535i concern

[LAXman2205]

I have a 1989 535i and just recently within the past week I have noticed that it has been ideling very rougly and as I am sitting in the seat the whole car is shaking, its like sitting in an old truck. Also one day I was in a hurry and did not give it a chance to warmup a bit, put it in first and started off but noticed that the car had like short bursts of a tugging motion while going uphill. But once it is warmed up there is no more surging. It never used to do any of this and I am starting to get concerned. I have also noticed that as I am coming to a stop and downshift to second gear to slow down there is a loud clicking/ticking noise. Im feeling 2 different problems here but any idea about this?

[Robin-535im]

It's hard to tell for sure, could be lots of things.

How long has it been since the last tune up? Plugs, valve adjustment, thorough cleaning of the idle control valve / throttle body, air cleaner, would all be good things to cross off the list first. Plug wires and rotor are nice too but don't fail all that often and are pretty pricey, so I'd put that off until the easy stuff is accounted for.

After that, check for vacuum leaks. There have been multiple posts (none of which I have bookmarked of course) that discuss where and how to find vac leaks on the M30.

After THAT, I'd check on the operation of temperature sensors, and perhaps replace the 02 sensor if it's more than 80k miles old or so.

Regarding the ticking... does is sound like a motor noise, i.e., does it change with the RPM of the motor, or with the road speed, how does clutch in/out change it, etc? It it metallic, and from where does it appear to be coming?

HTH,

Robin

[Gayle]

You have gotten a lot of suggestions from Robin. You can report back on this thread what you did and if it solved the problem.

FYI--a lot of people here will not respond to a post that does not have the profile filled out and things like mileage, build date, location, mods, etc. If you end up needing more help, I would suggest you complete the profile and signature line.

.

[LAXman2205]

Ok....as for the ticking noise it is when I am letting the clutch out and it only makes the noise above about 2,800 rpms, below that you cant really hear it, the higher the rpm the louder the ticking. This is only when downshifting though.......when cruising there is no ticking. As for where it is coming from, there is no way to tell really.,