2003 3.0i Transmission issue
 

I bought a x5 about a month ago and the past couple weeks the transmission has done something strange: In the mornings, or after the car sits for a number of hours (about 12) we will reverse out of the garage and put the car in drive and it will not go into first. If we accelerate it will just rev and do nothing for a second or two then slam into gear. If we put it into manual it will go immediately into gear without any problems. After that it will shift all day with out any problems until it sits again. I took it to my mechanic and the transmission fluid was about a quart low (whomever worked on the car last left the bold partially screwed into place) and topped it off. It has only been a day, but this morning it did the same thing.


Anyone have any ideas what could be the trouble? Am I screwed and need a new transmission or could it be just software problems? or any other less expensive problems? I have searched and couldnt find my specific situation, thanks so much for those that reply!!!

I've got the same "first thing in the morning" problem in my used X5 (also 2003 3.0i). It's OK in reverse out of the garage, but when I put it into drive it revs up a bit and then slams into gear. I've chirped the tires a few times when I've backed out onto the street and got on the gas to get out of the way of on-coming traffic. Mine also occasionally pauses and then shifts hard when going uphill, but only if I'm driving hard and on-and-off the gas.

I've alway thought it was related to low transmission fluid levels - torque converter filling up in the morning / uphill angles draining fluid from where it belongs. I was going to change the "lifetime fluid" next month until I read you did that to no avail. I've hesitated since the process requires you to do the final top off with the engine running. You can't even check it without getting under the running car.

I'm now looking for a VANOS or Electronic throttle adaptation issue. I've seen a few people post similar symptoms that turned out to be one of these.

I just reset my throttle adaptation and will post if that helps after I "retrain" it.

I have been driving the car for about a week now and not had a problem again. It has Ben a little warmer in the mornings. But only about 10 degrees F. Just took it on a 300 mile trip and the car drove like a dream. I am going to take it in for new brakes and rotors next month and have the fluid checked again (per my mechanics reco). We will see if I have any more problems between now Nd then. I also reset the throttle adaption the day I posted this thread. Hopefully I'm good to go!!!

I'm still having a little hesitation when starting. I am worried about the car and want to know what this is. In the past few months I still have not figured it out. I would love to know If anyone is having similar problems

Don't forget that these cars have transfer cases and there is a slight delay before they go from reverse to forward.

I had a similar issue, but it did that when I put it in reverse. It delayed then slammed into gear. It happened even when the car was warm though. Just got a new tranny under BMW cpo, it's all fixed! I hope you don't need to do the same.

That's what I'm scared of. Transfer case problem or tranny. I don't have any othe problems with shifting. Smooth all the rest of the time just in the mornings and from a stop there is the delay and sometimes it is rough. But only occasionally. Thanks for quick replys!!

Same issue here on 03 X5 3.0 65k when the car is first started after sitting overnight, there is a slight delay when taking off, the revs go up slightly and it's seems like the tranny is slipping, but within a few moments it starts to shift normal. Need to check the fluid level in the tranny and the transfer case.

Fluid
 

Hey guys I am having the same issue with my 02 X5 3.0

could it be as simple as low fluid

My issue is when I start it cold and go into reverse the rpm's drop and it wants to stall but 10 min later after the truck warms up it is fine and will not do it again until after it sits for a long period of time

I have no codes and no issues driving it at wall what was your outcome

Thanks

Tranny Fix
 

Hi all,
Got same problem here as well. '03 X5 w/100009 on the clock. I've been having this problem since 70K or so. I had the fluid changed at 80K with no luck in resolving the problem. I've read that changing the solenoid (TCC) will fix this problem. I'm actually dropping my truck off to my service tech next week for a new set of rear brakes and He's going to investigate, I'll update with any new news.

hey guys i just bought an 03 x5 about 4 months ago its got 90000 miles on it
about 4 days ago i noticed only in the morning even after warning it up when i shift into reverse or drive it takes like 5-10 seconds for it to ingage into gear
the enigine just revs up but once it does ingage
it shifts great and runs great for the rest of the day
also i noticed that it doesnt do this in stick shift mode
i called the used car dealer that i bought it from and got dicko from him saying my 3 months are up blah blah blah
i tried to check if it was low on trany fluid but theres no dipstick
any body have any ideas or had this experience please help

did you change the solenoid and did it help? any updates form anyone?

