Sound from front wheels like an aireplane taking off
 

I have a BMW X5 2003, 3.0 and it has 213000 miles on it.

a few days ago I drove out of state (380 miles), and the last 40 miles, I heard a noise from wheels like an airplane was taking off.

this thing had happened once before but it went away day after. a few months ago I heard same noise, then I took it to the mechanic, I had suspected it to be ball bearings
he drove it quick and the noise had gone away and he said it is probably nothing serious.

now that it happened again when I got to my destination, I showed it to a mechanic, and they said the Boots for the axels are torn and the grease comes out of it.
and they said they don't have original part for it, but they can build one for me for $1600.


The mechanic advised not to drive it back 380 miles. I drove it back and I didn't hear any noise ( except the first 5-6 minutes).
right now the car doesn't have the noise.

What do you guys think ? should I show it to another mechanic and spend money on it ? (now that it doesn't have noise ? except sometimes the first few minutes)

Pictures:
http://i63.tinypic.com/2r5de2h.jpg


More Pics:
http://i63.tinypic.com/2roric2.jpg
http://i64.tinypic.com/155h095.jpg
http://i68.tinypic.com/25a2edv.jpg

Jesus, I don't know what to say. If what he said was true, your CV's are gone. You don't know what your looking at obviously, so just take it to a reputable indy mechanic or dealer. The axles are anywhere from $150 and up, labor-I guess you will find out. Get it fixed sooner than later or you will be stranded big time

just added a photo, the picture is the other side of the front wheel. is that CV boot ?
do you know the partnubmer for it?

[QUOTE=shevin;1091151]I have a BMW X5 2003, 3.0 and it has 213000 miles on it.

a few days ago I drove out of state (380 miles), and the last 40 miles, I heard a noise from wheels like an airplane was taking off.

this thing had happened once before but it went away day after. a few months ago I heard same noise, then I took it to the mechanic, I had suspected it to be ball bearings
he drove it quick and the noise had gone away and he said it is probably nothing serious.

now that it happened again when I got to my destination, I showed it to a mechanic, and they said the Boots for the axels are torn and the grease comes out of it.
and they said they don't have original part for it, but they can build one for me for $1600.


The mechanic advised not to drive it back 380 miles. I drove it back and I didn't hear any noise ( except the first 5-6 minutes).
right now the car doesn't have the noise.

What do you guys think ? should I show it to another mechanic and spend money on it ? (now that it doesn't have noise ? except sometimes the first few minutes)


Yep time for some new axle shafts. Get the good GKN ones. You can source them from Turner motorsports.

Can I just replace the boots?
do you have part number or the diagram on the Oem parts that has all the part numbers?

btw do you mind removing the picture from your previous post quote, that other picture was too big, I replaced with a smaller one.

When the boot began to crack you could have replaced it, but now there is dirt and grim in the CV joint which accelerates wear. You can just replace the CV joint and boot, but the other boot probably isn't far behind.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...kit-3144980005

If its making noise you need more than boots. Chances are there is road grit up in the CV joint thus contributing to your aircraft noise. Even if the boot is ripper there should be no noise if the joint is good.

so the thing is it doesn't make noise now, during 7 hours of driving last 20 minutes of it was making noise like an airplane was taking off. on my way back after 7 more hours of driving, it didnt make that noise. but as you see in the pictures, the boots are torn on both wheels.


I don't plan to keep the car long term, what would be a cheap fix, to last me the winter?

Thanks for the link, is it something I can do myself ? is there a video/article for it?

It is not a complicated job but it does require some special tools. If you aren't familiar with working on stuff like this, which I am assuming you aren't, it is likely not something you'll be able to just whip out. Expect a mess, swearing, and bloody nuckles along with a variety of new tools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsOQRV5RtZs

You should also consider changing the wheel bearing since you will be in that area doing the cv axle.

I called a mechanic to get estimate to change the CV joint, they told me depending on the version of the axle shaft I have the price is diffrent.

they said one version is $851
and the other version they don't make it anymore, it is called Raised Lips, and that would be 1212, to fix it.


do you guys know about that two different types of the axle shaft?

