Problems problems problems what is going on??

[rockyfeller]

I'm the 2nd owner of my car having put 40,000 miles on the car so far The car WAS running near perfect.....until the last 5000 miles that is. The car is starting to fall apart and really disappoint me. Already changed the front shocks, sways, control arms (twice!), radiator, and front pads/rotors. Not to mention the extreme nightmare I have had with electricals. ($900 later no OBC and no alarm!!!) 120k on the odo and $5000+ spent on repairs so far.....it really sucks and it's a shame since I pamper the car so much and drive like a grandma 75% of the time keeping in mind it's a 10 yr old car....I'm scared of blowing something else so I rarely indulge in a speedfreak drive. Here's some real description of whats going on now.

Problem 1: Hearing a metallic clicking/rattling sound from the front left wheel on moderate bumps at moderate to low speed it is quite audible with the window open. I feel no problem at the steering wheel; just the sound. Sounds as if something is loose as it clatters and shudders along with the bumps.

Problem 2: Transmission hunts gears on MODERATE inclines with moderate acceleration at about 35-60 mph. It does a weird repititive low rpm rev as the engine rpms come down and struggle with the increased grade of incline but does not downshift unless I sharply accelerate more. It does not happen on a flat road or steep incline (it will readily downshift then) My feeling is this is not a transmission problem. I have had a tuneup/O2 sensors changed 6 months ago. This problem started since then along with a on/off check engine light. (Which is weird....if it comes on dosen't it stay on unless it is reset? Maybe a loose connection?) Some have suggested some leaking at the manifold or PCV plate or something...are these symptoms of that?

Problem 3: Recently there is a low speed (<30mph) "wish-wish" rubbing/squeaking sound from the right front wheel that sounds soft to loud randomly and spontatneously. The "wish-wish-wish" speeds up/slows down with the speed of the car....reminds me of my squeaky dented hubcaps on my old Cadillac. It is now progressively getting louder/worse. It is heard more clearly if my window is open and I drive next to a wall. I had the brakes done 6 months ago but I don't think it is to blame; the sound is more recent and is heard whether I press the brakes or not. I suspect may a hub/bearing?? A mechanic friend of mine said that it can't be as it would be a more of a low/pitched grumbling/grinding sound instead.

I will say I can't regret buying this car as I do love it, I just wish it could hold itself together for another 30K....I'm starting to really want to sell the car for something newer. If it weren't for reliabaility/bad dealers I would promise to always buy BMW from now on....I'm not sure about that anymore....(If anyone made a true M5 killer I would surely buy that as my next car...but alas I am hopelessly in love with the M5, but the E55 is starting to look better to me everyday) The mechanics charge by the hour just to diagnose the car, it's killing me and I know u guys can help me save $$$. Any problemsolvers out there??? What to look for Anyone?? Thanks for any help.

[Kalevera]

On #1 - I've got the same issue. I'm pretty sure it's the dust shield on mine. It got bent WAAY out of shape when I replaced my front suspension....twice (as well )...and now it bangs into the rotor whenever I hit a bump. Kind of annoying, but even more of a pain to fix because it requires pulling the bearing to deal with it.

At 117k and New York potholes, the car probably needs front bearings anyway -- I bet it's causing #3. Be sure to check the sway bar link for play (suspension should be loaded when you do this) -- could be an easy fix to the problem

on #2 -- has the fluid in the trans ever been changed? If it's the lifetime stuff (I can never remember which ones have what), they say it needs to be done ~ 60 or 70 k.

Check the wheel bearings by jacking the front of the car up, grabbing hold of the spring in one hand and rotating the wheel with the other -- shouldn't be able to "feel" the movement...or perhaps grinding, in this case.

I'm always a proponent of doing the work myself. Most mechanics are worthless, especially if you give them a "ferrrin" car. Both of my past two dealership visits (one for Fritz, one for the van) were shitty -- they didn't torque all of the bellhousing bolts on my trans when they replaced it under warranty; the chrysler "5 star" stealer left a freakin' RAG on top of one of the exhaust manifolds when the van was over there. That's attention to detail.

best, whit

[632 Regal]

yep

#1 Brake backing plate too close to the roter.

#2 is a common problem with these, theres a valvebody upgrade kit available, think theres something else also. Did you reset the computers by disconnecting the battery?

#3, try moving that tire to another corner of the car or pop on the spare to see if its the tire/wheel. Good time to look around in there too.

Good luck!

