[EP11]

Hey everyone, I'm at my absolute wits' end with this issue and hope you guys can give me some guidance. I've read every thread I could find of similar issues and have tried things discussed in those threads to no avail.

Middle of last year I decided that I was gonna start driving my 07' 335xi more regularly. It had been sitting for awhile so I decided to do some maintenance before getting it back on the road. Please note that the car was driving normally before I did all this work, all the work performed was just maintenance. The things I planned to do were the following...

- Replace fluid in front diff
- Replace fluid rear diff
- Replace fluid in transfer case
- Replace transmission filter, fluid, and mechatronic sleeves (connector one, 4 tubes, and rectangular shaped one) (Also only used OE/ZF brand parts for everything)

Things that I discovered/fixed while doing this work...

- Front driveshaft was shot (replaced with a new OEM BMW one)
- Transfer case leaking at rear flange (replaced two seals - the main seal and o-ring)


I finished the car and then took it for a drive. I noticed that it was stuttering/shaking at 20mph, but it drove fine at all other speeds and it didn't have any lights/codes popping up. I figured it was just old gas since it had been sitting for 6 months. Filled it up and it continued doing it. The next day, the same thing. Then I got on the forum and realized it could be a transfer case problem. Please note that using ProTool I did the actuator calibration and fluid life reset. These are the things I have done so far to try to find the issue...

- Checked that all connectors are seated all the way
- Checked that the fluid is at the correct level
- Re-calibrated the actuator multiple times with ProTool (can hear actuator moving when doing the calibration, and verified it is working by leaving it out of the transfer case and running the calibration)
- Flipped the driveshaft (thought it might not be balanced or only balanced in one orientation)
- Removed front driveshaft completely
- Used X-delete to make car RWD

After doing all this the stutter/shaking was still present around 20mph, and I still have no lights/codes. So I began to think that maybe the transfer case is not the issue and instead the transmission. So here are the things I've done to check it...

- Checked fluid level (while at the correct temperature via ProTool)
- Made sure the mechatronics connector is seated/connected all the way

After doing those two things I still have the same issue. The only other thing I can think of doing now is draining the transmission and checking all the mechatronics sleeves, to make sure they weren't pinched, etc. However I'm pretty confident that the sleeves will be fine and that it's not the issue. The transmission shifts fine, and honestly feels smoother than before doing all this work. The only thing I can't remember is if I reset the transmission adaptions or not, from what I've read it is not recommended to do so on higher mileage cars (mine has 193K). I don't believe that I did, but do remember seeing that it was recommended by the DIY I was following. So there might be a chance that I did before finding the forum post saying that it isn't recommended.

My questions to you guys are these...

- If I did reset the transmission adaptations could this be causing these issues?
- What other things could I check regarding the transfer case?
- What other things could I check regarding the transmission?
- What other things could I check in general regarding this issue?

All help will be appreciated!

[Bimmer_Bro]

Originally Posted by EP11

Hey everyone, I'm at my absolute wits' end with this issue and hope you guys can give me some guidance. I've read every thread I could find of similar issues and have tried things discussed in those threads to no avail.

Middle of last year I decided that I was gonna start driving my 07' 335xi more regularly. It had been sitting for awhile so I decided to do some maintenance before getting it back on the road. Please note that the car was driving normally before I did all this work, all the work performed was just maintenance. The things I planned to do were the following...

- Replace fluid in front diff
- Replace fluid rear diff
- Replace fluid in transfer case
- Replace transmission filter, fluid, and mechatronic sleeves (connector one, 4 tubes, and rectangular shaped one) (Also only used OE/ZF brand parts for everything)

Things that I discovered/fixed while doing this work...

- Front driveshaft was shot (replaced with a new OEM BMW one)
- Transfer case leaking at rear flange (replaced two seals - the main seal and o-ring)


I finished the car and then took it for a drive. I noticed that it was stuttering/shaking at 20mph, but it drove fine at all other speeds and it didn't have any lights/codes popping up. I figured it was just old gas since it had been sitting for 6 months. Filled it up and it continued doing it. The next day, the same thing. Then I got on the forum and realized it could be a transfer case problem. Please note that using ProTool I did the actuator calibration and fluid life reset. These are the things I have done so far to try to find the issue...

- Checked that all connectors are seated all the way
- Checked that the fluid is at the correct level
- Re-calibrated the actuator multiple times with ProTool (can hear actuator moving when doing the calibration, and verified it is working by leaving it out of the transfer case and running the calibration)
- Flipped the driveshaft (thought it might not be balanced or only balanced in one orientation)
- Removed front driveshaft completely
- Used X-delete to make car RWD

After doing all this the stutter/shaking was still present around 20mph, and I still have no lights/codes. So I began to think that maybe the transfer case is not the issue and instead the transmission. So here are the things I've done to check it...

- Checked fluid level (while at the correct temperature via ProTool)
- Made sure the mechatronics connector is seated/connected all the way

After doing those two things I still have the same issue. The only other thing I can think of doing now is draining the transmission and checking all the mechatronics sleeves, to make sure they weren't pinched, etc. However I'm pretty confident that the sleeves will be fine and that it's not the issue. The transmission shifts fine, and honestly feels smoother than before doing all this work. The only thing I can't remember is if I reset the transmission adaptions or not, from what I've read it is not recommended to do so on higher mileage cars (mine has 193K). I don't believe that I did, but do remember seeing that it was recommended by the DIY I was following. So there might be a chance that I did before finding the forum post saying that it isn't recommended.

