New to me 4.4L
 

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd introduce my new to me 2002 X5 with the 4.4 engine. I stumbled across it in the dark corner of Craigslist where pictures and details are non-existent. Well, turns out, after several flaked appointments to see the car that it was a solid car and in pretty decent condition. It only has 130K which is pretty good for its age, I also got it for a steal of a price so very happy with that.

Anyways, I have a few problems that i'd like to address... The main purpose of the car is to be a spare, back-up, emergency, hauler, 4x4er, bad weather, long trip car and not intended for daily driving. So here are some of my concerns that i'd like to address:

1) There is a tamper dot on the cluster... now hold up, I know what you are thinking... but I am confident there was no malice behind this, ie; carfax and title show correct mileage. The car also has the ABS light and DSC Triangle light lit up permanently. I found some receipts in the car that show a diagnosis of failed speed sensors. ABS codes 30, 31, 32. My plan is to clean all of the speed sensors and if that fails, replace them. The car has brand new rotors and pads, and in the past I have seen that shavings from rotors have caused the fragments to stick to the sensors causing the light.

2) When I got the car all the windows worked... except the passenger door. No power at all, no locks, no window movement from either switch. I replaced the fuse in the glove box, and voila! The window works... but ONLY from the passenger switch. So what are we looking at here? Faulty master switch and a bad door lock actuator? I've also noted that I have to hold the button for the window to move, it will not roll up or down by itself with one click.

I will check the door loom wiring in the passenger door and also the master switch, these seem to have common faults and wiring coming loose.

3) There is a strange rattle/knocking noise coming from the trunk area, sounds like its coming from the taillight hatch area. I've done some research on this and it appears that this is a very common issue being either the rear seat or the bump stops on the hatch. I have so far ruled out it being the seat and will report back if the bump stops resolve the issue.

UPDATE: Rattle solved by adjusting the lift gate bump stops.

All in all, I have so far replaced the battery in the remote and got the key to work, and polished up the headlights since they were very badly oxidized. I've ordered a new chain tensioner and will have that installed over the weekend. Had some spare LED bulbs laying around so I now have LED license plate lights. Surprised to say that there is not a single leak, no coolant, power steering, oil leakage, or even cluster warnings. So far so good!

Here's a quick pic:
(Black interior)

https://s1.postimg.org/erz4ocdtr/IMG_5091.jpg

If anyone has any ideas on my woes, more particularly the electrical gremlins, i'd appreciate your input. Thanks a lot!

Good day!!

I noticed that you made an error in purchasing this vehicle as it does not have the sports package... I will make the sacrifice and take this off your hands and dispose of it properly... It is a long drive for me, but I'm that dedicated in making sure all non-sport models are put to rest properly...

Okay, seriously... It is a very clean looking X5!! I would not be upset at all to have this as my daily driver!!

It seems like you are on the right track for repairs... However, IMHO I would not just do the chain tensioner... I would pull the cover and do the rails too... They have better rails than the ones installed in 2002... The reversing rail is the one that wore down to the aluminium on me... I had two perfectly cut lines from the chain... Most others had the chain slip off the front of the rail and hit the cover...

Also check the front drive shaft splines in the transfer case... Pull, clean and grease the splines... Don't for get to put the dust cover back on... Mine was missing and is the reason I got the X5 so cheap...

I see you don't have many posts yet... You seem to know your way around the BMW... The search function here is a plethora of info!! It is also good to put your vehicles in the signature box so we can help out if that info is not included...

Welcome and enjoy!!

Cheers!!

Hey, thanks for the WARM welcome, by doing the rails do you mean timing chain guides? If so, that's a little more of a job than I wanna tackle for a car I just bought. She runs smooth enough for now that I'm not too worried about that area of the car. I also own a 2001 540/6 with 167k on stock guides and clutch and also a 2003 330ci with around 160k as well. I'm quite familiar with both platforms of the m54 and m62 but a real novice where it comes to AWD systems and SUVs in general. I'll look up your other recommendations and hope to learn more from you folks. Thanks for your time!

Oh and the whole sport model was the plan from the beginning, initially we were looking for a 4.6is but this was much too good of a deal to pass up and like mentioned, even though the wife loves driving it, it's not intended to be a daily.

Good day!!

No problem!! Yep, the chain guides... I too have a 2001 540i/6... My so decided he wanted the 330i... I almost purchased a 2000 330iCic, but it was... Just not new enough...

I actually like the 6 speed and V8 so much more than the auto, I converted my X5 into a RWD 6 speed manual... I love it!!!

It is odd you mention the 4.6is... I got mine for $3000 and a new front drive shaft... I can not seem to get it back from the better half... Go figure...

Cheers!!

E53 with no leaks? That's absolutely not possible, you should double check it, maybe it's completely out of fluids :D
Joke, lucky you :thumbup: :)

LOL, i check it almost every day. Power steering level, coolant, oil, brake fluid (not everyday).

identical to my 2nd X

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

Eh, it's possible after a good rebuild. My X5 4.6is has 215k miles and doesn't leak a single drop of anything. I did the whole chain guide job and replaced every single gasket, replaced the transfer case with a freshly re-sealed one (new transfer case chain too), and the automatic transmission was rebuilt shortly before I bought the X5. The only X5's that leak are the neglected ones ;)

My 2004 Range Rover didn't leak a single drop after I was done with it, and they're notoriously leaky.

