Problems with my bmwe36 any help???

[josharnold]

hi i resently bought a bmw e36 1991 k reg with 120k milage and i have rear bearing problems and shock absorbers problems and i have tapping noises in the engine i need new valves and new cam shaft any chance u know anything about this thanks if u do please leave messages here thanks

[SpeedInfusion]

first off welcome, second, slow down, relax..third...describe the problems...

[josharnold]

ok sorry thanks i am glad to join

ok my rear wheels are lke whoshing and are really bad so i think i need new bearings on both sides
my rght hand rear shock absorber has given up as when i drive over a bump t clonks sounds really bad
also my engne ticks and its really load i mean sound ike an olddeisel engine i have been told it needs new rocker arms new cam shaft new valves oil and a few more thiings
also my radiator fan runs constantly with my engine so it sound like a v6 jeep but with a desel clickin i love the car but sounds really bad when i drive it AND I WOULD LIKE TO RESTORE IT BACK TO A GREAT CAR sorry about caps
i would like to know if i can some how sort my raditor fan out first. i also would like to know if i could do any of this myself.

my spot lights dont work eher and i was wonderng f u new wat problm was i changed bulb and fuse and nothing work still

please please help me any chance i can upload a pic of my car as a avator any help thanks alot anyway ...

[saltshaker185]

Originally Posted by josharnold

ok sorry thanks i am glad to join

ok my rear wheels are lke whoshing and are really bad so i think i need new bearings on both sides
my rght hand rear shock absorber has given up as when i drive over a bump t clonks sounds really bad
also my engne ticks and its really load i mean sound ike an olddeisel engine i have been told it needs new rocker arms new cam shaft new valves oil and a few more thiings
also my radiator fan runs constantly with my engine so it sound like a v6 jeep but with a desel clickin i love the car but sounds really bad when i drive it AND I WOULD LIKE TO RESTORE IT BACK TO A GREAT CAR sorry about caps
i would like to know if i can some how sort my raditor fan out first. i also would like to know if i could do any of this myself.

my spot lights dont work eher and i was wonderng f u new wat problm was i changed bulb and fuse and nothing work still

please please help me any chance i can upload a pic of my car as a avator any help thanks alot anyway ...

ok number one... the "whooosh" sound is it under braking or acceleration or does it sound like there is something grinding back there? could be a bearing, could be your rear diff, could be rear trailing arm bushings are shot??

number 2... the shock absorber sound that you are talking about is because your rear strut mounts are worn and need to be replaced (very common in bmws) if you are looking to upgrade the suspension you might as well do it when you replace the rear strut mounts and have the carpet out and stuff...

number 3... bmws are notorious for valve ticks... there is nothing wrong with your engine... if it isnt ticking then it isnt running one of the great things about this engine is because of the oil system you can put a little bit more oil then is recommended in it and it wont make a fuss... (thats one remedy is to put in an extra quart of oil at your next oil change)

what is happening though is your oil is foaming up and not lubricating the lifters like it should and so what i personally do to remedy is it buy a quart of what is called resoline... (spelling is something like that?? comes in a yellow bottle and stuff) and replace a quart of regular oil with the resoline instead (6 quarts of regular oil + 1 quart of resoline). The resoline is made to fix valve tick and keep your oil from becomming anything but what you want it to be... oil...

what sounds like is happening with your fan is that your fan clutch has seized... does the fan rev along with the engine as it revs? this will be your most difficult fix but if your patient and have tiny hands none of these are bad problems at all... honestly bmws are cake to work on, its just a matter of getting a tutorial and finding some free time to fix it... again if you need any help, thats what we are here for so feel free to stop in with any questions you may have...

EDIT: one more thing, what model is your e36?

[thekid]

I'd add to this, but salt did a good job.

Stick with it, get the Bently Manual, not sure if the link is still up if you don't want to buy it, but I'm sure some one can help you out with it, and get your hands a little dirty one afternoon.

The only thing that will be "fun" is the wheel bearings (if that is what the problem is). A press is very handy for it, but I've used a large piece of wood and a hammer before (not recommended).

[SpeedInfusion]

the bentley download is still up, i make sure it works every now and then...

