XDrive Transfer Case Fluid DIY
 

I finally decided to change the XDrive fluid in my 2004 X5 3.0 tonight. After 91,500 miles, it's definitely time.

You'll need the following:

1 quart BMW XDrive transfer case fluid
Part #83220397244

2 new copper sealing rings

Fluid pump

Lift/jack/jack stands

Ratchet wrench/breaker bar

16mm socket

16mm spanner

Torque wrench

Oil catch

********************

First, buy yourself some XDrive fluid. I bought mine at ECS Tuning - $45 per quart - OUCH! Luckily, you only need one.

http://i64.tinypic.com/2w4heg8.jpg


Next, get your ride up in the air. I bought a MaxJax lift last year and love it. That being said, I always have backup support in the form of at least two tall jack stands under the lift arms. Better safe than sorry.

http://i65.tinypic.com/2cifu4o.jpg


Remove the 16mm fill plug near the top of the transfer case (large bolt in upper center of photo) on the front side of the vehicle. A socket will fit here. It's a little tough so you may need a breaker bar to make it easier:

http://i68.tinypic.com/359ikic.jpg

Next position your oil catch under the drain plug and remove the drain plug. You can't get a socket on the 16mm drain plug (large bolt on bottom far right in photo) because it's too close to the subframe support member. You will have to use spanner/open end wrench. Because of this, you can't get a breaker bar on it so you're going to have to muscle it off:

http://i64.tinypic.com/28cln3n.jpg

After the fluid has drained replace the old copper ring with a new one and reinsert the drain plug. Because I couldn't get a socket on the plug I couldn't use my torque wrench so I had to torque it the old fashioned way; I tightened good and snug and hoped for the best. If you can somehow get a torque wrench in there, the proper torque is 33nm (24 lb-ft).

Next, attach your fluid pump to the XDrive fluid bottle (it takes a large mouth type pump). Pump the fluid into the fill hole until it just runs over. Replace the copper ring and reinsert the fill plug. The proper torque is again 33nm (24 lb-ft).

Clean up and take it for a test drive. You're done!

Here's what the old vs. new fluid looked like after 91,500 miles:

http://i64.tinypic.com/2eo9y4h.jpg

Excellent write up, mods should definitely put this in the DIY section btw texmin how does she feel now?

There's one step left. Adaptation values should be reseted after fluid change. As far as I understand you can only do it with coding tools.

Does 01' has xDrive? If not, is there any similar fluid that I need to change on my 01' 3.0i? Differential Fluid?

Great write up and pics. Thanks. :thumbup:

No it doesn't i believe it comes around 2004 but may be wrong.

Agreed; the transfer case fluid seems to be the most dirty. I recommend it as part of Inspection II (that's when I had it done).

sethro - no change in the feel, which I generally take to be a good thing.

chris - I believe the adaptation values only need to be cleared when replacing the entire transfer case, not for fluid changes.

The transfer case is responsible for calculating the following factors:

Condition of transfer case fluid

Clutch plate wear

Servo load

Fluid temperature

Good to know I'm planning on doing this soon

I just changed mine because my tech read the value which stated that the oil was ready to be changed. He said a sensor measures the resistance of the oil to determine when it needs changed, but it doesn't clear when you put in new oil. He also said most dealerships don't check that computer at inspections unless you ask. I watched him reset the value after I changed it.

I looked it up in the TIS today and chris is correct. The TIS recommends clearing the fluid condition adaptation value after a fluid change. I guess I'll check the local indies to make sure they've got the software and have one of them clear the value for me.

That sucks! So much for a DIY...

so just to double check, this DIY procedure is also good for '01 x5 3.0 w/o x-drive correct?

i know it's filled with dextron III (different fluid from xdrive fluid), that is verified from another post and also by the dealer. now it's just a matter of changing it. thanks for your input!

Update
 

I never did bother to clear the values and almost six months and 8,000 miles later there are no issues to report. Everything is working just fine. Therefore, I'm putting the value reset in the 'nice to have' column vs the 'must have' column.

Could you tell me where in TIS you found this?

Can't see it anywhere :dunno:

Look under:

Repair Instructions / 00 Maintenance and General Data / 0011572 Changing oil in the transfer box (ATC 400/500)

The first line in the document states "When changing the gear oil it is necessary to delete the self-adapting wear values in the transfer box control unit"

I've never cleared the adaptation values since I did the job and have had no problems at all.

Thanks. Found it.

Problem with not clearing the adaption values is that you will not know when it is time for the fluid to be changed again !

