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Does anybody else have a dull thunk noise from the rear -- or rear of the car at least -- in an E46 when shifting into gear? It's not really a worrisome noise and I'm not worried about it, but I'm mystified as to what could be causing the noise. It's a 5 speed 325i, and probably 75% of the time when initially shifting into first after starting the car, I will get a little thunk. What's weird is that this happens even if I keep the clutch engaged (clutch pedal down). I was just playing with it a little bit, and it makes the noise as I'm approaching the shifter gate the first time. If I keep the clutch depressed and keep trying first gear, it will only make the noise the first time. If I shift into first then reverse with the clutch engaged, then disengage the clutch in neutral, I can clutch and shift into first and get the noise again. I'm no master mechanic, but as far as I know absolutely nothing should be happening at the rear of the car under these conditions. I Googled this and apparently thunks from the rear are considered normal, but I'm curious about what's causing it. EDIT: It's a 2005 with 76K miles, and I'm pretty sure I don't have the subframe problem.
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Nov 5, 2010 04:46
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Everyone has that noise. It's a BMW noise.
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Nov 5, 2010 04:58
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Should I call it the "Ultimate Driving Noise" when people ask?
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Nov 5, 2010 05:17
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barakus posted:Does anybody else have a dull thunk noise from the rear -- or rear of the car at least -- in an E46 when shifting into gear? This is a good question and I have a hypothesis. I suspect it's the drivetrain aligning when you put it into gear. When the shift fork selects a gear and the gears aren't aligned, the synchros don't do anything to help -- something has to give. There is a slight shift in the driveline as it aligns to the position of the gear, which causes a clunk.
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Nov 5, 2010 05:30
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Thank god for this thread. As a new BMW owner I also thought something was up. As for real problems my thermostat is officially stuck wide open. It was -3C driving home the other day and my coolant temp hovered about a centimeter above the cold zone as soon as I got on the highway. The heated seats still work thankfully.
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Nov 5, 2010 05:33
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Sterndotstern posted:This is a good question and I have a hypothesis. I suspect it's the drivetrain aligning when you put it into gear. When the shift fork selects a gear and the gears aren't aligned, the synchros don't do anything to help -- something has to give. There is a slight shift in the driveline as it aligns to the position of the gear, which causes a clunk. Keeping in mind that as far as I'm concerned, everything aft of the flywheel is a Rube Goldberg contraption of Teutonic wizardry, I find it odd that this noise is not present if the engine isn't running. I'd hate to have to chalk this up to simple black magic.
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Nov 5, 2010 06:05
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8ender posted:Thank god for this thread. As a new BMW owner I also thought something was up. Yep. New thermostat. Do the expansion tank and water pump while you have all that apart. Do it soon. I've heard of people having it stuck open only to all of a sudden have it stuck closed (NOT GOOD).
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Nov 5, 2010 17:36
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ozziegt posted:Yep. New thermostat. Do the expansion tank and water pump while you have all that apart. Do it soon. I've heard of people having it stuck open only to all of a sudden have it stuck closed (NOT GOOD). The funny thing is that the rest of the cooling system was recently done before I bought the car. New rad, hoses, pump, etc. Either they forgot to do the thermostat or this one failed prematurely, which isn't unreasonable if it was just done.
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Nov 5, 2010 18:02
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revmoo posted:Everyone has that noise. It's a BMW noise. When I go 1st-2nd the transmission sounds like it's going to fall out of the car. BMWs have never really had smooth gearboxes.
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Nov 5, 2010 21:21
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Its not the gearbox, its the rear end
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Nov 5, 2010 21:40
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Regarding the thunk, I've always had it in my e46 330i. Another data point to support that it has something to do with the rear end of the car is that if the car is stationary and I move the lever from 1 to 2 I get no issues. If I am coasting along at even 2 mph and I move the lever from 1 to 2 I get the thunk. This is just from moving the lever, I'm never engaging 2nd in either of these scenarios. I also have a 6 speed, so it's a different transmission.
