X5 e70 Transmission Malfunction Error-PLEASE HELP

[anth101]

Hi everyone, I hope this post finds you well. I am new to this forum, so let me start by expressing my appreciation for the enormous amount of knowledge that exists in this forum.

However, I have an issue that I believe has yet to be discussed in that particular fashion in this forum.

Long Story Short: I get transmission malfunction errors (transmission malfunction, drive moderately and reduced acceleration). 3rd Time in 2 months and was quite scary.

Car: Bmw x5 e70 3.0si '08, 45k Miles

Symptoms: This error doesnt appear normally. The shifts are smooth, no jerks at all, DS works like a charm. However, when in D and I'm in traffic, you guys know how the auto box downshifts when you increase the throttle beyond a certain point? e.g u're cruising with 45mph and 1500rpm and you want to accelarate, you push the throttle hard.
Now, when i do that in the same exact situation the rpm stay still even though the gas pedal is almost floored. If i keep it there for like 3-4 seconds I feel the car "strugling to make a decision", like it doesn't know what to do, the yellow icon appears on the dash and the car switches to DS or stays in Drive but in a lesser gear.
I stop on the side of the road, shut off the engine, restart it, and the error is gone, car goes like a charm. In the same situation like the one I explained earlier (cruising at like 45mph), if I take my foot of the gas, and then kick down it immediately after it downshifts no problem. It's like it doesnt understand that it's time to downshift when the gas is fully pressed in a slow manner from steady, but only when u absolutely kick down the s*** out of it.

Any ideas? Anybody with a similar problem? I have tried doing the reset for the trans however the 25sec wait doesnt seem to work on my vehicle.

Could it be that the oil in the Trans needs to be flushed and changed? Maybe a software update? Idk im just guessing.

I'm really anxious and very dissapointed with my car since I know question its safety, and its a shame cause she's a beauty. I really dont know what to do. Please help.

[Torgus]

Given how old it is a trasn flush is probably not a bad idea as it's probably oem fluid. That being said I doubt it fixes your problem...maybe it masks it for a short while. Maybe a bad solenoid in the valve body? I'm really just guessing.

Your best bet might be to take it to a good indy and see what they say. Or sell the SUV and move on.

[anth101]

hey Torgus, thanks for your answer.

Well thing is, imho it sounds more of like a software problem than an actual mechanical one?The trans so far smooths very shiftly, no jerks, and the acceleration is spot on. I have an Indy appointment tomorrow, I'll see what they tell me, I doubt they'll know much since no errors appear. It'd be a shame to sell the car when it's been running brilliantly for years for something that could potentially easily be fixed imho.

What would the symptoms of a bad solenoid be in the trans valve body? Are they anything like the ones im experiencing atm?

[anth101]

UPDATE: the following error was present "ratio monitoring clutch e" for my trans when we plugged it in the ecu reading device.

Any ideas in how to fix it??

Im planning on doing a trans fluid flush and seal changes. Is that going to be enough though for the problem to go away?

[ard]

This is not a 'software problem'.

IMO 'flooring the accel' and 'letting the trans kick down under full throttle' are all excellent ways to reduce transmission life.

Id do the fluid change NOT A FLUSH. What 'seal' are you planning on changing? If you have the skill, popping out the solenoids and checking for smooth operation would be a good idea

[Proflyer]

I had a similar issue, plus when I shut ours off it would give me a warning to use the E-brake as the vehicle might roll. Took it in under CPO and they ended up replacing the mechtronics unit. From what I was told it's the only serviceable part of the transmission, next step would have been a new tranny.

I'm not sure how you test one, but I'd start there since it's the only serviceable part.

[smassey321]

Originally Posted by anth101

UPDATE: the following error was present "ratio monitoring clutch e" for my trans when we plugged it in the ecu reading device.

Any ideas in how to fix it??

Im planning on doing a trans fluid flush and seal changes. Is that going to be enough though for the problem to go away?

Are you doing this yourself? If so you may want to change the solenoids/pressure regulators at the same time. I am now have having to drop my pan a 2nd time to do this on my 325. I wish I had just done it all the first.

Also, Send your code and symptoms to ZF and they will give you an opinion. Technical Inquiries - ZF Friedrichshafen AG

[ingenieur]

+^ Need the BMW code - contact Klaus @ Genuine ZF Parts

[Jersey John]

I was just going to post a new thread on this same topic. I'll try to make an aggressive lane change or try to accelerate from 5-15 mph and when I try to force a less-than-full throttle acceleration, it hangs longer than a godfather movie.

I thought to get a sprint booster that it might be a throttle response issue; but I'm also wondering if it's the transmission.

I've got a 2013 X5 xdrive 35i with 36,500 miles.


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[Jersey John]

Originally Posted by ingenieur

+^ Need the BMW code - contact Klaus @ Genuine ZF Parts

Did you use INPA to grab the codes!



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