4x4 Warning Light on Dash ?
 

I've done several searches for "4x4 issue" "4x4 warning light", etc. and coming up with nothing on the forum.. I must be searching the wrong keyword as I can't imagine others haven't posted regarding...

The 4x4 light on the dash just came on a couple of weeks ago.. Its gone off a few times but for the most part its on all the time.

Is there anything I can check on my own - common symptoms that cause the 4 wheel drive system to go into error?

THanks much,
Rob

Isit just the 4x4 light? On mine the 4x4 abs and traction lights came on at the sametime. It turnedout to be the transfer case actuator motor. Theres a worm gear that strips a plastic gear inside. It can be turned around easily if that is your problem. How to check? Listen when you turn your x off. It will usally click a few times under the truck after its turned off. Again, easy fix if it is. Go listen and report back.

could be a wheel sensor... do you have means of reading the error codes off the OBDII?

For the time being - try starting the engine and turning the wheel to the left then back to the right and back to the left. Make sure you make a full turn on ech side. I believe this will rest it. Then get the code(s) read as TermX recommended.

Bag - I listened and don't hear a thing when I shut her down... It started out intermittent light on but after a few weeks it seems to be permament.

btw - it's only the "4x4" light on the dash.. no other warning light is on...

Term- I don't have a device to read the codes... I will look for a shop locally that can let me know for a small fee I'm hoping vs. dealer..

I did start the car and turn the wheels back and forth as suggested.. Light is still on - next step will be to get the code read if possible...

Thanks.
Rob

What is the code that is associated with the light? If the light comes on there a code. And the code will tell you what is causing the problem, or what the problem is. Right now it just a WAG (Wild Ass Guess). Could be the stripped plastic gear in the transfer case.

Other than the dealer how do you get the codes from the computer? I called Advance Auto who said they would hook up there OBDII reader for free and give me the codes but it didn't see any.. It was a little pocket calculator sized thing that apparently only reads "check engine light" type of codes... I then went to the Tires Plus shop near my house.. They too offered for free to read the codes.. They hooked up a much more robust type thing to my X... size of a laptop.. again it didn't capture any codes...

Is the dealer the only place to get the codes read? I called my local BMW dealer and they want $130 just to tell me what the damn codes are...

Can one purchase an OBDII code reader on eBay, etc?

Thanks guys.
Rob

A simple search on this forum show Steering angle sensor the culprit. Especially if you did what hoaesq mentioned and it is still on.


BUT, I agree with the others, you have to get the code/s to know for sure.

sorry for the simple question as this issue is beyond my experience.. Does this mean the steering angle needs to be corrected/adjusted or does this mean the sensor itself is bad and needs to be replaced?

I use BMW Scanner 1.4 to read codes. It's about $40.00 bucks on the net and you will need a laptop or desktop. If you have the round 20pins connector in the engine compartment, you will need to get a cable adapter. Some codes can only be read from the round 20 pins connector, perhaps that is why the other code reader wasn't able to read the code. What year is your X ?

It hasn't happen to me, but from what I have read, it needs to be replaced. There is a DIY I think somewhere..

But get the codes read first..

OBD II codes are only set by the vehicles electronic engine emissions systems...you know when these codes are set because your MIL (malfunction indicator light) illuminates which is either your CEL or SES light on a BMW. The OBD II codes (and system) is a federal mandate for ALL car mfg's to adhere to and have a basic (generic) code system for all as well. Plus OBD II code readers/scanners are something totally different than being able to communicate with the BMW proprietary communication bus.


You need to find an Indy or go to a BMW dealership...or purchase the hardware/software so that you can do it yourself.

its 2005 4.4 w/92k miles...

I love that term "WAG" - but I think the folks here are giving something more than a guess - more educated guesses but guesses nonetheless.