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Nov 5, 2010 23:42
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ynotony posted:Regarding the thunk, I've always had it in my e46 330i. Another data point to support that it has something to do with the rear end of the car is that if the car is stationary and I move the lever from 1 to 2 I get no issues. If I am coasting along at even 2 mph and I move the lever from 1 to 2 I get the thunk. This is just from moving the lever, I'm never engaging 2nd in either of these scenarios. I also have a 6 speed, so it's a different transmission. My 135 6MT does this too.
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Nov 5, 2010 23:49
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ynotony posted:Regarding the thunk, I've always had it in my e46 330i. Another data point to support that it has something to do with the rear end of the car is that if the car is stationary and I move the lever from 1 to 2 I get no issues. If I am coasting along at even 2 mph and I move the lever from 1 to 2 I get the thunk. This is just from moving the lever, I'm never engaging 2nd in either of these scenarios. I also have a 6 speed, so it's a different transmission. My 2004 M3 does it too, they are notorious for the differential clunk and terrible first and second gear engagement when they're cold.
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Nov 6, 2010 00:25
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I absolutely hate BMW's, so addicting. Heres another el cheapo BMW I want. I need to quit looking on craigslist. http://desmoines.craigslist.org/cto/2043242541.html Some one go buy this, that way I am not tempted. My checking account can't take the abuse from working on my e30.
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Nov 6, 2010 03:21
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BrokenKnucklez posted:I absolutely hate BMW's, so addicting. Heres another el cheapo BMW I want. I need to quit looking on craigslist. It's not the maintenance that gets you, it's the modding and fancy suspension parts.
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Nov 6, 2010 11:10
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Beach Bum posted:It's not the maintenance that gets you, it's the modding and fancy suspension parts. Haha, so true. But still these E30s are just to drat addiction. I just started doing the E30 to E36 steering rack. I still want to hug the guy who desinged this car. To easy to work on.
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Nov 6, 2010 11:41
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Haha, so true. But still these E30s are just to drat addiction. I just started doing the E30 to E36 steering rack. I still want to hug the guy who desinged this car. To easy to work on. We had some fun runs at the last AutoX, and let a few friends drive the car after they agreed to "you break it, you buy it" (within reason, of course) Every one of them complained about the steering being so long. I think a Z3 rack is in my future. Gotta get the drat rear camber kit installed first!!! Anyone know of any reasonably priced toe/camber brackets and eccentric bolts for the rear subframe of an E30?
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Nov 6, 2010 12:54
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Opinions? Pricing seems good.. http://bgmotorcars.com/inventory/view/641681/2001-BMW-330Ci
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Nov 6, 2010 14:50
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BrokenKnucklez posted:I still want to hug the guy who desinged this car. To easy to work on. I'm convinced this is because they were hand built. Everything seems to be designed in a way that a normal sized human with reasonably normal tools can take apart and reassemble the car quickly.
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Nov 6, 2010 16:45
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Haha, so true. But still these E30s are just to drat addiction. I just started doing the E30 to E36 steering rack. I still want to hug the guy who desinged this car. To easy to work on. Do a clutch swap on a 325iX with an unthreaded starter and get back to me on that :P Everything else is pretty easy on e30s, but god drat the AWD system was just thrown in with no thoughts on how to take it out easily.
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Nov 6, 2010 16:51
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My wife is pregnant with our first son and one of the things I want to do with him is work on a car project together. I'm seriously considering getting an old E30, are they really that easy to work on? When I was a little kid I loved working on my car with my dad. I'm tempted to buy one now, but I don't want to let it sit for years until the kid is old enough to be out there with me. I figure I'll let my car live in someone elses garage for another couple years before I buy it.
