1970 1600 rear end noise

[gorms70]

I am the new owner of a very original 1970 BMW 1600. We are the third owners of this car and plan to use it as our daily driver. While we are being careful to maintain a stock look and feel of the car there are a few upgrades we are doing. The first was to replace the old leaky exhaust. We live close to IE so it was a no brainer to purchase and install their SS system or the car. The cleared the cabin of fumes and the extra noise from the holes in the old pipes.

Now we can hear a distinct hum from the back of the car that we could not hear before. It is most pronounced above 30 mph and changes with road speed. I am thinking the noise is coming from the right rear axel, but I am not sure yet. Are there obvious areas to check? I am new to these cars and new to the forum. My past is with Mustangs and MGs.

[c.d.iesel]

1.) jack up rear and grab each back wheel and

see if you can wiggle any play while grabing

at 12-0Clock and 6-0Clock on the tire.

there should be ZERO play when shaken hard

2.) under the car and inspect the center

drive shaft rubber mount and it's bearing

might need the car supported on stands

while assistant gently brings up 3rd gear

rpms so you can listen to center bearing

3.) any oil in the rear diff ?

while on the stands and after listening to the

center D-Shaft bearing with the aid of

a very long thin screw driver for a stethescope,

now listen to the diff bearings - touch yur screw

driver tip to the front input bearing part of the housing

next to the spinning rear drive shaft flange, and

at both side of the diff listening to the inner bearings

next to the axle shaft flanges

(GOT OIL IN THE GREARBOX also ?)

4.) pray your rear wheel bearings are ok........

your turn - to be continued.. . . . . . .

[NickVyse]

Have you got the old style drive shafts that are oil filled on the outer joints? If so do they still have oil, and have the inner joints been greased recently?

[gorms70]

Thanks for the input guys. I'll be putting the car up on jack stands later today when the heat wave passes and check out your suggestions. I hope it is simple, so far everything else on the car has been.

[eastsidebimmer]

Welcome to the club, I have a Jan 71 1600 which is basically the same as your 70. How about posting some pictures?

Also, posts cant be deleted once replied to, so don't sweat it.

On the IE muffler install, did you replace all the rubber hangers? There are very tight tolerances back there and at some speeds the system moves and can vibrate.

[dasfrogger]

I have lots of 1600 parts. Let me know if there's anything you need for your repairs

[gorms70]

Welcome to the club, I have a Jan 71 1600 which is basically the same as your 70. How about posting some pictures?

Also, posts cant be deleted once replied to, so don't sweat it.

On the IE muffler install, did you replace all the rubber hangers? There are very tight tolerances back there and at some speeds the system moves and can vibrate.

Yes all hangers were replaced the the exhaust. The fit from the body to the down pipe is the closest. It rubs while in reverse. I don't see a way to move it.

Sorry about not posting pictures, I sure know better!

[c.d.iesel]

.." I'll be putting the car up on jack

stands later today

when the heat wave passes " ????????!

where the heck is it too hot to work outside today , March 2 ?

[ray_]

Pretty car! A/C too. Take some pics while in the air.

If the car has a later short neck diff they are pretty readily available used. If it is the diff humming, they can behave that way for quite a long time before failing. You might change the diff oil anyway.

Let us know what you find.

Cheers,

[gorms70]

Got the car up and ran it in 3rd gear as suggested and found that the hum is indeed coming from the Diff (short nose). Just incase it helps I am changing the oil in it too.

Also found some noise in the drum brakes :-( On the left side I found a clip missing that keeps a bar from hitting the studs on the hub. It should be strapped to the upper spring, but the clip is missing. Also found a rubber boot missing from the right side wheel cylinder! Both drums and shoes are at their limit for wear.

Since I have the smaller 200 mm drums I can not find the parts locally so they are on order. The only part I can not find is the missing clip. Where can I find one of those?

Here are some pics I took last weekend when I installed the IE exhaust system:

[c.d.iesel]

need small parts :

just in case you haven't already,

look up your own part numbers, print the group diagram

and just drive to about 4 to 8 BMWDEALERs near

you in that part of calif. With a diagram of the

area your working on, and some part numbers,

you help the parts dept get started and make their job

easier helping you. Now might be the time to

convert all your worn out 200 mm brake parts to 230mm

bits.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do?vin=&kind=P&series=114&body=Lim&model=2002tii&zone=USA∏=19720400&arch=1

[gorms70]

Thanks that was a huge help and if I can find it the part I need for the rear brakes is only $9.

Having done MGB's for the last several years I have been very accustomed to the tremendous parts support that MOSS motors provides on these cars. Almost every part is available and their catalogue shows just about every part on the car. until now I have not seen something similar for the e10. It seems most aftermarket suppliers have some parts, but not most of them.

Its been a while since I was working on a car that still had support from the company that built it.

need small parts :

just in case you haven't already,

look up your own part numbers, print the group diagram

and just drive to about 4 to 8 BMWDEALERs near

you in that part of calif. With a diagram of the

area your working on, and some part numbers,

you help the parts dept get started and make their job

easier helping you. Now might be the time to

convert all your worn out 200 mm brake parts to 230mm

bits.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do?vin=&kind=P&series=114&body=Lim&model=2002tii&zone=USA∏=19720400&arch=1

[c.d.iesel]

welcome to the German way of preserving it's automobiles

and yours is a :

M10 motor

114 (not E114) Engineering Series

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=2515&mospid=47139&btnr=34_0793&hg=34&fg=10

200mm bits :

[gorms70]

On this drawing its part #10 "bow" that is missing on one side. I have a few other small items to look for when I am at the dealer.

Got the oil changed on the diff and the tranny. Though the noise is still there it does seem quieter. I guess I am good for the short term, but will look for a diff for the future. Unfortunately this is a 1600 which means I have the 4.10 gears and can not just pop in the standard 2002 diff. Might have to take mine out and get it rebuilt when the time comes.

While I was draining the tranny I took a closer look at the flexible coupling on the front of the drive shaft. Its got some cracks and pieces missing from it. Guess I'll be adding that one to the list too.

Seriously people carefully inspect any car you drive that you do not know the history of. I am amazed how many things were neglected because they are not seen from the top side.

In the mean time I have the rear brakes to go through next weekend when all the parts are here. At least we can drive and enjoy the car the rest of the week.

welcome to the German way of preserving it's automobiles

and yours is a :

M10 motor

114 (not E114) Engineering Series

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=2515&mospid=47139&btnr=34_0793&hg=34&fg=10

200mm bits :

[ray_]

Good progress there, I see. :-) Add another "v" to your sigline.

Jim Gerock was good enough to go look at the 1600 I ultimately bought.

A few pics here: http://s306.beta.photobucket.com/user/jgerock/library/68%201600

Cheers,