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      11-15-2018, 01:03 PM   #67
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Originally Posted by peter12321 View Post
I have just picked up a used 2014 328d x-drive and currently started to experience the hesitation under load on acceleration, at first I thought I had an injector issue. the car is about to roll 80k and I have only put 10k on it and this started! I'm wondering if I should have stuck with my usual VW tdi? I like the car but I'm not to impressed so far. is there a way to verify that this is the issue? I have no codes whatsoever
I also came over from VW TDI I bought 2014 BMW 328D Xdrive as a CPO so my warranty is good thru 100K I also extended Maintenance.....I love the car!
HAS OPTIONS my TDI would never have! heavier Car more HP and gets pretty close to same fuel mileage! I have experienced hesitation under hard acceleration and it clears up after awhile.......it could be Carbon build up also VW experienced this....and the 335D's have this problem.....
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      11-26-2018, 12:20 AM   #68
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I literally just took my car in yesterday, 47k miles (but possibly has been going on for longer) as it wasn't a complete failure, just the jerking under heavy load..

They immediately diagnosed it as the transfer case as I went on a test drive with the shop foreman and showed it to him myself (so I wouldn't get a "cannot replicate" response) and 15 min later when I got home they said they're replacing it.

edit: as for wheel sizing, it's on the stock 225/50/17 setup squared, zero stagger. So I guess that confirms that it has nothing to do with a stagger (but the problem might get worse with a stagger)
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      12-06-2018, 11:32 AM   #69
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I just added mine in.

I had jerking at low speeds, kicks when shifting or when applying/releasing throttle. With an audible knock that followed the kicks. Was getting worse over time from I would say 22K miles it was barely noticable, would happen once a week, even less. To today when it was doing it always.
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      12-06-2018, 11:38 AM   #70
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Hmm... Sometimes I get jerking, irregularities at low speed. 37K miles 328D f31.
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      12-09-2018, 02:24 PM   #71
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After reading the TSB about transfer cases failing due to non-matching differential ratios I took a look at mine today. Both front and rear have a 2.81 sticker, so at least in my case this was not a contributing factor to the failures. In my case I am on transfer case #3. 1st was about 60k miles, I rebuilt it and it went again at 85k miles the same way. And now I'm rolling past 100k on #3 which was purchased when BMW dropped the price to $700 awhile back.

As a side note, I think my rebuild would have lasted quite a bit longer had I replaced the input shaft along with the output flange that stripped out. When it went the second time I compare the new and old input shafts (since I had a new one available from overseas by then) and found the old one was definitely worn excessively, which certainly didn't do the teeth on the output flange any favors. If (or should I say when) the 3rd one goes out I'll be rebuilding again and replacing the main shaft since BMW has upped the price back up to the $3k range for the TxC. Should have bought a half dozen of them when they were cheap!!
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      12-09-2018, 02:37 PM   #72
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So who is going to be the first f30 to try then Xdelete coming out?
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      12-10-2018, 09:40 AM   #73
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Originally Posted by rbreding View Post
So who is going to be the first f30 to try then Xdelete coming out?
The minute it becomes available.
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      12-12-2018, 12:01 PM   #74
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just read up on xdelete, sounds exciting!
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      12-12-2018, 03:17 PM   #75
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Wow! Xdelete it is. How do I get this? Can't wait. Will buy an android tablet if I have to.
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      12-17-2018, 08:00 PM   #76
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So I siphoned out the transfer case fluid with my mighty vac brake bleeder kit and refilled with fresh fluid, put the car in drive for a couple minutes and then topped it off since it was still up on all fours and trans supported. then off for a victory lap NOPE it felt like I was in my dodge truck in 4-low, I don't know what I screwed up but I drained and refilled again with the same results, luckily for me I have a boneyard close to me that had one with 58k on it for $350 so I guess over Christmas I have a few days off to swap it out. it looks simple enough. but usually when I eye something up and make that statement it usually goes to shit. anybody out there that has had the wonderful experience of swapping out the Transfer case on a 2014 328d x-drive? just looking for some notes of caution before I spend a couple hours on the cold concrete. thanks in advance!
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      12-17-2018, 09:51 PM   #77
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It's not too bad of a job if you're experienced wrenching. Reinstalling all of the covers is part I dread most lol. Its pretty much remove covers, exhaust, driveshafts, and then You'll have to lower the trans a bit to get the upper TC bolts.