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Nov 6, 2010 18:11
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Crustashio posted:Do a clutch swap on a 325iX with an unthreaded starter and get back to me on that :P If it was at all (easily) possible I'd get your iX 5sp tranny and swap out my auto.
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Nov 6, 2010 18:15
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destructo posted:Opinions? Pricing seems good.. Price is a bit high, and considering having to pay tax on top of that, not so good anymore. I'd stay away, but if you're set on buying from a dealer, haggle the price down and ask for maintenance records. Common parts to fail/wear on E46's include window regulators, cooling system, suspension components, power steering, and on those earlier models the subframe as well.
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Nov 6, 2010 19:20
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doogle posted:My 135 6MT does this too. I get something similar in my Z4 / SMG. Between that and the shuddering-1st-gear when cold it's a blast to climb up my steep driveway in the morning.
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Nov 7, 2010 00:39
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OrangeFurious posted:I get something similar in my Z4 / SMG. Between that and the shuddering-1st-gear when cold it's a blast to climb up my steep driveway in the morning. My SMG likes to buck wildly once in a while in first gear. It's awkward. It happens when it's cold and when I switch it over to manual mode (sometimes). I figure if it's not broke don't fix it. German design or something. Haha.
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Nov 7, 2010 00:48
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Does anyone know how to fix a hosed up sunroof? This is a 1994 8 series, but I figure the sunroof mechanism is probably almost the same as the one used in a similar era 3- 5- or 7 series, so hopefully someone might know... Anyway, I replaced my sunroof gasket today. All was going well, until I tested the sunroof for operation. I don't know if I put something back improperly, or what - but now it doesn't work right. I've done the reset procedure a bunch of times, and it didn't help. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXJDjHnXvp8 Sorry for crappy quality, was trying to keep it a manageable size. I don't think it's broken parts, because it was working fine before, plus the errors seem more electronic related. Starting from fully closed... When the switch is pushed forward, the sunroof drops and starts to retract(not supposed to happen at all when switch is pushed forward)  , but stops about an inch back. When the switch is pushed backwards, the sunroof retracts fully (as normal) but makes a loud thunk / crunch noise when it gets all the way back. When reclosing the sunroof, it stops at the same point it does when the switch is initially pushed forward. The only way the sunroof will fully close is if the switch is held down for a bit - at this point, it recloses and sits flush with the roof, like it's supposed to. I couldn't get the tilt function to work at all.Anyone know how to fix this? It's driving me crazy 
Black88GTA fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Nov 7, 2010 |
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Nov 7, 2010 01:19
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VibrioCholera posted:My SMG likes to buck wildly once in a while in first gear. It's awkward. It happens when it's cold and when I switch it over to manual mode (sometimes). I figure if it's not broke don't fix it. If I have my backstory right the SMGI was designed by Maseratti. I like to think of the bucking as a freedom loving Italian trying to throw off Teutonic repression.
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Nov 7, 2010 01:37
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Ball joints, tie rods, bushings, and sway bar links done. Talk about night and day. I do need to get the tires balanced, but that is cheap. Now I can enjoy the ultimate driving machine experince. Also, does any one elses idle seem a little on the lopy side. Not like bad running lopy, just like performance lopy. Maybe I am just not used to a car like this. Fuel pump, injectors, spark plugs (NGK's), wires, and related parts are brand new. I did the vacum leak test, and comes back great. Or am I just crazy.
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Nov 7, 2010 22:36
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So I went to see this car today: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=800707 and I'm absolutely in love with it. THe price seems fair considering the current pricing of ZHPs (and lack of any ZHPs in the area) Handling seemed fine, paperwork seemed fine. Based on what you see from the pictures/price/etc, anyway want to convince me not to purchase?
