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1997 BMW 328i

Question: subtle vibration

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trackrat, Sherman Oaks, CA, June 13, 2009, 20:39

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I'm encountering some slight vibration at moderate acceleration to highway speeds. It seems that it may be coming from the rear right wheel & is accompanied by a slight noise being heard. I don't abuse the car, but I do drive it in a spirited way as it's designed. I'm wondering if I should be gearing up for a major service.

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Answer #1

patrick mannion from Greg Solow's Engine Room, June 15, 2009, 00:13

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The exhaust exits your car from the left rear but I would still check the exhaust mounting hangers to ensure one of them has not failed causing a vibration. Check to see that the exhaust system is not coming in contact with the heat shields that protect the under side of the car from heat. Inspection of the suspension bushings and drive shaft would also be advisable.

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trackrat, June 19, 2009, 18:30

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I'm sure I need to sort the suspension components out to better pinpoint this issue. The exhaust hanger condition is something I had overlooked as a reason. Thanks for pointing me that direction.

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advice July 01, 2009, 22:42

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You might also want to check whether your rear right tire is balanced. If you lose your tire balance, you can encounter the same types of problems.

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trackrat, July 01, 2009, 23:47

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It's possible that the problem may be narrowed down to the rear right wheel / suspension components as that seems to be where the vibration seems to come from.

When I first bought the car, the wheels had been upgraded to factory 17x7's & when I went to replace the tires on the car, I was told that the wheel that I had on the rear right side was warped, which made it impossible to balance. When I went to a shop specializing in alloy wheel repair, I was told that the warping was on the wheel face itself as opposed to the rim edge. The tire wear on that corner was ridiculous.

Anyway, I later swapped the wheels out entirely & had things balanced & aligned...so I thought. There's no real indication of any serious tire wear like I had before, which leads me to believe that the problem is a suspension component i.e. bushing. I'm grabbing at straws here, but I'm also wondering if it may be the axle half shaft / CV joint itself.

Thanks for hearing me out.

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Answer #3

Cadillac Dave July 15, 2010, 23:35

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Possible worn wheel bearing. Have a mechanic drive it and get a free estimate.

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Answer #4

Visitor, February 03, 2011, 19:03

it could be the U-Joint spacer (bushing)that goes in between the trany and the driveshaft it fails on all bmw models because its just hard rubber..that bushing will get messed up if ur diving the car like a race car.

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