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Transfer Case Actuator potential free fix!

790K views 1K replies 251 participants last post by  jayram1408 
#1 ·
A couple weeks ago, I got the "terrible triad" of lights (ABS, 4x4, and Brake). Recently, I got the clicking noise after turning the car off and was able to determine that it was coming from a transfer case. Using several posts from here, especially this one:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4473836&postcount=19

I bought a new transfer case actuator and installed it. Problem solved, no lights, no clicking, all better. It is not a cheap part at 720 bucks from getbmwparts.com, and 900 bucks elsewhere, so the engineer in me wanted to figure out why they were failing.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post. I disected the old actuator to find out what the heck is going on inside it. I appologize for the huge pictures, but some sort of resolution was needed to describe what I was trying to say.

What the actuator looks like when off the car:


And broken down into the pieces: Bottom right is the motor, top right is the brush assembly, top left is a guard of some sort that pops off (albeit bent and unusable once you have it off) and the bottom left is the gear assembly (we'll focus on this one)


After I popped off the oil guard piece, here is what the inside looked like, a ton of shavings and grease.


and closer:


So you can see the motor turns a worm gear which is mated to a black gear (which is made of plastic :thumbdwn:!!!) Eventually, this gear wears down like crazy and doesnt have any teeth left to grip the worm gear. This is what causes the slipping, and the error lights, and especially the clicking sound.

In this photo, you can see the change from good gear area to the bad area. The good area is on the left, and as you follow the black gear around to the right, you can see where it has been worn down from sitting all the time.




So, I went farther. I took off the black gear to see what it looked like:
Good side (what it should look like everywhere):


Bad side (Cause of the problem)


POTENTIAL SOLUTION:

So now we know what the cause is, how can we fix it? It has been (from my research) that everyone just buys a new actuator. Yes, it fixes the problem, I can vouch for that, but I don't know how many other people looked into what CAUSED the problem.

I bet you could unbolt the motor from the gear housing assembly (it is held on by 4 torx bolts that come off quite easily compared to trying to remove the actuator from the car).
Mark a location of the current position on the white plastic gear you can see in the first photo. After the motor is unbolted and removed (ONLY THE MOTOR, DONT DESTROY YOUR ACTUATOR AND TAKE THE WHOLE THING APART!!!!), turn the white plastic gear 180 degrees from its current location. This takes the bad part of the gear and puts it where it will not get used, which means that a good part is now in contact with the worm gear.

Re-insert the motor and bolt back together. This should give you, say another 65k miles (when mine failed) or so before you likely have to replace the actuator. Re-install on your transfer case, and voila! you should be good to go with only an hour or so of your time wasted instead of time and 900 bucks.

I haven't tried this, so try it at your own risk, but with pulling everything apart, it seems like a pretty safe bet, but obviously I can't be held responsible if something does go wrong.

Hope perhaps it can save someone almost a thousand dollars. I believe my logic is sound, but I look forward to your comments!
 
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#807 · (Edited)
decision tree for transfer case

go over your work .....tires all close to same wear/size.....check the gear ?....good quality/correct position.....did you trap any wires that could have caused the fuse to pop
check the wiring over the top of the transfer case (it can wear/fray etc)and anywhere else you can get at
check the plug
check the fuse position for burning
think about unplugging the transfer case actuator so you can at least drive in 2 wheel mode till you get some parts etc....you will not have ABS ....your warning lights will stay on in the cluster....but ....the X will not buck and grind

if the gear swap didn't get it done the next step is often swap the complete actuator .....they are in the 450-500 buck range seems like these days....the older Rover ones with almost the same part number but exactly the same guts can be had for less

from there it's onwards and upwards to the transfer case itself

lots of FESTERS have had success with COBRA for parts and rebuilds
 
#808 ·
Thanks for the feedback SwampX3. Going to run through the list now. I know off the top I have a bad right rear tire because tire pressure has dropped on it for the second time this week. I refilled the tire hours before the fuse blew, but that couldn't be the reason for the fuse going could it? Anyway, I know I have to replace that tire, but I've read that it's recommended to change all four at the same time because of the AWD function, is that true? I did notice the #35 fuse (40A) appeared burned on the metal plug so I'll replace that one too.
 
