Stuttering issue!! Gearbox/torque convertor or engine miss? Please help
 

Hi, just bought an 02 4.4i auto sport. Hi there, It stutters under gentle acceleration and the revs go up and down a little when driving steady. I have also noticed poor mpg. I have no dash warning lights at all? Does this sound like i need a tc? It doesnt have any problems in sport mode for some reason? I had oil on my sparks but since replaced rocker cover seals and new sparks but still the same problems. I have just bought the car in the last few weeks and i am gettin frustrated with this! Also, forgot to mention it is lpg converted/duel fuel but i experience the problems on both gas and petrol. This is making me think its a gearbox issue. I would be very grateful if you could share any opinions. Thanks, Gavin

mine does the same thing....rpm throttle 'oscillation' like a misfire every 2 seconds. That's the torque converter locking/unlocking. The slight shudder under normal acceleration. I also have seen about a 0.5 mpg decrease. My transmission does all this plus it prematurely locks the TC under harder acceleration so I get this sudden rpm shift while accelerating hard. No codes. There is likely some pressure and solenoid issues in the valvebody causing some of this. I have resorted to installing a new transmission in the very near future. I have 143k miles and if I do the TC, likely sooner or later the trans will need replacement as well so I figure I'll do both now. My transmission shows none of the typical signs of wearing out.

i think you will find most people here will agree with me and likely have been in our shoes. it's unfortunately one of the most failed components on X5s and costly. Good luck.

My '02 4.4i has been doing the exact same thing for some time now. Hasn't gotten much worse. I've been told by a few people on here and elsewhere that it's the torque converter most likely. That and the transmission are original with 132K miles. It actually shifts perfectly and also shows no signs of wearing out.

I actually haven't noticed a real decrease in fuel mileage but then again, I don't keep that good of track to notice a .5-1 MPG drop.

Is there a definitive way of telling that it is the tc?? I was experimentig again today and noticed that there is no problem at all with this when it is in sport mode (triptronic shifting). When it started to stutter i kept the throttle steady and switched it to sport mode and no shudder? What about everyone else? Would the tc not have problems in both modes?

I have researched and apparantly you can get your tc reconditioned for as little as £200?

My car shifts as it should and isnt that much of a problem tbh but i would rather have it sorted!

I also read that there is some stuff available on the web to add to the trans fluid, and it can cure this problem with the tc? Would it help to do a fluid change? I dont think mine has ever been done?

O and what mpg should i be expecting from 02 4.4i auto sport?

I never thought of sport mode and light acceleration at the same time. When it's in sport mode, I'm having fun.

Driving normally I average 17-18MPG according to the computer but a lot of that is highway commute.

I'm wanting to replace my torque converter soon. I'd rather pull a transmission and pay for a new converter than ignore it for too long and have it take out the transmission too. There's definitely a cost ratio to consider.

I wouldn't add a thing other than approved fluid to a ZF. Eff that, too temperamental and expensive. Which is typical German stuff really.

Anyone ever used dr.tranny shudder fixx? Alot a people swear by it! I have done a LOT of research into the tc problem that i have and some say that a fluid change helps alot?

Look,
I had my tranny rebuilt and even after that it was shuddering,not in a sports mode,because TC has a different lock up "program".
Had tranny reworked under the warranty and shop rebuilt the TC again,but this time the right way.
My advise,if you get the TC replaced,why don't you do a whole tranny overhaul,like swapping the old friction discs.It won't cost much more,but will make your tranny good for much longer.
Or get rid of your X.
One more thing,ask your shop or if you DIY for an OEM branded filter and right fluid,otherwise you'll get into troubles,been there and know what I say.

Keep in mind that :
1. It wouldn't be a good idea in a first place.
2. These gear boxes don't have a dipstick,so,do you want to bother yourself under the X ?

The X5 has different pressures for the TC lockup when in sport mode vs normal mode. When i first noticed the issues, it was only in normal mode, sport mode was fine because it maintains higher pressures in the valvebody. After a few months, I'm getting issues arising in sport mode, like the shuttering. Also, you will likely notice that cruise control eliminates the throttle oscillation (misfire feel) because cruise locks up the TC so the trans is not locking/unlocking trying to maintain speed. If I'm in cruise, all issue pretty much disappear. I have a 4.6is and I was getting consistently avg 16mpg but now i'm around 15.4, same driving habits.

ive spent hours of research on this and here is something i stumbled on the other day.
before i go into that id like to say i have unplugged my maf and also cleaned it and same issue...
i have also put it into steptronic mode to find its not as noticable but after a while it stutters again!

here is the head scratcher...
so we all know fuel air and spark makes pistons and engines fire.
so i tried cheap gas and yes i had alot more stuttering and rpm jumps.
this now makes me wonder if my coil packs are just not as sparky.

other than that my transmission also shows no sign of gear issues.
and if its the tranny im sure its the valve body.
these trannys are infamous for valve body issues where the dealer will burn you and swap the whole thing this coming from my long time bmw mechanic buddy who quit being a mechanic but has all his m cards and german training 13 year bmw mechanic back in boston im in fl now so i cant use him...

so valve body / filter / gasket / fluid
about 600.00 do it yourself in an hour and there is a great video on you tube.
also if you drain your tranny ive heard thru the grape vine you should not drain it completely that the aluminum that has disolved into fluid creates a bond between your gear rings thats why bmw says dont change your fluid.
just change whats in the pan.

this is a head scratcher and in a few weeks my car will go into dealership i have an 03 4.4 and i know there are 2 tranny updates i need ill repost what the dealer diagnoses.

i was positive it was the valve body but after the cheap gas technic im wondering if it is intake cam sensor / coil packs.

i have a new fuel filter so i know fuel is getting there clean, new plugs also injectors have been cleaned and tested. its either air or spark and im betting spark. although that would show a misfire code pretty quickly...again stumped!
any input would be great. sorry for the long post.
130k on it btw

I wonder if high ethanol content in fuel can cause this .
The ecu mapping on these things vary modes depending on throttle position / engine load and all sorts .

