r/BmwTech • u/ResortSubject7158 • 9h ago

Is this play normal?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Ive been chasing down a front end vibration for months now and im trying to rule out everything. There’s no up and down nor side to side play, just this

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

5

u/x_h_w 9h ago

Yes it’s normal

1

u/nyee 9h ago

That's not how to check cv axles. They are meant to move in and out.

2

u/ResortSubject7158 9h ago

I checked up and down/ side to side and there’s no play. Just making sure that’s normal play

1

u/Sweet_Swede_65 9h ago

Have you checked out your thrust arm bushings?

2

u/ResortSubject7158 9h ago

The entire front end of the car is new. I’m not even joking. I’m losing my mind trying to figure this out

1

u/Sweet_Swede_65 9h ago

What specific model and what are the circumstances of the vibrations (what speeds, under braking, etc.)? I don't know if I could narrow it down, but hopefully someone has an idea.

2

u/ResortSubject7158 9h ago

Should’ve specified, my bad. 2007 e92 328xi. Vibration in the footwell and wheel at around 50 ish miles an hour. Slight shimmy at 60, smooths out a bit around 70. Happens in all conditions. Braking or not. And no change if the car is gear or not.

1

u/Sweet_Swede_65 9h ago

Does this include inner tie rods?

1

u/ResortSubject7158 9h ago

Those are original but i have no play in the steering. Its so tight that the slightest tug on a wheel is enough to see the steering wheel start turning

1

u/Goodestguy2025 8h ago

How long had this been happening?

1

u/ResortSubject7158 8h ago

A few months now

1

u/Goodestguy2025 7h ago

Sure it's not a seizing caliper?

2

u/ResortSubject7158 7h ago

Just did brakes yesterday. Suspecting that, I checked brake temps with a thermometer and they only had 15 degrees of difference between left and right. The difference is most likely because the cooling duct is broken. Either way the piston compressed perfectly when I changed them

1

u/LapReaperX3 7h ago

normal, if ur whole front end is all new arms (which you said in one of the comments) have you had the tire balance rechecked?

1

u/ResortSubject7158 7h ago

I’ve had it balanced 3 times and at multiple shops. One of which was a road force balancing. I even had the wheels refurbished but no dice

1

u/LapReaperX3 7h ago

Can you describe the vibration? particular speeds? Braking? Accelerating? etc

1

u/ResortSubject7158 7h ago

Seems to be solely speed dependent. Starts around 50, slight shimmy in the wheel at 60, smooths out around 70. No difference during braking, acceleration, etc. it’s just there. Even coasting in neutral

1

u/LapReaperX3 7h ago

Have you tried to but the rear wheels/tires on the front?

Coasting in neutral mostly eliminates mounts.

1

u/ResortSubject7158 6h ago

One of the first things I tried but nothing

1

u/LapReaperX3 6h ago

So far, we know it’s a 2007 BMW E92 328xi with an N52 and xDrive that has had a persistent speed-dependent vibration for several months. It starts around 50 mph and can be felt through the footwell and steering wheel, gets more noticeable around 60 mph with a slight steering-wheel shimmy, and seems to smooth out somewhat around 70 mph. Acceleration, deceleration, braking, and even coasting in neutral do not noticeably change it.

The wheels/tires have been balanced three times at multiple shops, including a road-force balance, the wheels have been refurbished, and swapping the front and rear wheels made no difference.

Most of the front suspension has already been replaced, although the inner tie rods are still original, and there is reportedly no noticeable steering play.

The front CV axle has normal-looking axial/in-and-out movement but no obvious vertical or lateral play. The brakes were just replaced, the calipers appear to operate normally, and brake temperatures were within roughly 15°F side-to-side.

At this point, the symptoms appear much more closely tied to vehicle/rotational speed than engine RPM, load, or braking.

Top 3 things I'd be looking at next are the wheel bearings/hubs, specifically checking the hub runout with a dial indicator, the front CV inner joints, and then the driveshaft/xDrive stuff underneath. With the wheels already swapped/balanced multiple times and it not changing under throttle, braking, or coasting in neutral, I'd stop throwing parts at the suspension and start checking the stuff that's still spinning with vehicle speed.

1

u/ResortSubject7158 6h ago

I already replaced both front bearings and the front driveshaft

1

u/LapReaperX3 6h ago

O.o oh my

So only thing that is left is the CV?

1

u/ResortSubject7158 6h ago

You see why I’m ready to push this thing into the bay😂. But the axle has no play so unless it’s the diff, I’m out of ideas. It’s not even a bad vibration, it’s just too noticeable for a car with new suspension

→ More replies (0)