Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 26 to 43 of 43

Thread: 75+mph shimmy with new suspension...-solved

  1. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    161
    My Cars
    '91 M5, '13 E92, '89 E32
    What brand did you use for the idler arm when you replaced everything up front? I just did the whole front suspension on my car and the Lemforder idler arm I bought was junk. A quick query on the E34 bimmerforums group on facebook brought up 5 other people with recent bad experiences with their Lemforder idler arms that matched mine - the tapered hole wasn't drilled properly to draw the ball joint from the center link all the way up; and the bushing was binding up. One guy's bound up so bad it unscrewed itself.

    The big symptom I had was the car pulled strongly to the right, despite being aligned perfectly. Replacing the Lemforder idler with a Meyle solved the issues, and the car now tracks perfectly (without any additional alignment work after swapping the arms).
    1989 750iL schwarz/schwarz
    1991 M5 schwarz/silbergrau
    2013 328i coupe diamondschwarz/caramel
    2003 525iT orient blue/tan
    1990 535i/5 schwarz/schwarz

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Boca Raton, Florida
    Posts
    1,558
    My Cars
    89'750iL,98'740iL,00'M5
    I am surprised with your Lemforder issues, I was told always to use Lemforder. I stuck with Meyle actually for the entire front end which I have used extensivily in the past on my old 735 and on my E38 without issues. After reading your issues, I will have a closer check on mine just in case. Something sounds like its binding up on mine, OR a bad bushing on one of the larger arms.

    BMW 7er Website www.7er.com
    1989 BMW 735i Schwarz (sadly, sold) // 1989 BMW 750iL Cirrusblau Metallic // 1998 BMW 740iL Oxfordgrün Metallic // 2000 M5 Carbon Schwarz ///

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Chicago, Illinois
    Posts
    3,842
    My Cars
    are slow
    Maybe it's time to blame Meyle?

    I know that recent batches of lemforder thrust arm bushings are much lower quality than usual.
    Last edited by XAlt; 05-10-2018 at 02:09 PM.

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Hampshire UK
    Posts
    8,867
    My Cars
    99 840ci Sport Indv
    If you have shimmy at over 65 MPH then it is the REAR axle that is the problem, not the front - more info here:

    http://www.meeknet.co.uk/E31/Timms_b...20Problems.pdf
    Timm..2007 E64 650i Individual Sport..1999 E31 840ci Individual Sport..ex owner of 2000 E38 740..1999 E38 740i V8 M62..1998 E38 735i V8..1993 E32 730i V8..1988 E28 518i


    My BMW Repair YouTube Channel
    My Current 840ci Sport Individual
    My Current 650ci Sport Individual
    My E31 Repair and Information Website
    My E38 Repair and Information Website
    My E63/E64 Repair and Information Website

    Chase - Heroes to a generation

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Boca Raton, Florida
    Posts
    1,558
    My Cars
    89'750iL,98'740iL,00'M5
    Quote Originally Posted by XAlt View Post
    Maybe it's time to blame Meyle?

    I know that recent batches of lemforder thrust arm bushings are much lower quality than usual.
    Hopefully I won't have to blame meyle. I still can't find the source of the creaking as I can only replicate it with the car on the ground, and turning as I am braking, almost like driving into a parking spot. Underneath the car doesn't reveal much. Everything is nice and tight.
    Quote Originally Posted by Timm View Post
    If you have shimmy at over 65 MPH then it is the REAR axle that is the problem, not the front - more info here:

    http://www.meeknet.co.uk/E31/Timms_b...20Problems.pdf
    Timm, thank you for that pdf, lots of great info. Today I also was watching some videos of tires with flat spots. Thinking I may pick up a dial indicator and check all 4 tires while mounted to the car.
    I have also rotated tires from back to front and side to side. No change. Today I replaced the motor mounts just to see if maybe the driveline was not straight. They were pretty bad and shorter than the new ones. Engine vibrations in the cabin didn't really drop even though my engine runs smoothly. That was disappointing. I still fell the engine at all speeds. My M30 735 was such a smooth riding car, not sure what's up with this.

    I did drive the car and tried to get up to 75 on local roads, at first it seemed that the vibrations had all pretty much gone, but it was hard to tell due to the somewhat rough road. Will try on a better road and report back.

    Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

    BMW 7er Website www.7er.com
    1989 BMW 735i Schwarz (sadly, sold) // 1989 BMW 750iL Cirrusblau Metallic // 1998 BMW 740iL Oxfordgrün Metallic // 2000 M5 Carbon Schwarz ///

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Boca Raton, Florida
    Posts
    1,558
    My Cars
    89'750iL,98'740iL,00'M5
    Just drove it on the highway a few hours ago, same thing, vibration is still present. Engine can be felt quite a lot as well even though it's running smoothly.
    Wish I had a set of tires to swap in to test.

    Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

    BMW 7er Website www.7er.com
    1989 BMW 735i Schwarz (sadly, sold) // 1989 BMW 750iL Cirrusblau Metallic // 1998 BMW 740iL Oxfordgrün Metallic // 2000 M5 Carbon Schwarz ///

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Boca Raton, Florida
    Posts
    1,558
    My Cars
    89'750iL,98'740iL,00'M5
    This is what I found when the wheel was turned left one whole turn and some with the car in park and engine on. The slop is even more noticable with the car off as there is no assist and you can move it back and forth quite alot without the wheels moving. Im sure this means the steering box is very worn or in need of serious adjustment. This is on my 750 so I have no idea how I am going to tackle this job with the M70 in its place. I am hoping adjusting this will cure my absolute shit handling and wandering all over the road, and HOPEFULLY also cure my shimmy/vibration.


    Last edited by SergeBMW; 05-16-2018 at 05:19 PM.

    BMW 7er Website www.7er.com
    1989 BMW 735i Schwarz (sadly, sold) // 1989 BMW 750iL Cirrusblau Metallic // 1998 BMW 740iL Oxfordgrün Metallic // 2000 M5 Carbon Schwarz ///

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Trinity, florida
    Posts
    282
    My Cars
    1984 633Csi,1988 535IS, 2000MRdastr,1973 914 Porsc
    Quote Originally Posted by SergeBMW View Post
    This is what I found when the wheel was turned left one whole turn and some with the car in park and engine on. The slop is even more noticable with the car off as there is no assist and you can move it back and forth quite alot without the wheels moving. Im sure this means the steering box is very worn or in need of serious adjustment. This is on my 750 so I have no idea how I am going to tackle this job with the M70 in its place. I am hoping adjusting this will cure my absolute shit handling and wandering all over the road, and HOPEFULLY also cure my shimmy/vibration.


    I am sorry you have had such difficulty with this shimmy. I guess this means you will not make the Vintage. We were all looking forward to meeting up. Maybe we can just meet up in your area and try to contact Jeff to see if he can make it.

    Regards,

    Zieg

  9. #34
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Boca Raton, Florida
    Posts
    1,558
    My Cars
    89'750iL,98'740iL,00'M5
    It is a shame, was looking forward to it for quite some time, was blown away when I learned about it. I believe I bought the tickets 2 days after they started selling them. I'll make it next year unless I get too frustrated with this car and end up selling it haha. I'm going to see what I can do with the steering box and I'll report back. Found a few ways to get around the M70 and adjust the box.

    Would be nice to meet up sometime between all of us here in Florida. Jeff is around if you PM him. I spoke to him the other day to see if he had a spare set of his original wheels, he lives only 20 min from me, about 5 min from my gfs house. I'm surprised I havent seen his car in the 3 years I've been going up there lol.

    BMW 7er Website www.7er.com
    1989 BMW 735i Schwarz (sadly, sold) // 1989 BMW 750iL Cirrusblau Metallic // 1998 BMW 740iL Oxfordgrün Metallic // 2000 M5 Carbon Schwarz ///

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Hampshire UK
    Posts
    8,867
    My Cars
    99 840ci Sport Indv
    Vibrations over 60 MPH are usually due to the rear axle (or drivetrain components) rather than the front suspension which has a resonant frequency in the 50 MPH - 60 MPH range. BMW allude to this in the document below:

    http://www.meeknet.co.uk/e31/Timms_b...20Problems.pdf

    Fitting E38 wheels should be OK - but they have a rolling diameter one and a half inches larger than the E32 so may make contact with a few bits and bobs!
    Last edited by Timm; 05-17-2018 at 06:17 AM.
    Timm..2007 E64 650i Individual Sport..1999 E31 840ci Individual Sport..ex owner of 2000 E38 740..1999 E38 740i V8 M62..1998 E38 735i V8..1993 E32 730i V8..1988 E28 518i


    My BMW Repair YouTube Channel
    My Current 840ci Sport Individual
    My Current 650ci Sport Individual
    My E31 Repair and Information Website
    My E38 Repair and Information Website
    My E63/E64 Repair and Information Website

    Chase - Heroes to a generation

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    NYC & Long Island & So FL
    Posts
    1,119
    My Cars
    '93 740il '84 633Csi
    Sergio,
    I was hoping you would get to the Vintage to tell me all about it when I get back to Florida in the fall. Per Timm, I guess you now have another area (rear suspension) to examine. Does your 7 also have the LAD self leveling suspension (more stuff to check) and if not, the shocks.
    Berst,
    Ken

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Boca Raton, Florida
    Posts
    1,558
    My Cars
    89'750iL,98'740iL,00'M5
    Timm, the rear has just had new dog bones put in and new pressure accumulators. I've been trying to get my guy to replace the rear subframe bushings, but he seems hesitant to, and I know I may need them. I can feel a slight clunk when I let off the gas at highway speeds. Saw a few videos of other series with that issue and it ended up being the subframe bushings. I don't have the tools to do that myself.
    I am worried my driveshaft is having balance issues too and could be the culprit, again though, I am not sure and it's just a hunch. I replaced the driveshaft on my Nissan Armada once with a new one and had similar vibration at the same speed, bad balance from factory. Having it rebuilt and balanced will cost me around $500. The driveshaft he had put in for me, was a new one that was sitting around for many years along with its center bearing. He is willing to remove and install mine again for free if I want to have it rebuilt.
    If you had to choose tires or driveshaft, what would your money be on?