[rockyfeller]

Lots of you guys do your own work. I'm not totally mechanically illiterate, I can handle easy/moderate jobs but other lengthy jobs intimdiate me. I take too much time because I'm a bit of a perfectionist which is irriatating. Those "1hr" jobs take me like 4 LOL! If I didn't have a medical career, trust me I'd be under the hood of my car.....so my mechanic is this dude who services exclusively BMWs and some MBs....he seems quite knowledgeable and honest....Only problem? He ROCKS me on labor charges and the bill racks up. He way better than the dealer but only a bit more cheaper. I asked him about trans fluid and he said a change is unecessary. But the transmission has no other problems. It dosen't "hunt" under any other conditions and will readily downshift with a eager acceleration. The engine just acts like it's suffocating or something. It only started after the tune-up/o2 sensor change. I wonder if my EAT chip has something to do with it? (Sorry Mark, don't mean to blame ya, you still make the best product hands down). As for the dust shield, that is defintely a good place to look, I never thought to look there. As for the bearings.....ouch sounds expensive, don't tell me I would have to drop another $1k on this car! Is it a DIY job? The cheapskate part of me asks...so what if there's a sound....what' the problem if I don't fix it? What would happen functionally to the car? Can I still safetly drive it or is it an immediate concern? I drive the car 50-100 mi. daily. How would the sways be causing a problem? What are the symptoms of bad sways? I'd figure it would cause wobbling instead. Thanks for your help Whit

[rockyfeller]

I remember you guys sayin somehow to reset the computer....how do you do that again? You disconnect the battery and short the terminals for a few seconds or something? My OBO and alarm are diconnected because one of my modules got fried and the ailing alarm killed my battery. So I may have some issues in which the computer should be reset. My car was running smooth as butter prior to this. I also have an EAT chip. Instead of goin through the headache of swapping the chip I think resetting the car would be what I'd try first. Also the backing plate....good call! It makes sense, something must have been outta whack after that last brake job....can't be the strut doin all that rattling, no leaks from any chassis component that I can see. I just put on new tires in January....the rear wheel was rotated to the front, but the technician did a careful proper job as I was right there as he was doing it. (Some boys of mine at Sears). I doubt it has any role but it is worth looking into.....come to think of it, the sound may have been present at that time, but I would have never known as in the winter I wouldn't have been able to hear the noise with the windows up. The noise may be seeming apparent to me now since I'm now driving with the windows open with the fair weather. Thanks Jeff.

[Kalevera]

Sure thing, mate.

On the cold reset: pull both battery leads and connect them together (away from the battery terminals, of course ). Leave them connected for ~ 45 minutes.

Ah dunno, man. If it's got the lifetime fluid...it really should be replaced every 70k/once in a while...like I said, I can't ever remember what needs what kind of fluid. And -- I think it was Bill R. who brought up a case recently wherein the *dealership* had messed up (surprise surprise!) a flush on one of these trannies and decided to dump the car...then Bill set things right for his customer, who'd gotten the car for a song.

Wheel bearings aren't that bad in terms of cost. Parts are < $150 a side from the stealer, IIRC. Obviously, I'm sure you can do much better if you hunt around for them. The problem is that the nut holding the bearing in requires mucho torque to loosen. Aside from that, it's like replacing rotors. http://www.bmwe34.net even has a writeup on it.

The sway bar links will make a metallic "clink" over bumps when one of two things happens: 1) the ball joint(s) on the link go bad, either due to age or contamination from a cracked boot, 2) the nuts that fasten the link loosen up. #2 is unlikely, but I had it happen to me (I loosened it one day and forgot to tighten it again) -- it's more likely to happen on the bottom end of the link because the sway bar is machined in such a way that the mounting hole can allow lateral movement of the bolt (hence the clinking).

If the sway bar links look like they do in the following pic, it's time to replace them (< $50, I believe, for both sides from BMA):



Although it's hiding behind the (equally ****ed) lower control arm, you can see the seriously damaged dust boot. If the boot isn't damaged, there could still be play in the ball joints -- shake 'em vigorously with the suspension loaded...they shouldn't move.

I bet it's the bearings, though. If you're still around 117k, it's time for them to be replaced.

best, whit

[rockyfeller]

Well I had my sways/arms changed a couple yrs ago at about 90k. When I did my tires a couple months ago we did a quick inspect while the car was on the lift and all boots were intact, no leaking anywhere and I grabbed the wheels and shoved them around a bit. Everything looked sound then but it's worth looking at the sways in case they're loose for some reason because I know that's an easy DIY fix for sure. I want to reseach the bearing job so I know I can do it...well 1st I have to make sure that's the problem....Thanks for all the help Whit!!

[Kalevera]