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Nov 8, 2010 00:09
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Black88GTA posted:Broken sunroof poo poo Well I fixed this today...I think I hosed up when I put the floating liner panel back in place originally. Either it was out of the track, or at least one of the two (easily dislodged) parts that lock the floating panel in place had moved and become misaligned with the other, causing the liner to not lock in place properly. Now everything works like it's supposed to, plus I put JB weld in the cracked areas in the plastic parts, and grease on all of the gears / tracks. Sprayed the roof area with the hose, and no leaks!  Success!For some reason, instead of using a gasket that is a sealed loop, BMW chose instead to use a single strip that has the two ends butt against each other at the back of the roof. The gasket is infused with steel for it to retain its shape. Which of course means that if any tiny holes develop in the rubber, it rusts and disintegrates from the inside out. Here's the gasket I replaced. Anywhere I bent it, you could feel the destroyed metal inside break. Rust was peeking out all over it. These are the two ends that sit against each other at the back of the sunroof. Amazingly, this wasn't the part that was leaking.  This is the area that was letting the water in. The metal inside had broken, allowing the gasket to spread apart and collect water inside of it. This area was actually right on one of the rust bubbles I had removed from the roof. After the work was done, the rust bubble was gone - but not the permanent impression in the gasket that it left behind. This hole has expanded since the work was done.  I had some interior work done on this car last year - the headliner and all pillars were recovered, along with the liner on the sunroof and floating panel beneath it. The sunroof lid itself had a few small rust bubbles forming along the edge of the gasket, so I had the shop fix that. In order to fix it, this gasket had to come off. The thing that pisses me off is that the shop saw fit to actually reinstall this garbage gasket, rather than replace it. It's been leaking ever since they did the work, although the leak has gotten much worse in the last couple weeks.
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Nov 8, 2010 01:29
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Shadowhand00 posted:So I went to see this car today: Looks great! The price is pretty fair. How were the tires? Keep in mind you WILL need to update the cooling system soon (parts ~$400 +labor) and Inspection II is ~$1200. You may have some negotiating power there, but honestly if that was already complete it would be worth over $16k easily so it's priced pretty well.
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Nov 8, 2010 02:23
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ynotony posted:Looks great! The price is pretty fair. How were the tires? Keep in mind you WILL need to update the cooling system soon (parts ~$400 +labor) and Inspection II is ~$1200. You may have some negotiating power there, but honestly if that was already complete it would be worth over $16k easily so it's priced pretty well. Yeah, I've replaced a cooling system before, so I'm not too worried about that. I've done most of an Inspection 2 before - the only things I won't know how to change is the fuel filter and I've never worked on a manual transmission. Heh, thanks for making me feel better about this though 
Shadowhand00 fucked around with this message at 02:52 on Nov 8, 2010 |
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Nov 8, 2010 02:50
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Hey guys I'm recently in the market for a car. I used to drive an E30 BMW which I absolutely loved and it was my dads, and I convinced him after the E30 died to get an E46 330i. So now that I'm in the market I am hoping to stick to BMW but one hangup, my father. He want's me to get a quality car such as a Toyota or something Japanese that will be cheap to maintain. I of course want to go with a solid BMW. I know they can cost quite a bit more for service than a say a Toyota but I need help convincing him that it can be reasonable for me to own one. Then again I could be in the wrong here. That's why I'm asking you guys if it's very hard to find a reasonably priced bmw for under $5000 which won't run me a ton in repairs. I'm leaning towards an E36 with under 100k miles. Let me know if this is a good or bad idea.
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Nov 8, 2010 03:12
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Popete posted:That's why I'm asking you guys if it's very hard to find a reasonably priced bmw for under $5000 which won't run me a ton in repairs. Short answer to this question - Can you work on it yourself? Are you the type to keep on top of preventative maintenance? If so, go for it. If not, stay away. That said, the E30 and E36 (and maybe the E46) seem to be the models that are the cheapest overall to keep running. Yes, they're older now but they made a metric fuckton of them, they are relatively simple (as BMWs go, anyway), parts are everywhere, and they are common enough where you can find most things at a parts store or junkyard instead of bumming a ride to the dealership to get stuff. Most indy mechanics already know them inside and out, so you don't have to worry about having a tech using your car as a guinea pig, plus you don't have to go to the dealer every time you need work done. The 5- 7- and 8- series are generally more complex, less common, thirstier, and have more poo poo to break. Not that they are necessarily bad cars (I've owned an 8 for the last 4 years) but you will pay for it if you have to take it to the dealer every time it needs work or maintenance.
