rusteee 52 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 (edited) Hi there Sorry I'm new to the forum, came across it when trying to search for info on my car. I have a 1997 E36 320I (automatic) and am having real issues with a vibration/humming noise from the rear (well sounds like the rear), when travelling around 100-120km/h, not really noticable when travelling slow. I have spent a lot of money, and had many people look at it and they cannot find a thing wrong.... Its really starting to annoy me lol. I have also had all 4 tires replaced and balanced more than once x] but its still there, it seems that it is slowly getting worse. It happens mostly while motorway driving, and the noise is really droning but correspondes to the shake so I suppose they are related. Can anyone please shed some light on the issue?? Thanks heaps in advance =) Edited March 29, 2010 by rusteee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pureboiracer 0 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 it could be a few things. does the noise seem worse when applying throttle or when u let off the gas? does it seem to come from any one side of the vehicle? does it seem worse when taking 100k bends in the road either left or right? could possibly b wheels buckled, wheel bearings, cvs, diff, driveshaft or g.box. if i were you i would take it to a reputable mechanic and take him for a drive with you and point out the symptons to him because it appears as though the mechanics are having a hard time aligning their thought on which noises they hear and the specific noise you are talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 it could be a few things. does the noise seem worse when applying throttle or when u let off the gas? does it seem to come from any one side of the vehicle? does it seem worse when taking 100k bends in the road either left or right? could possibly b wheels buckled, wheel bearings, cvs, diff, driveshaft or g.box. if i were you i would take it to a reputable mechanic and take him for a drive with you and point out the symptons to him because it appears as though the mechanics are having a hard time aligning their thought on which noises they hear and the specific noise you are talking about. Well once your up to speed, its just... there, doesn't matter if you give it gas or take your foot off. I tried putting it in neutral while driving to see if that made any difference, but nothing. I have had the rims checked (they arent very old), tyres checked/replaced, wheel bearings checked, all shocks, suspension, bushes etc checked. In saying that, yes I think the shake/noise does dissapear when taking a 100k corner either left or right but back again on the straight. I had a mechanic come for a drive with me today and all I got was a "Hmmm Thats unusual, havn't heard that one before" It seems to come from more the drivers side, but maybe thats just because I can hear it loudly on the drivers side lol. It kind of sounds like, when the back windows are down and if you catch the right wind, it starts to make that real deafening sound, and the vibration can be felt on the floor and in the seat. Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antil33t 90 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 (edited) Miss-aligned (unballanced) driveshaft mebby? Just a wild stab. Edited March 29, 2010 by antil33t Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 Yea that did come to mind, but is it possible to become unbalanced all of a sudden? I'm trying to avoid having to take it in to a BMW workshop Thanks for the ideas!! Hopefully can get this sorted Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danutt 4 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 Yea that did come to mind, but is it possible to become unbalanced all of a sudden? I'm trying to avoid having to take it in to a BMW workshop Thanks for the ideas!! Hopefully can get this sorted alignment?? had an issue with that before and was similar scenario:) check the hangar bearing and rubber bung...forget the name for it now haha hope you find the problem mate cheers damian Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 From your description it sounds more like a rear wheel bearing to me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twisted 45 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 Is the sound a rythmic pulse or a constant hum? My thoughts are wheel bearing. Could a buckled rim, though the noise points toward bearings. FWIW, i had a buckled rim on the front which was causing a bad shake that could be felt through the floor and seat, but not through the steering wheel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zenetti 0 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 Are you using aftermarket or factory alloys? If they are aftermarket I would put my money on them not being hubcentric. Quite a simple fix usually, all you have to do is get some locating rings. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danutt 4 Report post Posted March 29, 2010 Are you using aftermarket or factory alloys? If they are aftermarket I would put my money on them not being hubcentric. Quite a simple fix usually, all you have to do is get some locating rings. hope someone here knows what the cause is i have a rythmic pulse front left wheel no buckles etc e36 issue? i had an e30 once and hub centric rings fixed that humming:) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cliffdunedin 8 Report post Posted March 30, 2010 Just a thought! I had a similar situation on one of my old cars and no one could find the cause...it turned out to be the driveshaft was unbalanced and one of the litlle weights(similar to wheels) had broken off and caused the drive shaft to be slightly unbalanced. fixed it with a 2nd hand drive shaft! