low idle vibration

olds350 · 02-12-2004, 11:46 AM

Paging Jared at Pelican Parts (but if anyone else has input on this subject, please jump in)

On my '96 328i I'm experiencing a low idle vibration. The car has 95k miles and is a 5 speed. Here's the situation. At 800 to 1000 rpm, the car is starting to develop a noticeable vibration and permeates throughout the car. Note, that this is with the car standing still and out of gear. It doesn't matter if the clutch is pressed or not. I also notice a tighter vibration (faster vibration, just not as pronounced) at 1800 -2000 rpm.

I was told either the motor mounts or transmission mounts were bad. I ordered new mounts from pelican and replaced all mounts. None of the old mounts were broken. The new mounts have dampened the vibration some, but it is still noticeable in the car. The vibration seems to get worse after the car has warmed up.

What am I up against here? Car runs fine. No engine lights, erratic running, skipping or missing. Any pearls of wisdom out there?

Thanks

Jared at Pelican Parts · 02-12-2004, 01:21 PM

This could be a bad o2 Sensor causing the engine to run sluggishly. or clogged filters, etc..

Can be a lot of things..

Did you run the error codes on the car?

olds350 · 02-12-2004, 01:31 PM

As I said in my post, the engine runs fine. I never stated anything about the engine running in a sluggish manner. No check engine lights. No misses or hesitations. Runs as strong as it ever has. All filters have been addressed. What have you heard about the dual mass flywheel rubber mount breaking down w/ this kind of mileage? The vibration issue has become progressively worse over the last 3 weeks. Could this be a harmonic balancer issue? How could I check either issue?

Thanks Jared,

matthew-m · 02-15-2004, 09:26 AM

I would like to know how this turns out as I have the same problem on a 97 328i (plus a couple others...)

MarkE36 · 02-16-2004, 04:49 PM

OMG> I am having the exact same problem!!! i have a vibration at 1000rpm and again at 1800-2000rpm. i replaced the motor mounts, and it didnt help at all. my car is a 97 328is with 62,000miles. the vibration happens in gear or out(manual). Im so lost as to what to do. the dealer said doing the mounts were the next step in finding out what the problem is.
my next guess is going to be the flywheel. OMG

PLEASE EMAIL ME! we should get in touch!
G1A2L3L4O5@MSN.COM

olds350 · 03-01-2004, 06:04 PM

OK, I bit the bullet and had the clutch and flywheel replaced after numerious talks w/ local mechanics and forums. They all seemed to point to the flywheel as the only rotating item w/ enough mass to cause a low idle vibration.

The vibration is now gone through all points of the rpm scale. Take offs from a standing start are as smooth as glass. The car feels great to drive again. If you are experiencing the same issues as I stated at the begining of this thread, then the clutch / flywheel replacement is the fix.