Transmission Failsafe Program, 2003 3.0i automatic

mferek · #1 08-20-2013, 06:47 PM

Hi All,

I'm a new member here, have been lurking for a few months now, and first wanted to say thanks to everyone for the useful info on this forum. You've been very helpful so far! On to the issue...

So I bought my x5 in July 2013. As the title says, it's a 2003 with the 3.0i engine and auto transmission. It had 128k miles when I bought it, and is not too much higher than that at this point. When I got it, it needed a new front right outer CV boot, so I haven't been driving it very much. I don't know what happens when a CV joint fails, but I'm assuming it is bad. I don't really want to find out. For the past couple of weeks, it's been sitting in the garage waiting for a new CV boot and the time for me to install it. I was going to take it to the grocery store the other day just to run for a bit, and when I started it up, it gave me the Trans Failsafe Prog (TFP) error and the Service Engine Soon (SES) light came on. I didn't drive it at that time and haven't driven it since. (It's been 2 weeks now since I've driven it.) Prior to the error, it drove just fine and shifted well. The only existing oddity was that the truck would hesitate when shifting into drive for the first time. It would take 3-5 seconds to actually get in gear and start moving forward. That only ever happened the first time I would shift into drive and only after the car had been sitting for at least a few (5 or so) minutes. There are no other error lights besides TFP and SES, and no other gauges are acting abnormally. Like I said, I haven't driven it so I don't know if there would be any obvious issues. I will say that about a week ago, I decided to see if anything had changed (it hadn't) but while i was sitting in the garage with the car running, I figured I'd see if there was any chance I'd be able to drive it. I put it in reverse and the truck shifted rather roughly. I rolled back about a foot, stopped, and put it in drive. It shifted rather roughly again, I went forward about a foot, and I decided I didn't want to risk it so I parked and shut it off.

I read some other threads on the TFP error, and some people suggested that it could be due to a failing battery. I checked the battery's voltage and it was at 12V. Kind of low, so I thought I'd check to see how old it was and if it needed to be replaced. It had a 2012 sticker on it, so I don't suspect it's dying. I thought the error might be due just to the low voltage so I ran the car for about 15 minutes to let the battery charge up some. In the process, i checked the alternator's output voltage and it was at 13.3V. This is at or below the minimum charging voltage for a healthy alternator, so that's potentially suspect. That said, it still charged the battery to about 12.3V after the 15 minutes of idling. I turned the truck off and back on, only to have the TFP error still present. I've also read that the error can possibly be due to low or bad transmission fluid, or loose electrical connections in the steering column. I messed around with different steering wheel positions and none of them helped. I haven't checked the fluid yet, but I'm planning on doing that when I jack the truck up to change the CV boot.

That's the extent of what I've done so far to diagnose the problem. I have an OBD scanner on the way, but it doesn't get here until Monday the 26th. I'm hoping there will be a code present that will point me in the right direction, but i'm not overly optimistic. My issue is odd because it came up after the vehicle was just sitting around. That leads me to believe that the transmission itself is fine and the error is being caused by a sensor or something. If anyone has any thoughts on what might be causing the TFP or things to check for, I'm all ears.

Also, I'll post any new info I have as I get it.

Thanks in advance

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TerminatorX5 · #2 08-20-2013, 08:15 PM

welcome to the forum!!!

you said, the car drove fine, with some delays on the initial shifting, and that you have CV boot on order... the car sat for a week or two and when you started the car, you got the tranny message along with the engine light...

i would not worry about the messages as of yet until you actually drive the car for a few miles... the battery can slowly discharge while the car is sitting, and 15 minutes of idling are not going to revive a low battery... a date on the battery is a good indicator if the battery is 5-8 yers old, then you just change it due to age... but even a 2 months old battery can be either defective off the shelf or be discharged once and not hold the charge since then...

i work in springfield, and have INPA - if you care, you can stop by on lunch break, i can scan the car for you...

mferek · #3 08-21-2013, 08:40 AM

Thanks Terminator!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerminatorX5

you said, the car drove fine, with some delays on the initial shifting, and that you have CV boot on order... the car sat for a week or two and when you started the car, you got the tranny message along with the engine light...

yes, yes and yes. Car sat for one week, then I got the error message. Car sat for another week, then I let it idle for 15 minutes to charge the battery.

I'm not aware of how long it takes to recharge a battery, so thanks for letting me know 15 minutes is not enough. That's what I was thinking with respect to not worrying about the errors yet. I want to see how it drives, so I figure I'll read and then clear the codes/errors, then see if they come back immediately. If not, I'll drive it around and see how things are holding up. If they come back, I might try to drive around anyway, although i don't like only having 3rd and 4th gears available.

What's INPA? I'm out in Chantilly so making it over there at lunch might be difficult.

mferek · #4 08-21-2013, 08:51 AM

Also, not saying the date on the battery means it's NOT the battery. Just that it's less likely to be a dying battery.

tmv · #5 08-21-2013, 08:56 AM

Get a multimeter and make sure the battery is ~12V, and should be ~14V when the engine running and the alternator is doing what it supposes to do. It's NOT uncommon for relatively new battery goes bad.
I had a loose negative terminal and the same message pop up on the cluster once.

mferek · #6 08-21-2013, 09:23 AM

Yep, I've got a multimeter. That's how I determined the battery to be at 12V initially and the alternator to be charging at 13.3V. The battery is supposed to be at ~12.6V and the alternator is supposed to be between ~13.3V and ~14.8V (I don't have the Bentley service manual in front of me so these numbers are off the top of my head).

TerminatorX5 · #7 08-21-2013, 09:26 AM

INPA is a software used to diagnose and modify some of the car's parameters... it is not the only software, there is a suite of them... these cars are highly computerized, so it is natural to have a console to connect to them... I do not know what I.N.P.A. stands for... you can do some light programming, like doors lock when you drive off, windows roll up on remote, fog lights stay on with high beams, gong off when key is ignition...

TerminatorX5 · #8 08-21-2013, 09:27 AM

you can also unlock some of the TESTs in the cluster, to monitor the voltage while driving... there are instructions floating on this forum for hidden menus...

mferek · #9 08-21-2013, 11:32 AM

oh interesting. sounds cool

mferek · #10 08-26-2013, 09:56 PM

Got the code reader today. Pulled the codes and got P0102, which is "Mass or Volume Air Flow Circuit low Input". Sounds like low voltage to me. Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of a CV boot repair so I can't drive around and charge up the battery. I also don't have a trickle charger. I'll post an update once the wheels are back on and I drive around for a bit.

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