Transmission jerk when accelerating from stop on '01 3.0..software upgrade????
 

I have just purchased a 2001 X5 3.0 and right from the beginning I noticed that the transmission would bump/jerk into gear when acceleration from a stop, or even a rolling stop, unless I gently pressed on the accelerator. I've pretty much gotten used to it and assumed that it was just a BMW characteristic (coming from a 2003 Expedition which had excellent tip-in), but after reading various posts, I've come to realize that this may not be normal for my X5. Are there transmission software upgrades for a 2001??? If so, how much would it cost? I drive about 80 miles a day and some of that is in heavy traffic, so a smoother tip-in would be GREAT. Any thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated. I've used the search function, and most of the software upgrades I read about were on newer models, that's why I'm asking about my '01. Thanks again.

That happens on my 4.4i, I'd be interested on others thoughts, I just thought it was a bmw characteristic too :-P

Most of the documented transmission problems here on X5World stem for the 6 speed auto built by the company ZF for the refreshed 4.4i (04' and on). That tranny is also shared with the E60 and BMW cars (I think all V8 cars).

The problem they seem to be having is a transmission slam, when the car deaccelerates to a slow rolling speed and then the throttle applies, the slam happens causing the car to jerk forward.

With that being said, you have a 3.0i, and it doesn't have the 6 speed auto by ZF. So there should be no reason why your car should be doing this. I have 2 questions...

- How many miles does your X have?
- Has it gotten worse over time?

On my X3 3.0i (which I am presuming uses the same 5 speed auto as your X5), things I have noticed are (@ 28,000 miles and counting) :

- a slight clunk after a sudden and quick stop (a clunk which doesn't cause the car to move or make any jerkiness, just seems to be an audible noise).
- when the transmission is cold, a slight jerk can between 4th to 3rd when I downshift.
- and 1st gear jerks about half of the time around 5,000 - 6,0000 rpm under hard hard acceleration. (I'm told this is normal by my friend ?! any ideas?).

Anyway, my point is, your transmission shouldn't be doing this, unless it was abused by the previous owner (who probably shifted from R to D while moving... thinks like that).

You could take it to a dealer and ask for reprogramming...

I don't have any problems with shifting; it shifts very smooth and there is no clunk when stopping. It has 83k miles on it, but you coudn't tell it by the tranny, it shifts great. My ONLY problem is when I go to accelerate from a stop or rolling stop; if I don't gently ease into the accelerator, I get a slight jerk before the transmission engages, no clunk or slamming noise, just a jerk, as if the drive-by-wire has a delay and doesn't immediately recognize my accelerator input, then all of a sudden it does, and I get a jerk. Does that make any sense at all? By the way, the previous owner was very meticulous, so I wouldn't think it was mistreated, but one can't ever be 100% sure.

I DREAM about a slight jerk before the tranny engages...in the case of the occasional 6-speed transmission slam, it feels like you got hit from behind...hard.

I had a similar issue. After resetting the transmission (turn carkey to position 2 for 10 seconds, then off for 10 seconds, then start the car), it became much smoother.

So perhaps my issue isn't a problem and is simply characterisic of the vehicle. I've gotten used to it and don't even think about it any more because I've learned how to drive it; therefore I rarely get the slight jerk, but after reading various posts about the problem, I thought I might have an issue. But clearly my problem isn't as bad as the newer 6spd trannies as mine doesn't feel like a rear-ending at all, just a slight(yet oddly smooth) jerk. I vaguely remember test driving another 3.0 X5 before I got this one, and it did the exact same thing, only it had quite fewer miles.

Mine occurs when I accelerate quickly from a dead stop and then slow back down immediately - then I feel the "thud" like someone rear-ending me. Unfortunately I could not reproduce it when I had a service tech in the vehicle. Will try again next time.

Hopefully it is not your automatic tranny failing. I was having some of those jerks from time-to-time and then I got the "!" symbol which equaled to $5.5K.

Do you actually move? I feel & hear the thud, but the car doesn't move or jerk at all...

Yes, i start moving forward but then let off the accelerator after about a second or two and then I feel the "thud". I sometimes get it around 3rd gear too when it is decelerating.

I would highly recommend that you go to your dealer and get a software update. BMW have been attending to these issues for some time, particularly with the 5 series owners.

Our transmissioons are identical (except for the torque converter) in corresponding 5 series/X5 year models.

When you drive, the driving style is 'learned' by the software and each time you move off from stop, it applies this knowledge against set values.

Measurements particularly crucial are the throttle pressure and speed of depression from stop. For economy reasons, start off is usually in 2nd gear as otherwise stop/start traffic would be horrendous.

If, on the other hand the trans detects greater pressure/speed, it selects a different set of values (gear shift points) and selects a more aggressive mode, meaning it will select 1st gear.

The four main modes are Extreme economy, Economy, Sport and Extreme Sport. Sport is selectable manually by moving the trans lever into S and XS is when you use the manual trans. There is also a Hill climb/descent mode and towing settings.

The problem seems to be in the fact that there is so many values and decisions that the computer must measure/compare that the time taken (typically 0.75 of a second) impacts on the drivers' sense of motion/driveability as a jerk/slam as you are still preessing the accelerator whilst it is thinking.

Get a software update as they have been refining these responses.

As an aside, my wife has a very heavy driving style from the lights. She just plants the foot and goes, whereas I tend to be more conservative. Consequently when she jumps into my 4.8, she scares the bejeesus out of it and I get into her 3.0 X5 and it just jumps off the line...... and scares me..

What if I get the software upgrade performed and it doesn't change? Is there a way for the dealer to determine, before hand, whether or not the software upgrade will help? By the way, I reset the transmission (accessory power for 10 sec, off 10 sec, then start) and it seemed to help with the abrupt starts at redlights, stop signs, etc. Could simply doing that help have helped my transmission, by clearing out the saved driving styles (from the previous owner)?

No, if you want to reset it completely then you have to have both the trans and vehicle ECU 'reflashed'. That allows you to let it learn only your driving style.

The only other alternative is to drive it like you stole it for a while so that you are changing the learnt values. Unfortunately, if you revert to a conservative style, the problems will come back.

It is deliberate on the part of BMW (for pure fuel economy) in it's most important market

By the way, I contacted my dealer and he said that what I did (accessory power 10 sec, off sec, then start) was reset the adaptive throttle control. That will not change the transmission but will improve tip-in response and there won't be the delay(or dead spot) in the accelerator. I drove a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer and it has the drive-by-wire like our X5s and it had the exact same issue; I'd press the accelerator, and nothing, then all of a sudden it would jerk and go, as if the drive-by-wire had some sort of delay. Therefore, I've pretty much tracked my problem down to the throttle response, and resetting it did actually help in my case, because it wasn't a transmission issue. Here's an example: when approaching the railroad track on my daily route (which is raised, so it's a little hill), I would slow down and coast over it, then resume speed once I had completely crossed it. My problem was that when I would press the accelerator to resume driving after crossing the tracks, there would be this delay before it would actually resume speed, this would be accompanied by a slight jerk. I never considered it a throttle response problem, but sense the system is drive-by-wire, it makes sense, and after completing the throttle adaptation reset process (on 10 sec, off 10 sec, then crank), the tip-in is much better, without the delay and jerk when pulling from a redlight, etc.

Excellent!!!!:thumbup::thumbup:

Jerking from stomach on cold transmission.
 

My 2009 is doing this too. But only when I start out with a cold transmission. It goes away after I drive it awhile. Mine is the x5 30I

Your rear subframe bushings are shot. Replace them and it should go away.