M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: jdirty on May 31, 2011, 12:48:25 AM
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i was driving my e30 again lately and i noticed that whenever i go beyond 3500 rpm.. roughly 75mph.. (i'm not really sure about the speed coz my speedo is broken) the car would shake so bad it would almost feel like it's going to fall apart. if i slow down, the car would calm down. aside from that, the car also pulls to the right. last thing i did was replaced the front calipers, rotors and pads. could i have fucked the alignment..? and another the car would jolt. when going into reverse and then stopping, the car would seem to jolt as if giving you a mini whiplash effect. in either going reverse or forward.
can't really go under the car yet due to injury but what do you guys suspect?
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Does the crazy vibration only occur when you are moving at 75mph+, or any time your RPM is over 3500RPM? If it is only speed-dependent, it sounds like an unbalanced driveshaft. Have you had the 2 halve separated recently? If you don't put them back together EXACTLY like they originally were, then it is out of balance. It is usually easy to fix...there are usually painted alignment marks covered in dirt.
It might also be the driveshaft support bearing/bushing, or the guibo.
It could also be a wheel bearing, but that seems less likely. Check that all wheels spin freely to rule out brakes. If one wheel has a lot more dust than the other, that is also a hint of a seized caliper.
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it is actually strictly on 75+ mph speeds and over 3500 rpm is pushing it.. higher than that.. the car would seem to be running on a bed of small rocks. i have no clue what the previous owner tried to do when he had it but ever since, it has always been that way with the shuddering. you know what i actually replaced the calipers.. because the previous owner didn't know they were seized and so did i until a replaced the calipers and rotors.
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Hmm, in that case I'd investigate the driveshaft. See if you can ask him if he had the halves separated. I made that mistake once, years ago. It made the car feel like it was going to vibrate itself to death when I drive 35MPH or more though (I had the halves really disoriented).
Are you saying that if you were in neutral and revved the motor above 3500RPM, or were over 3500RPM in 2nd gear that the car also stammers? Or is this strictly at 75mph, regardless of engine speed? If it happens ONLY when moving at 75mph+, it sounds like it is probably just the driveshaft. Worst case, if the alignment marks are gone, some specialty shops can re-balance it for $100-150.
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the vibration would only happen in motion specifically 75mp / 3500+ rpm.
at a stand still, i can revv the engine as much as i want,
other gears than the 5th, the car is perfectly fine.
the 1st owner might have passed away 2nd owner said it was a really old guy.. 2nd owner said he just held onto the car (though i believe he fucked up the car),
i'm the 3rd. and recently found out it's a salvage.
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Sorry to be playing 20 questions. So if you go 75 mph in 4th gear (or push in the clutch & coast), everything is fine? If that's the case, then it is not an unbalanced driveshaft since that would be speed-dependent only.
If it is a salvage, it could be busted suspension bushings, motor mounts, tranny bushings, diff mount, driveshaft support bearing/bushing or a bent driveshaft. Unfortunately, you'll most likely need to get in there & really look around. Do the seams on the doors/hood/trunk look even & consistent?
If it requires both 75mph AND 3500RPM in 5th gear, I'd put my bet on trashed motor mounts, or tranny mounts.
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i haven't really noticed if i'm going 5k rpm in 4th gear... does that translate to 75 mph?
because i'm really not for sure what my speeds are most of the time.
(..only speeds i'm only familiar with is 35 mph/2.5 k rpm. 45 mph/2.2k rpm. 65mph/3.2k rpm. 75mph/3.5k rpm all these are just guesses and a cop telling me what speed i was doing at one point..)
only noticeable thing is passenger fender. the hood isn't straight particularly near the fender and also the top side being battered.
(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbnu8qeDYV1qb423o.jpg)
old fender semi close up when i replaced my lamps and painted my grilles.
(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgdwm3Qx0J1qb423o.jpg)
side view of the fender when i replaced rotors, calipers and pads.
(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcghbbfTfp1qb423o.jpg)
notice passenger side fender and hood aren't flush.
somebody mentioned before, somewhere that my lamps were way into the grille than normal?
i'll try going faster on 4th gear later to verify because i can't really remember how it was when i drove it home from CA. i remember gunning it and being on 4th gear majority of the time.. hmm.
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tried going 75+mph on 4th gear and there was no vibration. different issue but this morning.. the car started hesitating on low rpms. like its getting bogged down. sputtering to higher rpm. i opened the hood while the car was on neutral, gave it some gas ans i noticed on low rpm the engine was shaking. so the shaking is the motor mount but sputtering..? could that be cause by my faulty throttle cable..? i recently just repaced the o2 sensor, fuel pump, fuel filter and fpr. and 3 months back, the spark plugs. wtf! -_-
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Check the resistance on the AFM flap. I think it's pins 1 & 2. Should smoothly progress from high to low IIRC. Do you have the BMW books like the ETM and the Bentley e36?
