What Does a Drive Train Malfunction Mean on a BMW X3?

What Does a Drive Train Malfunction Mean on a BMW X3?

Introduction In most of the cars, including BMW many issues arise with time. Some are very much dangerous while some are mild and acute. There are many components in a car, some are very much essential while some are not, these components may fail or get damaged by some accidents or by time itself. In this article you will get to know about drive train malfunctioning I.e., what causes it, what are the signs and steps to be taken to fix it.

What is a drive train malfunction?

Drive train supplies power to the drive wheels from engine. Drive train malfunction is an error occur due to hardware malfunctioning. Now a day, getting a drive train malfunction error has become common for many car owners. People see a message gets popped up on the dashboard saying that there is drive train malfunctioning, but its main cause is the issues in gear box and engine. Your vehicle then comes to a safety mode to prevent any further damage to the engine and gear box. When this error occurs and the car goes to a safety mode, then the performance of the car becomes low. The error is shown as - ‘Drive train malfunction: Drive moderately. Maximum drive train output not available. Consult service center’.

This safety mode is also called as limp mode where the car limits its output power and speed to protect its vital engine and the gearbox. Most of the people might take this mode in a negative way as the performance of the car gets lowered, but it is meant to protect the car from permanent engine and transmission failure and also protects the passengers from accidents that can be caused due to malfunctioning of engine and gear box. The ECU or engine control unit activates this limp mode.

Causes of drive train malfunction error 

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Engine malfunctioning - engine malfunction is caused due to damaged spark plugs, damaged ignition coils, fuel pump failure, clogged catalytic converter, damaged fuel injectors.

Malfunctioning of transmission- low or contaminated fluid and wear and tear of gears.

Very high acceleration - high acceleration can cause damage to propeller shafts.

Overtaking Steep inclines

Signs of a drive train malfunctioning         

Intense shaking while accelerating Rough idling of car Hard starting of the car Shuddering More smoke from exhaust pipe Stuck in one gear Drive train malfunction message on dashboard Drive train malfunction warning light Engine misfire

How to get rid of drive train malfunction?

To troubleshoot the error, you can do these steps

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Try restarting the car. The engine is kept turned off for 5-10 minutes. Then turn on the engine and drive the car. This process can reset the error.

If the error do not get reset, then inspect the engine, check for any leakage from oil or transmission, check if there is any unusual noise coming from the car or smoke from the exhaust. Try to jump start the car. If there is leakage or lot of smoke, then call your dealer or a trusted technician.

If this process also didn't work then you can use a scanner. Take an OBD2 scanner to read the codes and also reset those trouble codes. Scan the modules- digital motor electronic and electronic or adaptive gearbox to get the codes from both engine and transmission respectively.

First find the diagnostic port located under the drivers’ side of dashboard.

Connect the scanner to the port. Then the key is inserted and turned to ignition.

Keep the engine in off and the vehicle model is chosen in the scanner.

Then the codes are read from both the modules Lastly, you can take your car to an experienced mechanic to do the job. Before driving your car, better get the problem solved completely. Driving in the limp mode is possible but still there is a risk of engine and gearbox damage. To save your car from such dangerous issues, you have to get rid of the error as soon as possible.

Conclusion You might have got to know about the drive train malfunction error. If are facing this error, then I recommend you to drive as less as possible till you get the car diagnosed. Please go through the signs to recognize the error, go through the causes that will be helpful for you to get to the root of the issue and to prevent it further. To avoid this error, you should never drive your car carelessly or abusively. You have to drive properly and carefully so that you can save money, time and effort.