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Nov 8, 2010 03:37
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Black88GTA posted:Short answer to this question - Can you work on it yourself? Are you the type to keep on top of preventative maintenance? If so, go for it. If not, stay away. This is the important thing - a BMW is "reliable" only if you fix things that break and do regular maintenance. A honda is reliable because i could replace the oil with sand and run it until the frame is pure rust. If you are interested in doing your own work (or even learning from scratch) an e30 is a great place to start. No complicated electronics/timing systems like later models, plenty of room in the engine bay, and an unbelivable amount of resources online.
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Nov 8, 2010 03:56
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I am having an issue with my 2004 330i ZHP. The car is pulling to the left. The shop has said it's probably because the front camber is way out of spec but they can't get it back into spec. They say it's either the struts or the bushings, but everything looks fine visually. Any ideas on what could be going on here? How long do ZHP struts typically last?
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Nov 8, 2010 19:31
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Shadowhand00 posted:Yeah, I've replaced a cooling system before, so I'm not too worried about that. I've done most of an Inspection 2 before - the only things I won't know how to change is the fuel filter and I've never worked on a manual transmission. Looks like a good deal, the fuel filter is a simple job, I did it myself this year and realistically its a ~90 minute DIY. Make sure to take him up on his offer of getting all the maintenance records! ozziegt posted:I am having an issue with my 2004 330i ZHP. The car is pulling to the left. The shop has said it's probably because the front camber is way out of spec but they can't get it back into spec. They say it's either the struts or the bushings, but everything looks fine visually. Any ideas on what could be going on here? How long do ZHP struts typically last? Check the Front Control Arm bushings, if there's excess play in them I'd replace them. Put new Meyle HD FCA Mounts & bushings on my E46 this year and it made a world of difference as far as handling is concerned.
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Nov 8, 2010 20:55
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The trunk latch on my e36 stopped working a couple of days ago and the trunk wouldn't open. All the mechanical stuff looked fine I figured it was the actuator and went looking for one online. After doing some digging on various bmw forums it turns out I am a victim of the crappy wiring harness that goes into the trunk lid. One wire was severed and two were frayed. Repaired and the trunk works again. It's always nice to see I've checked off an E36 gremlin, but then I always wonder which one is next 
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Nov 8, 2010 21:50
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Black88GTA posted:Short answer to this question - Can you work on it yourself? Are you the type to keep on top of preventative maintenance? If so, go for it. If not, stay away. I can definitely keep up on maintenance that's not a problem. As for working on it, yes and no. I have done a few things with car's and done some tuning up on my old motorcycle but nothing over complicated. For quite a few things it would require going to the shop. Not that I am not willing to learn, I always wanted to do some work on the old E30 but we sold it before I got the chance. I am definitely on the lookout for an E30 but they seem hard to find in good condition with relatively low miles. And E36 seem to be what I'm going to be looking for as they are cheaper, and easier to find with less miles. The hard part is just convincing my dad it will not cost a $1000 to get minor crap fixed on it. He always hears horror story's on M3's and how they cost $600 to replace the trim, but then again I'm not really looking at any M3's. Thanks for the input.
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Nov 8, 2010 22:01
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tesko.pk posted:the fuel filter is a simple job, I did it myself this year and realistically its a ~90 minute DIY. Is the E46 fuel filter really that much different than an E36 fuel filter? I did mine in about 15 minutes, first time. And ten of that was jacking the car up and finding my tools.
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Nov 8, 2010 22:06
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