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yep. did the whole resistance testing and came up with inconsistent values, up and down. so i popped it open and checked the carbon track. and sure enough its was like thinned out on the spots where resistance was off... long story short, i kinda fucked my afm. :)
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Interesting. I had a similar issue years ago, but it didn't seem to be quite as RPM dependent. Hopefully a "new" AFM will solve your issues!
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Seems like you're getting a lot closer on this one...good to hear.
Realign the resistor pickup heads if possible. I've only had the older ones apart, I heard the newer ones aren't quite so adjustable. Post some pics!
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i opened it again and last night then realized it had been tampered with. i guess the previous owner was already trying to remedy the afm. ground wire for the wiper arm was brittle. had to resolder a new one and double checked the tracks.. went to work this morning no change. but on my way home just now, i kept gunning the car on high rpms... and when i was nearing home the stumbling stopped but would still come up sometimes. i need a "new" afm for sure. -_-
makes me think because of the stumbling, it intensifies the worn out mounts and bushings of the car making everything vibrate even more. i'll still look into the drive shaft soon as i can crawl under it.
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i was driving my e30 again lately and i noticed that whenever i go beyond 3500 rpm.. roughly 75mph.. (i'm not really sure about the speed coz my speedo is broken) the car would shake so bad it would almost feel like it's going to fall apart. if i slow down, the car would calm down. aside from that, the car also pulls to the right. last thing i did was replaced the front rotors and pads. could i have fucked the alignment..? and another the car would jolt. when going into reverse and then stopping, the car would seem to jolt as if giving you a mini whiplash effect. in either going reverse or forward.
can't really go under the car yet due to injury but what do you guys suspect?
Check Break calipers and rotors on the right front side mine was doing this when the piston on the caliper was locking up. also it could be a ball joint. or wheels are unbalanced.
If you are in neutral on a hill and you cannot roll backwards its defiantly the calipers
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it's the ball joint from what i recall when i looked at it. i actually replaced my front calipers. just forgot to put it. i didn't think of the wheels being unbalanced. thanks.
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Any chance you can take a pic of the AFM guts? Maybe we could recommend a work-around.
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i already got a replacement afm. the old one, aside from a chip on the ceramic board.. the only repair for sure was if there was such thing as a filler for the ceramic track. well the "new" one didn't really help with the sputtering, i just put in some engine cleaner earlier and ran 91 octane, reverted back to the stock m42 airbox and after watching the hangover 2 with my fianceé tonight, the car went back to it's hesitation mostly on 2nd gear 2-3k rpm. and sometimes when i throttle too fast, i'm going to be replacing my throttle cable and icv in a couple days and see if it makes a difference, and i'll check my spark plugs later when i wake up.
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My car sputtered intermittently when an ignition coil went bad around 2006. Have you looked into that at all?
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when i got the car there were two new coils on it. i had no idea why it was only two and the other half looked original. i checked for spark on all four of them when i was trying to diagnose my hot start problem before.. but havent checked recently, i'm thinking of getting the cop kit. :D
edit: i have a feeling it's my coils. gonna test them later. -_-
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found out that spark plugs sockets 2 and 4 have oil in them. bummer. gotta order a valve cover gasket set. it'll take awhile.. but has anybody tried the non-fouler adapter things? how do they exactly work..? it's just like a sleeve so the oil won't go in? those i can get right away, i think even autozone has them. it's just that i've never used them before...
edit:
used two non foulers on cylinder 2 and 4. and never again will i. for starters, the car did not want to run or stay idle, as if it was on it's death bed.
then, i decided to take out those fucking non fouler crap, and they did not come out with the plugs. wtf.. had to go around looking for an 18 mm thin wall socket, and all of vegas did not have one. i kid you not. none was selling. and after going over my head with things with the car why it was hesitating was for obvious reasons, the spark plugs went bad. 3 of them. then i remembered the last time i changed them was 5 months ago. i even went to lengths of changing out the ecu, cleaning out the coil packs, checking for arcing, doubting my spark plug coils. but yeah.. it was just the spark plugs. period. -_-
now my real task/ dilemma:
order the ff:
new valve cover gasket set
profile gasket set
icv
throttle cable
thanks for all the input guys.