By the way, congrats on the X5, Ruski! My first suggestion would be some better wheels, those stock non-sport wheels really give it that soccer mom look. Good thing you found a black interior though, the gray and tan don't age well at all.

Regarding your ABS issues, I'd certainly start by inspecting the speed sensors. If that doesn't yield anything, connect INPA or some other professional-grade scan tool to see if you can get a more specific readout on what's gone wrong.

Yep, so did I. I've also done timing chain job, replaced all the gaskets and it was fine for half a year until suddenly valve cover started leaking :) My X5 for sure is not neglected but I should call her Ms. Leaky :D I've already experienced all kind of leaks, including engine oil, coolant, tranny, brake lines and even fuel tank :rofl:
At the moment it's fine :)

Can anyone tell me the level of importance, preventative wise, that I should replace the transfer case chain? I did some looking around online and could only find some videos on HOW to do it but not WHEN or WHY.

Also, what is the level of difficulty? I've dropped a tranny before, this looks a lot smaller and simpler?

PS: Today I am going to attempt to clear my ABS errors by cleaning the sensors, wish me luck..

My X5 has the original chain in the transfer case from what I can tell and it has 210k miles on it.

My s10 blazer has over 750,000 miles on it and has the original chain in the transfer case.

So I don't plan on changing my x5's unless it needs it personally.

Thanks! I'll leave it alone for now. I have no driveability issues and or strange sounds at the moment, just thought i'd inquire since it is a topic that seems to come up quite a bit. It's actually quite ironic, because during the test drive I was hearing all kinds of weird noises that were off-putting LOL.

I pulled apart my X5 4.6is' transfer case at like 214k miles, the chain was a bit loose but it wasn't horrible by any means. I wouldn't bother with it unless you had a good reason for removing the transfer case. I had to remove mine to replace it, because my front driveshaft decided to slip out and strip its splines along with the ones in the transfer case. While I had everything apart I replaced the transfer case, transfer case chain, front driveshaft, and front guibo.

The labor to remove the transfer case is certainly easier than removing the transmission, but it's still a decent amount of work. You have to drop the middle section of the exhaust, remove the heat shields, remove the rear driveshaft, remove the front driveshaft, remove the transmission/transfer case crossmember (while supporting the transmission), and then you can lower the transmission a little with a jack to get more room to remove the upper transfer case bolts. After that, it's a simple matter of unbolting the transfer case, dropping it, and cursing at how heavy it is.

Welp guys, I was pretty confident after pulling all 4 speed sensors that cleaning them would clear my DSC and ABS light but it did not. Very disappointed, all 4 were extremely dirty and even had some weird yellow sludge on them. :(

Usually, when I have encountered the TRIfecta lights, it would be accompanied by ABS, BRAKE, AND DSC... this one is just ABS and DSC light making it a... double-fecta(?). Anybody have any experience with this? I know I should probably get it scanned and go from there so hopefully I can arrange that soon.

Update: Changed all 3 associated ABS / DSC fuses and that did nothing either.

Is your steering wheel straight? I know on my 323i if the steering wheel isn't aligned right it sets off the lights like that.

But the idea of getting it scanned like you mentioned is the best route. No sense in chasing ghost when you can find out exactly what its ticked off about by scanning for codes.

Nice buy. I have an x5 4.4i sport my self. Got if for a real good price and put a good price in it. Still goo g to have to do alot allot of work to make it like new.

Yeah as far as i can tell... definitely needs new tires soon so might be worth doing an alignment at the same time. Gonna see if i can find someone that can scan locally via enthusiast pages.

You would know if it wasn't straight as it has to be tilted a fair amount cause issues. If it seems pretty straight that's probably not the problem. But again you should get a scan.

Most parts store sell cheap obd scanners these days. I kind of think of a scanner as a must have to owning a bmw or really any modern car for that matter.

Some are as cheap as $49.

I have A scanner, one that plugs into the OBD port and I have to download an app to see the codes from my phone (OBD Doctor).

Anyways, i guess i'll just share the nastiness of the wheel sensors.

https://s28.postimg.org/41w93pnr1/IMG_5247.jpg

https://s28.postimg.org/4ihgq5bi5/IMG_5248.jpg

https://s28.postimg.org/gukd3mzct/IMG_5249.jpg

https://s28.postimg.org/xjlszjvy5/IMG_5250.jpg

That's pretty bad :)

Can anyone can help answer some pogromming question? I would truly appreciate it. Apparently the "IKE" unit is not the original one from this car and is from a 98 E38. I'm guessing that's the reason my ABS and DSC light is on as well as why I have a tamper dot. Does anyone know what I need to do to get this resolved? My buddy has PA soft we just didn't have much time to research what exactly needs to be done.

I would look at replacing the E38 IKE with a E53 IKE from the same year for the X. You may have to get the IKE coded for your X.