I haven't heard about there being different versions on the front axles, but maybe. Either way, I at those prices that is close to what I would expect a dealer to charge for an entire new axle, not just a CV joint. I was in a pinch once and bought a reman axle from napa for $90. It lasted about two years and 40k miles before the boot failed. You can get GNK (which are high quality, may be OEM) for $260. A skilled mechanic should be able to swap it out in less than two hours. Prices near a grand are a joke.

do you have link to GNK ones?

btw I watched a youtube a guy wrapped the boot hole with a bike tire and secured it with Zip ties. since my car hasn't made any noise after 7 hours of driving. do you think I should fill the hole with grease and wrap it with a bike tube and zip it ?
I just want the car to last me for the winter. (4-5 months)

link to the youtbue guy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIanZCLILIM what do you think ?

You obviously don't want to fix this. You keep saying it isn't making noise anymore and now you want to wrap a inner tube around it. For Gods sake, just f'n sell it or go buy a honda. This is a basic repair, and the fact you let it go so long is proof you have no intention of repairing it correctly. I get sick of people using duct tape on a $60K dollar car. And it is an older car, it needs maintenance. Just sell it

No. The CV joint is wearing at an accelerated rate because of the contaminates, the noise going away isn't a good thing and does not mean that it is no longer wearing. Worst case it seizes up while driving.

Just have a local shit shop replace the outer CV joint with that $50 one for a couple hundred bucks.

Here is a link to the parts
https://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/X5...03&m=228&e=180

As I mentioned earlier the GKN can be sourced through Turner motorsports. Its not that expensive.

:bustingup

It's GKN for axles and boot kits etc

Came in to post that WW2 bomber drone above 40mph is indicative of a bad wheel bearing. I did both a few years back.

:bustingup Can't say I disagree. LOL, I've done some temporary "workarounds" on vehicles in the past, but nothing as ghetto as wrapping an innertube filled with grease around an axle.

Thanks for the info, are you saying I should get these two?
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...15-31607565316
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...em-31607507402

or did you mean I should get these two :
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...kn-31607565313
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...kn-31607565314

Either get the entire axle Assembly or a replacement CV joint. Just a CV boot kit isn't going to help you.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...kit-3144980005

And like others have mentioned you may need a wheel bearing.

I understand you want to keep the costs down. The labor to remove and replace the boots is more than just removing and replacing the entire assembly. If you think about it, for both jobs you need to remove the assembly. Then, if your doing the boots, there is the additional cost of that work.
If you look at ECS tuning or Pelican Parts you can get an entire assembly for about 80 each. They are not as good a quality and won't get you another 213k but will work for your time frame. Probably a couple of years.
If your boots are good or you catch it early, then repacking with the correct grease and new boots on a high quality setup is the best solution. Typically the joints don't wear if they stay packed with grease, it's what occurs when they tear and get driven, such as your case, that destroys them.
The cost to do the labor is the biggest variable. Can't help you there, my idea of reasonable is about $100/hr (California sucks in that regards). I would shop around, check that you can supply your own part. Many shops won't. If they do, know that they will not warranty the part.

Thanks for the response, I read somewhere the symptoms of the damaged cv joints are, shaking, clicking noise when turning. I have none of those symptoms.
what are other symptoms I should look out for other than, clicking noise and shaking?

Another question is, what is the correct type of grease, is wheel bearing, high temperature grease good enough?

I am planning to temporary grease it up and wrap it with an elastic band, and if I get any more symptoms I will just rpelace the whole shaft.

because the mechanic over phone told me, if outter boots are torn, the inner boots will be torn sometime soon.

You're in Minneapolis. In about a month you'll be in the shop getting the whole thing replaced when it's packed full of sand and salt.

Do it right or do it twice (or more often in OP's case)

don't be a cheapskate with these cars or just sell it

Just make a new boot out of duct tape

tools
 

:bustingupOr, when it breaks apart, the inner tube let's go and the axle breaks and he rolls the thing down a snowy ditch......f'n tool. I am out on this one. The most ridiculous thread I have seen in a long time. Rubber bands and inner tubes.....classic

:iagree:

ok I think you guys convinced me to go fix it correctly, my next step is finding a mechanic which will do it for me at a reasonable price. is there a website or directory of mechanics for different states?

maybe here

BMW Repair Shops & Mechanics Near minneapolis | BimmerShops.com

Or here

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ationwide.html

Instead of buying a 10+ year old car, he should buy a car that is a couple of years old with a warranty. A Kia or Hyundai that is a lot newer than a BMW X5 would have cost him the same as that BMW. Too many beer budget owners with Champagne taste these days.

Thank you so much, you are posts are so helpful ! :thumbup:

I can give a recommendation for IMOLA Motorsports. Great shop.