So, your transfer case was messed up before you changed the oil? Or the issue started after the oil change.

I'd recommend the bentley manual for the torque specs if you dont have it. Also, Technically the shaft on the TC is supposed to be coated with Weicon metal free anti-seize. Its not widely available in the US though.
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      12-22-2018, 08:37 PM   #78
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transfer case swap complete now chassis stabilization code?

spent my Saturday swapping out the transfer case on my 2014 328d xdrive the donor vehicle was a 2013 328i xdrive I couldn't find anything saying they were incompatable and everything looked the same. everything seemed to go ok, I flushed the donor case with a partial liter of ravenol transfer case fluid and drained, refilled transfer case and reinstalled. immediately when I fired it up I got the chassis stabilization message? I then cycled the car a few times and drove it for 20 miles. still have the message, transfer case is not binding up the front wheels like the previous but I imagine I have no all wheel drive function now. I do not have bmw scan capability and am curious if there is a way to reset the chassis stabilization message, or do I possibly have something going on with the used transfer case? any help is definitely appreciated
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      12-23-2018, 09:39 AM   #79
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Did you swap over your torque control module from the old transfer case? If it's a module from a different car it needs to be programmed to your vehicle, which as far as I know can only be done with ISTA-P.

If you did swap the original module over the adaptations are supposed to be reset. This engages the actuator to determine the wear on the clutches. I don't know if omitting this step would trigger the stabilization message though, it did not trigger anything on mine when I swapped in a new case / old actuator. Unfortunately the stabilization message is just a generic message that goes off for alot of things, so it's hard to figure out what it means without some type of BMW compatible scan tool. If the error is still hanging around from your old damaged case, a regular OBDII scanner will usually at least reset the codes, which is worth a shot if you havent done so already.

Last edited by kdog_x; 12-23-2018 at 09:47 AM..
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      12-23-2018, 03:23 PM   #80
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Just bought an XDrive and was browsing the internet looking for common issue and found several entries regarding the need for careful coordination of tyre changes to avoid transfer box problems. This was to keep the rotational length across all wheels within a tolerance of <1% [apparently BMW specified].

Would any of the owners on the spreadsheet say they had significant differences in tyre wear and replaced odd tyres or only pairs, even across the same axle? If so, the internet posts suggest that may have been a contributing factor.

It would make sense for the worn clutch plates as each wheel / axle would almost constantly be rotating at different speeds when travelling straight and so would have to be compensated for in the diffs / transfer box. If the front / rear circumferences were different it would probably be the trasfer box itself I guess.

Would be interesting to know if anyone who bought a car direct from BMW was ever told to change tyres ensuring similar tread / brand etc specifically to minimse transmission problems OR ONLY when something breaks?
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      12-23-2018, 03:47 PM   #81
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kdog_x View Post
Did you swap over your torque control module from the old transfer case? If it's a module from a different car it needs to be programmed to your vehicle, which as far as I know can only be done with ISTA-P.

If you did swap the original module over the adaptations are supposed to be reset. This engages the actuator to determine the wear on the clutches. I don't know if omitting this step would trigger the stabilization message though, it did not trigger anything on mine when I swapped in a new case / old actuator. Unfortunately the stabilization message is just a generic message that goes off for alot of things, so it's hard to figure out what it means without some type of BMW compatible scan tool. If the error is still hanging around from your old damaged case, a regular OBDII scanner will usually at least reset the codes, which is worth a shot if you havent done so already.
To add to this, each transfer case has a 4 digit calibration code which must be entered into the LMV/VTG module. Similar to coding an injector. This is important for the clutch actuations.
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      12-26-2018, 03:31 PM   #82
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F30_320D_UK View Post
BMW has gone mad I tell you. It’s what my UK dealer told me, if there’s more than 1% difference in rolling diameter between front and rear, you run the risk of damaging the case.
I’ve had the rears at 5.5mm tread and the fronts at 2.8mm and I went out and got new tyres all round before sending it back to BMW to ask for a good will claim just so that they can’t blame uneven tyre wear for denying me good will

BMW built in such a small tolerance with these transfer cases, they assume tyre wear is even on xDrive cars (which it isn’t), and fit them with staggered setups
400M setup is 0.3% difference
403M setup is 0.3% difference

You won’t be able to run a square setup without the use of spacers, as the ET is 36 for front and 47 for rears
And I bet you’ll run square setup, have your transfer case blow up, and BMW will tell you it’s because you’re not running the factory setup and you’ve got spacers and wtf else...
I dont get how the staggered wheels afftect the rolling diameter once the tyres are of the same size? Makes no sense that the width and ofset of the the wheel would change the rolling diameter.

Say if I fitted 225/40/19 and 255/40/19 instead of 255/35/19, that would give me the same rolling diameter thus not affecting the transfer case?
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      12-26-2018, 04:00 PM   #83
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That's the thing, it's not exactly the same rolling diameter, even though the numbers suggest so. Different width tires have different rolling diameter.
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      12-26-2018, 11:34 PM   #84
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Anyone trying to service the transfer case?

Wondering if that might help reduce failures. I'd like to do a fluid swap on mine, but I was unable to visually locate the drain/fill plugs last time I looked.

BMW is funny with their service intervals. For example, they say the transmission has a 'lifetime fill' but if you call ZF (who makes the auto for BMW) they will tell you that the trans should get a new filter and fluid every 60K for longest life.

The GL5-based transfer case fluid is reasonably priced - just need to figure out how to get the old stuff out and the new stuff in...
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      12-27-2018, 06:57 AM   #85
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pcking View Post
Anyone trying to service the transfer case?

Wondering if that might help reduce failures. I'd like to do a fluid swap on mine, but I was unable to visually locate the drain/fill plugs last time I looked.
There is no drain plug on the transfer case. The instructions actually say to flip it upside down and drain through the vent. Some people have said that they have successfully drained through the fill port with a Mityvac or the like. The fill plug is a recessed allen head bolt that's not terribly easy to access, you can see the plug in the picture below to the right of the mallet head.

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      12-27-2018, 08:57 AM   #86
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kdog_x View Post
There is no drain plug on the transfer case. The instructions actually say to flip it upside down and drain through the vent. Some people have said that they have successfully drained through the fill port with a Mityvac or the like. The fill plug is a recessed allen head bolt that's not terribly easy to access, you can see the plug in the picture below to the right of the mallet head.
I suspected that you could do it that way, but was not sure. Thanks for the confirmation. Even if you cannot get all the fluid out, I would rather do the vacuum method 5X vs. taking down the case...
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      12-27-2018, 09:40 AM   #87
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I have done the extraction method. You can extract about half a liter every time.
So essentially if you wanted to refresh 95% of the oil, you must do between 4-5 extractions/fill/mix procedures. It's not too bad, but you will go through some 3 liters of fluid.

I did it on a lift, and drove the car in air for a minute or so to mix fluid.
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      01-09-2019, 07:57 AM   #88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FaRKle! View Post
I was curious about all the transfer case failures, and the claim of correlation between them and factory staggered tires setup, so I did a quick search through here and another forum for F3x transfer case issues. Thus far I've found 28 instances.

You can see the what I've found in this Google spread sheet.

Please feel free to add missing info, or your incident, if not listed.

So far, I don't think there's enough conclusive data to link staggered setups to the transfer case failures.

Respectfully, I wonder if the sport automatic transmission option has any effect on the failure rate? I don’t see anyone listing if they do or don’t have that option.
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