E46 330ci vibration under load

[peterm242]

I just bought an e46 around 800 miles ago at around 85k miles. It needed a new center support bearing when I bought it, and I replaced that and the guibo. That got rid of a lot of the banging and vibrating that was present, but not all of it.

Now, around 2500 rpm in mostly second, third, and fourth gear, the car vibrates from what seems like the area of the center support bearing. I know the car needs a new wheel bearing on the driver rear wheel but don't think that could be my problem. I don't really know what to check to alleviate the problem so any guidance in the right direction would be very helpful.

Thanks.

[shadowpuck]

Typically if the csb is bad the driveshaft isn't far behind. Most recommend replacing the driveshaft (which includes a new csb). I had the exact same issue on my 330 recently and a new driveshaft fixed the issue.

[bmwdirtracer]

+1. The CSB dies in conjunction with the u-joints / cv joints of the driveshaft. Installing a CSB is like putting a band-aid on a stab wound.

I recommend:
http://www.driveshaftspecialist.com/...0html/BMW.html

[peterm242]

Ah, not the best news but could be worse. Is it normal for the driveshaft to have already started failing at 85k miles? I initially thought that there was a different problem which caused the driveshaft to vibrate excessively and the CSB to go out, so in a way I guess I could be right. Is the old driveshaft with a new CSB worth anything or should I just scrap it?

Thanks, both of you.

[bmwdirtracer]

You'll need to send the old driveshaft to the company from whom you buy your replacement. The supplier will provide you with a UPS return label with the new unit, so you can return the core.

[peterm242]

Alright. Since I have made the post I feel I should include a few more things. The problem is totally resolved under light throttle, no vibration at all. When it is in gear and no throttle, the vibration is sortof apparent, noticeable but nothing crazy. It is at its worst when I get on the gas to accelerate suddenly, like merging onto the highway. I have noticed that the vibration is less apparent when I slowly climb in rpm, so if I was in third gear and gave it light throttle to around 3500 rpm, it will still vibrate but not as bad as if I was at 1500 rpm and gave it heavy throttle to 3500.

The vibration is also not present in the shifter which leads me to believe something else might be at fault, but I don't really know, maybe the trans mounts are super effective.

Thanks for the help

[MIKYZZ4]

Check motor mounts in addition to transmission mounts.

[shadowpuck]

From my spot - and I'm not in front of th car obviously - this information just matches even more with driveshaft.

If you want to be certain have it diagnosed by a pro.