Vibration in '90 535i

[hlenoble]

My 1990 535i has a (fairly light) vibration from about 50 - 65 Mph. I just put new wheels and tires on the car, and that had no effect on the vibration. The vibration is not felt specifically through the steering wheel, rather is is non-specific in nature. It happens in any gear and even in neutral, at the speeds I indicated.

I am going to replace the upper and lower control arms and sway bar ends as general maintenance, but based on my experience with my '95 530i and my '89 535iA I don't think that is the problem. I am thinking that it may be driveshaft related. I also think that a caliper in the rear may be hanging up slightly, could that be a cause? What do you experts think? Is there anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks in advance for your help.
- Hal

[Jon K]

My 1990 535i has a (fairly light) vibration from about 50 - 65 Mph. I just put new wheels and tires on the car, and that had no effect on the vibration. The vibration is not felt specifically through the steering wheel, rather is is non-specific in nature. It happens in any gear and even in neutral, at the speeds I indicated.

I am going to replace the upper and lower control arms and sway bar ends as general maintenance, but based on my experience with my '95 530i and my '89 535iA I don't think that is the problem. I am thinking that it may be driveshaft related. I also think that a caliper in the rear may be hanging up slightly, could that be a cause? What do you experts think? Is there anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks in advance for your help.
- Hal


Its got to be the control arm bushings... got with 750i bushings... it shouldn't be driveshaft related as you said it remains shaky when in neutral...

[Julius]

When you put ur wheels on do they move around a bit on the hub? Because i did the whole bushing and arm thing and had no success till i got hub centric rings for the new wheels.

[Mr Project]

Just as an FYI, the driveshaft does not stop spinning when in neutral. Vibration in neutral while coasting does not totally rule out the driveshaft, though it is less likely.

[JonE]

Hal,
Please let us know whether replacing the control arms and sway bar ends fixes your problem.

[hlenoble]

When you put ur wheels on do they move around a bit on the hub? Because i did the whole bushing and arm thing and had no success till i got hub centric rings for the new wheels.

No, the wheels are correctly fitted, and the vibration existed with the original wheels and tires as well. Thanks for the thought.

[hlenoble]

Its got to be the control arm bushings... got with 750i bushings... it shouldn't be driveshaft related as you said it remains shaky when in neutral...

Jon, I am replacing the upper and lower control arms and sway bar ends next week. I have the parts, complete with the 750i bushings. I did the job a short time ago on my '89 535i and it was fairly simple and the handling improvement was incredible. The '89 front end was in MUCH worse shape than the '90 and didn't have the same vibration, which is why I'm not sure if that will fix the problem

[Jon K]

Jon, I am replacing the upper and lower control arms and sway bar ends next week. I have the parts, complete with the 750i bushings. I did the job a short time ago on my '89 535i and it was fairly simple and the handling improvement was incredible. The '89 front end was in MUCH worse shape than the '90 and didn't have the same vibration, which is why I'm not sure if that will fix the problem

sounds good, I wouldn't be too concerned with the vibration not "feeling" the same as the suspension parts may be in different stages of failure. Good luck with the bushings/control arms, let us know how it goes.

[hlenoble]

My 1990 535i has a (fairly light) vibration from about 50 - 65 Mph. I just put new wheels and tires on the car, and that had no effect on the vibration. The vibration is not felt specifically through the steering wheel, rather is is non-specific in nature. It happens in any gear and even in neutral, at the speeds I indicated.

I am going to replace the upper and lower control arms and sway bar ends as general maintenance, but based on my experience with my '95 530i and my '89 535iA I don't think that is the problem. I am thinking that it may be driveshaft related. I also think that a caliper in the rear may be hanging up slightly, could that be a cause? What do you experts think? Is there anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks in advance for your help.
- Hal

So, I replaced the upper and lower control arms today as well as the sway bar ends. Total job took only 2 hours start to finish - it's nice that I practiced on my '89 535iA about 8 weeks ago...

BUT, the vibration that I originally posted about still exists. It is not felt specifically through the steering wheel, rather it is felt throughout the car. As the wheel and tires, and most of the front end is new, I am back to my original question regarding the driveshaft. How do I troubleshoot that? What should I be looking for?

[mikemaster]

Are you sure that one of the back wheels aren't bent or out of balance? That would cause a vibration that you would feel through the seat, as opposed to through the steering wheel.

[hlenoble]

Are you sure that one of the back wheels aren't bent or out of balance? That would cause a vibration that you would feel through the seat, as opposed to through the steering wheel.

I thought about that before I bought the new wheels and tires, but now they are brand new, and were balanced.

[Bellicose Right Winger]

If you don't feel it through the steering wheel then I doubt it's a front end component. I wouldn't replace upper control arm bushings until I had a steering wheel vibration or a banging noise when abruptly standing on brakes at 20-30mph. I had a droning/vibration noise at 40-45 mph and again at 60-65mph in my (then) new-to-me '90 535ia w/110K. Turns out the both trans mounts were deformed, one was broken and both had compressed to about 3/8" shorter then the new ones, due to age and exposere to exhaust heat I suspect. This apparently changed the driveshaft angle slightly and when combined with u-joints that had a limited range of smooth movement, resulted in the droning noise. The rubber outer ring of the center bearing had taken a set so the drive shaft wasn't centered in the bearing housing. I installed new mounts and a new center bearing and now it's quiet again. This was a whole lot cheaper then a rebuilt driveshaft. 20K miles later everything is silent.