[Pswirley]

The only thing I would add to saltshakers post is change to a thicker oil like 20/50 synthetic. It helped my tick tremendously, along with that do as you were previously instructed. Time for a FDM and suspension upgrade my friend. Nothing major to us, because we have all for the most part dealt with these same issues. Relax Bro, we got you.

[dannyb]

fourth listen to saltshaker

by FDM you meant Fan Delete Mod? Not everyone knows the acronyms

[josharnold]

ok thanks for that info i will look into that bentley manual im guessing it tells u the inside out of the bmw( my bmw is a 1.8 litre 1991 model saloon 4 door 3 series) i want to upload a pic as a avator ok about the oil i checked the oil it is just on the bottom of the stick so i will top up the oil with wat u have said how big is the oil tank then. my fathers mate he a bmw specailist sed that i need new cam shaft and that well he sed loads(he qouted about 500 pounds gbp) i live in wales in uk. i honestly cant wait till that noise has gone i dont think some oil will do the trick it isnt just a tiking it is really loud louder than my bmw exhaust which itsnt that loud but u cant hear it if u stand by it. i would also like to say the fan does run with the engine its another thing makes my car sound like a tank(some how i thought that would have been the easiest). iispoke to my fathers mate about my wheel bearigns he sed u need like 3 special tools to change the bearings. i resently like 2 weeks ago had both new tyres on the back wheels only the outside of them were worn the inside of the tyres still had good tread on it so i dont know if that is the bushings im not a expert (bushings and bearings are they different things)

pswirly qouted a suspenson upgrade do u mean to lower my car aswell or just a better suspension and should i replace both sides or just the one thats making the noise

my mate is in his 3rd year in mechanics working for the royal mail on vans he knows alot of shit that all u most prob know so he would help me. if i got that bently manual isit posible to fit all this with help from my mate

i need help on what actuall parts to get and a ruff idea on time.

[SHAHAB323IS]

you can jack up the rear and and push and pull on the rear wheel, if there is play the noise is likely your wheel bearing, also if you turn to the right and you hear it more its gonna be your left wheel bearing that needs replacing and vice versa, also i can almost guarantee that switching to a heavier weight oil will get rid of your ticking, i'd go with mobil 1 0w-40, that's what i use and couldn't be happier

also factory shock absorbers only last about 30-40k if that, yours are blown 3 times over, like mine lol, the noise is most likely your rear shock mounts if you hear it going over bumps, it could also be your e-brake shoes

ok by radiator fan do you mean the one in front of or behind the radiator, the engine driven fan is obviously always supposed to be on, the aux fan in front isn't always on, it's controlled by a temp switch, the rear wheel bearings are a bitch, the other stuff isn't bad at all

[josharnold]

also not sure about the fan delete mod dosent that cause problems. also my car isnt the fastest well it is old thats why my dads mate sed about gettng all new parts he sed the cam shaft isnt pushing down on the valves fully so it isnt letting enough in to power the car

also there is a really strong smell like every morning where i go out in the mornng so the car has been sitting for 8 hours i dont know ifanyone got some ideas thanksfor everything

[josharnold]

does it matter about where the bmw is from like some here are american and some are european and that can we all perform the same stuff are they all exactly the same

[Pswirley]

by suspension upgrade, I meant if you are going to be pulling suspension pieces out of your car to replace, you should check other common failure components and replace them while you are already in there. Rear trailing arm bushings (Rtabs), Subframe mounts, Front control arm bushings and what not.

Dropping the car is entirely up to you, I was merely suggesting while you are in there you should take the time to replace other wear items that have served honorably and need replaced.


As far as Fan Delete Mod, I live in a colder region of the US (colorado) so I have had no overheating problems and no engine problems as a result.

[Pswirley]

Originally Posted by dannyb

fourth listen to saltshaker

by FDM you meant Fan Delete Mod? Not everyone knows the acronyms

yes, thats what I meant. and now as a result everyone knows at least one more acronym.

[josharnold]

thats mad tho i live in uk which is cold as fuck all the time so u think it would be ok for me to take the fan out also is there a quick way to just unplug the fan for a second so i can hear how loud my actuall ticking is