I have the same year and model. Before you go and spend cash, I would try everything you can find on this forum. Guys here know there S!@#!#@!. When this happened to me, I did the steering wheel bit and eventually pulled the battery cables and the steering bit again and it worked - no more 4x4 light. No harm in doing these things. It only take s few minutes of your time.

Find a good indy in your area and they should charge no more thean $80 to read the codes and clear them.

I'll look in my repair manual and see if I can find anything and will get back to you.

Good luck.

or, search ebay for inpa and cables, and you will find something from romania for about $30-50, that comes with a cable and some disks... those disks are not 100% dealer equipment equivalent (there are still, some pieces that are waaaay too expensive, so only dealer and higher end indys would have) but not 5% what the local autostore has either (the store code reader reads only a handful of generic codes) - you can read a lot of codes using the sw that comes with the cable, and cut your chase down a bit... once you have a code, you will know where to look further... 4x4 light is a function of the ABS module, and can be anything related to the stability of the car, from the steering angle sensor, to the yaw sensor (below center console) to the speed sensors to the ABS module itself or the wiring in-between... with the code, you can eliminate some of the possibilities and focus on the most likely issue...

Your car doesn't have the 20 pins connector so a regular OBD II connector will be sufficient.

I agree with terminator on this one. That tool is very handy to have. On a side note. I bought the cable and hardware from the same ebay member that is being referred to here in romania. Thats was a little over two weks ago and still no cable and software. It is coming from Romania so i expected a wait however. You may not be wanting to wait as long to fix your issue. Id take it to an indy to have the code read.

do we have anyone in OPs area who has a reader/software? maybe somebody could help him out?

Thanks all for the helpful feedback. I just found a Porsche/BMW repair shop near me that will read the BMW codes for $45.. I'm going to run the X up there in a moment.. I'll update with any code info they can tell me...

Not to hi-jack this thread but, my 4 x 4, red brake and ABS light came on this morning. Damn it- Beavis!
Didn't reset with a shut down and restart. Will try the steering angle theory....I have P.A. Soft 1.4 and will read the codes when I get home. I'm thinking my transfer case took a crap and needs an oil change, maybe turn the worm gear but, not hearing any noise on shut down.... Will know more tonight and update. Ugh!

Just got back from the BMW indy shop... interesting twist to the story... It wasn't throwing a code for the 4x4... this guy seemed to know what he was talking about.. he saw codes for my airbag (red airbag dash light is on currently) and also saw a code for my sunroof panel (I just disengaged the 2nd smaller panel as it was stuck open)..

They said they believe the DSC system is not engaging and is the problem... When you push the DSC button to engage or disengage when the car is running nothing is happening... I didn't know to check this but they showed me... THey think that system is not functioning but since its deactivated somehow its not throwing a code... They seemed to know their "BMW" stuff at this shop (and didn't even charge me).. Anything I can do to check the DSC system?

if the DSC module (ABS module) is not communicating, it could be defective, or the plug is disengaged... unless somebody was playing in the vicinity of the plug, there is no reason for the plug to be disconnected.
if the either is true, you would get so called TRIFECA (search for it) of lights and not a single light.

there are repair services on ebay that repair the ABS modules for about $200-300 with lifetime warranty, and there is no charge if they can't... check with them first...
i still don't think it is the ABS module - was your car going into limp mode? did you lose the odometer counting (numbers froze) and/or speedometer stuck at zero? those are the signs of a problem inside the ABS module...

what did he say about the airbag? was it a passenger seat mat? or a seat belt buckle? or head airbag? you did not talk about the airbag before, did it light up while you were at the shop?

sunroof panel is totally independent from the DSC/ABS or the airbag issue.

try this -find a safe place with a decline on a downhill slope, and drive down very slow and engage the Hill Descent Control (totally useless feature, as far as I am concerned, even though I used it successfully climbing down from some steep volcanoes)... If the car engages into the function, your DSC/ABS might be working.. HDC is working at very slow speeds, like 5-15 MPH...