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted March 30, 2010 Thanks for all the replies!! Its more of a rhythmic pulse noise not a constant hum, like it pulses with the feel of the vibration if you get what i mean (eg the vibration and noise correspond with eachother). I had the wheel bearings checked and they were said to be perfect, all rims were checked and said to be 100%. They are not the originals (17" M3 mags), sorry for being a noob but what to you mean hub centric? and where do I get the rings from? Im not too sure if thats what it would be though as when i had the tyres done I don't think all the rims went back in the same place they came off as they took all 4 off at once. Is there an easy(ish) way to check if it is the drive shaft out of balance. Other than this issue, the car runs perfectly, so im pretty sure its not a diff or gearbox fault. I have been told not to be so dam fussy lol, but really the noise is a killer after a while ( sounds like both back windows are open and they make that pulsing noise). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cliffdunedin 8 Report post Posted March 30, 2010 We checked mine in a bit of a hori way, by jacking it up putting blocks underneath then having someone put it in gear, accelerating then looking at the driveshaft...i'm sure there is a proper way but thats what we did. the vibration in my case you could only really feel over about 80km. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sick Puppy 1 Report post Posted March 30, 2010 While I realise you're trying to avoid going to a BMW workshop, you've already spent a lot of money to no avail. Where in NZ are you based? If you're in Auckland, there are a fair few BMW specialists here on the forum that can help you... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 While I realise you're trying to avoid going to a BMW workshop, you've already spent a lot of money to no avail. Where in NZ are you based? If you're in Auckland, there are a fair few BMW specialists here on the forum that can help you... hahaha yes well, I took it in to SD European today, and all they said was possibly the driveshaft rubber coupling, or out of balance, but all the can do is replace things untill it fixes it , I thought that was a bit rude lol so my car came straight back home. I may just take all the exhaust etc off so I can have a look at it, and maybe send the driveshaft away to be balanced. Im from a little place called Waerenga but am in Auckland every weekend, can you suggest anyone to take it to?? Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Braeden320 0 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) Best move is just to take it to Glenns Business (Botany Motor works) and get it sorted rather than mucking around replacing things and dealing with people that arnt really that interested. Link Do it Edited March 31, 2010 by braeden. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi328i 118 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 Hi there Sorry I'm new to the forum, came across it when trying to search for info on my car. I have a 1997 E36 320I (automatic) and am having real issues with a vibration/humming noise from the rear (well sounds like the rear), when travelling around 100-120km/h, not really noticable when travelling slow. I have spent a lot of money, and had many people look at it and they cannot find a thing wrong.... Its really starting to annoy me lol. I have also had all 4 tires replaced and balanced more than once x] but its still there, it seems that it is slowly getting worse. It happens mostly while motorway driving, and the noise is really droning but correspondes to the shake so I suppose they are related. Can anyone please shed some light on the issue?? Thanks heaps in advance =) If I was to have a stab I would say right rear wheel bearing. How were they checked? Visually its hard, because clearances are difficult to assess and then there is the matter of loadings. It might look fine without load but be useless under it. Well thats my guess. Second stab would be driveshaft or the rubber do dangy guibo thingamajiggy. The torque on my right rear wheel bearing is approximately one angry Maori jumping on a modified power bar nm. Plenty you would think but I have done it twice since and now its perfect. God only knows what factory is, but you cant do it with ya arms thats for sure! lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 I'm back in NZ next Tuesday from holiday if you'd like me to check it for you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) I'm back in NZ next Tuesday from holiday if you'd like me to check it for you That actually sounds like the best thing to do ay, you'd be an absolute legend if you found what was causing it. I just really want it sorted. I took it to night class tonight, and it sounded like a loose rim, deafening from the back seat, and also I could hear a very slight scraping noise (Like a worn bearing type noise...) while doing 5-70km/h. Are you open any weekends or just weekdays? as I live just over an hour away from Botany, but am usually in Auckland over weekends. It didn't seem like the European specialist down these ways wanted anything to do with it, and the local mechanic wouldn't have a clue where to start. Edited March 31, 2010 by rusteee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hilfordjames 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2010 (edited) hahaha yes well, I took it in to SD European today, and all they said was possibly the driveshaft rubber coupling, or out of balance, but all the can do is replace things untill it fixes it , I thought that was a bit rude lol so my car came straight back home. I may just take all the exhaust etc off so I can have a look at it, and maybe send the driveshaft away to be balanced. Im from a little place called Waerenga but am in Auckland every weekend, can you suggest anyone to take it to?? Cheers Hey there - Just wondering how you got on with your vibration problem? I currently have a similar issue with my Prelude, spent heaps getting things checked and replaced but I still have the vibration - checked almost all that you appear to have checked on this site and also starting to get the "your fussy" looks from the mechanics and tyre people so I was just wondering if you solved it or not? Cheers Edited July 27, 2010 by InterestedHondaOwner Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted July 27, 2010 Hondas & Bmw's are completely different cars with different suspension and drive train configuration. What gives a problem on a BMW awon't necessarily be the same fault on a Honda & vice versa. I suggest you get it checked by a Honda repairer or trawl the Honda sites Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
