g05x5b58 wrote

That part is done. It is hard to reach but I believe it is not required to remove those. I can reach out to plug and can open it. The problem is, the hole itself is going nowhere. There is an obstacle inside I believe some gears. So, I can not send the extractor hose(even a smallest one) inside to extract/fill up fluid.

Iridium7777 wrote

Welp, I took this whole week trying to figure out how to get Ista on a Mac (I plan on posting instructions) and redid everything today with ISTA - was able to activate the open, close and recalibrate functions. Got about 400ml of dirty oil out and recalibrated to 0.3deg difference, whatever it means.


Point being here is, sadly, one way or another you gotta invest in ISTA for this procedure, the diagnostic tools won’t help here.

g05x5b58 wrote

Hello, I encountered a problem while working on my 2019 X5 40i transfer case fluid change. The car is shaking while doing tight turns, slow speed turns.

After opening the drain plug, I tried to drain the old fluid but, the hose cannot pass some gears/obstacles. When I checked it with my hand, it does not let you pass inside where oil stays.

So, I decided to change the old fluid by adding some new into the case cause I couldn’t drain any.

This failed and all the new fluid could not be added to the case and new fluid directly drops to the drain pan.

What am I missing here to drain the old fluid and adding the new one? Should I follow any other procedure to open that hole?

Cause whatever I watched on Youtube, for transfer case oil change, they all can place the drain pipe inside the transfer case very easily.

Thanks in advance.

Musashi wrote

3 series owner with a TC replaced, my story should serve as a warning. 2020 slight judder. Esp slow speed, Eco Mode best to reveal (torque and judder shows then), in turns, intersection. Long story short, I got the classic trinity- TC fail, prop shafts, and Transmission. Unrelated, the transmission was a faulty, recalled ZF solenoid, 4th gear related, and it would stope working hot, trans issues Trans rebuilt 2021, 0 issues since. 8000 $ CAD, extended warranty covered it. Now, TC, went through 2 refurbished (top bavarian indie shop), me and everyone else would notice the refurbs or cannibalized ones were as bad. Now, the former Service Manager at my closest BMW SC, ran into him, he told me "Your gen F30 did not have a TC problem. it had a TC CURSE; i was running out of new unsold cars to cannibalize on the lot, once a week..." Shortly after I was learning that BMW was altering driveline timings to reduce launch control impact on drivelines. Introduced "Disable AWD" function, a way to drive summertime as a RWD vehicle only. My cost was 7000 CAD TC, and 5k prop shafts were covered by an extended warranty i just got prior.

So what I learned? The TCs are fundamentally unchanged since mid 2000s, EVEN with slight Magna Steir modifications! IT DOES NOT MATTER. It is as much an issue as Prop shafts were on the X series and NHTSA forced BMW to replace and offer a 10 year extensions.

Arc- friend bought an XC90, 45,000 kms, asked me to check it, i immediately felt an oddity at the rear, Volvo diagnosed the Haldex TC failing, replaced.

So the key issue there is too much power through the driveline, and esp, too much weight for the TC! the G05 is 5500 lbs, the TCs are nearly the same as the E53, when the cars were 4300 lbs (so 1200 lbs less) with way less powerful engines and a far slower TC management.

What kills a TC? Driving, and esp fun driving. TC having to keep up with 300 400 500 Hp and high torque. Even the calm day smile grin driving. Launch controls. Sport + red light launches. POWER THROUGH TURNS. "the driver is actively applying acceleration while turning, maintaining speed and momentum through the corner instead of significantly slowing down, often requiring good handling and control to navigate the turn safely". Or in the case of the G05, just an average turn above recommended limit?

Because these cars, esp any with Adaptive M, enable us to take turns 20-30, 40 km faster than a Honda or Toyota SUV, the TC is wearing at an accelerated rate. Some suspect G force actually press the differentials and wear it while it tries to keep front rear balance. The true solution, is, of course, less power, straight front wheels, pedal to metal so the TC retains its rear bias. but for all X drive systems, the TC works the most in turns, the sharper the corner, the more spirited, the more it burns itself. Oils does not matter. In some cases, the plastic actuator used to strip itself, causing slip. Anyhow.