/thread
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yep. did the whole resistance testing and came up with inconsistent values, up and down. so i popped it open and checked the carbon track. and sure enough its was like thinned out on the spots where resistance was off... long story short, i kinda fucked my afm. :)
When you was doing resistance testing the resistance between 1&2 terminals was consistant or was changing according to the movement of flap? It would be useful to know.
(http://talpix.lt/?di=1XQ9)
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^ When I did this on my the other day, the resistance raises/changes steadily but then gets to a point, like mid point on the flap opening, where it goes back to the start as it lowers/changes steadily back. Like a pendulum. Goes up and then down. Is this normal?
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^ When I did this on my the other day, the resistance raises/changes steadily but then gets to a point, like mid point on the flap opening, where it goes back to the start as it lowers/changes steadily back. Like a pendulum. Goes up and then down. Is this normal?
Could you tell what values you was getting while testing resistance? Mine AFM behaves quite strange because it shows constant resistance between terminals 1&2 and only voltage changes when ignition is on.
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I thought I wrote them down but I didnt. I will have to do the test again. Hopefully someone can state the figures, if not, I will try to do it again.
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http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5098
Per figure 60 on page 6-61, you should see the resistance change smoothly between pins 1 & 2 as the door opens. It should only decrease as the door opens further. If it drops suddenly, or rises again at some point, it is busted.
Measure the output VOLTAGE between pins 2 & 5. It should increase as the door opens / air flow increases.
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Good, mine is working as it should.
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yeah i got a new afm which i tested and the other problem was fouled plugs. both of which causing hesitation with throttle response(bad afm) and stammering on higher rpm (fouled plugs.. felt extra noob after that.)
but alas i have a new issue.. :\
lately there’s been a coolant leak in the engine bay, more towards to front of the engine, a fine spray has been hitting the hood, the side of the airbox and the shroud. the expansion tank seems to be bloated when i reach halfway temp on the gauge. i’ve inspected the plastic hose by the side of the block and that seems to be pretty solid. i gotta get my engine steam cleaned to see where the leak shoots out of.
one of the theories were that the head gasket was blown and that exhaust fumes are pressurizing the cooling system forcing the coolant to go out somewhere. probable due to the bloated expansion tank and upper rad hose.
second one was, the water pump going bad and also the seals down there.
third would be a clogged radiator.
if it was the first, we’d definitely need to pull the head have it machined and shit, have it pressure tested. and hope it’s fine. if not i’m gonna have to hunt for a new m42 head which is difficult. if i were lucky enough to score a used head, pressure tested if i’m extremely lucky, then i can go ahead and also replace other seals, timing components, cam gears and what nots and keep the engine.
with all of that being said, the cost may end up totally to used e30, or an S5x or M5x swap. as much as i want to keep an m42 for it’s torquee ness and gas saving abilities.. the baby six swaps and the big six seem tempting given the budget range.
suggestions?
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Hmmm, if the head-gasket theory you have is true, that would be a lot of work. Does your expansion tank change size visibly as the car warms up? Mine always looked a little bloated, but it was that way at all temperatures.
I think that if you were had a head gasket leak like that, you would be burning a lot of coolant. 2 of the 4 strokes would be pulling coolant into the cylinder. I would place my money on a pinhole leak in one of the radiator hoses, particularly the upper/feed line since it is right there next to the air box. Can you get the car warmed up & rev the motor while looking around, or is the hole too small?
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i checked this morning and the expansion tank does already look bloated as it is even with the engine cold. i tried the revving method on operating temp hoping i'd see something but nothing shot out or squirted. i guess i really have to clean the block and see where the leak starts.
no garage + vegas weather = extra crispy dehydration -_-
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i did my valve cover and spark plug socket gaskets yesterday... and found out i have coolant in socket #2... ughh
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i don't really know what i'm looking at here. maybe it's something quite obvious for experienced people, but this is my first time openin up an engine. i do know how to take things apart and put it back the way they were.. but i don't know what i'm looking at right now. (http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i471/_jdirty/12b9a795.jpg)
i may have been hasty with pulling the head off just because of coolant in the spark plug socket even after doin new valve cover gaskets. no compression tests or leakdown tests were done so i wouldn't be surprised if people start shaking their heads or fists at me. lol
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I'd assume that coolant in a SP socket is due to a crack in the head, in the socket. Other than that, I don't see too much going on with the head gasket (a blown HG wouldn't put coolant in the SP socket anyway).
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that sucks. has that ever happened to you.? haven't gotten the head pressure tested but do you think it could be repaired..? i remembered that this same socket i ha a hell of a time taking off the original SP when i got the car. i also noticed that the far bottom right hole for the valve cover is messed up, it was just held with loctite because it was stripped.