I just want to say a huge thank you, I have a remapped 320D touring and this noise as been driving me crazy thinking I needed a new diff. Going to take a look this weekend and hopefully its just the CV joint
Wish I seen this before I forked out for a diff rebuild! Do have a nice diff though now using E36 Evo bits and the 4.1 gear set. But wasn't cheap and I still have the clunk!
Just replaced all three of my diff bushings with poly ones, along with the driveshaft giubo and the CSB, and even though it did help a decent amount, the rear clunk is still there. I never thought the CV joint could also be the cause of it. Time to go back and look.
Same here. I have done the following: Rebuilt diff - (checked lashing, all in tolerance) Solid Subframe mounts Subframe has been reinforced Driveshaft CV replaced - inspected shaft, all OK KW v3 coils installed Rear trail arm bushes + all bushes new or checked - all OK The sound is driving me crazy.
I have pulled everything apart again (3rd time this month). When turning the shaft, can feel excessive play still. Sound is coming from the rear of the gearbox.
dude thank you iv been going freaking nuts trying to figure out wtf is going on. ill have to check this out tomrw. i already pulled my diff and changed to poly bushing but still had the clunk
I recently changed the guibo and the CSB, but still get ugly vibrations from the drivetrain while accelerating hard in the 2nd gear. While accelerating really mildly at about 50kmh there is still some small vibration. Now I got a metallic clunk while changing the gears up. I know that there is a play on my diff (right driveshaft), but i really hope, that this joint will be the answer for me. It already lost some grease and hasn't been changede yet (car has over 200.000 km on the clock). While driving in the 6th gear and letting my foot off the gas pedal I hear the same clunk.
Did this cause a slight vibration in the seats as well or just the clunking noise? & Do you think just re-greasing the cv joint and new gasket would of helped instead of a new one?
Hey bud! I just bought my M3 and went for 5 jobs in one, probably similar to what you went through. I reinforced the frame (luckily there was no cracks, Florida car), new 95A poly subframe bushings, all new seals on the diff, new guibo and csb, new trail arm bushings, new lower control arm bushings, etc. I have a feeling there is a little bit of that clunk noise now that I have it all together. I have also disassembled CV joint and put new grease in it so am wondering if that has something to do with it? How durable are these CV joints to begin with? I forgot to mention that clunk happens on upshifts at higher rpms at full throttle. Is that normal since I wasn't really gunning it before rebuild nor I paid close attention to how smooth shifts are. Thanks in advance!
Hey my friend, I did exactly as you did with yours! Once I was under there, I decided to pretty much replace everything! As far as the clunk goes, if you have removed the CV , then it could have been causing the clunk. However, I my case, the clunk was in lower RPMs. So I am guessing it's not the CV. I strongly recommend you re check the diff bushings, it's common for people to torque them incorrectly Another possibility is the tranny mount as well, from guibo being installed in the reverse direction (which causes early degradation , and a clunk). Hope my feedback helps!
@@SaidAlhayek all valid points my friend but everything you mentioned was done correctly. When you say diff bushings do you mean the main diff bearing? I marked it before taking out the seal underneath and I torqued the nut back in the same way exactly to the mark. I also put in new diff bushings for good measure. Guibo was installed correctly, I paid attention that those arrows point towards the shaft bracket. I torqued bolts and not nuts so not to preload the guibo flex disc. Since I am new to SMG transmission I believe I wasn't driving it correctly. When I upshift under load and higher rpms, you're supposed to lift your foot of the throttle for a quick second or less, is that correct? I believe that might be the cause...
@@TheRedcroatian you can stay on that gas and just shift without lifting , the shift will be a lot more rough though. I think it wears the rubber guibo quicker if you don’t let off the gas, maybe a solid one would help. If you let off the gas a bit and then shift , it will be smoother. From my experience, if you drive the car on the lower shift setting and let it warm up it will shift smoother. You kinda have to baby the transmission and engine while fluids warm up if not it will be “jerky”. The internet complains about the “jerky” shifting but that usually happens if you don’t warm it up correctly. I personally wanted a manual transmission but I’ve been happy with the smg so far, there’s tons of information on how to maintain them now. I’m thinking of doing an M4 dct swap on my M3 instead of a manual. Best of luck 👍
@@servandogarcia8538 I came to a same conclusion over time. I do let go of gas now and it's quite smooth. To your point, it does need to warm up nicely to work properly. Thanks mate!
Changed all my bushings. Total rebuild subframe plated and brand new drive shaft cv joint engine mounts and guibo. Still gets little knock on aggressive changes. I’m Looking into one more think that takes up a bit of the play where driveshaft goes into the diff next
Will it makes this sound even parked when accelerating? It happens to me when I accelerate and in lower gears . My mechanic says it's the engine is bad but it does not make the sound if I dont accelerate if I "DO" accelerate if does make the sound and when drive in lower gears in higher gears you dont hear it. Should I be looking at the driveshaft, cv joints or engine?