#809 · (Edited)
yes ...a bad tire setup can pop fuses

a bad tire set up is one of the ways to pop a fuse on an X....BUT ....not as often as bad wiring/connections/breakdown in fuse holder integrity thru burning with high resistance etc

the system is smart but not smart enough to overcome many variations in the inputs that control its reactions

regarding tire swaps ....optimum is all four at one time .....or very close match within a few percent by buying used/trimming a new or used to match the others etc

best take care of the basic ASAP and keep us posted ....best wishes

added info from the pdf on tire tolerances

Tire Tolerance Logic
The tire tolerance logic detects different tread circumferences on the front and rear axles.
This occurs when:
• Mixed tires are used
• Space saving spare tire is installed
• Tires are used that have been worn down to different levels
Normally, tire circumference deviations result in drivetrain torque bias (unwanted variations).
The tire circumference can fluctuate up to 1% or more as a result of mixed tires or wear.
The tire tolerance logic decides depending on the driver's command and driving situation
whether the slip is to occur in the transfer case clutch or at the contact area between tire
and road.
If the slip is permitted in the transfer case clutch, the locking pressure set by the pre-control
is reduced in order to keep the work loss low. In the driving dynamic control situation,
the clutch is locked slightly more than normal, the four wheel drive is always guaranteed
when required.
For maximum xDrive performance, tires (and wheels) of the same diameter should be
installed on the vehicle.
Notes:
14
xDrive
 
#810 · (Edited)
transfer case tutorial

a handy transfer case tutorial saturday night read...page 16 to start in the pdf

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9262122#post9262122

a link to bad transfer case wiring info

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9388244&posted=1#post9388244....and this one ......http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=538623&d=1447701382

land rover transfer case actuator parts link/infor from the above post

md80boy md80boy is offline
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Location: CT & TN

Join Date: Nov 2008
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Mein Auto: 330ci & 04' X3
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2005-2009 Land Rover LR3, 2006-2012 Land Rover Range Rover, 2006-2012 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, 2010-2013 Land Rover LR4

MFG # IGH500040

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I saw one on Ebay for $160 new
 
#813 ·
Hey everyone...

Just a quick update. Had the actuator motor problem resurface after just 2 months of having replaced the plastic gear in the servomotor. The new plastic gear was chewed up in just 6-8 weeks. I changed the gear oil, did the differentials, bought 4 new tires and then picked up a new metal gear on Ebay. Long story short, the 4x4 light has finally gone away and I'm no longer getting an error code. It's only been a couple of days so too early to tell, but I'm optimistic.

Here is the metal gear: http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-More-Bre...362410e&pid=100005&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=271996479345

Good luck!
 
#817 · (Edited)
I am planning to change only gear of transfer case motor. I have Triad coming up while m driving and have clicking noise when I turn off my ignition. I have two questions:
1. Where it is actually located? I know it's beneath driver seat but I want to confirm before I try to open everything up.
2. After replacing gear, do I need to grease it or just pack it as it is without greasing? If I do need to put grease then what type of grease do I need? Thank you in advance for reply. My model is BMW X3 2005. Also what if I don't change it and keep on driving as it is? Will it have any consequences later on?
 
#820 ·
I had the gear replaced last November (post 720) on my wife's '07 X3 and here we are just 10 months and 10k miles later and the triad is coming on again. No clicking yet, but last time the clicking didn't start happening until a month or so after the lights first appeared.

Seems a little different this time as it takes almost nothing to get them to come on, where last time you had to give it a little more gas. Research seems to still lead to the same gear issue.

I bought a gear off ebay for a $14 last time. Anyone have a source they can recommend for another plastic one that might be of oem quality?

