Swapped to my winter setup: Warning light (DSC and ABS disabled)

[Ricky Bobby]

what are the specs on your winter wheels? You may need to put spacers on to make them clear the calipers, did you use oem bmw 18's for the E53? Those should clear. I'm pretty sure if you were rubbing the calipers on the wheels you'd know it LOL, it might be close though.

The electronic brake imbalance code I wouldn't worry about, we always get it when scanning.

The transfer case code I might worry about, you might have an actuator motor that's going bad. Can you get an official scan with DIS? those codes are kinda generic

[racingbmwm3]

Three faults related to steering...either your steering angle sensor needs to be recalibrated or replaced. Not sure what the cluster has to do with brake balance. Are the brake balance and transfer case faults active?

Your calipers on the rear are smaller, and so are the discs, so the gap will be larger back there. Same rear brake diameter as the non-iS X5's, so you could put 17's back there if you wanted. Note the location of the part of the wheel that is closest to the caliper on front, and then ask the tire shop to install the weights outside that area if possible. you could always do a single stick/tape weight instead of two. Won't be perfect, but you might not really notice with the snow tires anyway.

[giodog2000]

BTW: I have this as a winter setup.

[TwinTurboGTR]

18's will def clear the caliper. It is tight, but the wheels move freely. If you are using an OE wheel, which you said you are. The wheel weights are a pain. Honestly, I don't run em with the weights cause they end up flying off anyways.

As for the lights. I concur with the SAS being off. Just for a giggle. Try turning your wheel full lock left and then right and then center to recalibrate on your own. The transfer fault might be because the plastic gear is shot on the one side. All that would need to be done is flipping the gear 180* and you're done.

Tire shops will use lead weight tape to balance a tire, better shops will have slim weights. If they don't, you might have to bite the bullet and go to the dealer to have them put the super thin weights on. They taper from edge to edge so using those should clear.

[giodog2000]

Originally Posted by TwinTurboGTR

18's will def clear the caliper. It is tight, but the wheels move freely. If you are using an OE wheel, which you said you are. The wheel weights are a pain. Honestly, I don't run em with the weights cause they end up flying off anyways.

As for the lights. I concur with the SAS being off. Just for a giggle. Try turning your wheel full lock left and then right and then center to recalibrate on your own. The transfer fault might be because the plastic gear is shot on the one side. All that would need to be done is flipping the gear 180* and you're done.

Tire shops will use lead weight tape to balance a tire, better shops will have slim weights. If they don't, you might have to bite the bullet and go to the dealer to have them put the super thin weights on. They taper from edge to edge so using those should clear.

-Are you talking about the gear in the actuator?

-The left/right/centre did not shut the lights off....

[TwinTurboGTR]

Yeah that actuator gear might be bald on one side. Maybe SlickGT will chime in because he did this and did a DIY I think.

And ok, so that didn't work... I am assuming you went to a shop to get the codes pulled. It sucks, but you may need to go back to have them dig further with GT-1 or INPA as to what the values the SAS is reading. There is a procedure to check if the SAS is at fault, I'm just not sure what it is off the top of my head. TwinsPappa just did this repair last year, but I think he made a DIY with the correct default values.

Let me try to find the thread and post it.

[bcredliner]

If the OBC has not been read for error codes in sometime, the codes should be cleared and see what returns.

You don't need spacers or have to compromise how the wheels are balanced. Stick on weights do come off sometimes but I say get the wheel balanced again if that happens.

Assuming your steering wheel is centered, after disconnecting the battery or suspension work the steering angle sensor will likely need re-calibration. As mentioned the lock to lock to lock may do the trick or BMW type scan tools will do the job. Steering angle sensor will cause the DSC light to come on. Seems like it the ABS light can also light up but not sure.

[giodog2000]

Ok I looked up some info on the actuator gear and found a video on youtube , at 1:10 min you can hear the sound of a shot gear. I have that exact same sound now but did not have it until I swapped for my 18's...The gear at Odometer Gears is 125$ and they specify the part wil not be covered under warranty unless given proof that all four tires be replaced at once. So now I'm thinking I have to change that gear (easy DIY) but will need to figure out if my winter setup is the cause of this gear failure ....Your thoughts on this?

Here is the vid :2005 BMW X5 TRANSFER CASE ACTUATOR - YouTube

[racingbmwm3]

Requiring all 4 tires be replaced at the same time is outlandish on a vehicle that has a factory staggered setup. The rears will almost always need to be replaced before the front because of the inner and center tread wear. But maybe I'm just getting too excited about such a requirement. My E30 iX has perfectly even wear front and rear, but it also has a square tire setup.
Isn't the SAS test, just verifying the angle is read correctly while turning left and then turning right? Yes, SAS would cause DSC to failsafe which will make the ABS light also come on.
4x4 light should stay off, except for that transfer case issue with the gear.

[giodog2000]

Ok so from what I understand I need to change that gear ( obviously), that should take care of the 4x4 light but I also need to make sure , before I drive with the new gear , that the SAS is working properly. If not I need to either calibrate it or replace it.
My winter setup is probably not the issue here and was most probably coincidental?