Engine Noises what might be causing it?

[92BMW318is]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEgrHTVth0M




I am having these issues.

       1. Front driver side tire locks up, when in neutral and on an hill. (car will not roll down hill.) also when driving tire begins to shake.. The whole steering wheel vibrates excessively. Also when accelerating really really slow you can hear a moaning sound coming from the wheel.
 

• 20mph nothing
• 30mph slight vibration
• 45mph all hell breaks loose..
• 55mph less vibration
• 60mph nearly nothing

My conclusion: -Breaks -faulty ball joints
Whats yours?

       2. There is a slight squeaky grinding noise coming from the engine.

• when car starts
• when accelerating noise increases as well as speed of the noise
• in netrual while reving the engine, the squeaky grinding noise increases and becomes more frequent,
• When pressing down the gas pedal fast then letting go fast noise sometimes stops, also when accelerating fast noise sometimes stops.

My conclusion: -belt is loose - belt wheel bearing is going bad -timing chain
Yours?

      3. I want to buy the parts for this car then, put them on this coming Monday this Thursday is when I expect to make the purchases, I need a good site to buy parts from, since there are alot of sites floating around out there selling BMW parts... I was wondering If you guys can Direct me to the ones you guys  "Trust" buying your parts from. Thanks in advance.


I will upload videos on Youtube if requested of me replacing parts.:cool:

[DesktopDave]

I wonder if you have a bad tie rod?  How long has it been since the control arms were replaced?  IIRC, vibration like that is usually the control arm bushing.

Not sure about the squeaking, that could be a lot of stuff.  I'd guess the P/S pump.

I typically buy from the local pick-n-pull, PelicanParts, BMA and the dealer (in that order).

[rjcaptsean]

That definitely sounds likes like a stuck caliper or broken pad.  Get that puppy up in the air and try to rotate the tire by hand.  If you pull the tire, caliper and pads off, and it still has issues turning, it could be a bad wheel bearing.
Either way, I would do some checking before the wheel comes off at speed...

Engine noises are a bear to diagnose over a forum.  You could try to post a video, but thats iffy also.  Is the noise coming from the front or the rear of the engine?  From your description of when it happens, I would lean towards a bad tensioner or guides for the timing chain.  Usually that is more of a rattling noise, as opposed to squeak.

If it's from the rear of the engine, it could be pilot bearing, thrust bearing or input shaft, or a combination.  

Good Luck and keep us informed about what you find.

[92BMW318is]

Sorry about taking so long to respond please forgive me..
But here is a video shot in 1080p Describing what the noises sound like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEgrHTVth0M

What do you guys think the noises are?

Monday is when I will be working on my car.. I will take pictures and maybe you guys can help tell me whats wrong with it.

When taking the head off the engine....
What will I need to replace? I know I will need a head gasket set and new head cover bolts. mine spin when trying to tighten them (is this common?)
Car Doesnt leak any oil.

[92BMW318is]

That definitely sounds likes like a stuck caliper or broken pad.  Get that puppy up in the air and try to rotate the tire by hand.  If you pull the tire, caliper and pads off, and it still has issues turning, it could be a bad wheel bearing.
Either way, I would do some checking before the wheel comes off at speed...

Engine noises are a bear to diagnose over a forum.  You could try to post a video, but thats iffy also.  Is the noise coming from the front or the rear of the engine?  From your description of when it happens, I would lean towards a bad tensioner or guides for the timing chain.  Usually that is more of a rattling noise, as opposed to squeak.

If it's from the rear of the engine, it could be pilot bearing, thrust bearing or input shaft, or a combination.  

Good Luck and keep us informed about what you find.

Yes, the on the wheel the caliper is defiantly stuck or pad is broken,when placing your hand on the rim its like putting your hand in a hot frying pan.

[MikeDE]

Yes, the on the wheel the caliper is defiantly stuck or pad is broken,when placing your hand on the rim its like putting your hand in a hot frying pan.

Get it up in the air, supported by jackstands.

Remove the caliper and try to compress it.  It should be relatively easy.  If it's not, while compressing crack the brake line or the bleeder loose at the caliper(sometimes the line is the better choice as bleeders can be rusty and break easily).  If it goes in, the brake line is collapsed.  If not, either the piston is seized OR the slides are giving you trouble, clean then make sure they are lubed.

