Transfer Case/Drive Shaft flawed
 

My 02 X5 3.0 is having the all to common issue with its Transfer Case/Drive shaft slipping. Reading all the posts on this topic and a a brief discussion with a BMW mechanic, I've learned the front drive shaft design is flawed because it barely engages into the transfer case. The common result is stripping of the splines and the need to replace both shaft and transfer case. Big bucks! I hope to repair this only once. Does anyone know of an after market source for a longer drive shaft?

My understanding is that having mismatched tires front/rear, or driving with significantly different tire pressures front/rear, both of which cause a relative difference in tire rotations, is what stresses the splines and causes the damage you have. There are lots of X5s that have never had front driveline issues.

Check on bimmerboard and roadfly, I seem to recall people complaining about it and they found someone (company) that made longer ones, in Texas maybe?

i read a thread here a couple of weeks ago
i thought i had saved it on my pc but can`t locate it right now
if you search then you will see pics of the guy cutting the splined end from propshaft then he flips it to get good splines to enter transfer case
i think he also needed to weld in a spacer so as the splined shaft could contact good splines in output shaft.
propshaft needs to be balanced once repaired

ok , i found some pics but you should search for full info on repair .

ok , guy whom posted pics is racemalibu572 location wi telephone 262-749-0689
call 8am-6pm cst
he can repair your system .

Nice follow-up.:thumbup:

i like to try to help as best i can , i know how these cars can depress ones mind

I'm hoping to be able to help you out, I'm getting close to having the redesigned parts to repair the front shafts on an exchange basis. As in the other post it will save you the cost of the transfercase although you will still have to remove/slide back the case to install the new shaft because of the new longer splines. I'm expecting to hear from the engineer any day on when I'll get the new splines. I've been having trouble getting the splines cut because they are not a standard size. I will post as soon as they are available. Thanks to joe v for being so patient, and would the guy from Pa. please call or pm me your number, my phone didnt save it for some reason. Also, if this takes off, I'd like to talk about sponsoring the site. Thanks, Tom Gottschalk 262-749-0689.

Judging by the damaged ones I've seen so far it appears to be caused by the seal failing and moisture getting into the splines and then rust forms and slowly grinds away at the splines. I don't think the minimal tire size difference would cause that, only because the front and rear outputs of the case are not locked together. When the splines give out, the vehicle is rendered immobile, the rear will not drive without the front, so there must be some slippage in there to compensate. I do believe it would mess with traction control because I checked the air in ours and the fronts were lower than I'd like to admit, and after re-inflation, the trac control and abs light kept randomly coming on for about a week, then just stopped.

Can I just make a thicker GUIBO (the flexible disk) to push the shaft further back?

You have the ability to make a guibo? Wow.

Making a thicker flex joint wont last for very long, I put a spacer in between on mine just to drive it onto my hoist, just idling around the driveway. There is only 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch of good spline left on the shaft when it fails, and then it is engaging in damaged splines in the case. I finally have a couple of shaft ends made that fit nice and I am in the process of doing the first two repairs, they will be going out in the next few days. If anyone is interested in having their shaft repaired contact me at 262-749-0689, Thanks, Tom Gottschalk.

I went through Tom and installed one of his shafts and my X5 is driving again. :rofl: IT WORKED PERFECT!!!

Transfer case issues...
 

I'm not sure if I'm having the same issue as others but my 2001 X5 4.4 makes a clanking noise when accelerating (mild to hard). It doesn't do it if u drive like a grandma. repair shop said they could feel it the clank when they had their hand on the transfer case. BMW dealership said it was a heat sheild - buy that didnt make sense so i took it to the other place that said they could feel it. Any thoughts on this? There are no issues with shifting from gear to gear and it doesnt happen when acceleration is done very slowly.

please help

If it were the shaft splines stripped, it wouldn't be a single clack but more of a grinding noise... Sounds like you may have some slack in the chain like in this thread.

Without actually hearing it, I'd lean more towards the chain being stretched out in the transfer case. Usually when the shaft lets go there is no warning and you are stranded where it breaks. Your repair shop can pull the front shaft out easily to inspect the splines, if they look like they have any wear on them, your going to need one of my repairs regardless if your chain is stretched or not. If the splines do not show any wear, then its the chain. Most good mechanics should be able to change the chain for a lot less than a remanufactured case. Make sure if your splines are good, tell the mechanic to liberally grease them up when they reassemble. If you end up needing a shaft, give me a call, 262-749-0689 8am-8pm cst. Hope this helps you out.