sexy beast 0 Report post Posted July 9, 2011 (edited) Hi, im a newbie here and also loving my E34. I know this problem exists with the bmws. How do i check what bushing(s) might be worn out to allleviate this shaking problem. A friend said its the control arm bushes. But its gone through two warrants without anyone picking this problem. And i have been ignoring the issue as i have learnt to adopt my driving and i brake earlier on to avoid the shaking. i know its pathetic but, i need to save some dollars to fix this before it gets out of hand. Yea so would appreciate any comments/advise on how to check properly and whether it could be the control arms. Many thanks. Edited July 9, 2011 by sexy beast Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 (edited) Hi, im a newbie here and also loving my E34. I know this problem exists with the bmws. How do i check what bushing(s) might be worn out to allleviate this shaking problem. A friend said its the control arm bushes. But its gone through two warrants without anyone picking this problem. And i have been ignoring the issue as i have learnt to adopt my driving and i brake earlier on to avoid the shaking. i know its pathetic but, i need to save some dollars to fix this before it gets out of hand. Yea so would appreciate any comments/advise on how to check properly and whether it could be the control arms. Many thanks. 1) make sure your wheels and tyres are very well balnced and that the wheels are a proper fit(72.5mm hub) or have the appropriate hubcentric ring for the wheels you do have. 2)Make sure you have the best two wheels on the front if you have any out of roundness issues 3)If you still have the shimmy after this it will almost certainly be the UPPER control arm bushes,they need to be replaced with ether 750 i or e34 M5 bushes. and tightened under load. here is an excellent e34 site Edited July 10, 2011 by kiwi535 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beemn 50 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 Yep, what he said.....look for this arm here, easy to fix....mine are in need of replacement too Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pureboiracer 0 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 also have this problem which i need to get onto fixing, does anyone know if the arms are expensive? as i have a feeling i need a new arm too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1258 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 old car now , just replace all the arms , thrust arm bushes will be the first thing i would look at. get it up on a hoist at a garage and get them to test each bush and ball joint for movement . you can buy a complete front end kit from ebay , all the suspension and steering arms in one go . then it will drive like new. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E34-525...=item35adf444db Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2312 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 Yeah, like the others have said, it's mostly because of the age and wear on bush links The thrust bush is the most common problem but ALL other frond end bushes and links should be replaced, such as the tie rods and related ball joints. Having the right wheels is also a must. You should be using original wheels, made by good companies, not fake/replica wheels. You must also use 72.50mm hub sized wheels, avoid ones that need spacers as these will cause a shimmy, the same goes for tyres too, use cheap ones that dont balance properly and you will get a more severe shimmy again. I went though this on my E34, so I know from experience. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 Yeah, like the others have said, it's mostly because of the age and wear on bush links The thrust bush is the most common problem but ALL other frond end bushes and links should be replaced, such as the tie rods and related ball joints. Having the right wheels is also a must. You should be using original wheels, made by good companies, not fake/replica wheels. You must also use 72.50mm hub sized wheels, avoid ones that need spacers as these will cause a shimmy, the same goes for tyres too, use cheap ones that dont balance properly and you will get a more severe shimmy again. I went though this on my E34, so I know from experience. i think just about everyone who has had an E34 has had this issue Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creaver 55 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 Yip.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Silver Fox 43 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 And E32. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sexy beast 0 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 old car now , just replace all the arms , thrust arm bushes will be the first thing i would look at. get it up on a hoist at a garage and get them to test each bush and ball joint for movement . you can buy a complete front end kit from ebay , all the suspension and steering arms in one go . then it will drive like new. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E34-525...=item35adf444db Hey Brent, yea true, its been a while since you had it and i'm pretty sure no ones done anything to it apart from the usual since its changed hands over the years. Yes, i think your advise on changing all the bits in one go is a good one. And yea that was a good link on ebay. Thanks for that. I am looking at giving the car a breath of fresh air so will be hasseling you for advise in the near future. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sexy beast 0 Report post Posted July 10, 2011 Thanks all for the good advise. Really appreciate it. I will work on getting the suspension sorted soon. I will post more questions if i get stuck. Also i was wondering if i should do the work myself or get it done at a garage. I would love to do it as i want to learn more about my car and coz labour is so expensive...but it will save time... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creaver 55 Report post Posted July 11, 2011 I just re-read your title. You mention it happens when braking - check your front brake rotors for warpage and if so change the rotors/pads. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sexy beast 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2011 I just re-read your title. You mention it happens when braking - check your front brake rotors for warpage and if so change the rotors/pads. yea it did but also when i go over the 100k mark i can feel it shakes but not that much. Yea will check that as well. Thanks for the advise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creaver 55 Report post Posted July 13, 2011 Definitely sounds like Upper Thrust Arms as above then Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pureboiracer 0 Report post Posted July 26, 2011 old car now , just replace all the arms , thrust arm bushes will be the first thing i would look at. get it up on a hoist at a garage and get them to test each bush and ball joint for movement . you can buy a complete front end kit from ebay , all the suspension and steering arms in one go . then it will drive like new. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E34-525...=item35adf444db Have just fitted the kit in the link to the e34, all shaking (and i mean this was serious shaking.) is now gone, all the bits i replaced where completely trashed. the kit comes with all the bits you need, and looks to be decent quality, everything fits exactly right and it drives a million times better now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted July 26, 2011 Have just fitted the kit in the link to the e34, all shaking (and i mean this was serious shaking.) is now gone, all the bits i replaced where completely trashed. the kit comes with all the bits you need, and looks to be decent quality, everything fits exactly right and it drives a million times better now.well done,they drive nice eh! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pureboiracer 0 Report post Posted July 26, 2011 sure do, now ive just got to do the same for the back... one day... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creaver 55 Report post Posted July 27, 2011 Hardest thing about the back is the subframe bushes. The other trailing arm bushes and dogbones are a piece of cake. One thing to also check is the strut mounts. I had an OEM replacement go on me in under 5000k. Was so pissed off just ended up nolathaning both of them...take that strut mount! The rear struts are easy as pie to remove if you need to replace them Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pureboiracer 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2011 yeah i will do all that... all in good time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay 735i 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2011 I have just replaced everything on the front of my E32 and it's wonderful to drive now. I used the ebay kit as well, quality is very good. I got all the rear kit too, which I'll get around to fitting with the rear Bilstein Sports and H&R springs at some point... should be quite a sporty old bus at the end of that (Billies and H&Rs already on the front) My shimmy has gone, also had the brake judder too, the ball joints on the lower arms were rooted, so I assumed the braking force was able to move things around a bit too much and change the steering geometry (I am guess here though). What ever it was, the judder is also gone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sexy beast 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2011 Have just fitted the kit in the link to the e34, all shaking (and i mean this was serious shaking.) is now gone, all the bits i replaced where completely trashed. the kit comes with all the bits you need, and looks to be decent quality, everything fits exactly right and it drives a million times better now. Just wondering if you bought that kit on ebay. How much did it set you back delivered. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pureboiracer 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2011 Cant remember exact figure, was around $450 i think. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
