We had the MAF and rubber boot at the intake replaced by our mechanic the last time I was out of town.

I did not know that there is a detachable rubber donut missing from between the MAF sensor and the plastic tube. I just thought it got old and hard and loose from heat. So I wrapped the end of the MAF sensor tube with black tape about 15 times and made up the difference to make the tube tight.... No Improvement.

I got our mechanic to come and scan it for a bottle of wine. He said it was the first bad throttle valve he had seen in ten years.

That was the night before Thanksgiving.

Today, (Saturday) I checked this site again to see if anyone had responded to my "M54 EDK trouble " post.

Nothing. And we still had not made arrangements to get it towed.

So I tore into it. I removed the air plumbing, the idle control valve, the intake boot..... AND ......

I found the seal from the MAF sensor/ plastic tube connection hanging out in the throttle valve. This kept the throttle from opening and closing and really upset the computer.

I put it all back together, recalibrated the gas pedal as per a post here, started it six times to clear the trouble, and it runs like it did four years ago again.

BAM> Easiest, cheapest repair yet!

Bad news: I spotted a tear in a CV boot.....Argh!

[mrbmwx5]

[quote=Jluttyx5]

THIS CAR ONLY ACTS UP WHEN I AM OUT OF TOWN!!!




i'm happy for you that s you got it fixed.
it sound like mine . when i'm sick my car sick too.

[lo_jack]

Originally Posted by Jluttyx5

I found the seal from the MAF sensor/ plastic tube connection hanging out in the throttle valve. This kept the throttle from opening and closing and really upset the computer.

Where exactly did you find that? In the throttle body? It made it from the MAF to the TB and jammed in there?

[Jluttyx5]

Yeah, right in the throttle valve. That rubber donut was wedged in there and not allowing the throttle to completely close or open.

[lo_jack]

That's amazing. Good thing it wasn't something worse. Wives do not like 'worse.'

[X5Dawg]

I just had a throttle valve and MAF replaced a few weeks ago. Essentially I had no take-off power whatsoever. Once it got up in speed, it ran fine. However, I did not have any warning lights. Called the mechanic who told me to pull over and restart the car - it went away. He fixed it and then it happened to me again a week later, but with a SES light - this time ended up being a camshaft sensor. He wasn't sure if it was related to the previous repair, so he only charged me for the new sensor.

[Jluttyx5]

On a previous adventure, while I was covering my territory again on a seperate trip 9 months ago, the cam sensor went bad on this one, too.

These seem common on the X5 3.0:
That A/C controller doohickey under the dash
Lower control arms
window regulators
MAF sensor
Rubber intake boot at throttle valve
Cam sensor
Window shade clips

A note on window regulators: STOP SLAMMING THE DOORS!