Unlikely to be in your lifetime, but for the next owner, you are handing on a sloppy diagnostic record no ?

Just a thought.

My X5 VTG had the fault logged around 50,000 miles. Here is the relavent SIB:

=====================

SI B27 01 07
Intermediate and Special Transmission
April 2007

Technical Service

SUBJECT

Transfer case (VTG) Fault Code 54C6 Oil wear - Value too high

MODEL

E53 (X5) from 10/03 to 02/05 production
E83 (X3) to 02/05 production

SITUATION

After interrogating the fault memory, as part of an Inspection I or II maintenance service or another repair
requiring a diagnostics procedure, fault code 54C6 Oil wear – Value too high is stored. This fault will not
illuminate a warning lamp.

CAUSE

Transfer case fluid (non lifetime) wear value limit was exceeded.

CORRECTION

Replace the fluid in the transfer case.

PARTS INFORMATION

Part Number Description Quantity

83 22 0 397 244 TF0870 Fluid 1 = 1 liter

Note: Before opening, shake the container to evenly mix the additives in the fluid.

And for those who see value in Oil Analysis, here were the comments from Blackstone Laboratories:

=========================

As this is the factory fill of fluid out of your transfer case we aren't too alarmed by the high wear. It's
due to new parts breaking-in and should look better with subsequent oil changes. Universal averages are based on an oil run of just 20,000 miles. This oil was run well past that mark and that likely contributed to the high readings. The oil itself was in good shape physically and contained no harmful contaminants. Check back when you have this unit serviced next for another look at wear.
============================

I think it was good to get clean oil in there...

Additional info from Mike Miller on the resetting the control unit:

The X-Drive transfer case must be reset electronically at the dealership after the oil is
changed. You can change the transfer case oil yourself or have it done wherever you
want, but the vehicle does have to go back to the dealer to have the transfer case reset.
This “resetting” procedure is only possible on the BMW service computer.

Specifically the “reset” uses the actuator inside the transfer case to gauge the thickness of the remaining clutch material. The transfer case then relearns the end stops of the clutch pack to compensate for wear. The electric motor inside the X-Drive transfer case then knows how much it has to apply the clutch pack in order to transfer power when
necessary.

Move Condensation Water Outlet Hose
 

Just changed my tfr case fluid today on xDrive ATC 500 unit - simple and quick. Dealer to reset actuator value tomorrow.

This is a also a good time to move the condensation water outlet hose so that it does NOT drip water on the drive shaft just before it enters the transfer box (mentioned in another E53 thread). Loosen the rubber mounting bracket with a 10mm socket, adjust the hose so that it drains directly to the ground and tighten up again. (May wish to do this next time you drain the engine oil?)

I am going to change mine on Thursday, there are some great tips here, but it's easier for me because I have GT1 to recode the car. I am changing the differential oil also..

neilrmp, do you know if Inpa can reset the values also? I have Inpa, but my DIS installation is not functionnal yet, so, I still use Inpa in the meantime.

I haven't used inpa so I would only be guessing, sorry

No, INPA cannot reset the values. Sorry.

Was fixing a Self Leveling Suspension issue and when the GT1 ran the QUICK TEST (Diagnosis of all the modules) the Transfer case oil value (OLD) came up. My X5 has over 100k on it and I was a little pissed that my Dealership never said anything about this during services when it was under warranty. So I will be changing fluids this weekend. FYI when running through the service schedule, the DIS does have you reset the values as the next step.

Just FYI if anyone in the Clarksville TN (Nashville area ) needs Diagnostics, I have a GT1 an I'm willing to share....though it seems every time i pull that thing out I do get thirsty. ;-)

Yup, make sure you reset the values after the change.

Thanks for tip oon the outlet hose. Changed oil on my 2005 4.4 and did the GT1 oil change procedure.

My transfer case is making a whining noise at all speeds but the oil change didn't make a difference although the drained oil was very dirty at 92k miles. There were no metal shavings though as determined by finger feel and running magnet through the drained oil.

I got this error when scanning with my BMW Scanner 1.4.0 today. Oil change itself looks easy enough but dealers around here are the type who would refuse to reset something unless they had done the work, indys not so easy to find.

I take it that BMW Scanner can't reset these adaptation values. If I get GT1 running in a VMware virtual machine is this something I can easily do myself?

Also any specs on the replacement copper washers? Will the dealer parts counter have these or will I have to get elsewhere?

Thanks.

I know this doesn't help - but I am wondering the exact same thing.

I just got BMW scanner 1.4 and picked up the "oil abrasion" error in the transfer-case. The error wouldn't go away when reset. It's in yellow status.

