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Thread: 08 x3 E83 wheel speed sensor issue?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
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    2008 BMW X3

    08 x3 E83 wheel speed sensor issue?

    Last fall I started having intermittent issues with the yellow ABS. 4x4, and brake lights coming on. At first they came on just as I hit 35mph and again at 55mph but would go out almost immediately after I passed those speeds. If traffic had me stay exactly at those speeds the check engine light would come on and all lights would stay on until I shut off the car and started it back up then all were back off again. I only had a basic OBD2 reader and got code p1775 and sometimes p1774 both of which reference wheel speed sensors. So I took out the sensors and cleaned them and the problem was gone... at least for a few months.

    The problem started back up so I figured I would need to replace the sensor, I ordered a replacement and put it in but I'm still having the problem. I then bought another sensor thinking that maybe it was faulty and replaced it and moved the first sensor I bought to the left side (trying to see if I started getting errors from that side). This didn't change a thing, still error codes only for right rear so I don't think it's a faulty sensor.

    At this point I know I'm working with less than ideal info so I start researching proper BMW code scanners and end up ordering the Foxwell NT510. I ran the scan and found a few codes stored and not present but what seems to be the issue are 2 codes showing present which are: 581 D: EGS Signal Fault Wheel circumferential velocity rear right from DSC, and: 5E42 DSC: Wheel speed, air gap, rear right.

    So I take of the wheel again, this time checking to see if the bearing seems loose which it doesn't. Take out the sensor, clean the rust and everything real good around the hole and make sure the sensor is fully inserted. Test drive and still the same issue. So I repeat but this time I tried using a small o-ring to try giving it more of a gap to see what happens. Well, still the same issue. I then took it for a test while reading the live data from the speed sensor and it keeps jumping to my actual speed and then back to 0 or 1.

    First off, I'm glad I finally dropped the $180 to get a proper scanner as it will make my life easier going forward and with my short experience with the Foxwell NT510 it seems to be a solid purchase. It's also nice that I can add another manufacturer to it by purchasing the software and since my wife drives a land rover LR3 I'm sure I'll be doing that at some point.

    Now at this point I'm not sure where to go next, could it be the wheel bearing even though the wheel feels tight? Could it be the DSC module? Anything else I should be checking?

    Update: While waiting to see if anyone had any advice I started investigating a weird clicking from under the hood, not the typical BMW lifter ticking but an intermittent loud clicking like metal on metal clicking from somewhere around the alternator, maybe alternator bearing or mechanical failure inside the alternator. I don't get any trouble codes that say there is a problem right now but something isn't right. If it is an issue with the alternator could a bad voltage be triggering issues with the DSC?

    Here is a link to the video I recorded with the loud clicking sound at idle: https://youtu.be/VHNx2Oyvs3w
    Yes, I know I have an oil leak around the oil filter housing, just need to get the gasket kit and fix that next...

    Thanks for reading!

    Brian
    Last edited by triggerbrian; 07-24-2018 at 04:51 PM. Reason: update

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
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    2008 BMW X3
    I talked to a friend that builds buses and he thinks it's the wheel bearing. I'm going to attempt to change both back wheel bearings and I'll post an update if it works. I also plan to video the procedure and hope it goes smoothly. I also have new springs and shocks to put in at the same time so this should be fun.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
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    Pittsburgh, PA
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    94 325ic, 08 X3 3.0si
    I'm having the same issue with my '08 X3 3.0si. I had a shop scan it and it can up right rear wheel speed sensor. So I replaced it and it actually made it worse, meaning the issue happens right away now.

    When I start it up, the only light on is the service engine soon light (idk if that's related or not). But, when I start moving the abs kicks in as soon as I try and hit the brakes. I battle the pedal till I hit at least 20mph or so, then three lights (abs, brake, and 4x4) come on and the abs system is deactivated making my brakes work like normal again. The airbag light comes on, but have no idea why.


    Curious to see if you have the exact same situation going on. I'm tired of throwing money at it, so I'm taking to Balzer Motor Works in Canonsburg to fix it. My main shop is McB Autosport, but they're still cleaning up after the flood. I'm taking it in next Friday the 17th, so ill post an update that Saturday to let you know what it was.

    Cool to see another Pittsburgh-ian here. I'm from the south hills, off of 51 south.

  4. #4
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    I just finally figured out the issue... though I feel I may have put in a ton of extra unnecessary work so hopefully this can help you WELSCH325i

    I replaced the bearing with a F.A.G. bearing from bavauto. I bought 2 so I had the other side if necessary, they were less than $40 each and that brand is the same BMW uses so I figured I would save a ton instead of buying from dealer. I took video of some of the work but haven't edited or uploaded yet. First off let me say that I attempted to do the bearing due to a few video's I saw online that seemed like a hassle but completely doable for me. I have plenty of tools including air tools and almost everything I needed so I thought all I would have to do is buy a few small things from harbor freight and then I could get the job done. Well, after 4 days of work (my days off for 2 straight weeks) and numerous trips to rent tools from advanced auto parts (slide hammer and hub puller). I got the axle off, bearing off, and then was able to reinstall everything. I damaged the end of my axle during my rage of it being frozen in so I had to recut the threads at the end. I also had broken springs in the back and had bought them in the fall so while I was in there I put the new springs in. I also had a weird ping sound from under the hood at idle and was able to determine that it was the power steering pump so I also replaced that.

