Re: <E30> Searching for cause of low rumble......

[Tim Stiles <tstiles@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with your friend.  Sounds like a bad front u-joint.   It's possible 
that your bad eng and tranny mounts exacerbated the wear on the front 
u-joint but if its never been replaced it's time anyways.    I can only 
quote RX-7's prices to you and this is with the hope that your BMW has 
serviceable u-joints. Some cars do not and you're stuck replacing the 
driveshaft.  In Mazda RX-7 dollars you can take a wasted driveshaft to a 
shop and have front and rear u-joints replaced and the driveshaft 
re-balanced for < $150.  More $$ if you pay them to remove it from the car 
and re-install. The RX-7 u-joints themselves run around $15 each.   Your 
other option would be to buy a used driveshaft from one of the BMW wrecking 
yards. Depends on how much they get for them. Hope this helps and at least 
gives you some idea at what kind of $$ you are looking at.

At 03:51 PM 12/30/99 -0800, Dave Myron wrote:
>Hey all, long time no speak.
>
>My bimmer's rapidly approaching 200K! Woohoo! It's an '87 325e. I'm starting
>to run into some problems however, which is why I come to you, the experts.
>The scenario:
>
>The engine is idling just fine at a stop light. Light goes green and I rev
>the engine a bit and disengage the clutch. As I feed it more gas, if feel a
>constant vibration and hear a low rumble sound that seems to be emitting
>from the back half of the car. I engage the clutch or take my foot off the
>gas and the noise and the vibration goes away. It is most pronounced between
>1800 and 3000 RPM, seeming to level off as the revolutions go above the 3k
>mark.
>
>Now, I talked to a friend who knows cars pretty well about the issue. He
>said that it is most likely the U-joints. Are there any other suggestions
>please?? Also, could you tell me an approximate cost for your suggestions.
>Money's a bit tight right now so I have not had the chance to take it to a
>shop to be looked at. I do know that my transmission and engine mounts need
>to be replaced.
>
>Thanks in advance for any and all help!!! Please don't hesitate to send me a
>personal email.
>
>D A V E   M Y R O N
>Site Builder

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