Steering wheel trembles on highway

[qubit]

I have a 97 318i with auto transmission and 103k mileage. Yesterday I drove on the highway for 15 miles and noticed the steering wheel trembled sometimes. The speed was around 50-80 mph with AC on. When this trembling got stronger, I could feel the whole car trembling too.. I think the following may be possible reasons:
(1) something wrong with the engin, which is the worst case..
(2) it's normal when you turn on AC which consumes much power.. (should not be this case because I don't have this problem before)
(3) tires should be balanced
(4) something loosened in the drive train which resonates the car at certain speed range.

I'm going to have a long trip with this car so any help would be sincerely appreaciated.

[godgaveussid]

Front end suspension (worst case), allignment, tire balance.

[zefyx]

I'm not trying to be a jerk... but, with all of the advanced outcomes you perdicted, one would assume you would have known the first & most common cause of this being that your car needs an alignment. Is this car lowered? Have you noticed the car pulling to either side while driving? Hope this helps! ;)

[Nataliator]

note the steering wheel, is it perfectly straight while driving straight? one of the steering linkages may be loose as well? id think it would be the front end as well, how old are your tires? usually they balance new tires for you when u get them put on, and unless u hit bumps HARD or hit the race track with the same times they should stay balanced enough not to wobble at high speeds.

[qubit]

The alighment is fine by its apperance. The tires are changed 6 months ago and only have 3000 miles. I tested the car at 20 mph with hands free, it went straightly.
I forgot to mention another problem, there is a click sound from the rear right wheel on rugged roads. The mechanics couldn't exactly find the source, he guessed it was from a plastic tube which is a protection shield for rains and mud.

[redline effect]

possibly control arms and bushings.

[onrails318]

most likely outer ball joints. Get underneath the car and squeeze them with a giant channel lock. If they have any movement at all, they're bad.

[Mauritius Blau]

I just replaced the flexjoint and both control arms/bushings, partly because they were old and also vibration above 30mph. This solved most of the vibration issues. I was later told that "worped" rotors will cause vibration in the steering wheel around 60-90mph. When was the last time you had those replaced? inspected? Hope this helps
ps: the AC does not have anything to do with the vibration

[prodjsxb]

Get your LCAB's checked! mine did the exact same thing, turned out the PASS LCAB was toast.

[dfyoung10]

All those are good suggestions. You can eliminate engine vibration by stuffing in the clutch when it starts to vibrate and let it idle. If the rotors are a problem, you should notice a change when you lightly touch the brake pedal.

If it came on suddenly, maybe you smacked a curb or parking barrier and tweaked the front end. Alignment and balance are the most common suspects.

[ih8rainnc]

I had vibration from new Yokohama's for about a year. I put them on and did some other work to the suspension and had a vibration. Decided that it couldn't be the tires 'cause they were new. Over the past year I had them rebalanced, replaced a rotor, and kept checking the suspension without finding the cause. I ended up deciding to live with it 'for now'. Just put on Khumo's last week, no vibration. Big grin and a fantastic weekend at Rockingham this weekend. - May need tires again soon ;)

[dfyoung10]

I ran Yokohama's on my E30. I hated them. They were the harshest tires I ever used.

[smocan]

most likely outer ball joints. Get underneath the car and squeeze them with a giant channel lock. If they have any movement at all, they're bad.
^

[PJ Steamboat]

I am having the same problem. I have replaced the LCAB and LCA. I know my tie rods need to be redone, could this cause the same vibrations?

[qubit]

Thank you all for the replies, really a lot of help to me. Just came back from cinema, the car drives fine in local.
The tires are Michelin, the rotors and brake pads were replaced at the same time the tires were replaced, so they are all new. Actually it should not be worped rotors, because the problem remains when not braking.
I had the state inspection done one week ago , no problems were found.
I don't know whether ball joints and LCAB are checked in the state inspection or not, if those inspections should be included, probably I have a bad mechanics.
Anyway, I have to go to the shop again...

[e36allday]

This is a tire problem. I had the same problem wth my Falkens. Check the fron tires for "cupping" It is a sign you need an alignment or drove the tires too hard but the "cupped" tires will only work on the rear of the car until you burn off that un un-even wear. You can feel it by running your hand along the tread. If you feel highs and lows your tires are "cupped". This is an balanced tire that can vibrate intermittently because of the uneven wear.

[Dirty Phil]

front control arm bushings, tire balancing, and alignment, or it could also be the tire tread. if you decide to replace the control arm bushings get the e36 M3 ones they are made better than the rest and after you're done, get a real alignment from the stealer. bmw requires their alignments to have weight all around the car, i.e front driver/passenger/trunk/rear passenger compartment.

[qubit]

I went to the garage this morning, however they got pretty busy and asked me to come tomorrow. Because I've done the state inspection one week before, they said the ball joints and control arm bushings are all fine. I couldn't wait till tomorrow, so I went to Costco where I had the tires replaced with free tire balance service offered meanwhile. The problem maintains after tires balanced. And even gets worse when braking.
From your replies above, I think it's probably an alignment problem. The Costco guy told me they didn't do the alignment when putting on new tires. I'm not sure whether I should go to the garage or the dealer's, usually the dealer charges much more than the garage I'm familiar with.

[onrails318]

I went to the garage this morning, however they got pretty busy and asked me to come tomorrow. Because I've done the state inspection one week before, they said the ball joints and control arm bushings are all fine. I couldn't wait till tomorrow, so I went to Costco where I had the tires replaced with free tire balance service offered meanwhile. The problem maintains after tires balanced. And even gets worse when braking.
From your replies above, I think it's probably an alignment problem. The Costco guy told me they didn't do the alignment when putting on new tires. I'm not sure whether I should go to the garage or the dealer's, usually the dealer charges much more than the garage I'm familiar with.


wtf?? costco?? do you get your oil done at jiffy lube also?? cheesus crust!!! either get dirty and teach yourself something by finding out how your car is built or you could go to an actual shop... no wait nevermind.. save TONS OF MONEY and learn how to work on your e36. These cars are fantastic! if you learn the inside and outs of it there are countless advantages. Self diagnosis and the economical thing and you'll feel more manly too!

[onrails318]

I am having the same problem. I have replaced the LCAB and LCA. I know my tie rods need to be redone, could this cause the same vibrations?

tie rods can cause vibrations also ... not as apparent as the LCAB tho...

[e36allday]

With the new tires it is definitely time to go to the dealer for an alignment. I think most of us agree on that. Maybe you have a tire with a belt issue. Try moving the tires front to back, or rotating your spare through all four corners to isolate a fookid tire.