on the hunt for noise from the rear....suspension?

[e34.535i.sport]

Hey Sam,

I had exactly what you describe a while back. More than likely the antiroll bar link (aka sway bar link aka stabilizer link) has had its day! Not expensive to buy and a relatively nice job to do yourself if you don't mind using as bit of elbow grease :)

I changed both sides at the time because if one has gone the other will soon follow. If you need any directions on how to change it just ask... Get under and have a look, it looks like this... (It's #6)

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD12&mospid=47382&btnr=33_0283&hg=33&fg=45

HTH.

[bigtallsam]

hi all hope your well, maybe one of you can offer some advice

i seem to have a bit of nooise from i think the rear suspension

rhd uk m50 - noise seems to come from rear left passenger side

accelerating decelerating = ok
braking = ok

seems to happen whilst driving over little bumps, manhole covers, etc

sounds like a little rattly knock almost like a when a tracking rod is worn loose at the front

initially i thought something was loose in the boot/trunk so have removed everything! trim covers, tools, carpets, spare wheel, chexked the trunk lid struts weren't loose...... everything obvious that could make a noise??

seems like its coming from the suspension but its weird. doesn't sound like anything major is loose or worn as i said above large bumps in the road don't do it accelerating and brakingdoesn't cause it... had look at the tyre/wheel and theres no uneven wear on the tyre going on and the brakes don't appear loose.. thought it sounded like loose pads at first but the noise only seems to be heard through the inside of the car

sorry for waffling on, any ideas would be fantastic.. if anyone has had a similar thing and found it was something silly PLEASE let me know

regards as always

s

[e34.535i.sport]

many many thanks for the reply!

i'll have a looke after work, do you think it'll feel worn loose clunky if i give it a wiggle - just so i deffo know its the link that's on it's way out?

thanks again

s

Hey Sam,

I couldn't get mine to reproduce the noise by hand but I could see all kinds of cracks in the rubber bushing where the link fits on to the anti-roll bar.

BTW are those M-Pars I see?... They look awesome...

P.S Does the noise sound like it comes from down low or up high? If it's down low i'd say 95% its the links.

[bigtallsam]

many many thanks for the reply!

i'll have a looke after work, do you think it'll feel worn loose clunky if i give it a wiggle - just so i deffo know its the link that's on it's way out?

thanks again

s

[bigtallsam]

yeah m-pars but copies from the local ricer shop.

i would deffo say its under the car rather than up int the top of the suspension but it's quite hard to isolate properly when driving along, like i said before sound a little like the noise you get from a loose tracking rod end when they go at the front.

i'll have a scoot underneath when i finish work

thanks so much for the info

s

[bigtallsam]

just managed to have a look underneath and the links do look pretty cracked up!

i'll be ringing 'peter michaels' in the morn to order a new set

hope it cures it - thanks for the advice i'll let you know how it goes

p.s. really need/want to get her lowered!!

s

[healtoeit]

p.s. really need/want to get her lowered!!
For Looks or performance?
If it is looks then this might not matter
If you want to reduce the lean of the car in a corner, get upgraded anti-sway bars

[bigtallsam]

to be honest, for looks really

i love the handling on this car, best i've ever had, thats why i've not risked lowering him/her. don't wanna spoil it. i wouldn't have said that body roll is an isue/problem.

damn! i just talked myself outta it.... again!

lol

s

[healtoeit]

damn! i just talked myself outta it.... again!

lol sorry! :D

I would look into the sways, really makes the car more comfortable

[Tiger]

Sway bar link can cause that noise... however, don't overlook the dogbones aka rear pitman arm. On E34, I would say dogbones have more chances of making noises than sway bar links.

I worked on it so I have a good feel for this stuff.

For the front, if you hit a hard bump or pothole and the front end klunks or sounds like you bottomed out, it is the sway bar links in the front.

Do all 4 corners and the car will feel amazingly tight! Like a new car again.

[e34.535i.sport]

DOH! just found it 'pitman'

how hard are these to replace, compared to the sway bar links

s

The Pitmans are actually easier but if I remember correctly one side is p*ss and the other side is a bit fiddly but not hard to do. The pitmans are more expensive to buy but if you can do the lot at the same time, you'll feel much better about it.

[e34.535i.sport]

just found this link to a vid in an older thread - i'm off to have a look underneath now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GEO6Ynwqmc

s

Quality video whoever wrote that script is a genius! "Questions?!" LOL.

Hopefully yours won't be as bad as his! :p

[bigtallsam]

hi there!

not sure what you mean by pitman arm - do you mean trailing arm?

any chance u could post a pic from realoem?

regards

s

[bigtallsam]

DOH! just found it 'pitman'

how hard are these to replace, compared to the sway bar links

s

[bigtallsam]

just found this link to a vid in an older thread - i'm off to have a look underneath now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GEO6Ynwqmc

s

[Tiger]

That's the dogbone!

[Tiger]

Not hard at all... it is must faster with an impact gun... otherwise, you need a breaker bar, ratchet and conbination wrench... I think it is like 22mm.