Also, sorry for the late response. I Realize my feedback is of no use to you now. But for the rest of the viewers: From my limited experience, the metalic sounding clunk can be due to a few reasons: The transmission to drive shaft flex desc, the drive shaft u joint, the drive shaft's cv joint. so perhaps look at all of them.
Hi les here in the UK, my E46 smg as a similar sounding noise when changing down to 2nd and 1st gears and was wondering if you had the same symptoms before changing the cv joint on the drive shaft, or as we call it, the propshaft? Any help would be much appreciated.
That's a CLACK, not a CLUNK. CLACK is metal to metal. CLUNK is plastic or rubber to metal sound. Hear the sound and phonetically spell it out and you end up with clack. Don't confuse other people.
In my case, it was the cv joint on my drive shaft connected to the diff. It might also be your diff input or output. But not likely frankly. Can also be the u joint in the middle of the drive shaft.
@@SaidAlhayek thanks for the reply said!, I have a smg and it clunk's between 2nd and 1st gears, im thinking it may be the same problem so I'll check that out. Cheers.
Sorry for the late response . I can't really tell clearly from the video. It would like a something coming from the flywheel. Can you describe what did you exactly do which causes this sound to happen ?
@@SaidAlhayek The noise he's referring to is the one in my video: ua-cam.com/video/vTmGxdoocJQ/v-deo.html that video is about 5.5 years old now and it's actually gotten worse, but hasn't had any affect on performance.
@@SaidAlhayek Regardless of gear I can hear it when initially accelerating and declerating, and can also hear it when shifting. Past 4th gear you would really have to listen for it due to wind noise and tire noise but it's still present on all gears.
Hi Saïd, Thanks for the videos, they are really instructive. I have a quite similar issue on my 330ci automatic : a clunk when shifting down from 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st (at low speedy mainly). I tried to check the issue by moving the rear wheel as you mentioned in the part 1 and here is the video I filmed on my car : ua-cam.com/video/bNyfxS2bYRQ/v-deo.html Do you think the issue is the same? Many thanks!
I just want to say a huge thank you, I have a remapped 320D touring and this noise as been driving me crazy thinking I needed a new diff. Going to take a look this weekend and hopefully its just the CV joint
Hope it helps!
Wish I seen this before I forked out for a diff rebuild! Do have a nice diff though now using E36 Evo bits and the 4.1 gear set. But wasn't cheap and I still have the clunk!
Lmao I just did the same thing😂
Just replaced all three of my diff bushings with poly ones, along with the driveshaft giubo and the CSB, and even though it did help a decent amount, the rear clunk is still there. I never thought the CV joint could also be the cause of it. Time to go back and look.
Did you get that figured out?
Yes I’m same replaced every single bush, fixed bootfloor and mine then gained a clunk. Annoying. I may have to try and check mine too
Did you get it sorted
Same here. I have done the following:
Rebuilt diff - (checked lashing, all in tolerance)
Solid Subframe mounts
Subframe has been reinforced
Driveshaft CV replaced - inspected shaft, all OK
KW v3 coils installed
Rear trail arm bushes + all bushes new or checked - all OK
The sound is driving me crazy.
I have pulled everything apart again (3rd time this month). When turning the shaft, can feel excessive play still.
Sound is coming from the rear of the gearbox.
dude thank you iv been going freaking nuts trying to figure out wtf is going on. ill have to check this out tomrw. i already pulled my diff and changed to poly bushing but still had the clunk
was yours a little clink when you put it into gear initially?
Do u have the part number for this. I think I’ll do mine. Thanks
the noise you hear with the handbrake on is the hand brake shoes moving to and from there stops
I recently changed the guibo and the CSB, but still get ugly vibrations from the drivetrain while accelerating hard in the 2nd gear. While accelerating really mildly at about 50kmh there is still some small vibration. Now I got a metallic clunk while changing the gears up. I know that there is a play on my diff (right driveshaft), but i really hope, that this joint will be the answer for me. It already lost some grease and hasn't been changede yet (car has over 200.000 km on the clock). While driving in the 6th gear and letting my foot off the gas pedal I hear the same clunk.
Update: CV Joint was the culprit. Vibrations are completely gone ✌
I have the same problem after subframe reinforcement.... thought it was differential.. thanks
Is it a loud noisemaker ? Make u think it’s a bad diff ? My car vibrates n makes noise after subframe now...
Thanks for the video. Was that end the one that connects to the diff?
Yeap.
Did this cause a slight vibration in the seats as well or just the clunking noise? & Do you think just re-greasing the cv joint and new gasket would of helped instead of a new one?
Mine vibrates
Ok, I decided to change mine too (ds CV joint) while I'm changing diff mount bushings. Just waiting for it to arrive in this severe weather.
@@sweetsuductress did you get that problem fixed?
@@commontopg3320 yes
Thanks for the videos , did you end up changing that ? And did it fix the clunky issue ? What’s the name of this part ?
Yeap. Check part 2 here
ua-cam.com/video/r53p49pxRq4/v-deo.html
It did fix the clunk.
