X5 w/ 'moon miles' vibration issue

[carlfluk]

Hey guys,

Just wanted some advice. I have a 2002 4.4i with 180,000 miles on the clock. The guy I bought it off at 132k says it had a new transmission at about 100k miles.

Recently I have noticed a vibration -quite load- at low speed under throttle. The gears shift fine and it seems to go away at higher speed, but soft of pulling away from the lights 1-2-3 its a very noticeable vibration.

From reading all the many posts I saw some stuff about the center support shaft bearing and bushings. I saw the bearing is only $25 online, but wondered how difficult a job that is? Someone recommended a mobile mechanic to me who is cheap but wondered if that is a difficult job as I imaged it's hidden away?

Does anyone have any advise as to what the vibration likely is and if so what roughly the $ is gonna be on labor?

appreciate the help!

[theblue]

inspect the guibo first?

[Big "J"]

It could be a number of things.... With the tranny done 50k ago, sounds like the torque converter starting to give that shudder.

Is the vibration felt through the steering wheel?

Is it felt down at your feet through the floor?

Does it "hesitate" soto speak when going through gears 1, 2 & 3?

Good luck!

[Skyline]

If the drive shaft support bearing is bad, a mobile mechanic is not the one to change it. You really need a lift for this. I've done one on the ground, and it's a bitch.

If there's vibration when not moving it could also be the motor mount.

[SlickGT1]

Driveshaft support bearing? The one that goes to the rear or front? Is there one on the front anyway? And why is it a bitch of a job. Asking to get an idea of it.

[Skyline]

Originally Posted by SlickGT1

Driveshaft support bearing? The one that goes to the rear or front? Is there one on the front anyway? And why is it a bitch of a job. Asking to get an idea of it.

We're talking about the rear driveshaft support bearing. It's not a mechanically difficult job to change the driveshaft bearing, it's just that the driveshaft must come completely out of the car. To do that, you need to remove most of the exhaust and the heat shield. That means removing or cutting off the crusty bolts that hold the exhaust together. (Always fun!) There's really no reason one can't do this on jackstands, but it's one of those jobs where you'll be wishing every second that you had the car on a lift. Even with a lift, when removing the heavy exhaust, it's really nice to have a second pair pair of hands, (plus a bunch of pole jacks).

Also, RealOEM shows the support bearing at $94.

RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.4i Drive shaft, single components, 4-wheel

If you're taking the driveshaft down, you may as well do the guibo with that kind of mileage..you'll basically have it out already. Chance are it will fall apart in your hands. Also, all those nylock nuts should be replaced. Probably want to pick up the dust shield for the center bearing if it does not come with it.

These things bring back bad memories for me. The first time I tore one of these BWM driveshaft bearings it was from banging a shift too hard in my 1972 Bavaria 36 years ago. That car was barely drivable like that, it wasn't just a vibration from a small tear or a bad bearing, the driveshaft was banging all around. I was basically stranded with no tools or garage, (on a holiday weekend, with no shop or dealer able to do the job). I needed the car the following day to make it about 200 miles for my first day of college, so I had no choice but to do it myself. I changed the driveshaft bearing on my lawn with nothing more than the trunk tool kit, a hack saw, and a couple of wood ramps I cobbled together from 2x4s. I've done many more of these over the years in various BMWs, but that first one was a bear.