[Tiger]

Dogbones are easy to change. Just jack car up as usual and support the car with jack stand. The only thing pain in the ass is getting the bolt off... I used impact gun and combination wrench so it was fast and painless.

Otherwiise, you have to have a breaker bar to loosen the nut and then use ratchet to take it out. Combination wrench is required to hold the bolt while you are loosening.

Nothing will move out of place when you remove it. I jacked it up and let the wheel hang loose. I also removed the wheels for easy access.

The sway bar links are more pain in the ass but with two floor jacks... it is quite easy to do.

[wiggy1406]

I've had exactly this problem....looks like it's under the car /......again!

[wiggy1406]

Sway bar link can cause that noise... however, don't overlook the dogbones aka rear pitman arm. On E34, I would say dogbones have more chances of making noises than sway bar links.

I worked on it so I have a good feel for this stuff.

For the front, if you hit a hard bump or pothole and the front end klunks or sounds like you bottomed out, it is the sway bar links in the front.

Do all 4 corners and the car will feel amazingly tight! Like a new car again.

just Checked my dog bones....and the one where the noise is coming from is loose and bushes worn.....is it just a case of removeing the two bolts and replaceing bushes and bones ....bently manual doesn't go into detail....i.e is something going to ping off and collapse the rear suspension?


Mike

[healtoeit]

just Checked my dog bones....and the one where the noise is coming from is loose and bushes worn.....is it just a case of removeing the two bolts and replaceing bushes and bones ....bently manual doesn't go into detail....i.e is something going to ping off and collapse the rear suspension?

Yea just make sure you have the suspension supported when you do this, Nothing will fall but it will be easier to put them back in.
It is a simple task but a major pain in the ass imo.

[wiggy1406]

Yea just make sure you have the suspension supported when you do this, Nothing will fall but it will be easier to put them back in.
It is a simple task but a major pain in the ass imo.

Thanks

As i have so far replace the radiator, head and gasket, distributor and rotor and timing belt and tensioner......i'm getting used to pain in the ass evolutions!!

Mike

[e34.535i.sport]

The sway bar links are more pain in the ass but with two floor jacks... it is quite easy to do.

I changed mine fairly easily using one stand, just done one side at a time. The only difficult part is removing the bush-end of the old links. I used the old trusty hand saw.

[Tiger]

Don't even need to go that far. You spray some WD-40 or penetrating fluid and it will slip right off with prybar.

Clean up the WD-40 before installing new links... and I used dishwashing liquid or Windex and soak the link and it slips right in... with some effort.

WD40 and any oil will eat the rubber... so be careful!

[e34.535i.sport]

Don't even need to go that far. You spray some WD-40 or penetrating fluid and it will slip right off with prybar.


I wish mine would have! I tried this for some time but didn't get anywhere... The ends of the bar had crusted up making them bigger than the hole in the links. Even after sanding it down I couldn't shift the little blighters with the trusty pry-pry!

The washing up liquid was a must for me too when getting the new ones on... I wouldn't even attempt to do it without it! I used fairy... Softer on hands and bushes.

[Tiger]

Don't you have online auto supply to buy from in UK?

[wiggy1406]

Anyone know where in the UK i can get the dogbones and bushes??

Mike

[bigtallsam]

just picked up a pair of both this afternoon from

http://www.peter-michaels.com/

£48 for both sets - pitman and sway

probanaly not the cheapest? but had em in stock

regards

s

[e34.535i.sport]

just picked up a pair of both this afternoon from

http://www.peter-michaels.com/

£48 for both sets - pitman and sway

probanaly not the cheapest? but had em in stock

regards

s

Great stuff - let us know how you get on fitting and if it resolves your problem I hope it does because htose clunks are really annoying!

[bigtallsam]

job done!

took a little longer than expected - took ages to get the sway/roll links off!

any way she's back on the floor, just gonna have some tea then i'll take her out for a run

p.s. gave the rear wings a push down and she does feel a lot stiffer already and i swear she's sitting a little taller at the rear!!??

regards

s

[e34.535i.sport]

oh bugger! can i say bugger on here?

just been out for a quick spin

still got the noise!!!!!!!!

so.......

i went to a little country road near me which is cobbled. took her out of gear and let her slowly coast downhill and i think the noise is actually coming from sorta behind the rear seat?

right hand drive uk

noise from passenger rear

had a search round the forum and my next thing to look at seems to be upper shock mount from what i can find - does this seem right?

i can see the top of the suspension through the boot/trunk but not much am i right in thinking i can get better access by removing the rear seat back?

any advice greatly appreciated!

p.s. it was sooo worth doing the pitman and sway links, the rest of the drive felt like a new car! i don't understand it. one of the pitmans was very gone but the sway links only seemed a bit loose. i'd be really really happy if the noise had gone away.....

s

Sorry to hear that Sam, but on the bright side the parts you changed would have needed doing sooner or later so it's out of the way now.

