New X5 owner and forum member - initial check list.

[tankowner]

Hi all,

I picked up used 2001 X5 3.0i about three weeks ago and immediately started looking for a forum of other owners . . . this looks like a good place to hang out! I appreciate any help in advance as I will undoubtedly have some questions now and in the future.

There were some obvious problems when I bought, but now that I have had a couple weeks to get used to it, there are a few more fixes to work on. Here is a short list of things I have done or need to do:

1. When I bought the truck, the CEL was on. The PO indicated he had the codes read and they were misfire codes and that his shop suggested new plugs, but he didn't have the work done. I pulled the codes when I got it home - 10 codes! - all related to misfires in various cylinders, etc. The truck seemed to be running fine. After a bit of poking around, I noticed that the oil filler cap seemed to be a little too loose when "closed." Then I realized that it wasn't an OEM cap. About a day and $10 later, I had a OEM cap and after another day of driving the CEL went off. I cleared all codes and none have returned since.

2. The heater blower was not really putting out much air and adjusting the speed didn't really increase air flow. I suspected the FSU. I pulled the unit and it was the original type. I did jiggle the wiring which actually did improve flow a little, but I still didn't think it was working properly. Unfortunately, the following day, I had a dead battery. I unplugged the FSU and recharged battery. Last night I installed a new style FSU . . . it's like a hurricane in the cabin with all that air flow now. Wow, big difference. I hope the FSU was also the cause of the battery drain.

3. Last week I was driving and came to a stop and then the engine stalled. I restarted and drove away, but the CEL came on and the code was P0340. I took a chance on it actually being the intake cam position sensor. Installed a new one last night and cleared the code. We'll see if that does the trick.

4. According to the PO, the washer fluid reservoir had a leak. After investigating I found that the pump for the headlight washers had a broken nozzle where it attaches to the hose that runs to the headlights. I removed the pump, took out the grommet/screen and wrapped it in cellophane as a temp "fix". It is holding fluid fine now.

4. The rear window wiper arm is broke. I assume that fix is as easy as buying a new one, unbolting the old one and installing the new.

5. The rear driver door handle is broken. I am assuming that this is the handle carrier issue - currently on the "To Do" list.

6. The front passenger window is not operating properly. I am assuming the motor or regulator there. I'll have to investigate to know more.

7. There is a very small coolant leak - no coolant dripping, just damp at the t-stat housing. I have a new t-stat/housing, but will probably end up getting hoses and a water pump and doing it all at the same time along with a coolant flush and change.

8. The up-down control on the steering wheel adjustment is not working. I am assuming a motor may need to be replaced. It actually didn't bother me because it was stuck in the up position. But then when the battery died and I had to recharge, after starting, it immediately went to the down position, which is annoying. But now I am wondering if actually the motor isn't bad since it actually went down. Is there some other control that may need replaced?

9. The NAV system is not working. There is power to the NAV CD system in the rear, but when it select GPS Navigation from the screen, it just says "Please wait a moment . . ." but never does anything. After examining the book of NAV CDs that came with the truck, I realized one was missing, so I suspected that it may be stuck in the CD reader. I tricked the tricks of trying to get a stuck disc to eject, but no luck. So, I pulled the unit and popped the cover off. Turns out there are actually two discs stuck in there - and one is not a NAV disc! Someone jammed an audio CD in on top of a NAV CD! Good grief. Anyway, I managed to get the audio CD out, but I didn't want to try to force the NAV CD out without the proper tools (I need a much smaller torx bit to get in there). I am hoping the CD reader is not totally hosed. I guess we'll see.
10. The truck has a facotry video display that drops down from the ceiling and, hidden behind the rear seat is a sweet VHS player. I love it . Unfortuately, neither the VCR or the display will power up. I can't find anything about either in the manuals or any fuse that is list for these. Anybody know what the deal is there? Ultimately I would like to pull the VCR and install a DVD player for the kids, but will need some power first.

So, that is my list as of today and I am working to fix these as best I can.

On the up side, the PO had some documented work done right before selling. The CCV system was replaced with the updated cold climate version, so hopefully I won't have to worry about that. He also had the battery and alternator replaced - but now the new battery has been drained once. The serpentine belt and tensioners, various vacuum hoses and a wheel bearing were also replaced.

Any feedback is appreciated. I will update here as I check things off the list.
Thanks!