I've talked pretty extensively with engineers at ZF and weak coil packs can produce a similar effect, especially if there's some load on the engine. However, in cruise control and Sport mode the throttle does not miss a beat. So it's hard to see the coil pack thing. Let us know what you find with the software. My X5 is getting ready for a new trans at 143k. Same thing though, my trans feels great - hard to justify. I know my TC is going and might as well do the trans while it's out. Out of warranty obviously so no stealership work.

Mine - 2001 4.4i w/ 117k miles - has exactly the same symptoms but doesn't seem to have got worse in the time I've had it. I'm building up to dropping the gearbox and changing the torque converter as I'm sure that's the problem.

Quick update, i done a simple atf fluid change and added the dr tranny. It shifts a lot more smoothly now and it has shuddered at all yet! I will keep you updated.

However, i have a new problem that the heater/blower fuse keeps blowing! Its a 7.5amp fuse. I tried as big as 15a but it still blows! Were should i begin?

I also have a hellish ticking/knocking/rattling noise of the engine which is really worrying me! It doesnt go away and gets quicker with higher revs??

Any. Help is welcome

Quick update, i done a simple atf fluid change and added the dr tranny. It shifts a lot more smoothly now and it has shuddered at all yet! I will keep you updated.

However, i have a new problem that the heater/blower fuse keeps blowing! Its a 7.5amp fuse. I tried as big as 15a but it still blows! Were should i begin?

I also have a hellish ticking/knocking/rattling noise of the engine which is really worrying me! It doesnt go away and gets quicker with higher revs??

Any. Help is welcome

Here's an update on my shuddering issue. Knowing full well the failing torque converter would take out the transmission as it spewed debris through the system I let it go too long anyways, and take out the transmission it done did. On the way home from work it started shuddering worse than normal and taking off from a stop light I hit the gas and the engine raced to almost redline then BAM the transmission engaged and produced a violent 4-wheel drive burnout. I was able to limp it home with what I thought was the torque converter completely gone. It drove fine in gears 2-5 but first wasn't having it. A few days later I got a call from the transmission shop saying my transmission needed to be rebuilt as they had done very specific tests, so I did let them tear it apart but didn't authorize any work until I had seen and verified it myself. I was not about to be the ignorant customer that gets hosed as $1k is far less than $5k. They weren't kidding! My fluid was burned and the pan was full of shavings plus the valve body was full as well. A few burned clutch packs and a hardly working torque converter are what I ended up with. Got the truck back today and all is well again.

Hey do you mind posting what your rebuild cost
 

My car is in shop now and I can tell shaving have been splattered all over my tranny but I'm only flushing fluid in pan and filter and changing the fluid in the pan to fresh fluid. Just to bandwidth it for abit longer.

I'm still curious about this future rebuild of mine!

Just wonder how much was the total cost?
Is it BMW indy shop, tranny shop?
TIA

So, do you think if you would have changed the tranny fluid at the first signs of the shuddering it would have helped or delay the inevitable?

It may have saved me some time until my shop gets built, that's what I was sincerely hoping for. Just bought a house so ALL of my saved money was put in to the down. Had to take out a loan, through the transmission shop, to cover it but I need to sell the X now because the type of house loan I'm getting won't accept my overtime hours (12 hour shifts at work, so 4 hours OT every day) because I haven't been there for two years - only a year and a half. That puts my debt to income ratio completely out of line.

I took it to a local transmission shop that gets work from other reputable automotive shops around here that don't do their own transmission work. Cottman Transmission. Total cost was $5k for all new parts in the old case. They said it's what they see 9 times out of 10 with the ZFs that have failing torque converters. It's a domino effect.

I would say about the only warning before the failure was that the shuddering started to come back in sport mode, just barely. It was two weeks before the transmission failed and I believe it shuddered twice. I took it camping Memorial Day weekend and it must have been the drive that did it in. Lots of enthusiastic driving up the twisties and it performed great. Two days later it died with no warning.

If that noise is being caused by worn timing chain guides allowing the timing chains to slap around and you continue to drive it, you're heading for a catastrophic failure. The V8s are interference engines, the valves open into the same areas the piston occupy at TDC, when the valve timing goes out, the pistons and valves pound the piss out of each other. HUGE $$$, some on here have replaced their motors when this happened.

Shit, my 06 4.4i is starting this stutter effect. Fml. No codes and does it around the 1200rpm range.

The good news is I drove with the misfire/shutter for 2 years and it never really got worse. Just drive in sport mode and it pretty much goes away but it never REALLY goes away. OR do what I did.....sell the X5 and buy a 335i. Never been happier!