BMW E39 - rhythmic noise from rear
Discussion
As above, my E39 has been making a rhythmic noise from the rear - a “ wub wub” noise that increases in frequency in relation to vehicle speed. I had thought it was tyres, but having had all 4 replaced today (they needed it anyway) it is still there. I’m pretty convinced it’s NSR, and is more apparent when driving with the back seats down!
I had the front jacked up to do a caliper, and at the same time gave the NSR wheel a waggle and there was no play... I was thinking maybe a bad bearing, but the noise that’s being made is confusing me, plus the noise doesn’t get worse or better depending on turning. Any thoughts?
I had the front jacked up to do a caliper, and at the same time gave the NSR wheel a waggle and there was no play... I was thinking maybe a bad bearing, but the noise that’s being made is confusing me, plus the noise doesn’t get worse or better depending on turning. Any thoughts?
Triumph Man said:
As above, my E39 has been making a rhythmic noise from the rear - a “ wub wub” noise that increases in frequency in relation to vehicle speed. I had thought it was tyres, but having had all 4 replaced today (they needed it anyway) it is still there. I’m pretty convinced it’s NSR, and is more apparent when driving with the back seats down!
I had the front jacked up to do a caliper, and at the same time gave the NSR wheel a waggle and there was no play... I was thinking maybe a bad bearing, but the noise that’s being made is confusing me, plus the noise doesn’t get worse or better depending on turning. Any thoughts?
To me, that's the bearing and it needs replacingI had the front jacked up to do a caliper, and at the same time gave the NSR wheel a waggle and there was no play... I was thinking maybe a bad bearing, but the noise that’s being made is confusing me, plus the noise doesn’t get worse or better depending on turning. Any thoughts?
But check the diff for oil condition/level and get the pro coupling/donut and bearing checked too, for peace of mind
Also check the brakes, just in case, could be the caliper sticking a bit
I'm having this same issue with my 130i at the moment. Mine also doesn't change depending on turning, so I can't work out whether it's a diff bearing or a wheel bearing - really hoping for the latter as the car has only done 72k. It's got Michelin PS4s on the back which have only done about 4k so can't see it being tyre-related.
Having it checked out next week by the local indy so will report back.
Having it checked out next week by the local indy so will report back.
chriscoates said:
I'm having this same issue with my 130i at the moment. Mine also doesn't change depending on turning, so I can't work out whether it's a diff bearing or a wheel bearing - really hoping for the latter as the car has only done 72k. It's got Michelin PS4s on the back which have only done about 4k so can't see it being tyre-related.
Having it checked out next week by the local indy so will report back.
Interested to see what you come back with, as I have a similar noise on my 125i - a sort of thrum coming from the back, seems to get worse when decelerating and on newly resurfaced roads. Having it checked out next week by the local indy so will report back.
Car drives fine though, so currently I'm just turning the stereo up.
If it helps, I dropped mine in for it's MOT today (which it passed first time) and asked them to investigate the noise - they couldn't find anything obvious but did comment that my differential was incredibly low on oil. It's being topped up as we speak, but I've been advised to budget for a replacement :/
My e92 recently had the exact same problem, it sounded like a helicopter and the faster I went the louder it got.
I thought it was the rear wheel bearings that had failed so booked it into my local specialist to have it repaired.
However, upon looking at the car they discovered it wasn't actually the bearings but the rear brakes that were binding and getting hot.
I had both rear calipers replaced and it's been fine since.
I thought it was the rear wheel bearings that had failed so booked it into my local specialist to have it repaired.
However, upon looking at the car they discovered it wasn't actually the bearings but the rear brakes that were binding and getting hot.
I had both rear calipers replaced and it's been fine since.
The diff on mine appears to be OK - filled it up with fresh oil and it is running fine. The MOT tester picked up a slight noise from the NSR wheel bearing, which I asked to be replaced. Picked it up from that, took it for a quick blast down the M6, rear end was quiet as a mouse.
So it was a wheel bearing for me too.
So it was a wheel bearing for me too.
chriscoates said:
I'm having this same issue with my 130i at the moment. Mine also doesn't change depending on turning, so I can't work out whether it's a diff bearing or a wheel bearing - really hoping for the latter as the car has only done 72k. It's got Michelin PS4s on the back which have only done about 4k so can't see it being tyre-related.
Having it checked out next week by the local indy so will report back.
Mine has also turned out to be just a wheel bearing - good result Having it checked out next week by the local indy so will report back.
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