Otherwise lets see what more knowledgable people have to say...:dunno:

Term - The airbag light has been on for around 6 months or so.. I did take it to BMW dealer and was told its the driver side door bag throwing the code.. They checked the airbag itself and determined it was good.. they told me the wiring harness within the door has an issue and they wanted to replace it at a cost of $800 or so... I declined that repair so the airbag light has been on ever since...

regarding limp mode the car has been running perfect other than the "4x4!" light has been on.. intermittently at first but now on all the time... around 2 months ago when it first came on and now around a month or so of it being on all the time... not too many hills in Florida to check out the Hill Descent function :p: I'll hunt down a parking garage and see if I can check it out... The odometer never stopped working nor did the speedo...

Where is that ABS plug you mentioned located? I would like to check and make sure it has a solid connection and no corrosion, etc..

Thanks again,
Rob

check the wiring in the door around the hinges - it may have been chaffed... everytime you work on the airbags, it is a good idea to cut the power to the car - since you already have the airbag light on, it is to prevent the bag from accidentally fire off into your face... if you have done anywork on the door panel, you may have disconnected the airbag by misteke - might be worth looking into it...

remind me, what month/year is your X?

I'll take a look at the door hinge area.. It's a 2005 4.4...

I'll take a look at the door hinge area.. It's a 2005 4.4...

Hi Guys!

quick update... changed the transfer case fluid and moved the actuator gear. Still have the yellow 4x4 light on but, the red brake and yellow ABS are off.

Not sure if they're related but, now my EHC is not functioning (won't rise or lower) with the toggle switch. I'm hoping it's the wheel speed sensor(s). Would the transfer case actuator cause the ride height to not function?

i'll see what DTC's it's throwing now and report back!

If you have the DSC light on (4x4) and the ride height buttons flash then I assume you have the Self-Level Inactive showing on the dash?

Sorry, I can't remember if you had access to a GT1 so you can do the self test. In my case it was a bad yaw sensor confirmed through diags and codes.

IIRC, others with those symptoms sometimes had to either replace the steering angle sensor or just have it recalibrated (not the reset with steering wheel being turned lock-to-lock).

Really just need to see what kind of codes you can get, preferably BMW specific codes.

If it is the wheel sensor, don't buy a cheap one on eBay or Amazon. I had to replace a wheel sensor on my X and brought a cheap one on Amazon, BIG mistake. Ended up buying an original wheel sensor. You will probably need to buy the plastic connector that is part of the main wiring harness. Over time the plastic becomes very brittle and any movement to release the connector results in cracking the plastic connector.

Hi Twins! Yeah, I'm not getting any self level inactive alarms?

I'll see what my PA soft 1.4 scanner indicates this evening and update. I cleared and reset the DTC's last weekend yet, no errors were showing for the EHC. The only thing that showed back up was the VTC (transfer case?) with "oil abrasion". I changed the fluid and it still shows as an error?

Roger that... upallnight! Same goes for ebay wishbones from China...Ugh!

Hhmm, that's kind of weird to me. Its like saying it will self-level on all corners but not lower or raise with the access buttons?! :confused:

Hey, whatever. :bustingup

Let's see what codes you still get. Would be awesome if its just a simple sensor problem. :thumbup:

Well, with all this my indie shop cleared the code but it the 4x4 light came on again about a week later
They are telling me that it needs a STEERING ANGLE SENSOR, it is evidently located at the bottom of the steering column inside the car....about a $500 repair...NOTE that this is 2 1/2 months out of CPO warranty

Might me worth confirming that it is in fact a bad steering angle sensor (if that shop doesn't have BMW specific equipment to diagnose).

At least one person had their sensor recalibrated instead of replaced.

Just a thought.