My old shop shirt (that I still wear) has our unofficial motto on it:

We do it right because we do it twice.
We do it right because we do it twice.

Allow me to present an alternative.

You could just get:
an el cheapo rockauto (or similar) halfshaft
axle nut
tube of grease
24" or better cheater bar (for the axle nut)
18" pry bar (to pop the halfshaft)

and have that thing changed in a couple of hours. It's not a 100k mile halfshaft, but it's a hundred bones tops for all that, and you will be rolling again.

^ That's what I had to resort to. Found the ripped boot over the weekend and had a trip on Monday. I could only source a shitty $90 Napa axle (not that I would have spent the $700 for an OE had the dealer had one in stock on a Saturday). It lasted two years/40k before the boot failed.

Update:


took it to a Bimmer shop, he was impressed with my car, how nice it drives and it has absolutely no noise,
he noticed the noise was because of my brakes, which are almost gone, he also said the axle is in perfect shape. he repeated completely perfect. it was good that I found out about the torn boot before it makes any damage to the axle.

I will have my CV boots and brakes replaced at same time.

so for other people who might google and find this thread. those kind of random noise from the wheel that goes away randomly might be from your brakes pad or brake rotors

Be careful what you suggest here to the OP. Suppose he cannot get the axle nut off. He may need additional tools to remove "the mother of Jesus torques bolt with years of seized components " His components have seen winters, salts, grime from the NW seasons. He may very well want to take it to shop that has some backup power pneumatic tools and heat.

Hey, your results may vary. Obviously that is a best case scenario.
But if the axle nut won't come off, you haven't lost much. Return the stuff, call a shop.

I thought that was implied with anyone that lives north of the I10. But you might be able to guesstimate that by looking at it.

If it looks like the Edmund Fitzgerald, then maybe don't attempt.

Woah! An Edmund Fitzgerald reference. I'll have to put on some Gordon Lightfoot later. :D

And from the Texans, no less.
Who'd have guessed.

Update :

Finished the repair, The random noise was from brakes, because they were almost gone.
so I changed front brakes and rotoros and sensors with OEM brakes.
and also I replaced the front axle CV boots.

The mechanic said the car is in a great shape. and everything is perfect. happiness !

That's a CV boot. It's possible, in theory, to take the CV joint apart and clean it, pack it full of grease, and put a new boot on. What has happened to you is that the boot blew out and the grease has been thrown out due to the rotation. When the grease is gone, water and dirt get in and this is bad for the needle bearings inside. If you take the bearings out and clean them very well, they might not be destroyed to the point that you cannot put the joint back together and get thousands of miles of continued service. It's entirely possible that the bearings are toast, but you cannot tell until you take the joint apart. They make a grease especially for lubricating CV joints, I think it's molybdenum, and you can get it at the auto parts store.

The typical failure mode of a CV joint is that it makes a clicking noise when the steering wheel is turned full lock. Go to a parking lot and turn the wheel all of the way and go in a circle, then go the other way. I'm not certain, but the inside wheel will click if it's the one giving trouble.

Just because the boot is torn does not, in itself, mean that the joint is toast, although it doesn't look good for the joint. If the boot tore a week or a month ago, and you have not driven in the rain, then you should be okay. If the boot tore several months ago and you took the car swimming across the local Montezuma Crossing (a roadway that crosses a creek with water in it), then you might have trouble with cleaning the CV joint. You can take the axle shaft out and then make the decision to put a new one in or rebuild it. If the store will take the replacement back, then you might want to buy it to have on hand in case you need it.

If you replace the boot, you MUST also replace the "hose clamps" that hold it on. You cannot use the clamps that you normally see on a hose because the screw will cause a vibration as it spins around. Get the same kind of clamps that are on the car now, there's a reason that they are used. You will absolutely destroy the old ones getting them off. There are 2, one of them is large, the other is small.

^ +1

The OE style clamps are the crimp style which require those ear crimp pliers or whatever the hell theyre called. You can also use band it style clamps which require a separate winding tool. Both tools are on Amazon for around $20 or less. Hose clamps are too wide and you won't have uniform compression around the groove. And for god sakes, don't use zip ties.

$1600 is a rip off! $80 for complete drivehsaft with boots from eeuroparts and around 3/4 hour labour - so allow shop an hour labour to do

$1600 is a rip off! $80 for complete drivehsaft with boots from eeuroparts and around 3/4 hour labour - so allow shop an hour labour to do, but the boot will not be making the noise - i would suspect brake pads are running on steel!