Picked some of the right fluid-up for $44 online and have one of those Romanian scanner gizmos on order. I hope that does the trick as far-as re-setting and relearning the adaptations.

I am getting a little slight vibration when exiting a turn. I guessing the fluid is original with 109k in it. Sounds like it needs a change anyway.



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I don't see any reason why you couldn't re-use a coper
sealing washer. You could flip it over if you wanted-to if you're worried about it sealing correctly in its current state of deformation.


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Looks like the dealers should sell the washers for ~50p based on RealOEM.

What's the Romanian scanner gizmo?

I'm looking to sell the car soon and buy an E70 so wondering whether this is worth doing or leave for the next owner to do on it's next service. I don't have any negative symptoms just put the scanner on because of a fuel injection error which looks like a clogged fuel filter based on the facts that it only comes up under heavy acceleration and I recently got very very low on fuel so most of the crud from the bottom of the tank is now probably in the filter (put 92lt in to the 90lt tank on filling up after 615 miles).

Romanian scanner gizmo

http://bit.ly/130nftP


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Looks good. I won't be able to get to this for a few weeks, I don't have the parts or the GT1 head yet. Can you update on how you get along with it? Really interested to know if it's simple for you to do the sensor reset tool yourself using this tool.

Do you check transfer case fluid level hot or cold? Or doesn't matter?

I don't know the official procedure, but I would check it cold. There isn't enough fluid in there for thermal expansion to be an issue.

Thanks. Just received the X-Drive transfer case fluid kit from ECS Tuning. I going to tackle this today.

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/223674_x600.jpg

Procedure is cold. There really isn't even a full can of it in there. Adaptations can be reset with INPA or DIS. Get the Romanian cable software deal on ebay. Worth the $15 it costs, all you need is a win xp laptop.

I didnt reset my adaptations for a while. I forgot how long. Nothing bad happened. When i did reset them, it seemed smoother, but that could be a placebo effect.

The old oil looked almost new (still light brown). Maybe I didn't need to change... But good to know it has fresh new oil in there. I have Scanner 1.4 but didn't see anywhere to reset transfer case so adaptation is not reset. Not sure if adaptation process is a must procedure. Everything feels good and smooth as before. Thanks, I'll look for different software package with more functionality so I can reset transfer case for piece of mind.

THANKS for the great instructions, changed mine today.
166K, 1st time, didn't knew it was necessary maintenance.
2004, X-drive

Read that bolts get stuck -easy to strip, lots of the "kits" come with new bolts. Mine came off very easy, sprayed them with penetrating oil an hour before. I bought new crush washers but would not have hesitated to reuse the old. The proper torque of 33nm didn't seem tight enough or my torque is off - although I am defiantly an "over tighten". I used a scrap piece of pipe to slip over the wrench and act as an extension breaker bar on the drain side (you can't get a socket in).

I prefer to shimmy under the car rather then use ramps and jacks, couldn't do that with this one as your breaker bar or socket handle hits the ground.

I took the BMW bottle of fluid to AUTOZONE to get a pump. The guy there asked how much I paid for the "BMW" fluid and laughed when I said about $40. He showed me there equivalent and said it meets all standards and costs about $20.

I shook the bottle to mix the additives? read that in this thread.

I only have INPA and very confused by it, read different opinions on if INPA can clear the adaptation value??

Don't trust any sales rep at a local auto parts store that says his generic fluid is the same as the specific BMW fluid. Ask him what spec it meets (since BMW doesn't publish the X-drive fluid spec, should be interesting to hear his answer).

Long Term Update
 

Four years and more than 70,000 miles later my X-Drive transfer case is still going strong after my initial fluid change. The car now has more than 160,000 miles on it. I never did reset the adaptation values and have had no negative impact. I am thinking about doing another fluid change in the near future...

For those that are curious what the screens look like in DIS v57 when running the transfer case oil change "job"... see attachment. Takes less than 1 minute to run through the screens.

And here were Blackstone Laboratory's comments after my 2nd change (35k miles on the oil).
"Some very nice improvements turned up in this second sample from your transfer case. Aluminum, iron, and nickel are still just high enough compared to averages that we're going to leave them highlighted for now, but hopefully they'll keep improving like this in the future. The shorter oil run seemed to help, so we'd stick with this interval again. If metals get down to the average range, or start to steady themselves, maybe a longer run would be in order but for now, this seems like the way to go. No water/insolubles found, and the viscosity was fine. Better!"

Did they tell you what their definition of average was and how many were in the sample population? All transfer cases? All BMW transfer cases? All X-drive transfer cases?