This is exactly the reason I asked earlier on in the thread whether the noise was coming from down low or up high! It's so hard to tell sometimes.

Rear shock mounts could definitley be the culprit... I had a similar noise then too when mine were gone but also a PING when going on and off curbs etc but mine were REALLY bad! Check out this thread written by a rather knowledgable chap (LOL! :D ). http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=35703&highlight=shock+mount+procedure

Your best bet is to get a look at them. You do need to take the rear seat back off to see the top of them. You can also jack up the back of the car and get a torch up there to see the condition of the bottom half. I could see mine were fooked from there.

Not a bad job at all really just takes a bit of time. If you got the sways and pitmans done ok you can do this... Luckily the mounts for the rear are relatively cheap in comparison to the fronts... I bought some recently and they wanted £60+VAT each for them! Needless to say I didn't pay that price.

[Tiger]

Two possible culprits... one is rear speaker mount... yes, it can cause a rattle... Other one is Upper shock mount. Have someone sit in the back while you drive to see if that is the case. With the rear speaker cover out... you could almost hear it.

[bigtallsam]

oh bugger! can i say bugger on here?

just been out for a quick spin

still got the noise!!!!!!!!

so.......

i went to a little country road near me which is cobbled. took her out of gear and let her slowly coast downhill and i think the noise is actually coming from sorta behind the rear seat?

right hand drive uk

noise from passenger rear

had a search round the forum and my next thing to look at seems to be upper shock mount from what i can find - does this seem right?

i can see the top of the suspension through the boot/trunk but not much am i right in thinking i can get better access by removing the rear seat back?

any advice greatly appreciated!

p.s. it was sooo worth doing the pitman and sway links, the rest of the drive felt like a new car! i don't understand it. one of the pitmans was very gone but the sway links only seemed a bit loose. i'd be really really happy if the noise had gone away.....

s

[mamilapon]

Is it true that the Pitman arm is actually bent one way...just slightly?

[bigtallsam]

update, ride is deffo much better, car feels lot more stable at the back even thought i thought it was ok before

have also cured some of the noise from the back i just need to find where the noise is still coming from, think i'll take the seat back off the eve and leave it out the car on the way to work and back tommorrow after having a look at the top mounts, i reckon if the noise seems alot more noticable it's gotta be that? it's coming from the passenger side which i think over the years has had more work/wear coz it's closer to the kerb.....?

the hunt goes on!

regards and thanks for all the info so far

s

[Tiger]

Don't remember but I don't think it is bent at all.

[Tiger]

Tighten up that nut and see if it does the trick. Make sure you hold the shaft still while tightening.

[bigtallsam]

took the back seats out and removed the two caps that cover the top mounts

went for a drive....

with the covers removed the big washer at the top makes a pinging/ringing sound?

i was also surprised at how much travel the top mounts have in them, even without going over v large bumps there seems to be a good inch of stretch in the top bushes when i glance over my shoulder whilst driving

i think the noise is coming from where the shock/strut meets the top mount...

any thoughts or advice?


p.s. my new dogbones appeared perfectly straight i did check the old ones when i took em off to see if they where...'directional'? but it seems not.

regards

s

[bigtallsam]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/btsam/05062008112.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/btsam/05062008113.jpg

[bigtallsam]

not had chance to go for a test drive yet but i soooo hope the noise has gone!!


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/btsam/10062008114.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/btsam/10062008115.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/btsam/10062008116.jpg

big big thanks to all who helped advise especially e34.535i.sport your "how to" was a great help

fingers crossed

regards

sam

[Tiger]

Darn! I never seen anything like your car... Must be your climate zone that has extreme weather condition to do that to your car. Be sure to change your front sway bar link also... you car will be rock solid again after all this work.

[bigtallsam]

hi all, hope your well

having successfully replaced pitman arms, sway bar links and upper shock mounts i was nearly crying behind the wheel last night on a test drice beacuse my knocking is STILL there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

don't get me wrong i'm well pleased with the results so far as the back of the car feels a lot better

jacked her back up this morning to check/tighten bits and bobs but noticed while the subframe was supported on jacks that the subframe bushes are shot to pieces - literally!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/btsam/11062008117.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/btsam/11062008118.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/btsam/11062008119.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/btsam/11062008120.jpg

don't think i can bring myself to do this job so i'm off to get a price for the work

s

[e34.535i.sport]

We've all been there, although I hate it when that happens!

Those Sub bushes are toast! I thought mine were bad when I got them out, but yours take the biscuit. It's surprising that you didn't get any knocking noises when taking off and stopping rather than just over rough surfaces...

The job is ok if you approach it in the correct way. Have a look at this and learn from my mistakes! You will save some cash if you do it yourself, especially as you have already bought other parts etc...

http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35718&highlight=replacing+rear+subframe

[bigtallsam]

thats what wprries me a little

i don't think i get the noise when taking of or braiking etc - i've read the classic symptoms on here and beyond

everything else underneath looks prettu good barring the subframe bushes

really hope it's them causing it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

s