What else? Any doughnuts. Plowing through snow, sliding through snow. any Traction Control flash lights = TC is dying faster.

Spotted my perfect g05. tanzanite Blue, dark tartufo leather, owner PPFed the car and added 20 " to his M Performance (my preference). 50,000 kms, 2021. Within minutes, on eco (where I test the TC behavior in any turn, I felt the judder. On most partially snowed roads you would assume it ice or road imperfections but I chose a clean flat portion. Judder. I knew it. Notified the dealership, as they got warranty until july 2025, I had to let it go even if the promised to look or replace it.

So, the true problem is BMW not solving it, and duping clients to assume oils or a new car makes it easier. Perhaps, redesigning the TC makes no geometric/driveline sense, there is no room. Make it of the hardest Alloys possible maybe be a high production cost for Magna Steir/BMW. If it costs them 3000$ to redesign it to work 15 years, they do not want that. They pay 500 $ to the factory and now bill 7000 $ CAD new installed.

Those lucky enough to drive gently, perhaps, the non M optioned cars, may be luckier. But, when we hear statistics of 10 20 30 40,000 miles TC failures, the garage reality I was told, is that is a high recurrence but some people do not even bother fixing it, accepting the judders. Ballpark, TC failure rates, esp on M perf variants, must go over 50% above 70-80,000 kms ,a nd likely 90% or more at 100,000 miles IF driven as the car was designed.

So there is no modus operandi to safeguard your TC- just blind hope luck and prayer for a beautiful 5500 lbs G05, more with family, to not fry its TC. it is as predictable as air suspension issues.

The true solution, seems to be a class action, to scare BMW similarly to the N63 or prop shaft issue. Unfortunately, it may be of limited NHTSA- as it is not an accident risk. But definitely a US Consumer Goods complaint. For that one, you can file.

The owner's mitigation is simple- avoid tight spirited turns (inside lane in intersections), let that Civic beat you, avoid pedal to metal events, and change the oil. Send the oil for analysis and that should be very very informative. And it is relative. Perhaps an average sedan speed turn in the G05 may be too much.

Note that Porsche also admitted to this issue, and its cars are 2000 lbs lighter? 3000 in some cases?

erix920 wrote

I used my Foxwell NT809 for this and it worked fine. Took about 10 minutes of wiggling and trying different size tubes to get in all the way to pull out 600ml.

spidertri wrote

My question for those who have used ISTA, when you get to the step after it turns the engine on and shuts it off, then says to perform the service, did you leave the laptop/ISTA connected and change the fluid with the dash switched on? Or did you disconnect ISTA, turn off the dash, then perform the service and then reconnect everything?

magbarn wrote

Foxwell works! You just need to update the software to the latest version using the firmware update menu on the device. Just make sure you connect it to wifi while using the USB-A to C adapter that it comes with. For some reason USB C to C cable from my iphone didn't work. It started the engine, turned it off, and then it accesses the VTG and I heard some kind of solenoid click. Once I was done with the oil change, I used it to turn on the calibration.

greenback wrote

Thanks a lot for the info! Could you share which specific Foxwell scanner you are using? I have Foxwell NT510 Elite, but it doesn't work as many members mentioned here.

magbarn wrote

I have the NT510 elite also. You need to plug the foxwell into a power source with the included usb a to c power cable and then go to the setting menu, connect to your WiFi and then update the software. I updated all the modules. Took awhile as it was over 1GB!

greenback wrote

Thanks a lot! I think you are getting the newer version that comes with wifi. I got mine from ebay, which is probably the older version and can only be updated with the enclosed microSD card/reader. The card is updated with the foxwell app on windows.

magbarn wrote

Ooof! Didn't know there was older version. Hopefully the foxwell software can update the older version to allow the VTG oil change to go through. It did check to see if the oil was at least 20C. Since it was a 88F day, it met that requirement.

rmorin1249 wrote

This thread helps me understand why my dealer charged me what they did to change the fluid in my transfer case. I admire those that have successfully changed their own fluid. Kudos!