BM's got the Vibe

[ballistic]

Hi everyone, this is my first post and I'm afraid it's a bad one. I just got a E36 325i auto and it's got a moerse vibration coming from the back of the car towards the middle. Had it checked out by a BMW macki and he said it was the universal joint. But now I hear they cannot replace it and I have to buy a new or secondhand prop. The vibration comes in at about 20/30kmph and goes away at around 60/70kmph. Just want to know if u guys can maybe give ur opinion on this and if u guys know of a good place in CT that can sort it out for me. Oh one more thing, is it easy top take off?

I also don't have the front rubber coupling in between the prop and box. Must it be there?

 

[Twinz]

Welcome :thumbs:

You have come to the right place. There are plenty guys that can assist you but I think Freerider is your best help. Drop him a PM in case he does not see this post.

 

[Raybimmer]

Jack the car up and check the propshaft for play at the rear universal joint where the prop is bolted to the diff flange .There should be no or very little play in the universal joint . The front rubber coupling ( guibo ) must be there , if it is broken up and the rubber is missing between the six bolts you will have metal to metal contact and a noise and vibration .
The rear universal cannot be changed like on most bakkies . You may pick up a second hand prop shaft , it may need to be balanced in order to be vibration free .Best procedure if your uj is ok is to fit new guibo and centre carrier bearing to prop ,have it balanced and then fit .
You will need to loosen exhaust system at bottom of both manifolds ( do not break studs ) ,loosen in the middle and the bracket on each side of rear box .Pull exhaust out of the way then remove heat cover that is between exhaust and body . Loosen bolts on guibo , then unbolt centre carrier bearing mounting ,then 4 bolts on diff flange .Remove prop and rework as needed .putting the exhaust back may be tricky you may need to put back box on blocks to align front flange bolts .Good luck .

 

[ballistic]

Thank u Twinz for the reply and Raybimmer for the mini propshaft removal manual. Very step by step. It seems like quite a mission this. I repair computers for a living so pls be patient with me. LOL. Read through the manual and there is lots of talk about lining it up once all is done and not to use the same studs. Is this an issue or can I use the same studs on it again?. Starting this morning and will let u guys know wots happening. TY!

 

[FaSTandFurious]

I would take it to someone who does this for a living if I were you :=):

 

[Raybimmer]

Bolts M12 by 55 mm long are cheap , best to replace as your bolt heads may be rounded and spanner slips and :argh::argh: words fly . Pity you too far away , would have offered some labour .

 

[moranor@axis]

im replying to your pm not sure what thread to use but this seems the best to me...

is it a high frequency or low frequency vibration? does it happen all the time at the speeds mentioned or more under deceleration... ect

 

[ballistic]

Hi, low frequency and it happens all the time but goes away when I take my foot off the juice.

 

[moranor@axis]

low frequency means its probably at the diff or after... have all the diff bushes looked at or replaced 1st...

if you sure it comes from the middle of the car i would replace the prop centre bearing and have the universal inspected while the prop is off...