Rear Sub-frame overhaul flop.

[pinkey]

17 hours ago, uai said:

Do you have current alignment data / has the rear been properly adjusted after mods?

From the photos I see adjustable camber toe thingies. If toe is not correct this will explain some behaviour.

e.g. if your rear toe in is (asymetrical) off the car can turn to one side on braking but run perfectly straight under normal condition.

 

 

 

 

 

17 hours ago, mlytle said:

Assuming you did a good alignment after installing rear parts.

 

CV joints?... Wheel bearings?... Exhaust hitting subframe?

 

And what is the state of all the FRONT bushings and parts?

I have yet to take it to an alignment shop. This was just the initial drive for about 15 min. or so. I will be doing that in the next few days. I was worried that they would struggle to align it properly if things are still moving around.

 

One of my CV's seems to have a little movement in it. back and forth between the hub and diff. I will have to look into why it is able to move compared to the other one that is movement free. 

 

It seems to me that the shifting back and forth symptom could definitely be a wheel bearing as that would allow a wheel(s) to shift and cause some rear steering action. They seemed fine but a through inspection is now a must.

 

The front is not in the best shape. Not terrible (always has tracked straight, no shimmys or slop in steering) but a refresh up front is next on the list.

10 hours ago, FunElan said:

Sounds like you should inspect the driveshaft rubber as well as the trans mount/guibo. Good time to replace it all - put the e21 trans mount in.

The guibo and trans mount are probably a year to 18 months old. the center support is definitely older than that. 

[pinkey]

14 hours ago, tzei said:

How is axle carrier outer ends supports made? I can't see from pic OE push rods #33333428125.

 

14 hours ago, 2002Scoob said:

 

Yeeesh! If those aren't in there, boy that would explain some things!

 

14 hours ago, Hans said:

Assuming they were missing in the first place.

 

12 hours ago, NYNick said:

Where's the sway bar?

 

9 hours ago, Einspritz said:

....And if those straps are bent, then that is a problem......use the block of wood as above on the cross member to support the back and never on the straps themselves.

 

That would be "bad".

 

The thrust arms that connect the subframe to the body are installed as well as the sway bar. At the time of the photo the jack stands were in the way so I just bolted up some washers to keep the bushings together until I could get the car on the ground. I will post an updated picture with any additional information I can find out as soon as I get a chance to crawl under there. Thank you all for the replies and so many ideas for me to look at and double check. Without this forum and the wealth of knowledge it has I am not sure I would be able to own my car!

[M3M3]

6 hours ago, pinkey said:

One of my CV's seems to have a little movement in it. back and forth between the hub and diff. I will have to look into why it is able to move compared to the other one that is movement free. 

 

a little side to side movement of the axle between the cv's is expected.  what you need to check for is RADIAL slop in the CV's.  keep one end from rotating, try to rotate the other back and forth.  there should NOT be much movement at all.

 

6 hours ago, pinkey said:

It seems to me that the shifting back and forth symptom could definitely be a wheel bearing as that would allow a wheel(s) to shift and cause some rear steering action. They seemed fine but a through inspection is now a must.

axle movement between the CB's is not related to a wheel bearing at all.  if wheel bearing, the entire hub could move in and out or even rock side to side.

6 hours ago, pinkey said:

The front is not in the best shape. Not terrible (always has tracked straight, no shimmys or slop in steering) but a refresh up front is next on the list.

this would be my next step...

[Hans]

What about the drive shaft ujoint? I doubt rear bearings would make noises you describe. Pull the back seat and check for rust around bushing bolt mounting hole. 

Edited September 27, 2019 by Hans

[TobyB]

Have you done anything with the hubs?  A hub starting to loosen will clunk when you change direction.

 

It's easy to stick a 36mm socket on the nut, and try to tighten it.  If it moves, time to take it apart

and inspect everything...

 

Also, I see toe adjustment in there.  Make sure you're toed- in 1/16"- 3/16" or your ass will wander all over.

 

t

 

[pinkey]

Just wanted to update everyone after I got a chance to take another look at things yesterday. Toby was right. I took a look at the driveshaft, diff, CV's and Wheel bearings. Sure enough it was the passenger rear wheel bearing. I pulled it apart and the splines were virtually gone. I can't believe that I didn't notice it before. I feel silly for overlooking it. Anyway, I was able to torque the castle nut down real tight and take it around the block. sure enough the shifting under accel/decel was gone. However, I am still concerned about how tight my driveshaft is up against my diff. as I mentioned earlier in this thread in response to Buckeye. I still need an alignment as well. 

My solution to sourcing a new stub shaft and hub was to buy an entire rear subframe from my local BMW parts friend and just swap the control arm bushings and brakes etc. from my current subframe over to these "new" control arms.

 

Thanks again to everyone who was willing to respond with their thoughts and wisdom. I am truly grateful for this community.

 

If anyone has any thoughts on my driveshaft/diff situation it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Buckeye]

4 hours ago, pinkey said:

 I am still concerned about how tight my driveshaft is up against my diff. 

I recommend that you start upfront with engine mounts and that 3mm gap adjuster on R.H. side mount, then move on to Transmission and work your way backward. make sure CB mounts are not locked tight when attaching DV to diff. Preload on CB is final step after diff is tighten down.

As far as wheel bearing and stub shaft here is link could be help to you.

 

 

Edited September 30, 2019 by Buckeye