    Sansouci, the LAD system is working properly as far as I can see. I did replace both accumulators and also replaced the broken leveling rod. The shocks are quite filthy with oil buildup, and they used to leak when the car sat for years un driven, but since it's been on the road, havent seen them leak a single drop.


    I will be adjusting the steering box regardless due to the horrible handling lately. That play doesn't give me too much confidence either.
    Here is the fun part.... Driving home from work last night at 3am, almost no vibration whatsoever... Drove at 75 but also went to 90 to test, nothing. Very slight if anything. Roads were dry and temperature around 79. Wet or dry, cold or hot, humid or not, doesn't make a difference.

    Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

    BMW 7er Website www.7er.com
    1989 BMW 735i Schwarz (sadly, sold) // 1989 BMW 750iL Cirrusblau Metallic // 1998 BMW 740iL Oxfordgrün Metallic // 2000 M5 Carbon Schwarz ///

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    161
    My Cars
    '91 M5, '13 E92, '89 E32
    how is this coming along Serge?
    1989 750iL schwarz/schwarz
    1991 M5 schwarz/silbergrau
    2013 328i coupe diamondschwarz/caramel
    2003 525iT orient blue/tan
    1990 535i/5 schwarz/schwarz

  14. #39
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Boca Raton, Florida
    Posts
    1,558
    My Cars
    89'750iL,98'740iL,00'M5
    Haven't done much since the last post. I did however buy a set of 138 wheels from an E60 wrapped with Michelin tires to see if it was my cheap tires that were causing the issue. Lots of poeple kept pointing to that, especially my Indy that did the driveshaft and front suspension. Unfortunately the day I purchased them, the car developed a misfire on cylinder 4 adding even more vibration, so I have yet to install the wheels. I have swapped spark plugs and cables and tested spark with no success. Hopefully its an injector. This occurred after a bit of a spirited drive. The rain hasn't helped so I've been driving my E38 for now. I need to fix the misfire, and also adjust the steering box because it is WAY too loose. There is about 10 degrees total in slack in the middle. It feels like over time, it got worse and worse where now the car wanders all over the road.

    BMW 7er Website www.7er.com
    1989 BMW 735i Schwarz (sadly, sold) // 1989 BMW 750iL Cirrusblau Metallic // 1998 BMW 740iL Oxfordgrün Metallic // 2000 M5 Carbon Schwarz ///

  15. #40
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Nashville, Tennessee
    Posts
    2,229
    My Cars
    1978 635Csi, 1988 735iM
    My steering box was doing that as well, tried to adjust to the best of my ability but no matter what I did it wouldnt get rid of the slack. I bought a 93 e34 box in hopes to swap but its slightly different, Ill report back how that goes.





  16. #41
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Boca Raton, Florida
    Posts
    1,558
    My Cars
    89'750iL,98'740iL,00'M5
    Just an update to close this issue out. Turned out to be the tires and or wheels. Swapped a set of E60 wheels with Michelin tires (used but good) and the vibration/shimmy was all gone. Took it up to 85 with no issues. Not sure if my old style 3 wheels are bad/bent or if its the tires.

    BMW 7er Website www.7er.com
    1989 BMW 735i Schwarz (sadly, sold) // 1989 BMW 750iL Cirrusblau Metallic // 1998 BMW 740iL Oxfordgrün Metallic // 2000 M5 Carbon Schwarz ///

  17. #42
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas
    Posts
    582
    My Cars
    98 750iL, 01 740iL
    phenomenal! what about the play?

  18. #43
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    SF, bay area
    Posts
    251
    My Cars
    94 740, 74 wagoneer
    Good to know, thank you for posting your finding.
    1) How much balancing weights did the old Wheel/Tire combo had,
    2) which brand of tires?
    3) what was the built date on the tires? same or different dates between L and R?

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Similar Threads

  1. Can't shake my 65-75 mph shimmy
    By wannabetopless in forum 1991 - 1999 (E36)
    Replies: 18
    Last Post: 02-20-2014, 06:52 PM
  2. 60-75 mph shimmy
    By lagunae34m5 in forum 1992 - 1999 M3 (E36)
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 11-16-2009, 11:11 AM
  3. Small Front end Shimmy with new brakes and suspension.
    By Joe535i in forum 1988 - 1996 (E34)
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 11-29-2008, 01:22 PM
  4. Shimmy in the steering wheel 65-75 mph
    By samiam2 in forum 2001 - 2006 M3 (E46)
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 10-16-2007, 02:13 PM
  5. New wheels - bad 50 MPH shimmy and pulling to right
    By ohnoes in forum 1988 - 1996 (E34)
    Replies: 46
    Last Post: 08-25-2007, 10:47 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •