X5 bucking like a bronco

[roym01]

Guys/Gals,

Got an issue with my '05 4.4 X5. When I start her up in the morning and place her in reverse to back out of the garage, as soon as i start going back the truck starts to 'buck' back and forth. It has done this maybe once a week for several months but always goes back to normal after about 5 to 10 seconds.

Yesterday it did it again, but this time the 'check engine light' came on. It flashed for a few seconds and now it is on solid. Anybody experience this condition before?

[electricalserv x5]

No and I hope I don,nt have to also, if You can hear any noise from the engine ? be careful don,nt drive it.

[epdarks]

Sounds like a misfire. Let the car run for a few seconds/minutes before going into reverse, see if that helps.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by roym01

...this time the 'check engine light' came on. It flashed for a few seconds and now it is on solid. Anybody experience this condition before?

Now that the CEL is illuminated...there's no more reason to guess as to what area is causing this. The whole purpose of OBD II is for a common standard across all car manufactures to comply with electronic engine emissions.

All it takes is a simple OBD II code reader to scan what code(s) is registering a fault. The DTC (diagnostic trouble code) will give you the area to look. Here in the states, if you don't have a scanner/reader...most auto parts stores will read them for free.

Get your codes scanned and either input that info in a google search box or post it here:

[roym01]

............ UPDATE for those interested.

My trusty mechanic, who many consider to be the best indie BMW mechanic in the area, finally had time to see my truck. Told him the symptoms and first thing he asked was 'Does it do it when it is cold?', to which i replied yes, and 'Do you drive it hard?', to which I replied no. First thing he said was 'sounds like water in the intake. If the scan shows multiple cylinder misfires i am pretty sure that's it'.

The solution .............. Blowing out the intake and MAF. Forty five minutes of labour and I was off.

I've read horror stories on forums where folks have been taken to the cleaners when faced with this issue. I hope this helps save someone some hard earned cash.

[Roadkill]

Roym, thanks for updating us on the fix. I had that exact same problem on my previous '05 4.4. It only did it in the morning but man did it buck like crazy. I found that if I pressed down on the accelerator it would smooth out. However, it still wasn't right.

[Naz24]

Wow. Good mechanic can be priceless!

Wonder how u got water in there.

[roym01]

Condensation build up due to 'soft' driving and short trips. Cold weather freezes water and affects MAF. Apparently a common issue with the 4.4.

[upallnight]

Seems like the X is not a cold weather car. From condensation in the intake manifold to condensation in the CCV system it seems the engineers at BMW has completely ignore the fact that people live and drive these cars in the cold.

Thanks for posting an update and a fix to your problem. If you scrolled the threads on this board, many people come here looking for answers to problems that they are having with their X. Unfortunately most don't post a "Fix" once the problem is solved.

[electricalserv x5]

I would agree , myX5 hates the cold weather, I let it warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before I drive,the other thing You could do is run techron in the fuel system every 5000 miles to keep the injectors clear.