Non-BMW Stuff on a BMW Forum
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if you don't drive this in cold weather much, you can opt to thicken the gear oil a bit to reduce the sound.
Dan
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Looks fantastic!! Are you planning to bring it to the E30 picnic in June?
Thank you! And I forgot that was happening. I think I'm going to try to bring it.
great job dude!
The gear rattle is somewhat of a fact of life.
Thanks!
if you don't drive this in cold weather much, you can opt to thicken the gear oil a bit to reduce the sound.
Today is probably as cool of weather I'll be driving it in. Definitely will not be driven during winters. That is a very interesting read, thank you for sharing that.
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I have a UUC flywheel which is very light at 8.5 lbs and I use the mix of Redline fluids that they recommend. There is still a little rattle but not much. It is good advice.
That's good to hear. I will definitely try that.
Car is back home. Drive home was just as magnificent. Car is so much smoother without the should mounts. I cam actually hear the exhaust and m20 now. I couldn't hear anything but vibrations with the solid mounts.
And with the combination of the chip, lightweight flywheel, and new tires it is so enjoyable. I was smiling the whole way home.
I put on new auxiliary belts and one of them is squealing a bit. Need to try tightening it but the brackets were just about stripped.
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Well, all has been going well until my drive this morning developed a pretty loud tick. As suggested I'm hoping it's just a rocker that came out of adjustment. I still have the spare block in case it's not that.
I also need to replace the driveline mounts - CSB, diff mount, and guibo. I'm getting a pretty significant knock when shifting. I can feel it coming from the back under the car.
Sooooo, back up on jackstands for a bit! Hoping the engine can stay in. I'm also considering putting the stock flywheel back in. I'm not sure I noticed a significant enough difference when driving the car to warrant the awful starting sound and gear rattle to keep the RHD flywheel in.
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Clutch-type LSDs, in my experience, will always be a little noisy and clunky. Older diffs can have some excessive backlash in the gearing , but even a healthy new/rebuilt clutch type LSD is going to be a little clunky as the pin moves back and forth between the opening in the carrier halves.
Loose u-joints can sometimes cause it.
slop in the CV axles is most certainly a thing.
A bad center support bearing will most definitely clunk as well.
There is also quite a lot of backlash in the transmission too.
I was able to get my E30 drivetrain to an acceptable level of driveline clunkiness to where as long as I was driving smooth there was no noise. Pausing a fraction of a second longer than normal to let the engine slow down to match the speed of the next gear also helps.
The CSB was the last link in my search for a quiet driveline though.
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For the ticking: rocker arm coming out of adjustment or perhaps a manifold leak. I have had a rocker lose adjustment before. An injector could also be extra noisy so dont rule that out.
I find that running Lucas Fuel Additive really quiets the M20 down a bit and im not sure how or why but It seems to be a product that actually helps.
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Clutch-type LSDs, in my experience, will always be a little noisy and clunky. Older diffs can have some excessive backlash in the gearing , but even a healthy new/rebuilt clutch type LSD is going to be a little clunky as the pin moves back and forth between the opening in the carrier halves.
Loose u-joints can sometimes cause it.
slop in the CV axles is most certainly a thing.
A bad center support bearing will most definitely clunk as well.
There is also quite a lot of backlash in the transmission too.
I was able to get my E30 drivetrain to an acceptable level of driveline clunkiness to where as long as I was driving smooth there was no noise. Pausing a fraction of a second longer than normal to let the engine slow down to match the speed of the next gear also helps.
The CSB was the last link in my search for a quiet driveline though.
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For the ticking: rocker arm coming out of adjustment or perhaps a manifold leak. I have had a rocker lose adjustment before. An injector could also be extra noisy so dont rule that out.
I find that running Lucas Fuel Additive really quiets the M20 down a bit and im not sure how or why but It seems to be a product that actually helps.
The clunking has gotten worse so I don't believe it is just natural play in the system.
I will check the rockers tonight. I have a video but I cannot get it to load on here. I can definitely check to see if it has an exhaust leak, but this sounds internal to the engine.
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A clunk like your describing has typically been worn U-joints in the driveshaft (for me).
Easy to check if it's in the air. -
Are those easy to replace?
Also, got a mechanics stethoscope at lunch and listened around. There was not an injector that was louder than the other, they were all the same. So I think I'll rule that out. The sound was almost non-existent in the block, so I'm going to hope a couple valves are out of adjustment.
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BMW u-joints are non-servicable. In the event that there is a non-OE driveshaft in there, there may be grease fittings (probably too late even if thats the case).
For a reman driveshaft, I have had great luck with these guys and they still seem to be the cheapest around
https://www.wholesaleimportparts.com/.
While the valve cover is off, just check to make sure the rocker arm retainers are all seated securely. if any seem a bit loose you can remove them and bend them a bit for a better fit.
What oil are you using?
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BMW u-joints are non-servicable. In the event that there is a non-OE driveshaft in there, there may be grease fittings (probably too late even if thats the case).
For a reman driveshaft, I have had great luck with these guys and they still seem to be the cheapest around
https://www.wholesaleimportparts.com/.
While the valve cover is off, just check to make sure the rocker arm retainers are all seated securely. if any seem a bit loose you can remove them and bend them a bit for a better fit.
What oil are you using?
I popped the valve cover off at lunch. Visually nothing looked out of order. I went through and checked all the eccentric nuts and I did find two nuts that weren't extremely loose, but I got probably a quarter turn out of. I'll go through and check clearances tonight.
I'm using what the book says - Castrol GTX 20w50
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A clunk like your describing has typically been worn U-joints in the driveshaft (for me).
Easy to check if it's in the air.How do I check this?
Also, found a rocker that was way out of adjustment. Will fix that and hope that cures my problem. And then move on to driveline.
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How do I check this?
Also, found a rocker that was way out of adjustment. Will fix that and hope that cures my problem. And then move on to driveline.
With the driveshaft removed you just physically move the yoke in both directions on each axis. As long as it moves freely the U-joints are fine. The Center Support Bearing (CSB) will cause drive line vibrations before the u-joints. The csb can be checked without removal. As long as there isn't any cracks in the rubber bushing around the bearing and no significant play its good.
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With the driveshaft removed you just physically move the yoke in both directions on each axis. As long as it moves freely the U-joints are fine. The Center Support Bearing (CSB) will cause drive line vibrations before the u-joints. The csb can be checked without removal. As long as there isn't any cracks in the rubber bushing around the bearing and no significant play its good.
I don't necessarily have vibrations, it's a clunk after shifting and engaging the next the gear. Unless I shift delicately then there is no clunk.
Picture of it sitting in the garage. Did a short drive today and it was good. Minus the shift clunk.
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Noisy lifter all better?
I always wanted to try some shockproof gear oil in the trans and diff to see how it helps cushion the lash noise
in the E46 world, that drivetrain noise is referred to as the “M Clunk”. The LSDs really can be that noisy
https://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166867
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/bmw-m/173049-e46-m3-driveline-clunk-what.html
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Noisy lifter all better?
Yup. Found one that was probably all the way out of adjustment.
I forget you did replace subframe bushings?
I have not touched the driveline at all - including rear subframe bushings. I'm treating everything in this car as if it's never been replaced.
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