Torque converter failing...

[mam4.6]

Thanks for the update. Interested in your end result. My X will be getting a tranny update next time I happen by my Indy. I'm getting some vibration on slight uphill grades as I very slightly accelerate to maintain speed. Harder acceleration or deceleration makes it dissappear. I'm thinking more of a torque converter issue, but figured an update can't hurt.

[sirshan]

Got the X5 Back...wow. All I can say is I miss it operating normal...I almost forgot what it felt like.

So, just for those that are stuck on BMW Shops performing the work on transmissions, I will say there are good shops out there that are credible and not BMW shops.

My transmission was rebuilt, all internals were kept and the mechanic walked me through all the items that were causing my issues.

Main Issues when tranny opened:
- Torque Converter was worn completely
- Clutch Discs? Little disc looking things that almost look like Mountain Bike Brake Discs were all worn (thinner than normal and didn't have bite anymore). Lots of those in the tranny.
- Certain part of the Valve Body was worn. I guess where a valve is supposed to sit tight was no longer tight and moved almost freely
- Forward Drum around the edges/side looked concave almost. Supposed to be plum/straight
- Filter was super dirty (that was expected)
- Guibo (Flex Disc) on Front Diff was starting to crack/tear
- Lots of fine metal particles on the magnets

Got a bunch of things done and did the Rear Main Seal and Coolant Cover Gasket while the tranny was out. This thing drives and shifts like a champ again and no more stuttering/pulsing weirdness and stepping in my RPM's while cruising and accelerating anymore. Out the door cost at a "Non BMW Specific" Transmission Shop (but very familiar with X5 Transmissions) was 3200.00.

Cost included:

ZF Tranmission Rebuild Kit
Fluid and Filter
Rebuilt Torque Converter
FWD Drum
Lower Valve Body
Accumulator on Valve Body (x2)
Rebuild Seal Kit
Coolant Gasket
Front Flex Disc
Engine Rear Main Seal
(Replaced a supplied Front Left Axle/Seal for free) - didn't change my original quote and just did it because he said it was easy enough
Basically everything that showed wear in the tranny was replaced

In short, Im glad I went with the full rebuild rather than the Torque Converter only fix. It was clear from the internals when he opened it up and showed me the parts and compared them to what new looks like....there was a huge difference. Again, I had 160k on my tranny with no services done EVER on it. Im glad it lasted me as long as it did and was a heck of a lot better than what others experienced. I hope this takes me another 100k at least (if I even keep the car that much longer). Whatever happened and was fixed, it surely took care of the issues I was experiencing.

I responded on this post to open it up for anyone that does a search on these types of symptoms and debating a rebuild.

For 3200.00 - it was well worth it over than 7k+ quotes I was getting from BMW Indys. Transmission Shops that are up to speed on these trannys should know what they're doing and well worth the savings. Just make sure you do your research before biting the bullet. I happened to have a shop local to me that had people review them that had X5's Tranny Rebeuilds with great results which helped me make my decision.

Good luck to anyone that has similar issues and bites the bullet to get it done. Well worth it. 100% of my power is back and smooth as butter while driving again...ahhhhhhh.

[sirshan]

...and for the record. I had no codes pop up with all the issues I had. It was definitely drivable on flat lands with no issues and slight stutters and stepping of my RPMs as Id accelerate, but nothing that sounded broken.

What made me get the rebuild:

- Stuttering when going uphills (even slight inclines). Felt like misfires.
- RPM's would jump roughly 100-200 RPM while accelerating slow until it felt like resting at a certain speed (people refer to it as "stepping" in RPMS's???)
- RPM's would bounce up and down 200 RPM while at a cruising speed anywhere from 25mph - 65mph.
- Towards the final days before bringing it to the shop, I had a slight drone sound coming from the middle of the car. Only would hear it noticable when RPM's were low (below 3k or so)

Only way to get around the issues I mentioned above - drive the car hard or in Manual Mode.

I was so used to it, when I picked up my car I was expecting it to act the same and it never did. Thats how instilled in my head it was. Almost like it was normal...thats how long I was driving it like that. Lighter pockets, but confidence in the X again.

Oh, I have a 4.6is with 160k in case anyone is wondering. Old, but solid! Looks new...so who cares!

[02x592]

I never did update this. So, before getting the chance to do anything about the torque converter I lost the transmission. Shifting fine, came to a stop, went to take off and nothing then a sudden jolt as the first gear clutch finally engaged. I hauled it off to a local transmission shop and had them yard it out after pulling an assload of codes out of it. When they called they said it was toast. Of course I went down and had them show me the damage so I wasn't getting jerked around and yes indeedy - it was. So a full rebuild later, everything was fine. However I started noticing some odd behavior shortly after the replacement. Brought it back, they replaced the valve body. A few months later it developed an entirely new set of issues. Delayed engagement in to drive that if I rushed it would slam into gear rather hard. Normal driving was mostly fine, but moderate to hard driving would yield notchy shifts and downshifting would cause a severe neutralizing (redline the engine then BANG into the lower year). This put a lot of strain on the rear differential bushings which I made them replace as well as one tore. I brought it back, they confirmed the issue, and I waited for an entire new transmission to be installed. They called me a week later and said that they had the new transmission but their tech stripped the cooler fitting out of the housing during instillation so they were going to have a new one brought in. Finally another week later, I had it back. And by God was it ever the best shifting automatic I have ever felt. Lightening quick, concise, smooth shifts. Heavenly, really. I sold the X not too long ago shifting beautifully.