Gusgus 2 Report post Posted October 4, 2017 Around 15000km ago my e36 328i developed a knocking noise coming from the CSB area at 20kmh and at 35kmh . I have replaced a ton of parts as suggested by my garage including : New Centre bearing , engine mounts , gearbox mount , rear shocks .I have had the front half of the driveshaft rebuilt with new cross and the same with the rear half . I have also had the rear checked for cracks in the body and all bushes/diff mountings . Around $1g later I still have the exact same issue and I'm reluctant to keep throwing parts and money at it . Any suggestions or ideas would be great . Thanks Gus Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrs 118 Report post Posted October 4, 2017 (edited) Do you have a Jatco trans? Is it worse under heavy acceleration or does the drive-train torque not matter? At 20km/h does it also shudder? Edited October 4, 2017 by wrs 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gusgus 2 Report post Posted October 6, 2017 Sorry for the late reply . From memory I think its a ZF 5spd auto . Under heavy acceleration or when going up hills it is a loud thumping/knocking noise rather than a vibration . It does also shudder at 20km but at 35kmh it is worse . I have noticed on a cooler morning before work its not as bad as after work when the temp is higher . The gearbox does flare a bit between gears , mostly 2nd to 3rd but changes smoothly and doesn't seem to slip at all . Hope this helps , Thanks heaps Gus Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrs 118 Report post Posted October 6, 2017 Hi Gus, Seems there's some similarities between your problem and one I had. In my case I actually never solved it but I think I found out what it was right before I did an engine upgrade and manual convertion. My issue started at 125,000km and I followed a very similar path to try to fix it to you (including replacing / reconditioning the driveshaft - twice). Mine shuddered at 25km/h and again a little less at 50km/h and then from about 96km/h it started to vibrate - kind of a droning noise. I did find replacing the CSB with a new one with fresher stiffer rubber helped for a while but never fixed it, just helped mask it. I did 200,000km with it in this state... Although I never proved it conclusively it appeared to be Jatco trans causing the problem. How I found it was to disconnect the trans from the driveshaft, start the car and watch the engine & gearbox from under the car while on a hoist. When in the same gear and RPM as 25km/h when driving (no speedo with the driveshaft disconnected) the whole engine and gearbox began to shake slightly with the gearbox tail section shaking quite a lot. With the driveshaft connected this would have caused the CSB section to shake as well and under heavy load would really move around. Mine never actually made a thudding noise but shuddered much worse under heavy acceleration. We then reconnected the driveshaft and took out the exhaust heatshield so we could watch the driveshaft. At 25km/h it started to shake with the engine. We then wedged a couple of 4x2's between the trans tail section and he trans tunnel and the driveshaft stopped shaking. The gearbox appeared to be the cause of the shaking but it could have been coming from somewhere else. I no longer have the problem due to manual trans. Maybe something is out of balance in the trans? Maybe there is also one cylinder down causing torque ripple in the drivetrain - not sure if this could do it. I came to the conclusion the issue wasn't in the drive train (since I'd replaced most of it). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3568 Report post Posted October 6, 2017 If this is the case then a manual conversion might solve all your problems! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrs 118 Report post Posted October 6, 2017 Manual conversion is good but you'll also need to change the diff or it will rev too high... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gusgus 2 Report post Posted October 9, 2017 Thanks Warren , It does sound very similar to your issue . Its a shame as otherwise is a good car but this issue makes it a bit hopeless for my daily commute on the motorway .I only really kept it as long as I have due to having a bad back and finding the e46 motorsport seats one of the only seats apart from some Recaro seats and a rx8 seat I use for an office chair that I can sit in for any decent period of time. I could cut you a mean deal on it to go with your coupe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1895 Report post Posted October 22, 2017 Just read an article in a BMW magazine by a guy who had an issue very similar to this, turned out to be a worn brake pad carrier on the front brake caliper, the noise was the brake pad rattling.Probably wouldnt cause a vibration but might be worth checking if you have tried everything else. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