Ok... Update! Cleaned the wheel sensors and did the steering angle reset. Using PA Soft 1.4 I got these codes:

LEW- (Steering Angle Sensor
09-009- No CAN Msg. (ASC) - code will not clear when trying to reset

VTG- (Transfer Box)
54C6- (21702)- Oil Abrasion (won't clear when reset)
5462- (21602)- Error actuator or increased power requirement for clutch- (Cleared)
53FC- (21500)- KL30 Voltage supply- (Cleared)

The EGS and ABS had some errors as well that were all cleared when reset.

EHC- Electronic Height Control had zero errors... either the LEW or VTG is causing the ride height not to work?

I assume the LEW- Steering angle sensor- isn't communicating thus must be bad?

Still have the yellow 4x4 light on as well.

Thoughts? I know...your screwed!! :-p

I'm not familiar with PA Soft so I don't know if it has any other functions that might help you diagnose further.

On the GT1 there are self-tests that can confirm, for example, that the SAS is in fact bad and needs replacement. I have never done those exact self-tests so I can't even tell you what that entails or even the recalibration process.

Sometimes the X gives CAN bus communication errors because of a bad sensor. Like when I had a bad yaw sensor it gave the fault in the DSC (4x4).

Since you're getting that from the actual sensor, my assumption is that its a bad SAS. Since you can't communicate with the actual sensor how could it be recalibrated.

However, I seem to remember someone had flipped a wheel bearing and and got the DSC (4x4) light too. So, I'm thinking maybe if you have a bad wheel sensor it might trip the CAN bus error too.

Like I said, with the GT1, it could isolate if its a wheel sensor or the actual SAS. It may actually be a bad SAS but not sure you want to assume that right away.

Can PA Soft check the wheel sensors individually?

EDIT: I wonder if PA Soft would have given you an error if one of your wheel sensors were bad - along with the SAS. I would assume that it would of so you would think its only the SAS but ... there I go assuming again on software I have no idea about :rofl:

Also, for the VTG, search on "54C6" and you will find threads about changing fuids.

PA Soft allows you to read, clear, recode, write new values and reset adaptations as well as restart module software units. I need to dive into the program more to see if it can isolate to a specific sensor. I think at 129k on the clock it very well could be dead.

Will do... Thanks bud!

3/14/2013 UPDATE - Coming back from the airport yesterday and had the chance to engage the down hill assist.. it didn't work.. Nor will the traction control engage/disengage.. "4x4!" yellow warning light on dash..

Get in the car today and the "4x4! light is off.. traction control engages/disengages like normal.. no hills in flatland florida to try out the DHA today..

Whatever is causing the sytem to shut down is an intermittent problem which should make this even more fun to diagnos...

was there any ambient temperature fluctuations? like it got significantly warmer?

while the system is working, can you connect to it and see what codes you are reading now?

No big changes in temp.. its been in the 60's all week here... I'm taking it back to the indy shop tomorrow AM to have this issue and the rest of the car checked out.. My new wheels are arriving tomorrow and trying to get the X5 squared away so I can sell it...

The 4x4 light IS the indicator for inactive DSC/xDrive.

The 4x4 light (DSC/xDrive) can be caused by different things. The DSC/ABS module uses the wheel sensors along with other sensors like yaw sensors and steering angle sensor.

So, it would be better if you can get to a dealer or shop that has GT1 or equivalent - BMW specific diagnostics. Because then they can not only get the code but will have a test plans to narrow down what part(s) maybe causing the problem(s) - specific to that code/fault.

So, for example, their test plan may go directly to the actual bad part or just walk through and test each sensor, then maybe the modules.

In my case, when I had just the 4x4 light, it was a bad rotation rate (yaw) sensor. At first I thought it was a bad module. Now, I also had a message of "Self Level Suspension Inactive" so its not exactly the same symptoms as yours.

If you want and are curious, here's the thread.

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

Probably that is what your shop will do. Check all the sensors and modules.