I am just an amateur, but read this Thread about coding the reset, no so much about how the car may "feel" differently but about how the clutch will respond. Some sensor is telling it to error.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...xperience.html

And who wants ANY errors in car, not that its worth paying the dealer......

Yes, that is one short-coming of Blackstone Labs. They do not define "UNIVERSAL AVERAGES" on their reports, so I don't know sample count or qualifiers, though you could always ask.

That is a major shortcoming.

Their recommendation to change the fluid appears to be based on a comparison with an average that doesn't mean much, if anything.

They are selling these tests based on fear, IMO.

The presence of wear metals in microscopic quantities in the oil does not require a change of fluid, as they suggest. If you left the same fluid in, and took four or five samples of that same fluid, over the same interval, then a change in the rate of wear metal increase would indicate something. It would tell you about the component, which is more valuable than trying to discern something about the fluid. But simply having the trace metals in the fluid shows nothing.

Where did this verification come from? All sources including my dealers are saying that my xDrive ATC500 should be filled with Dexron III - it's driving me mad as I want to make sure I'm using the correct oil :(

You are correct. The transfer case control module monitors the oil and determines when the oil needs to be changed.

There is no mention that is necessary to reset the control module in the Bentley service manual. That could be incorrect but since the control monitors oil condition it may be possible to reset it manually or let it do so on its own.

fluid for ATC500 is Dexron III?
 

I'm looking at doing this service on my '05 4.8is, and RealOem is showing the fluid as Dexron III: RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.8is Transfer case ATC 500. Is this correct? So I could use Dexron VI?

See the screen shots in Post 23 here: Xdrive or not?

05 should be x-drive. Mine is.


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x-drive. Takes BMW unicorn juice only. ECS tuning sells it. 1-liter is enough.

Thanks for all the responses.
The interwebs can be a double-edged sword: Using RealOem was pulling up Dexron III part 83229407858 incorrectly. Since this is a BMW X5 e53 XDrive, as you all mentioned, the correct part for transfer case fluid is 83220397244. Ordered a liter and kit from ECS. Documenting in detail so this may help others if they search, as I did.
Thanks again.

Guys, out of interest, what is the part number for the 2 new copper sealing rings?

07119963308

Cheers.

5 year update!

Almost exactly five years and 80,000 miles later I have had no trouble with my Xdrive transfer case since I wrote the original DIY. I never bothered to reset the adaptation values so I think I've proved you can safely skip that step if you prefer. I now have 170,000 miles on my 2004 E53 X5 3.0 and it is still going strong. I just ordered one liter of Xdrive fluid and I will be doing my second fluid change within a couple of weeks. I will take a shot of the old fluid again and post for all to see.

Great to hear!

Just changed mine and the tranny right away has a bit more kick to. haflf Mobil1 Synth 75w90 half Mobil1 Synth ATF. It took less than a Quart.

Awesome update!
We have the same year/model/color :)
But I only have 90k+ miles.

A bit dirty X5 - On the road now going back to Windy City ( visited Mt Rushmore & Crazy horse with the family)

Second fluid change
 

I changed my Xdrive fluid for the second time at 180k miles tonight. I had planned to do it every 50k or so but never found the time. I was surprised to see the fluid in better shape this time after the same 90k interval. Still dirty but only about 60% as black as the first change at 90k. I did not reset the adaptation values the first time and had no trouble so I didn't bother with it this time either.

Thanks for the update!

Changed an F25's fluids today: transfer case (was black), front diff (was clear), gearbox (dark, some 'dust' on the magnets), left the rear diff as the front was so clear (and had some doubts to how to do it right). And the fuel filter was done. First time i saw a dealer-serviced car that actually had a fuel filter with a date on it later than first delivery...

Also changed the 'driver' of the rear led lights (the ones in the tailgate) as one side did not light up any more.


Also done the engine oil (what a construction that 2.0 diesel engine: air filter 'hat', oil filter in the back, oil filling with a spill catcher that leads to a hidden place under that 'hat'. While there is lots of room to work at the front (as 2 - 4 cylinders are missing).


What a pile of screws after removing all the plastic and metal covers!



Unfortunately ran out of time for the transfer case and gearbox reset. However, there were no issues before, it was all done at approx 150000km (not miles) for the first time.



Next week my E70 (2007) is up. Same list of stuff to do, this one at 180000km and 4 cylinders more. Curious to see the state of the various liquids as this one has more years and lots more torque than the F25.

Did this ever fix your "vibration when exiting a turn" issue?