My questions to you guys are these...

- If I did reset the transmission adaptations could this be causing these issues?
- What other things could I check regarding the transfer case?
- What other things could I check regarding the transmission?
- What other things could I check in general regarding this issue?

All help will be appreciated!

General consensus is the adaptations for the tranny should never be reset.

How did the guido bushing look on the driveshaft? These can cause vibrations when worn but usually that's at higher speeds.

This might be a dumb question but how old are the tires and have you tried another set of wheels or tires? They could be egg shaped from sitting for too long (tire also have an expiry date on them).

[Skoidat69]

Have you checked Coils? When one of mine went bad, the car sputtered and shaked

[EP11]

Originally Posted by Bimmer_Bro

General consensus is the adaptations for the tranny should never be reset.

How did the guido bushing look on the driveshaft? These can cause vibrations when worn but usually that's at higher speeds.

This might be a dumb question but how old are the tires and have you tried another set of wheels or tires? They could be egg shaped from sitting for too long (tire also have an expiry date on them).

Agreed, resetting adaptations is not a good idea on older cars. Like I said I'm not sure if I did or not, and therefore I was wondering if anyone that did reset them had similar things happening to their car.

Guibo looked normal, old but no cracks, etc.

I haven't tried a different set of tires. But do have another set to try, will give it a shot. However I don't think its related simply because when I accelerate hard the shaking is more severe at 20mph. However when I accelerate slowly through 20mph, the shaking is way less. If they had flat spots/issues I think it would be apparent at all speeds.

Originally Posted by Skoidat69

Have you checked Coils? When one of mine went bad, the car sputtered and shaked

Haven't checked coils since I haven't had any codes for misfires pop up. I've felt misfiring caused by coils before and this isnt the same. When its a misfire the car doesn't have the same power to accelerate, however when my car is shaking I can accelerate more and it does so normally. If that makes sense?

[TitanLH8]

I'm seeing the same issue on my 2011 E91 xDrive. I've recently acquired it and noticed that on initial acceleration, there is a noticeable vibration and then it goes away. At first I thought it was maybe the road but it pretty much happens every time.

I also don't have any error codes or lights. I recently changed front/rear diff and transfer case fluid.

I also did xDelete to make it RWD but still notice the vibration.

[STooK]

OP any updates on this?

What you are describing is exactly what I’m going through now as well and it only happens at 20mph. Any other speed and car is smooth. I have a ‘11 328xi and thought it might be the tq converter in my GM transmission but I don’t think 335’s have that tranny so now I’m confused since you’re having the same issue.

Hopefully you can figure this out soon.

[loganmecham]

I had a similar problem with shaking last year with my 2006 330xi, and when I originally checked my control arms I thought they were fine, but after pulling them off and replacing them I realized they were very shot and long overdue for a replacement. When driving does your car by chance pull to one side of the road?

Good luck with this!

[dpeezy]

Anyone find a solution to this yet?

I have an 08 535xi wagon, with the exact same issue: stuttering from the rear right-ish, feels almost like traction control or ABS. Only happens at 20mph, in both 1st and 2nd, straight line or turning. Seems worse under more load, but still happens if accelerating through very lightly. Goes away above 20mph and seems to work just fine, no noises or vibrations.

Recently (<1000mi) changed wheels/tires, front right CV axle, front control arms, but drove perfectly fine right after for weeks.

Was going to change my transfer case fluid and do a reset/calibration on it, but I'd be surprised if that solved it. (have had an oil wear warning shadow code (no light) ever since I owned the car, so last 20k, but was always told it's nothing to worry about)

[anjuna]

CHECK FOR ANY BRAKE CALIPERS STICKING.

I recently had this same issue. I use my electronic e-brake OFTEN on my vehicle, but noticed excessive dusting, wear, and wear on the rotor for a specific hub. This led to discovering a ceased caliper. This also caused excessive drag at low speed, fucked with xdrive, and all sorts of weird shit.

Just FYI.

[andykrow]

After I had my transmission rebuilt I had an issue similar to what you're describing. 335xi. While accelerating, a heavy vibration right around 20/25mph that would smooth back out quickly. Almost felt like it was at the frequency of the tires rotating. You'd feel like 5-10 pulses and then it's done.

Took it back to the shop because I knew this wasn't happening before they worked on it.

They acknowledged it on a test drive, and eventually came back with "Your driveshaft is bent."

I told them the only way that could have happened is while they had the vehicle. Not only that, but it would be impossible to do while the driveshaft is installed on the car. It's tucked up away from anything on the road. Told them they must have dropped it or otherwise handled it incorrectly.

The shop manager was like yeah I guess you're right. They sprung for a new driveshaft and the problem was gone.

I never got more info on what they meant by "bent" but the issue was certainly somewhere in the rear driveline.

[dpeezy]

UPDATE: the fix in my case was to replace a worn out driveshaft center support bearing.

Tried a few things before then, including replacing rear upper control arms (2x/side) as they were all quite shot, rubber disintegrating/etc. That didn't fix the problem.

Took it to the pros at the local indy, and they diagnosed and fixed the problem for me. Didn't need to replace anything else (though it's quite involved since you have to remove all sorts of things - pays 3.5 hours). While there, also did a TC and differential(s) flush, just based on mileage of car (150k). Hopefully we're good to go for another 150k!