55-75 mph steering wheel shake, e36 M3 1999

[pizzaman09]

My steering wheel shakes between 55 and 75 mph and I'm at a loss of what else to check. I've replaced the lower control arm rear bushings. Unfortunately that didn't solve the vibration, it did make the steering feel sharper though.
I've tried three different sets of tires and wheels on the car including a set that has been road force ballanced with no change in shake.
The tie rods feel nice and tight, there may be a bit of radial play in the rack gear in the steering but I'd be surprised if that causes it.

Any suggestions on what else to check?

[Eric93se]

Check the front ball joints on the control arm. Raise the front end off the ground and have one person work the wheel by hand and another carefully watch the ball joints for movement. You may have to run the engine to pressurize the rack to prevent it from moving.

[XnWarden]

The steering wheel lock should stop the rack from moving. For what it's worth, i also have some "shake" in my wheel at higher speeds. All my front suspension is new except for the rack and the steering column. Im going to rebuild the rack and column. Ill let you know how it feels after

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[Eric93se]

The steering wheel lock should stop the rack from moving.

Not on mine, you can try for yourself.

[marvinstockman]

Does the shaking come and go. If it comes and goes, pull over when it starts to shake and check for a 'hot' wheel. You may have a sticking brake, either caliper or collapsed flex hose.

[pizzaman09]

Check the front ball joints on the control arm. Raise the front end off the ground and have one person work the wheel by hand and another carefully watch the ball joints for movement. You may have to run the engine to pressurize the rack to prevent it from moving.

I'll have to try the pressurized rack, I've tried this already with the engine off. The control arms are original, I'll see what I can see at that joint.

Does the shaking come and go. If it comes and goes, pull over when it starts to shake and check for a 'hot' wheel. You may have a sticking brake, either caliper or collapsed flex hose.

I actually did have two stuck calipers, both fronts and rebuilt them both a couple weeks ago as the pistons were both rusted. It didn't change the shake. I'll check again to see if I have a hot wheel as I could have a bad hose too, they are all original at 135k miles. The shaking does not come an go it also doesn't change with steering angle.

[599]

I had this problem, can be many things, but in my case it was the shock absorber, an item that usually does not relate to this symptom and always goes unnoticed.

[Twistytee]

Most common issue causing steering wheel vibrations would be as you noted the wheels/tires out of balance. Does it vibrate when you brake (warped rotor/stuck caliper), when you turn (tie rods) or going in a straight line (ball joints)? At your mileage it’s possible to have a failing wheel bearing but I’m going with Eric’s guess and assuming the LCAs/ball joints need refreshed.

[shogun]

moved to M3 forum

[SlowJoe]

Does the shaking come and go. If it comes and goes, pull over when it starts to shake and check for a 'hot' wheel. You may have a sticking brake, either caliper or collapsed flex hose.

I've had this happen twice with my 99 M3.
Both times the cause was this - sticking caliper. I don't do the work on my car any more, too old, I have a BMW mechanic do it.
Both times were rebuilt calipers which my mechanic strongly advised against because he said this happens and he doesn't trust them. He was right. I couldn't afford to replace with new at the time...

[RightYouAreKen]

I had some pretty badly warped rotors that caused some freeway wheel shake too.

[Hova]

Have had a similar shake at ~80mph, and it was the front rotors.

[BMWManiac]

Seems this pops up every other week....these cars are just so sensitive to everything....I've replaced EVERYTHING except for the steering rack and the lower steering assembly....I'm in the middle of it right now and hopefully, it will eliminate this for good.

[Carpy2]

If you've scoured your suspension and wheel components, maybe take a look to see if the clock spring in the wheel itself has play. Mine has a bit of play that shows up at around 65 mph.

[StarvinMarvin]

As mentioned the usual culprits are the wheels, tires, or brakes. I'd suggest a bent wheel, which can still be balanced, but you say you've changed sets with no difference. If the calipers aren't sticking, and the rotors are fresh with no pad deposits, your options are:

Tie Rods (inner and outer)
Control arm ball joints (inner and outer)
FACBs (you replaced)
Shock Mounts
Wheel bearings
Rack
Column
Shocks
Springs and perches

[BMWManiac]

I just posted in another steering wheel shimmy thread....it was my rack, and of course, the last thing I replaced. It was one of the only original parts remaining on my 97 M3

[206danebmx]

I'd check the front shocks. You might be able to witness it while having someone else drive next to you at freeway speeds and look for excessive movement in the wheel.

[pizzaman09]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I'm still chasing this down. The spring and shocks are less than a year old, previous owner installed some nice beilstine and eibach parts. The more I look at it the more I think it's the rack. I recently had it aligned to factory spec, it was very far out in most all measurements, and that didn't change the wobble at all. The only thing it did was make the steering lighter.