Thanks,
Brian
 
#830 ·
Transfer case oil

For those wanting to change the oil at the same time.

You can of course buy the transfer case oil from BMW with part number 83 22 0 397 244

but...

get this stuff on eBay and it's the same company who makes the OEM stuff but it's considerably cheaper.

Ravenol Transfer Fluid TF- 0870

just search google or ebay for it.
 
#832 ·
Ffrom experience with BMW OEM parts and equivalent third-party manufacturers, I have personally found the third parties (within reason) have been as good if not better.

Had a problem with rear springs on a BMW X3 where they both cracked in half.

Found a supplier who provided a pair of springs at half the cost of a single OEM spring... build quality etc was far superior than the OEM ones.

A lot of suppliers are the same companies behind the curtains. Mintex/Pagid are the same company.

I'll give the ravenol stuff a go anyway. Can't be worse than the stuff that's in there at the mo
 
#833 ·
Advice on noises and oils - e83

First major post on here although I've found it a wealth of info since buying my 2008 e83 x3, thank you to all who share advice and info.

Having followed everyone's steps in replacing the dreaded black gear in the transfer case servo motor having had the cursed 3 lights on the dash and being quoted €1k+ for new unit and labour, I bought a better qlty carbon fibre one from U.K., removed, cleaned up, also without removing the motor from the gear housing which eliminated a step and refitted- all working fine, no dash lights, no post engine clicking and all seemed fine- need to admit I did not carry out any calibration as 90% posts did not mention it for the same unit, only for new units.
Worn areas of gear was only 20% of the teeth.

The problem is - way prior to this light show I had the odd clunk when the car came to rest, at slow speeds, like the something below was still moving minutely once the car stopped, it happened rarely so I did nothing. After having fitted the new gear and motor back maybe 10-14 days after still no lights but now at very slow take off I hear the horrible clunking noise from rear underneath and whilst slow turns you hear it both left and right, slightly different frontal noises.. nothing at all at higher speeds, nothing at all.
So, any help will be appreciated, nothing visible underneath, rear diff smooth when turning one wheel the other turns smoothly, no noise from bearings...
Suggestions or exact faults welcome pls..
TC oil?
Rear diff oil?
Can someone also advise quickly what recommended acceptable oil is needed for either of these units pls
Many thxs for any help.
 
#835 ·
Wow have prices changed since this original post. Was going to do the 180 spin but after looking for a carbon finer reinforced gear, they have come way down in cost. I didnt read everything in this thread so maybe its been discussed already. Im finding them new on ebay as low as $4. If its truley the right part....why bother rotating it if you got it all out. Just replace it. Is the part below the right part??

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E83-X3-...253301e&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=192002238051
 
#836 · (Edited)
UFRIENDLY, any progress or update on your issue?

I finally took our X3 to my trusted indy mechanic to see if he could pull any codes. He got the steering angle sensor code and did a recalibration, but it had no effect on the triad of lights.

However it's now showing the code for: TRANSFER CASE INTERNAL

Just to recap, I had all the common symptoms of a bad actuator gear and had it replaced a year ago. Than a couple months ago the lights started coming back on again, but this time was different. They would come on as soon as you started rolling, even very slowly out of the garage.

Snow is upon us, I've got to get this fixed! Speaking on snow, we had our first big snow storm with very slushy roads. I drove the X3 and for some reason for the first time in a couple months the lights didn't come on right away. As the car was slipping around, I saw the 4x4 light come on several times and I could feel the AWD kicking in. Then I went around a corner and the triad came on and of course no more AWD.
 
#837 ·
Have you had the codes read? When any lights pop on in your dash there are codes left to figure out the problem. I also own an X3 and at 97k miles replaced the gear then a few weeks later the lights came on again. I just ended up replacing the complete actuator with one from Cobra Transmission and have had no problems for the past 16 months. The thread is located here, http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-846517.html.
 
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