Front end shimmy shake

[creesschaef]

#1 My car seems to have a front end shimmy starting at 45 mph. This will keep going until around 60 mph, then will completely stop. I did the check for bad wheel bearings, they appear to be ok. Also, while going taking a right turn, the wheel seems to make noise, sorta sounds like it is going to rip off the car. I checked, the lugs are tight. Could it be a control arm or tie rod? Please offer your ideas.
#2 I have a knocking under the rear seat, or near there, at around 20 mph, if I am flooring it, it really knocks. Also, the shake seems to be quite noticeable in first gear if I am on the accelerator hard. I took it to the shop, they said it was the support, they replaced that, then they put a new clutch in, that seemed to do nothing at all. Help a brother out.
Thank you.

[Canatro]

#1 a. could be one or more of the following.....alignment, stuck calipers, under/over inflated tires. b. could be the control arm or maybe the tire is rubbing against the well. do you have bigger than stock tires? thes could all be related by the way.

#2 the knocking i'm not sure about. sounds a little like a drivetrain issue.

[creesschaef]

Alright, thanks for the info. I do not have bigger than stock tires, and I'm only lowered about 1.25". I am looking into the alignment and control arm issue. Thank you.

[mybimr]

Don't underestimate the possibility of stuck calipers. If the brake fluid hasn't been changed per recomendations (or if the car is frequently driven in winter/wet conditions), moisture would cause enough corrosion to seize the caliper and not release completely.

I had this in my '84 325e and replacing the calipers did the trick. I've also read a lot about worn control arm bushings causing this shimmy.

The knocking sounds like drive shaft (guibo?) or exhaust movement.

Good luck! These types of problems drive me nuts, but when they are fixed, give great satisfaction.

:dunno

[Canatro]

figuring it out yourself gives you even more satisfaction.

[creesschaef]

Went ahead and got under the car to take a look. It appears that the ball joints are loose and need to be replaced. So far I have cound the control arms for $90 each, anybody else got a place I can buy some from? I have heard it is best just to buy the complete control arm instead of just the ball joints, any comments? Thanks guys. This whole knocking thing is still going on, but the ball joints seem to be a more pressing issue as of now. I'm not a big fan of flying of the road.
Oh yeah, and about the whole control arm thing, are they an easy install?

[Canatro]

http://alloembmwparts.com/
http://www.bavarianautosport.com/
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http://bimmerparts.com/
http://www.vinesauto.com/Home.htm
www.zionsvilleautosport.com/