E53 Steering wobble/vibration over bumps?

[TroubledSoul]

Anyone experienced this? I've literally changed all the suspension arms and tie rods on the car. But when you hit a bump the steering wheel literally wobbles up and down in your hands. In light of what I've done already, there's only the balljoints and the shocks left, assuming the rack isn't at fault.
When you hit a rough patch of road, it literally feels like the front end is skipping or moving independently of what I'm telling it to do! Not the best feeling...

If anyone has any ideas/advice it would be much appreciated!

[d_a_n1979]

Ball joints; drop links, inner CV joints & track rod ends etc

[TroubledSoul]

Drop links look solid, hadn't considered the inner CV joints could be responsible... Best way to test them before spending any more unnecessary money?

[d_a_n1979]

TroubledSoul said:

Drop links look solid, hadn't considered the inner CV joints could be responsible... Best way to test them before spending any more unnecessary money?

They may look solid; but they can have also failed, so need to be checked properly

And yes; CV joints & track rod ends can cause all sorts of weird issue. They also like to seize (typical BMW design); so swap them out both sides, in one go

I use Moog, Meyle or Lemforder and wouldn't use anything else; see if ECP have any good discount offers on, if not you'll get Moog via your local motorfactors and Meyle stuff from C3BMW or BMWmotormec

http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/BMW-MOTORMEC?_rdc=1
https://www.c3bmw.co.uk/

Part numbers can be found on www.realoem.com - look for the 'front axle' diagrams

[TroubledSoul]

Yeah I've been an avid user of realoem for years I did the track rods on both sides yesterday. No difference. So only things not replaced would be shocks, CVs and ball joints at this point. Any advice on how best to test them properly??

[d_a_n1979]

TroubledSoul said:

Yeah I've been an avid user of realoem for years I did the track rods on both sides yesterday. No difference. So only things not replaced would be shocks, CVs and ball joints at this point. Any advice on how best to test them properly??

On the ramps with a pry bar; but with the CV joints you'll need to take the boots off and inspect

They're not expensive though; so may as well replace them anyway IMO

How are the wheel bearings? What about the tyre condition and alloy wheel balancing?

Have you made sure that the mating face of the alloy and brake disc are absolutely clean; any crap in there can cause wobble issues too

But usually it's ball joints failing that do this and they only need a small amount of play to start the issues

[TroubledSoul]

I've just had a flashback... I drove up a kerb to park a month or two back and there was a bang, despite not doing anything out of the ordinary. I bet the shock blew. And it's gradually got worse.

[d_a_n1979]

TroubledSoul said:

I've just had a flashback... I drove up a kerb to park a month or two back and there was a bang, despite not doing anything out of the ordinary. I bet the shock blew. And it's gradually got worse.

Is it weeping? If not, have you damaged the top mount?

Could be the internal D bush too; but that doesn't always cause wobbles; usually the ball joints etc

[TroubledSoul]

I can't see any noticeable weeping but I tried bouncing both front corners at lunchtime. One side, the side I suspect is blown, is really bouncy. Significantly more so than the other, which seems stiffer and normal.

[d_a_n1979]

Hmmm... Sounds like it could be riding on that spring.

You'll soon see when you get the damper off

I'd still check the ball joints as a failing damper won't really translate into a wheel wobble, unless it's come undone etc I'd have thought

[pmorg4]

I reckon shocks is a strong possibility. My E46 steering wheel used to wobble when hitting bumps at high speed, and I changed a number of suspension components trying to resolve it. In the end for other reasons I replaced all 4 shocks with Bilstein B8s and the wobble completely disappeared.

All the on-car tests seemed to suggest that the shocks were fine (no sign of leaks, no obvious bouncing around when putting weight on the car etc.) but they were clearly shot when removed and properly checked.

[d_a_n1979]

pmorg4 said:

All the on-car tests seemed to suggest that the shocks were fine (no sign of leaks, no obvious bouncing around when putting weight on the car etc.) but they were clearly shot when removed and properly checked.

Unfortunately the only way with shocks... PITA

[TroubledSoul]

Yeah shocks are one of those things that can "look" absolutely fine unfortunately. Will report back once I get my hands on a replacement (car's done almost 190k so I might just get a cheap used one for now).

[d_a_n1979]

TroubledSoul said:

Yeah shocks are one of those things that can "look" absolutely fine unfortunately. Will report back once I get my hands on a replacement (car's done almost 190k so I might just get a cheap used one for now).

No; don't

It'll be sods law that fails too...

Buy new; stick with Sachs or Monroe etc... But depending on spec, Boge or KYB may do them

See what the part number on RealOEM brings up on eBay etc

[pmorg4]

d_a_n1979 said:

No; don't

It'll be sods law that fails too...

Buy new; stick with Sachs or Monroe etc... But depending on spec, Boge or KYB may do them

See what the part number on RealOEM brings up on eBay etc

Agreed. My E46 described above had new rear shocks fitted by the previous owner, and I originally considered replacing only the fronts. I decided to upgrade to Bilstein B8s which meant replacing all four, and I'm glad I did as the new-ish rears were almost as bad as the factory original fronts! It seems that the cheap shocks took about 10,000 miles to reach the same level of performance as took the originals 170,000 miles.

[8Tech]

Get a 4 wheel alignment done, that could also point you in the direction of damaged steering or suspension components.

[TroubledSoul]

Sorry, I forgot to update this! It WAS a blown shock. Replaced it and all was well again, for the first time in months! I've now sold the car as I wanted to consolidate down to one car.