When it's up in the air(steering wheel free, unlocked), grab the tire at 9 and 3 and shake gently, there should be no play.  If so, then physically look at the inner and outer tie rods, and check the LCAB's to see if they are soft.  The E36 racks tend to take a shit IIRC on the right side, the rack inside gets loose and moves, it happened on my M3.  Then the 'rebuilt' rack I got had the same issue when I installed it.
Next, grab the wheel at 12 and 6, and shake it.  If there is play, check the ball joints in the LCA's.  And a less likely problem would be the strut mounts.
If you see nothing but there is still play, as mentioned above it could very well be the wheel bearing.  
It wouldn't hurt to re-balance the wheels also, just incase.

After any front end work down, have it aligned.  Make sure they do the rear also as the E36 has toe-adjusters on the rear trailing arms.

And the engine noise, can't do it by video.

[DesktopDave]

+1, great suggestions.  As for the engine noise, very hard to tell over the 'net.  Could be a lot of things.  Take the valve cover off & shoot us a few pics.  If I had to guess I'd say you might have a bad lifter, worn chain guides or a weak tensioner.

[bmwman91]

My guess for the engine noise is work timing chain assembly bits. If the tensioner piston, tensioner rail or idler sprocket are worn, you will get a rattling noise that might also sound a little like a diesel engine. Unfortunately, the only way to know is to pull the timing case covers, and that is a difficult task. It involves draining the coolant and loosening a 22mm bolt torqued to ~240 ft-lbs. Anyway, the most common source of rattling noises on the M42 is the timing chain & associated parts, but it could be something else. You don't want to let it go for too long though, or the chain will break or jump a tooth & ruin the motor.

The chain can also slap around & rollers will break off. They will inevitably get sucked into the oil pump (ask me how I know) & make a LOT of work for you & cost around $600 in parts. Make sure to pull the lower oil pan & check it for debris after the repair. DEFINITELY invest in a magnetic oil pan drain plug. It has saved my rear a couple of times!

If your valve cover bolts spin in place, it is because the holes they thread into are stripped. It is pretty common. You can repair them pretty easily.
http://bmw.e30tuner.com/articles_vchc.php

One more thing...
If you DO take the timing case / oil pans apart, reassemble them using the paper gaskets AND some sort of non-curing gasket sealer. They have a tendency to leak a lot, especially with synthetic oil, if you just use paper gaskets alone.

[92BMW318is]

Okay... I know its Tuesday and I said Monday.. but here is a video of me working on the Bimmer, Its only one minute long its clipped together from various shots.

NEW YouTube Video Click Here

I investigated and removed the Tensioner and it clicks when compressed by hand, When I originally removed it It wouldn't compress it was stuck. I twisted it a couple of times and pushed down on it and it came apart. I tightened up the clip in the middle re-compressed it until it latched back together.

Now when I compress it with my hands it has 2 diffrent stages of compression instead of 0. The top of the tensioner seemed to be a little worn like the rail was rubbing up against it. Seemed normal.

I didn't have time to remove the very bottem plate cover. In the video you can see I removed the top and the top front section.

I am going to buy a complete gasket set and I would like your advise on this set here on ebay. Is this worth 98$$?

HERE IS THE LINK: BMW E36 M42 318i 318iC 318iS 318Ti Head Gasket Set

The Teeth on the timing wheel's look perfect, there didnt seem to be any wear in the chain links. today I will be out there looking for any borken things to replace.

Any Suggestions and concerns are always Welcome.

[mr.vang]

#1 brake caliper
#2 one of your belts. there is no way a chain going to squeak

[bmwman91]

I re-read the posts & for some reason I think I missed a bunch of info. Maybe I need more sleep.

It sounds like you may have one of the old, original tensioner pistons. The design was updated around 1994 I think. It should feel like it binds/clicks a LITTLE, but should compress smoothly otherwise. Can you pull it & take a picture of it? The old & new ones are visibly different.

If you don't know when the piston was last replaced, then just replace it. I would recommend de-compressing the new one prior to installation so that it is pushing on the guide from the start. Even the few seconds it takes for the oil pressure to pop it out initially are enough to damage the chain, so you want it operational before you first start the car. Try a new one & see if that resolves the noise. It probably needs ot be replaced anyway, particularly if it was sticking in one position.