I have an 04 3.0 and it has the same proplem. Did anyone find the problem??
I did notice that if you shift it in sport mode it does fine.

Try changing the filter. Mine was behaving the same as the OP's condition (usually during cold evenings and left sitting over night). My mechanic found that the gasket on the filter has harden and left the filter sitting on the pan when he had it apart. The filter on the 3.0i is only held in place with the o-ring gasket (terrible design, IMHO). Had my filter and fluids replaced and it has been running great for about 10k miles now. No more slipping in the mornings anymore.

Contrary to the "lifetime fluid" nonsense, and in keeping with older BMW standard maintenance on automatics, an ATF flush + new filter every 60K could extend the average life of the newer transmissions.

Just bought an '02 3.0i, I don't seem to have a delay in shifting but from a stop it just seems that the throttle lags before revving up then takes off abruptly. The car has 188k miles and from all the records I have nothing has ever been done to the transmission, I'd like to change the fluid but I'm reluctant with that many miles, I'm afraid it will do more harm than good.

Mike Miller from Roundel would agree with you. Auto trans with extended mileage and no prior fluid service should be left alone - wait until it croaks. The 60K service is suggested for vehicles with mileage under 60K (naturally). My 3.0i has 95K with one ATF flush (and fresh spark plugs) @ 60K. She still hums along like a champ (knock-on-clearcoat!).

From Miller's BMW Maintenance Guide:

"
Many dealerships are now recommending gearbox and differential oil changes be done at customer expense every 60,000 miles. Every independent BMW technician I know recommends a 30,000-60,000-mile interval, and many recommend Red Line synthetic oils, but not for automatics with “lifetime fill” – you need the factory proprietary ATF for “lifetime fill” automatics.

It is risky to drain a previously un-maintained automatic transmission with high mileage, even though if it were my car I would probably chance it. Still, I have seen it happen too many times, where a well-meaning owner or technician performs an ATF and filter service on a neglected but well-shifting automatic, and then all of the sudden it starts slipping. I can’t explain it, but my feeling is the fresh ATF flushes a bit of sludge from a place where it was doing no harm to a place where it does do harm. Overfilling, underfilling, and cleanliness are also issues in ATF and filter servicing, but these should not be problematic for a professional BMW technician, dealer or independent.

My inclination is to tell people to change “lifetime” ATF and filter every 60,000 miles. However I have seen BMW automatic transmissions that were maintained break anyway. In that event, say it happens at 90,000 miles, you would like to have the money you spent on the ATF and filter change to put toward your new automatic transmission. And if I told you to spend it on maintenance you’re probably not going to be very happy with me.

On the other hand, I have seen maintained automatics last 200,000 miles. I have also seen un-maintained automatics last 200,000 miles, although both are very rare. There's just no predicting with these transmissions. When you choose to buy an automatic transmission, you also buy into the vagaries of the darn things, which is one reason technicians hate them. Whether to maintain a modern BMW automatic is up to you."

My 2004 x5 3.0's trans went at 80K. The trans oil was black, even though it said not to change until 100K. $3,000 later, I learned a lesson: Change trans oil at 60K, or at least check it for color.

I have the same issue
 

Has anyone found a cure for this same issue? I have a 2002 X5 with 170,000 miles and once in a while the car will not go forward after backing up from the garage. I have not ever tested the steptronic approach. My situation is we turn the ignition off and wait for a minutes, restart the car and it may work sometimes or it may require two to three restart/turn off procedure before it will work.

I have had the solenoids in the transmission changed along with the trans fluid and reprogrammed the software to make sure it wasn't faulty along with updates but it was up to date. It has gotten better, but not completely gone. It will only do it when its a cold start after sitting all night. I'm thinking about changing the diff fluid and the transfer case fluid too. The trans works fine which tells me its not completely broken. I don't have to turn it off or use the steptronic. Once I back out of my garage and put the X5 in Drive I get some hesitation to move forward and thats all. I'm now thinking that maybe it could be the transfer cases not getting the power out quickly enough?

2003 X5 transmission delay
 

I have had the same problem of delayed shift from reverse to forward gears - I simply wait for about ten seconds with the engine idling and it engages smoothly. I'd be interested to know if the filter replacement mentioned earlier has worked successfully for anyone.