good news and bad news for older 6 series owners

[rooster]

the good news i think i may have the solution to your shimmy upon brakin. the bad news it is not your rotors or your bushings. it is the steering box mount. it is probably not connected and causing much shimmy upon braking.

[rooster]

what is the solution you ask . well i will tell you. run a bolt through the crossmember underneath the steering box and cinch it down gl

[rooster]

or you can pull the subframe out and have it re-welded -mucho dinero. this fix works also

[cj69xxl]

Or you can buy a used subframe $100.00 would be myuch easyer

[dm635]

there is a $50 fix available that can be used to strengthen up an existing bracket or repair a broken one.slides up thru the bottom of the subframe and the flange can be welded(recommended) or simply just installed and tightened up.did it to mine.if the bracket is broke,you will get an off center wheel after making a turn sometimes followed with a knock that can be felt in the wheel.it's the steering box moving up and down on the remaining bolt.also creates an un-nerving amount of play.

[640CSi]

Hmmm, maybe that is my problem... Now I must investigate further!

[///M Blitz]

the good news i think i may have the solution to your shimmy upon brakin. the bad news it is not your rotors or your bushings. it is the steering box mount. it is probably not connected and causing much shimmy upon braking.

I must disagree; 9 out of 10 times the "shimmy upon braking" will be the bushings, 1 out of 10 times it will be the rotors. You'll notice that's 10 out of 10 times. Then, 1 in 1,000 times (statiscally insignificant) it will be the broken steering box mount.

Ed Roether (search the Roadfly archives) makes a steering box mount fix that's only $40 and works like a gem. You can use it to fix a broken mount or use it to reinforce a mount before it breaks like I did with my M6.

BTW, the e24 is not "the older 6 series," but the "real 6 series." The new 6 series is the reincarnation of the old 8 series with all the good and bad that implies. The only reason the new car is called a 6 series is because BMW thought that calling it the 8 series would be marketing suicide.

I'm now getting off my soapbox.

[640CSi]

Well, I just checked my mount and it is in fact the mount that is broken. I suffer the exact same off center wheel situation, and shimmy. I guess, I'm lucky winner 1000! Kudos DM!

[jcsomerset]

Or you can buy a used subframe $100.00 would be myuch easyer

Easier than a bolt and a compression washer?

Easier than welding it?

Hmm - seems to me that r and R'ing EVERYTHING from the subframe would be the more difficult fix.

and - you'd still have to reinforce the subframe you bought.

[jcsomerset]

I must disagree; 9 out of 10 times the "shimmy upon braking" will be the bushings, 1 out of 10 times it will be the rotors. You'll notice that's 10 out of 10 times. Then, 1 in 1,000 times (statiscally insignificant) it will be the broken steering box mount.

Ed Roether (search the Roadfly archives) makes a steering box mount fix that's only $40 and works like a gem. You can use it to fix a broken mount or use it to reinforce a mount before it breaks like I did with my M6.

BTW, the e24 is not "the older 6 series," but the "real 6 series." The new 6 series is the reincarnation of the old 8 series with all the good and bad that implies. The only reason the new car is called a 6 series is because BMW thought that calling it the 8 series would be marketing suicide.

I'm now getting off my soapbox.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

[rooster]

sorry to report that to you 640 csi but after many frustrating applications of my brakes this was and is the culprit.Just by inserting a bolt through the subframe and cinching it down the shimmy is GONE

[el six]

BTW, the e24 is not "the older 6 series," but the "real 6 series." The new 6 series is the reincarnation of the old 8 series with all the good and bad that implies. The only reason the new car is called a 6 series is because BMW thought that calling it the 8 series would be marketing suicide.

I'm now getting off my soapbox.

Amen. say it loud, say it proud

[dm635]

glad this helped you out 640.i wasn't suggesting this was a fix for the shimmy(but it could be),it's a repair for a much more dangerous condition.
the fix is a machined cylinder with a flange for it to be welded securely in place from the bottom of the sub frame.easy intall to.there are other kits out there that consist of a combination of washers,a plumbing fitting and a bolt.i would only treat them as a temporary fix at best.
you can contact ed raether at-
ed@mwrench.com
this permament fix was developed by an enthusiast and very solid.blitz said he got his for $40,that's better than the $50 i paid(same fix).

[Mister Green]

I actually didn't have the shimmy until I put my 16" wheels on - i bought the car with 15" ronals, and no shimmy.

It shook between 80 and 90mph, fairly bad. pretty annoying. I ended up putting the ronals back on for awhile until I could figure out what was going on. Had the wheels balanced thrice and the car inspected to find nothing. Had new tires put on the sixteens, Then i got a flat on the Ronals, so I put the two 16s in the rear with the 15s in the front. shimmy came back.

Then I noticed the off-center wheel after turning right, and the knock sound and the straight wheel after turning left.

Got under the car yesterday and discovered the broken bracket. Got a hardened bolt, nut and some washers from the hardware store and cinched the thing down, put the 16s on the front, and no shimmy.

I'm not sure if I had bad tires causing the shimmy before, and changing the tires helped, or if the bracket was broken the whole time and I never noticed it....

anyway I'll probably be contacting this Ed guy for a little more permanent fix...right now its rigged up and looks like one of those duct tape and bailing wire fixes.

[640CSi]

I actually didn't have the shimmy until I put my 16" wheels on - i bought the car with 15" ronals, and no shimmy.

It shook between 80 and 90mph, fairly bad. pretty annoying. I ended up putting the ronals back on for awhile until I could figure out what was going on. Had the wheels balanced thrice and the car inspected to find nothing. Had new tires put on the sixteens, Then i got a flat on the Ronals, so I put the two 16s in the rear with the 15s in the front. shimmy came back.

Then I noticed the off-center wheel after turning right, and the knock sound and the straight wheel after turning left.

Got under the car yesterday and discovered the broken bracket. Got a hardened bolt, nut and some washers from the hardware store and cinched the thing down, put the 16s on the front, and no shimmy.

I'm not sure if I had bad tires causing the shimmy before, and changing the tires helped, or if the bracket was broken the whole time and I never noticed it....

anyway I'll probably be contacting this Ed guy for a little more permanent fix...right now its rigged up and looks like one of those duct tape and bailing wire fixes.


SWEEET!

[Ol'6erGuy]

Gotta love duct tape and bailing wire, the world would stop turning without them.:alright

[cj69xxl]

I can fix anything.....where's the duct tape?