A squealing noise indicates a bad belt, or maybe a water pump that is on its last leg. The power steering pump can also make stupid noises. I rebuilt mine with a rebuild kit for like $30 & it alleviated all sorts of nonsense. The little pump vanes inside are super delicate, so take extreme care if you open the pump, don't lose the little bits (open it over an oil pan or something) and don't let anything inside get scratched!

Your wheel problem definitely sounds like a seized brake caliper. It is a somewhat frequent issue on cars of this age. Does that wheel show a lot more brake dust than the other one? That is one easy sign. If the caliper is seized, it can be rebuilt in under an hour with an inexpensive seal kit. Just don't let any particulate matter into the caliper, and don't scratch the piston/bore and you'll be fine.

My personal favorite place to get parts is http://www.pelicanparts.com. They have most stuff in stock, and you can get just about any part (search w/ PN) on special order within a week if they don't stock it. Their customer service has been wonderful so far. BMA auto parts is also pretty good, as is Autohaus AZ.

[92BMW318is]

@bmwman91 and everyone else in this Thread.

       Ill get you a picture of the tensioner tommarow, I would today but its getting dark. but thanks for the advice on The pelican parts dealer, (ooo and thanks to davedesktop to also mentioning them.)  I called wades foreign auto the local parts dealer in my area and they wanted 320 for the gasket set and the tensioner. Pelican is running me 150 for both tensioner piston and gasket set with next day shipping.. :eek: awesome!

Tommarow I'm going to be taking the wheel off while I wait for the Gasket set. I'll let you guys know how that goes I'll take a video also. and some pictures.

I was thinking about rinsing the chain and various parts with a couple of quarts of oil. just encase there is any debris in and or on there. (of course I'll empty the bad oil first, then redrain the flushing oil.) Do you guys think there is a need to do this rinse off on the parts? ex. timingchain ect.

Also is there anything I should Just replace when I have the the covers back off? like sensors or oil jets. Because I'm going to make the order tommarow while I compile a list of parts today. So I will have the parts on Thursday.


Here is my next list of things to do to the Bimmer. If you were wondering

• Replace heater motor
• Repace ICV
• Replace trunk lock (stuck in lock mode trunk wont latch shut)
• Clean hood latches. (Both are stuck open)
• Fix Driverside window (window derails when window up going up)
• Fix driver side door handle (linkage is broken door wont open from the out side)
• Put in two new black leather motorized front seats (bought at pullapart for 100 alltogether)
• Replace dashboard With new Black one (pullapart 20$)
• Replace glove box for Black one (pullapart 10 dollars)
• Buy door moulding (some missing)
• Need new intakeboot
• Headlights need to be replaced one is pushed up and broken (asshole backed up into car and ran)
• Replace Driverside front fender
• Need new tires
• Need a cadalitic converter
• Need a new muffler
• Need a new hood
• Headliner needs to be replaced

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There is more believe me I'm just getting depressed thinking about it.. lol

[bmwman91]

Rinsing the timing chain / other stuff probably won't make much difference. When it gets old, the only cure is a new one. You should be able to get a good 120000 miles from it if you keep fresh oil in the car & a good tensioner.

If you are going to be in there, you could think about just replacing the chain & guides. Get a shot of the cam sprockets, and the crank sprocket. If the guides are still the original ones, it is a good idea to replace them since the part changed over the years.

Other than that, you could always replace the thermostat & water pump while in there. New V-belts are an easy change too. Make sure to get upper & lower timing case cover gasket sets, rubber (outer) profile gasket, and also think about replacing the oil seal in the lower cover. The bold items are the only ones you HAVE to replace.

[92BMW318is]

Here are some pictures of the tensioner as requested. I did go ahead and buy a new one. like 40$ all together and about 140 dollars in gaskets.




Below are some pictures of my rims. They have locking bolts and one has a locking nut. I have no way to take them off... how in the hell do you get the metal cap off with out destroying the cap itself? And Where in the hell do you buy the key to unlock that rusty ass lock nut.

[bmwman91]

Good thing you are replacing that tensioner. It is the old/original design! The new ones are different and do not bind.

As for the wheel lugs...can't help you there. Either someone will have the tool to loan you, or you'll need to drill it out & replace the stud. You shouldn't need to remove the big nut on the hub though.