    After all was said and done I took it for a test drive and the same thing happened, under 15-20 mph the ABS kicks on and once driving faster you get the ABS, 4x4, brake, and airbag light. I have a nice scan tool from foxwell that I bought to try to diagnose this problem so I went in to look at the live data and was getting accurate speed readings but then it would drop to 1 or 0 mph randomly. I was worried it might be wiring or something but as a last ditch effort I went back to the speed sensor (which I already replaced and tried 2 different brands) and took my dremel to the opening and filed off all the rust and took it down to clean metal. Reseated the sensor which was now easy to fully seat. Took it for a test drive around Crafton (not too far from you) and no issues at all! It seems everything is good now. So I don't know if the bearing was bad, I suspect it may not have been. The thing with these sensors is that they need to be in the exact placement they were at new so with the rust that will happen you can't get them to fully seat in the hole, I had used a screwdriver to scrape around the hole first but it wasn't enough... really wish I had got out the dremel first and ground down to metal before attempting all the work on the bearing. The BMW error code was 5e42 DSC: Wheel speed, air gap, rear right Looking back at the error code I should have paid more attention to the AIR GAP part which makes complete sense now but could also be the case with a bad bearing which can cause the axle to move around.

    My biggest suggestion is to get a good BMW scanner tool if you are doing work yourself. I finally bit the bullet and got the foxwell NT510, it was $180 on amazon. It really helps fully identify the problem. Honestly, we are only a few miles away so if you every need to use mine to read your error codes feel free to contact me and we can meet up!

    My next suggestion is if you have a bearing go bad, pay someone to fix it! I have done a ton of work on all my cars over the years and stuff around the house, I replaced my own roof last summer and I would honestly have rather done my roof again than have to change that bearing! I'm sure it would have been easier if the car was a few years less old and less rusted, and if I had the custom tools that the dealership has for these specific things, anyway... I did it once and probably never again.

    I'll post a link once I edit and upload my video from the work I did. Unfortunately I was so frustrated most of the time that I forgot to video some steps.

  5. #5
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    WELSCH325i I forgot to answer your one question about the airbag light. What is happening is one wheel speed sensor is showing an incorrect speed (probably zero and probably randomly) so the car thinks a wheel is locking up, like when you hit the brakes in the snow, so it kicks on the stability control and ABS, once the car realizes something is malfunctioning then it turns off the ABS, stability control (DSC) and 4x4. The airbag is also disabled. All lights will be on yellow but airbag is probably red. This is because the car doesn't have all the info needed to run these systems so it shuts them off. Hopefully this helps.

  6. #6
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    94 325ic, 08 X3 3.0si
    You're a godsend man. If it's not raining in these next couple days, I'll dremel out that hole and hopefully that'll fix the issue. If it doesn't, the shop should find it when I take it for inspection Friday.


    Thanks for the offer to use the scan tool. With these x3's, I might have to in the future. Also, if you ever need a hand fixing something on your cars, send me a message on here and I'll be over to help. I'm usually on here every day.

    I'll post an update soon on the situation.

  7. #7
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    Well, I took the sensor out and cleaned up the hole, put it back in and it didn't fix the issue. Maybe it's the left sensor as well, but it's going to the garage tomorrow so hopefully he'll find the issue.

  8. #8
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    Spring Lake, MI
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    2007 BMW X3

    Take a look at Reluctor Ring

    Quote Originally Posted by WELSCH325i View Post
    Well, I took the sensor out and cleaned up the hole, put it back in and it didn't fix the issue. Maybe it's the left sensor as well, but it's going to the garage tomorrow so hopefully he'll find the issue.
    Having similar problem... changed speed sensors, no change... did some more googling, going to try looking at the condition of the "Reluctor Ring". Might be worth a look to see if yours is rusty and needs to be replaced, a bad Reluctor Ring will not allow speed sensor to function/detect axle rotation.
    Last edited by adam24k; 09-29-2018 at 08:09 AM.

  9. #9
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    Sorry haven't posted an update.

    So, I took it to Balzer Motorwerks 2 months ago and it turns out, me and the owner didn't see eye to eye. He scanned it and said I needed a wheel speed sensor. Not only that but, he said I need all three wipers replaced to pass inspection and wanted to charge me 600+ dollars for everything. I told him I already replaced the speed sensor and that it wasn't the problem. He disagreed with me and I just told him I'll pay for whatever he did so far and to leave it alone. He charged me $89 just for the scan. I had my Uncle throw a sticker on it so I could drive it. So a week ago, I thought the tranny was going out on me cause it felt like it was slipping in and out of gear. Had it flat bedded to my usual shop, McB Autosport, and they checked it out, and they said the wheel speed sensor was causing the tranny to act up. I told them I just replaced it, then they got back to me said the wheel bearing was bad.