Paul Shovestul



My 1990 535i has a (fairly light) vibration from about 50 - 65 Mph. I just put new wheels and tires on the car, and that had no effect on the vibration. The vibration is not felt specifically through the steering wheel, rather is is non-specific in nature. It happens in any gear and even in neutral, at the speeds I indicated.

I am going to replace the upper and lower control arms and sway bar ends as general maintenance, but based on my experience with my '95 530i and my '89 535iA I don't think that is the problem. I am thinking that it may be driveshaft related. I also think that a caliper in the rear may be hanging up slightly, could that be a cause? What do you experts think? Is there anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks in advance for your help.
- Hal

[Hector]

was irreplaceable, and you had to replace the entire driveshaft to replace the bearing? I know that if you pre-load the center bearing too much, you could wind up with pre-mature rubber cracking/failure. I was told that the rubber disc is a pretty thin membrane....


If you don't feel it through the steering wheel then I doubt it's a front end component. I wouldn't replace upper control arm bushings until I had a steering wheel vibration or a banging noise when abruptly standing on brakes at 20-30mph. I had a droning/vibration noise at 40-45 mph and again at 60-65mph in my (then) new-to-me '90 535ia w/110K. Turns out the both trans mounts were deformed, one was broken and both had compressed to about 3/8" shorter then the new ones, due to age and exposere to exhaust heat I suspect. This apparently changed the driveshaft angle slightly and when combined with u-joints that had a limited range of smooth movement, resulted in the droning noise. The rubber outer ring of the center bearing had taken a set so the drive shaft wasn't centered in the bearing housing. I installed new mounts and a new center bearing and now it's quiet again. This was a whole lot cheaper then a rebuilt driveshaft. 20K miles later everything is silent.

Paul Shovestul

[Bellicose Right Winger]

Hector, it's DIY replaceable. You need to remove a hidden bolt to disassemble a splined joint in the driveshaft. It's important you mark the orientation so it u-joints go back together with the same phasing and you don't disturb the balancing. Yes the membrane is thin. Mine had taken a set, from 14 years of heat and supporting the weight of the driveshaft I suppose, so the bearing was no longer in the center of the metal ring/bracket that goes around the outside of the thin membrane. The sagging transmission mounts which lowered the front end of the driveshaft may have contributed to my center bearing problem.

Paul Shovestul



was irreplaceable, and you had to replace the entire driveshaft to replace the bearing? I know that if you pre-load the center bearing too much, you could wind up with pre-mature rubber cracking/failure. I was told that the rubber disc is a pretty thin membrane....

[hlenoble]

Hector, it's DIY replaceable. You need to remove a hidden bolt to disassemble a splined joint in the driveshaft. It's important you mark the orientation so it u-joints go back together with the same phasing and you don't disturb the balancing. Yes the membrane is thin. Mine had taken a set, from 14 years of heat and supporting the weight of the driveshaft I suppose, so the bearing was no longer in the center of the metal ring/bracket that goes around the outside of the thin membrane. The sagging transmission mounts which lowered the front end of the driveshaft may have contributed to my center bearing problem.

Paul Shovestul

Thanks for the great info. I suppose then that my next step will be to look into the driveshaft as you recommend. I'll keep everyone informed.

[Bellicose Right Winger]

Hal,
Long distance diagnosis is difficult....I was offering encouragement to look elsewhere then the front end. I should had mentioned I was able to narrow my problem to driveshaft by putting rear of car on jackstands and running car to speed ranges where droning/vibration occured. Shifting into neutral and coasting through speed range helped me eliminate engine vibration as source. I did this with and without rear tires mounted to rule them out also. A sticking caliper and severely warped rotor "might" create a once-per-revolution pulse that feels like a vibration. While car is on jackstands you could retract caliper pistons to rule this out as cause. Your problem seems unusual in that it occurs over such a large speed range. Does your vibration go away above 65mph or does it continue to worsen?

Paul Shovestul



Thanks for the great info. I suppose then that my next step will be to look into the driveshaft as you recommend. I'll keep everyone informed.

[jimbob]

where do u get the rings from

[hlenoble]

Hal,
Long distance diagnosis is difficult....I was offering encouragement to look elsewhere then the front end. I should had mentioned I was able to narrow my problem to driveshaft by putting rear of car on jackstands and running car to speed ranges where droning/vibration occured. Shifting into neutral and coasting through speed range helped me eliminate engine vibration as source. I did this with and without rear tires mounted to rule them out also. A sticking caliper and severely warped rotor "might" create a once-per-revolution pulse that feels like a vibration. While car is on jackstands you could retract caliper pistons to rule this out as cause. Your problem seems unusual in that it occurs over such a large speed range. Does your vibration go away above 65mph or does it continue to worsen?

Paul Shovestul

Paul,

I understand about long distance diagnosis, and I appreciate all of your help. Yes, the vibration does go away over 65. I have determined that my left front caliper is sticking, and I am ordering a replacement today. The rotor seems not to be warped, and looks new in fact (I bought the car about a month ago so I can't be sure). I am going to replace the caliper before I do anything else, but I do think that we are on the right track with the driveshaft guibo. I will keep you informed.

- Hal