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-   -   Body rattle narrowed down. Now I'm needing online tech diagrams (https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/x5-e53-forum/101609-body-rattle-narrowed-down-now-im-needing-online-tech-diagrams.html)

TurnAround 09-01-2015 12:59 PM

Body rattle narrowed down. Now I'm needing online tech diagrams
 
A year ago a rattle showed up in the rear of the X. Sounds like a plastic bottle or filter or something, hanging on to one last thread, and 'bobbles' around inside the car cavity with even the slightest road imperfections. Indi Mechanic hears it too, and he's checked all rear suspension, wheel bearings, etc.. We still can't find it.

This weekend I had my wife drive around with me stuffed in back, and I've positively located the body panel area its coming from; Driver's side, cargo area behind the back seat, below the window (it's not in the 'C' post or roof), forward of the left rear mini cargo hatch, and 'above' the lower spare tire/battery well area. Its 'right there' behind the carpeted wheel well dome. I've pulled the back seat and side bolster, and opened the left rear mini cargo hatch, and was able to run my hands aaaallll around the area between the carpet panel and the car's metal wheel well. I can't feel ANYTHING that's loose. Certainly nothing 'big' like the rattling bottle sound I hear. I'm wondering if its between the metal wheel well shell, and the plastic wheel well liner on the outside of the car.

Anyway, I used to have a link to an online BMW technical website that you guys turned me onto. Does anybody have that link? I wanna see what kind of gear might be housed in that area.

Thanks!

jeepj667 09-01-2015 01:02 PM

Subscribed. I might have this same sound too.

upallnight 09-01-2015 02:18 PM

Open the hatch and drive with it open. Is the rattle gone???? Most people see an end to the rattle when they install the self opening springs for the hatch.

TurnAround 09-01-2015 02:30 PM

Excellent Tip, btw!

I shouldda added that bit too: The rear upper hatch bumper mounts are also making their own variety of noise, but I've got those bad boys down. I have new bumpers on there, and I lube them with Wurth water based lube every few months.

This other noise is unique/separate and very different sounding. Its a low-ish rumble, with a distinct Tok, Tok, Tok, Tok mid-range rattle to it. Picture a 1 quart plastic motorcycle re-fuel bottle where the lid for the bottle is hard mounted to plywood, and the bottle itself is 'hanging on' by the last thread of the top and is moving around via road imperfections. Toka, toka, toka... non-stop.. forever.. and ever... :rolleyes:

I keep imagining and secretly begging for "the bottle" to just freaking fall off and be done with it. hahaha...

TurnAround 09-02-2015 11:32 AM

Ahh.. ok, found the site. It's RealOEM.com
I keep forgetting about them... which is ironic, because I think they advertise on this forum (or several of the forums).

Wow.. there were a LOT of body images to go through on that site. But alas.. I'm not seeing any suspicious components that might be causing the rumble/rattle.

I think what I'll do is take it to my auto glass guy. They charge a flat $95 to remove an interior door panel to do any kind of work (fix leak, broken regulator, etc..). I'll bet I can talk them into disassembling that left rear cargo area for that flat charge... and just check every single bolt and clip. They do this kind of work all day long, every week. I've learned that if I take it to the indi mechanic, they charge way more for this kind of work.

Ciao

TurnAround 09-04-2015 01:06 PM

Ok, I found it!

Using a few "DIY Rear Shock Mount" search results I learned which under-trunk plastic trim parts to remove to expose the rear shock mounts. Then had my wife drive me around again while I snoofed at the different parts.

The sound is unmistakably coming from the driver's rear shock. The shock mount looks brand new though. It looks to be in fabulous condition and all the bolts are rock solid. Never the less, all you have to do is touch the shock mount plate or the shock piston sticking out the end, and you can feel the Tok, Tok, Tok emanating right outta that part set.

The reason I was hearing it inside/behind the rear carpeted panel (and I could still hear it there too, clear as day) is because the metal unibody panel behind that (the car!) is basically acting as a drum head and echoing and even amplifying the RSM noise.

Last evening my driver's side window door regulator died, and so I had to take the car in anyway this morning. My mechanic and I were discussing the RSM noise too. He's thinking it might actually be a defective shock valve inside the shock and not the RSM. RSMs are very simple (hunk of rubber + two steel plates) and when they wear out you can move them around, see that the rubber is torched, and when driving they make a much louder "CLUNK" and only when you hit certain bumps. Shocks have two or three segments of the metal valve that are designed to handle different parts/segments of the shocks travel. THe 'early' part of the shock valve is meant to handle micro tiny variations in the road surface, and once you actually hit something bigger, the shock piston moves beyond that 1 or 2 little mm of travel and gets into the larger portion of the valve position that handles bumps. This might be why we hear the Tok Tok very rapidly, constantly, and the second you roll off driving the car, but if I hit something bigger, it's actually completely quiet.

These are replacement OEM Sachs shocks that went on 45k ago (4 years this month) and so they're way past warranty (bummer). Anyways, he's going to check out the shock, the RSM, they sway bar end links (tiny rubber bushings there), and the subframe bushings.

I'll post back on exactly what it was...

TECN1K 01-07-2016 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurnAround (Post 1049954)

I'll post back on exactly what it was...


Well??

TurnAround 01-10-2016 12:10 PM

Oops, sorry 'bout not posting back.

When we got the RSM out of the car we couldn't identify anything wrong with it. Mounting area looked good. Rubber looked new-ish and fully plumped out.

They replaced the RSM anyway, since we had it out of there. They also offered to replaced the Sachs rear shocks (already replaced earlier) under warranty. Since they came from a general parts wholesale distributor, that middle man also carried Bilstien shocks, so we went with those instead. The pulled off Sachs shock seemed fine too.

Noise gone, and car handles great. But... we never really could positively identify the source of the 'Tok Tok'. It's hard with suspension parts, 'cuz they're design to do their thing under the load of 500 hundred pounds or so. Something... was amiss inside either the RSM or the shock. We just couldn't reproduce by hand.

- TA

TECN1K 01-10-2016 08:25 PM

Thanks for the update! Chasing down a sound myself, every little bit helps.


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