    So we finally found the culprit, a bad wheel bearing. T'was a long road but we have succeeded. Crazy how the wheel speed sensor can effect the transmission but that's electronics.

    I think you were correct in replacing the wheel bearing TriggerBrian.

    I also have to take it to the dealership to get the 2 recalls done.

  10. #10
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    So the wheel bearing wasn't the issue, and now it's a computer issue. I forget what it was called but they said the computer (module) that deals with the wheel speed sensors is bad and that it might need re-flashed or replaced with a new unit.

    But something just popped in my head, I replaced a bad ground cable with a negative battery terminal cable from advanced cause I was in a pinch. It got the car to start, but not long after the trifecta lights began to appear. Do you think a voltage issue might be causing all this because of the type of ground cable I used?

  11. #11
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    Please update. I replaced rear and I can actually feel it hit he reluctor ring??

  12. #12
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    Talked to my mechanic last week and he has recommended me to take it to a dealership. So, it's going to Rahal BMW in Cannonsburg Wednesday this week. They said they couldn't separate the module from the sensor? No clue, I could of heard him wrong or not remember what he said. But it seems like an electronics issue. I'm hoping it's not going to be too expensive, as I know it's definitely going to be expensive. I'll update later on this week.

  13. #13
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    I'm interested in what you find out. Can you get it scanned with BMW software and report what the codes are? The DSC module must be the part you're referring to, but I doubt there is a problem with it.

  14. #14
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    Dealership called yesterday and they said they got the right rear wheel speed sensor air gap code. They told me the axle shaft needed to be replaced due to corrosion making the ring the sensor monitors swell and not read right. The cost is going to come out to $1400 which pisses me off cause I could of just did this myself for the price of the axle. Anyway I found this odd cause my mechanic told me the dsc module wasn't even getting a signal to or from the wheel speed sensor. Maybe they're both right idk, I'm not good with electronics.

    I just hope they're right and my truck gets back to me with no lights on and in perfect working order.

  15. #15
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    Picked up my truck Saturday, and it's all fixed... kinda. New axle shaft and sensor on the right side and all the lights are off, but they said the left side is going to have the same problem soon and some fault codes came up for the transfer case. On the service sheet, I couldn't tell if they wanted to replace the whole transfer case or repair it because the way they worded it.

    So at least I know what the issues are and can tackled them myself down the road for way less money.
    Last edited by WELSCH325i; 10-29-2018 at 03:06 PM.

  16. #16
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    98 M3; 09 E91
    I have had similar problems with my daughter's 2006 X3 as well. I ended up replacing transfer case motor gear but that did not solve the problem of the triad of lights as well as the speedometer and odometer not working. Next I replaced the rear left ABS sensor and the problem seemed to be fixed. However the problem came back after a week or 2. I then replaced the rear right ABS sensor and now haven't had problem for about 6 months. However, there seems to be a grinding noise coming from back end so I suspect I will have to change one or both wheel bearings. I will have to diagnose when my daughter gives me back the vehicle. Rock Auto sells a fully assembled Chinese hub with bearing which I think I'm going to try - a lot cheaper than OEM for 115K mile vehicle. I'm hoping new hub/bearing will last rest of car's life. Any tips, video's or write-ups on doing this job? I have seen something for X5. How close is the procedure? I have seen reports of these "swollen" axles causing this problem before. Now I have to consider whether I should replace axles as well. Can't afford to have my mechanic do all this work.
    BTW, I live in North Hills area of Pittsburgh. Why are so many Pittsburgh X3's having this problem? Excessive road salt?

  17. #17
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    Feb 2006
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    2004 X3
    This seems to be the same issue I’m having. As I’m driving to test drive (and bought) a new car at the dealer, the brake, abs and Dax lights go off and can tell I lost the front wheel power and stability. So I pull it in to service and ask them to check it out. Then sneak around front to go test drive.

    Said it’s a speed sensor issue but the axel is rusted out and has to be replaced because of how that’s all put together $1600. It’s a 2004 with 150k on it so he knows I’m not doing it so no pressure and can’t imagine he’s bullshitting me. Also said I’ll eventually need a transfer case (I think that was it).

    The can can’t be worth $4000 so not sure if I should fix it a my local guy with a used axel(if that’s possible) assuming it was diagnosed correctly or just sell it as is and maybe get $1k.

  18. #18
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    82 528i, 88 535is, 07 X3
    Tomn68,

    This issue is common but can be repaired without replacing the axle. I just competed this repair on both sides. You have to cut the reluctor rings off and wire-wheel all the rust off. A company in the UK makes new rings and sells them on eBay for about $15 a pair. Once all the rust is removed, replace the ring and coat everything with POR-15 or some other rust-preventave coating. The hardest part is getting the axles off. After having no success with 3 different jaw-type pullers, I bought an OTC-7394 off Amazon. Took it right off. Total cost for me was $180 and a day's work ($120 puller, $35 sensor from FCP-only one of mine was damaged beyond usability - $15 rings, $10 axle nuts from FCP).

  19. #19
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    was your speed still reading

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