I've got the same light on. And I haven't driven my X in over 2 months so not sure what's up... Just dropped it at the shop now for a brake job so maybe the Indie will look it up for me

Mine was the SAS (Steering Angle Sensor 06 3.0)
That car is gone and I have a 2014 GLK, no comparison the X5 is a FAR SUPERIOR vehicle. When my lease is up I will definitely be getting another X5

Sorry to necropost, but I am also just getting the 4x4 light on. Thanks for all the tips here. I already tried lock left, lock right, lock, left with no success. I'll try a few of the other tips tomorrow.

Are there code readers that run as android apps yet? That would be epic cool, just buy an adapter cable and run your phone to pull codes.

I tried the left/right/left trick again this morning...no luck. The DSC button has no effect on the 4x4 light, which stays on. Hill Descent does not work.

So judging from previous posts, I need to pull codes now. It could be a wheel sensor, the steering angle sensor, yaw sensor, or the transfer case worm gear bit.

I'm using iCarly from Ivini apps (previously BMWhat) on my Samsung s5 and it is very good in my opinion. It's not super advanced but you can reset/ program a bunch of stuff on the E53. The only thing I don't know is if it can test the wheel speed sensors. It does check the steering angle sensor (I have a faulty one according to it) so theoretically it should be able to check other sensors....I'll update on this later today.

My 4x4 light has been on for quite some time now and initially I thought it was the steering angle sensor (after all it was coming up faulty on the app). However, reading on this forum I see many others with the exact same symptom and error code as I have and they fixed it by changing the yaw sensor...I'm baffled.

Anyway, I'm going to start with the wheel sensors first...being the quickest and cheapest fix....then the yaw sensor and last the steering angle sensor since I'm having issues with getting it out. I've asked for help on this forum on how to get it out but still waiting for a shiny diy:er to come to my rescue :)



Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

I got a new symptom last night. While backing up and turning sharply, I felt the transfer case tighten up, the 4 wheel drive activating. This tends to support the idea that it is a wheel sensor at fault. Inaccurate wheel speed data is being sent to the calculator. I can't imagine how the SAS or yaw sensor could cause this symptom.

I'm ordering that Carly pack you guys recommended.

Ok so i checked and here is how it looks like. All sensors are grouped in one category and when diagnosing I get the steering angle sensor as the culprit. I'm not sure how this works but maybe it checks all but only throws up the faulty sensor/s when done...? Attachment 68655

Hmmm, only one flag for ABS + DSC + Brake? Not sure if I'll bother buying Carly then. I'm dropping by the Indy tomorrow to order rear wheel sensors. After 10 years and 100k miles, replacing them is just cheap insurance. If the problem goes away, hooray. If not, I'll try the front ones.

I wouldn't let this limitation put me off from getting the app, it's still an excellent tool that's always in your pocket and regularly updated to include more options for all models. It has worked for me so far but I am pretty certain I will be needing something more powerful in the future....who knows, maybe the app's developer will make it powerful enough by then, if not I'll probably go for the GT1.

Good luck with the swap of the rear sensors...keep us posted.

I took my x3 2005 to my friend who has BMW software on his computer, I also went to my friend who can solve a lot of things and has a bmw software, then i went to Dose Inc in El Cajon California, they fully ran the computer and nothing was wrong with the car; all modules & sensors were good, I am attaching some picts so we all can see it. I read about this forum and a friend of mine told me that the Yaw Sensor for Dynamic Stability Control DSC (Rotational Speed Sensor $250USD) needs to be changed and that the problem will be solved.
They said because is a canadian car ...the error might show in the canadian bmw software version. I have not changed or have it checked because I don't have the money to invest on it any more.

I had the sensor changed...(back then 3 cars ago)..but I wouldn't get too worried about it...just don't "go nutx driving",,,
I assume you tried the wheel lock to wheel lock "fix"

Is that turning the tire to the left, then to the right then to the left?

Yeah, probably won't work...but worth a try...Good luck...

Did not work :) thanks!

Worked on my 06 X5 for a few daysllll
Ned to replace the "control?) IIRC its at the base of the steering wheel inside the car.....??$400 ??