BMW e36 316 (1996 model)

[evans14]

Hello Guys,

Im driving a 1996 bmw 316 (cheap motor to get through winter and save some money
For 5 months it has been perfect, but now im getting a drone from the back, its not getting worse, but is still there. The noise is hard to explain, but is not rumble, but more a constant drone that gets louder at higher speeds, then less at slower.
I have started to look into this I dont just want to ignore it, First call was wheel bearing. I have jacked up the car, both rear wheels spin freely & no play.... so does this mean the wheel bearings can be ruled out ?

Next idea... diff ?? Im not sure how much..if any oil is in it.
Could a low oil level cause noise ? or could be the diff is on the way out ?
This is my first bmw & the mileage is high 167,000.

Any thoughts / experience would be greatly appreciated.

ps. Could wheel alignment cause this ? long shot I know, personally I think no, but im no expert.
Thanks
Evan

[mattman]

Hi evan - not mechanical so could well be the diff - but I had a similar problem on my 55 plate passat - it was the tyres causing a rumble like a wheel bearing as they run slightly on their inside edges and wear unevenly - this causes the tread blocks to distort and cause the droning. Its a known problem on passats and cured with new tyres - not sure if it happens on the e36 but worth a check

[evans14]

Hi mattman, cheers for the advice, I will look into that. I've just looked & the tyres are wearing uneven from the inside slightly. There is a tyre place right next to my work, will just let them have a quick look over.

Thanks

[byrrul]

Interesting post as I have just picked up my sister's E36 (323i)and have driven it down to Canberra from Sydney today. It has 87 thousand on it and also has a noise that is very similar to yours. It reminded me of some of the whining diffs in my old mk1 and mk2 Escort days!

As it has been sitting for a while I was going to get my local mechanic to check it over before advertising it for her.

[evans14]

So tyres are fine, have jacked the car up and the wheels spin freely and have no play hmmmm
When driving home yesterday at speed I put the car in neutral at speed and still the noise stay constant.
Does that rule out the diff ? What else do you think it could be ? I thought if the wheel bearing is shot would be play .. is that correct thinking ?
Cheers :-)

[JaseB]

My Dads car does a similar thing, worn bushes in the rear suspension means the tyres wear unevenly and drone, new tyres being cheaper than new bushes means he just lives with it and replces the tyres when they get noisy.

[cushT]

I would say wheel bearing. They will spin freely regardless & don't always have play in them when they go.
Jack it up again & spin the wheel, listen very closely to the hub for a slight droning noise, not that easy to spot, but do it both sides & you should tell which one has gone.

[evans14]

Thanks CushT.
The rear wheel bearings ive heard are a pain of a job :-( can anybody confirm ?
Will investigate fully at the weekend.

Cheers guys

[TheEnd]

Wheel bearings are always more awkward on the driven wheel.

It's at the point where a lot of garages just sledgehammer them in and ruin them from the outset, so even "just leaving it to the professionals" isn't a simple solution.

[cushT]

They're easy enough if you have access to a press, but don't bother trying otherwise else you will just ruin them trying to bash them in as stated above.

Find a decent garage with a press, The job should be about £70 - £100 all in. (going on previous quotes)

[dibbly dobbler]

JimexPL said:

The diff will still be turning wether you're in neutral or in gear, and at 160k is likely to be noisy regardless of how regularly the oil has been changed (every inspection 2 I seem to recall).
I'd flush it and fill with the recommended oil. It's unlikely that the noise will disappear completely though.
I've got 3 e36. The lowest mileage is silent (now on 125k), thr 150k car whines a little bit but it's drowned out by the suspension noise and stripped interior. My current daily, at 165k whines on a constant throttle, despite a very thorough fsh from new.

Think this was meant for here but it got put on my boring mats thread by mistake

[evans14]

Hi guys,
Update from over the weekend.
The wheel bearings are fine & the noise is coming from the diff :-(
When spining a wheel & with your head close to the diff you can hear a grinding noise inside the casing.
I have no experience on these cars or rear wheel drive cars. I also noticed that the passenger rear driveshaft (if it called that) has play & can pull out from the diff 10mm or so, while the other side is tight.
Its a hard next question, but what do you think is the next option ? how much would a good indenpendant charge to replace diff ? or am I looking more into scraping the car I dont want to. I also found at the car is running 15" wheels, but should be 16" so that is not helping the diff.
I still need to change the diff oil, but will it really make a difference to a grinding diff ?
Sorry for the long post & any help would be great.

[Matt UK]

Mate, it's a cheap car you bought to save money.

Just run it. If you start to hear strange noises, turn the radio up.

[evans14]

Very good point Matt :-)
Ive just got a guy ringing around. Could get a refurb diff & fit for £300.
I know I could get another car for this money, but engine wise the car is good.
Caught in two minds, drive into the ground then scrap or do a couple of jobs and the motor could still have a few years left in it.
One worry > Could the diff break or cause a big accident ?

[sprouting]

Get yourself on the e36 forum and check the parts section, or put up a wanted ad. There's some cheap on eBay as well, I'm not much for diy, but from reading other peoples journals swapping the diff looks straightforward.

http://www.bmwowner.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=1

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p452...

[cushT]

A friend of mine had the same problem, he sourced a second hand diff for £80 from a bmw breakers yard, & we fitted it ourselves in an afternoon. It's a very easy job.

[evans14]

Thanks CushT, im now doing the same thing. £90 for a second hand diff from a BMW breaker & fitting it sat with my brother. Will update on monday
Cheers

[evans14]

Good morning guys,
The noise continues I changed the diff no probs and the job only took around 3 hours.
But still this constant drone is there. Only comes as the speed / revs raise.
Im taking the car to an exhaust centre to have that fully checked over.. could have got the fault wrong. Its a really hard noise to guess because from inside the car it is not easy to pinpoint the noise, I think from the back, but somebody thinks from the front... the exhaust does have small leak (that i can see) but did not think it could make a noise like this.
How does the prob work on a bmw ? could that or some bearing connected to that make a noise ? but im not get any feedback / vibration from the steering wheel or gear stick. hmmm any ideas would be great. Will get exhaust checked later.
I checked again wheel bearings and they spin so free and have no play.
cheers and bit serious for a monday morning.

[cushT]

I still call wheel bearing, they will spin free even when knackered. They are difficult to pinpoint too, I had a front changed once on my own diagnosis but it turned out to be a rear.

Good luck with it mate.

Edited by cushT on Monday 15th November 10:35

[evans14]

Its not the exhaust system or manifold.
Somebody is having a look over it on weds, but looking at wheel bearing, prop shaft or prop shaft centre bearing.

Anybody ever had problems with propshaft or the centre bearing ?