1990 525I vibrations - BMW Forum

MEDSTUDENT87 · 12-11-2006, 08:06 PM

Hi Everyone. I am new to this forum and new to BMW cars. I have always loved German cars but only had Vdubs and Mercedes. Well I finaly have my first Bmw and loving it. It has the M20 engine and an automatic but still has a hint of sportiness besides its the Ultimate Driving Machine. lol. Anyways I have a vibration around 30mph and the steering wheel shakes between 45-50 if I not accelerating and holding the speed. Also the steering wheel shakes vilonetly when I brake at any speed above 45 mph after that I can feel the brakes "pulsate" especially if it hot or I have done stop and go traffic. I have the wheels balanced, front end alignment, and had the rotors replaced when I first purchased the car but I used basic rotors should I use ebc if they are warped? The car also just hit 200,000 and counting.

jnstrcklnd · 12-11-2006, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MEDSTUDENT87

Hi Everyone. I am new to this forum and new to BMW cars. I have always loved German cars but only had Vdubs and Mercedes. Well I finaly have my first Bmw and loving it. It has the M20 engine and an automatic but still has a hint of sportiness besides its the Ultimate Driving Machine. lol. Anyways I have a vibration around 30mph and the steering wheel shakes between 45-50 if I not accelerating and holding the speed. Also the steering wheel shakes vilonetly when I brake at any speed above 45 mph after that I can feel the brakes "pulsate" especially if it hot or I have done stop and go traffic. I have the wheels balanced, front end alignment, and had the rotors replaced when I first purchased the car but I used basic rotors should I use ebc if they are warped? The car also just hit 200,000 and counting.

Soundls like you may need ball joints and possibly rotors.

da_bull · 12-11-2006, 09:13 PM

thrust arm bushings are notorious for giving the 50-60 shimmy. I would have the rotors checked for true.

MEDSTUDENT87 · 12-12-2006, 07:34 PM

I put on EBC brakes that are notched and dimpled, and ceramic,green, brake pads now the stoping is dramticly better and the steering wheel does not shake but I still have a slight shake in the wheel around speeds of 45-55 either holding a speed or braking. How would I inspect the thrust arm bushings or ball joints to tell if they are going bad so I don't spend a ton of money on something that might not be fixed.

da_bull · 12-12-2006, 10:25 PM

BMW E34 Website front end noises hope that helps...

MEDSTUDENT87 · 12-14-2006, 06:51 AM

Thanks for everybodies help. I had the BMW on the lift when we were replacing the rotors and brake pads and the mechanic said that the driverside front wheel bearing was bad. Once it was replaced the shake in the wheel around 45-50 went away.

da_bull · 12-14-2006, 06:46 PM

kewl, them's expensive, I need mine replaced, bought 90-120 per side plus labor (well that part's free for me).

MEDSTUDENT87 · 12-20-2006, 07:25 AM

Ya they were but my Dad owns a auto repair shop so they were discounted and labor free so not to bad on price.

Is your 5er have an M20 engine in it? If so what fuel grade do you use? I use supreme and don't know if it will take lower. THANKS

da_bull · 12-20-2006, 11:13 PM

yup the M20. The higher octane doesnt do anything for these motors. They are relatively low compression. Put regular unleaded in your next tank and start it up, make sure its at operating temperature, and floor it

. Actually just accelerate quickly (in drive) and listen for knocking or pinging in the motor. I am pretty sure you wont. The higher octane basically keeps detonating (pinging/knocking) from happening. Higher compression motors have a tendency to detonate prematurely (pinging/knocking which is caused by the air/fuel mixture exploding prior to the spark plug firing). Higher octane takes more firepower to ignite the mixture. Long story short: try it and save yourself .10 per gallon.