Car shakes at anything over 120Km/hr!?!?

[AWD_Guy]

Car is fine till 120m, after that it shakes, cowl shake...

Replaced the front control arm bushings, Im hoping the previous owner did the shock mounts when replacing the rear shocks, but I would NOT be surprised if they didnt.

Any other ideas? tranny bushings or something along those lines?

 

[Kirby]

This is frequently caused by the Guibo (transmission to drive shaft flex disk) or the drive shaft center bearing hanger. Both are made of rubber and dry rot and fail with age. It's a good idea to replace both at the same time.

 

[Big Daddy]

m=what, if your doing 120m per minute that your car shakes at 4.4 miles per hour? Than again if your going 120m/s your car shakes at 268.4 mph? Or is it 120km and your car is shaking at 74.56 miles per hoour?

Could be your flex disc, driveshaft, or other items. Where is the shake most evident, steering wheel, brake pedal while braking, shifter?

 

[AWD_Guy]

Guess the KM/hr wasn't specific enuff in the topic title, heh? lol

The shake happens when driving over 120KM/hr, no shake while braking, no shake in the steering hweel, just a shake/vibration once I get over that 120km/hr mark.

 

[AWD_Guy]

This is frequently caused by the Guibo (transmission to drive shaft flex disk) or the drive shaft center bearing hanger. Both are made of rubber and dry rot and fail with age. It's a good idea to replace both at the same time.

Is this something I can do on my own, or does the tranny need to be dropped to access these hangers?

 

[Kirby]

On a scale of 1 (easy) to 5 (hard) this is a 2 - 3 in my opinion. I have done this on an E36. You do not have to drop the transmission. Assuming the E30 is similar to the E36, from memory, this should be roughly the procedure:
- Remove the exhaust system
- Remove the under-car heat shields
- Mark flange and drive shaft halves so you reassemble the same way. This is a balanced assembly.
- Loosen the nuts at the Guibo/transmission flange
- Loosen the slip collar in the drive shaft and compress the drive shaft
- remove Guibo
- Pull drive shaft apart
- Loose and remove bearing hangar assembly
- reassemble using the marks you made previously

The biggest hassle is some of the close working clearances around the guibo, and these bolts are tight. I suggest having a torque wrench for reassembly. Anytime you work on a balanced, rotating assembly, incorrectly torqued bolts can come loose or cause vibrations.

 

[Big Daddy]

Here is a DIY for E30's flex disc replacement from Pelican Parts.

 

[AWD_Guy]

Cool, thanks for the reply guys.

Looking at buying the stuff from bavauto...and they have 3 flex discs for an 88-325IX...how do I know which one is right for my car?

This is what is listed...??

Flex Disc - Front Driveshaft - guessing this is for the front and does not apply
Part # : 26 20 1 701 094

Flex Disc - 6 Hole - diameter = 135mm between transmission and transfer case
Part # : 26 11 1 209 168

Flex Disc - 6 Hole - diameter = 110mm - Flat Sides rear driveshaft
Part # : 26 11 1 225 624

 

[Big Daddy]

Arizona AutoHaus only lists one under driveline and they sell is for $38.25.

 

[Big Daddy]

Here is a drawing of the related parts:

 

[AWD_Guy]

Arizona AutoHaus only lists one under driveline and they sell is for $38.25.

hmmm, same part # as the last one in my list, but I think the car will go up on the hoist to make sure before I place my order.

Thanks again!

 

[Kirby]

If you're not familiar with realoem.com, check it out. You can get all the exact diagrams and part numbers for your car from the BMW database.

 

[MMLJTIGER]

Shake @ 120km/h

Hi there,

Just a simple Q? When is the last time you had the wheels balanced?

Just a thought,
Tiger

 

[AWD_Guy]

Hi there,

Just a simple Q? When is the last time you had the wheels balanced?

Just a thought,
Tiger

Last winter.

 

[E30m42cab]

Im hoping the previous owner did the shock mounts when replacing the rear shocks, but I would NOT be surprised if they didnt.

Blown rear shock mount would not cause this problem.

Last winter.

yeah, but one might have fallen off since... I know you don't feel it in your steering wheel, so it could be one of the rear tires.

 

[AWD_Guy]

It was my wheel, one rim had a huge bend in it, it was bad.

Now I need to find a winter wheel, and nobody carries one around here.

 

[Doughnut]

nobody carries one around here.

lol, i just pictured someone walking around on the street carrying your "winter wheel"
But yes, try getting your wheels balenced first - start small and work your way to the flex disk, have you though about it maybe being your trans mounts?

 

[E30m42cab]

What's wrong with your spare tire/rim?