Thanks for the vid.
Hey bud! I just bought my M3 and went for 5 jobs in one, probably similar to what you went through. I reinforced the frame (luckily there was no cracks, Florida car), new 95A poly subframe bushings, all new seals on the diff, new guibo and csb, new trail arm bushings, new lower control arm bushings, etc. I have a feeling there is a little bit of that clunk noise now that I have it all together. I have also disassembled CV joint and put new grease in it so am wondering if that has something to do with it? How durable are these CV joints to begin with? I forgot to mention that clunk happens on upshifts at higher rpms at full throttle. Is that normal since I wasn't really gunning it before rebuild nor I paid close attention to how smooth shifts are. Thanks in advance!
Hey my friend,
I did exactly as you did with yours! Once I was under there, I decided to pretty much replace everything!
As far as the clunk goes, if you have removed the CV , then it could have been causing the clunk. However, I my case, the clunk was in lower RPMs. So I am guessing it's not the CV.
I strongly recommend you re check the diff bushings, it's common for people to torque them incorrectly
Another possibility is the tranny mount as well, from guibo being installed in the reverse direction (which causes early degradation , and a clunk).
Hope my feedback helps!
@@SaidAlhayek all valid points my friend but everything you mentioned was done correctly. When you say diff bushings do you mean the main diff bearing? I marked it before taking out the seal underneath and I torqued the nut back in the same way exactly to the mark. I also put in new diff bushings for good measure.
Guibo was installed correctly, I paid attention that those arrows point towards the shaft bracket. I torqued bolts and not nuts so not to preload the guibo flex disc.
Since I am new to SMG transmission I believe I wasn't driving it correctly. When I upshift under load and higher rpms, you're supposed to lift your foot of the throttle for a quick second or less, is that correct? I believe that might be the cause...
@@TheRedcroatian you can stay on that gas and just shift without lifting , the shift will be a lot more rough though. I think it wears the rubber guibo quicker if you don’t let off the gas, maybe a solid one would help. If you let off the gas a bit and then shift , it will be smoother. From my experience, if you drive the car on the lower shift setting and let it warm up it will shift smoother. You kinda have to baby the transmission and engine while fluids warm up if not it will be “jerky”. The internet complains about the “jerky” shifting but that usually happens if you don’t warm it up correctly. I personally wanted a manual transmission but I’ve been happy with the smg so far, there’s tons of information on how to maintain them now. I’m thinking of doing an M4 dct swap on my M3 instead of a manual. Best of luck 👍
@@servandogarcia8538 I came to a same conclusion over time. I do let go of gas now and it's quite smooth. To your point, it does need to warm up nicely to work properly. Thanks mate!
Changed all my bushings. Total rebuild subframe plated and brand new drive shaft cv joint engine mounts and guibo. Still gets little knock on aggressive changes. I’m
Looking into one more think that takes up a bit of the play where driveshaft goes into the diff next
That should be packed with grease. Why does it look dry?
I am not sure, but I did pack the new one with grease.
Will it makes this sound even parked when accelerating? It happens to me when I accelerate and in lower gears . My mechanic says it's the engine is bad but it does not make the sound if I dont accelerate if I "DO" accelerate if does make the sound and when drive in lower gears in higher gears you dont hear it. Should I be looking at the driveshaft, cv joints or engine?
Also, sorry for the late response. I Realize my feedback is of no use to you now. But for the rest of the viewers: From my limited experience, the metalic sounding clunk can be due to a few reasons: The transmission to drive shaft flex desc, the drive shaft u joint, the drive shaft's cv joint. so perhaps look at all of them.
Hi les here in the UK, my E46 smg as a similar sounding noise when changing down to 2nd and 1st gears and was wondering if you had the same symptoms before changing the cv joint on the drive shaft, or as we call it, the propshaft? Any help would be much appreciated.
That sounds exactly like what I had. The noise was noticeable at lower gears.
@@SaidAlhayek ok I have the same issue with my car , so what was it ?
That's a CLACK, not a CLUNK. CLACK is metal to metal. CLUNK is plastic or rubber to metal sound. Hear the sound and phonetically spell it out and you end up with clack. Don't confuse other people.
Hello ,I have same sound from back when i accelerating but I notice than it’s only on 3th gear is it gearbox or diff?
In my case, it was the cv joint on my drive shaft connected to the diff.
It might also be your diff input or output. But not likely frankly.
Can also be the u joint in the middle of the drive shaft.
I’m getting that clunk from both sides of the driveshshaft.
On the other side of the driveshaft shaft you may have a bad flex disc.
Hi, can I ask if its a manual or a smg box, and also did you get a clunking noise when changing down into 2nd and 1st gears?.
So I have a manual gear box, and yes, the clunk was mostly obvious on first / 2nd gears.
@@SaidAlhayek thanks for the reply said!, I have a smg and it clunk's between 2nd and 1st gears, im thinking it may be the same problem so I'll check that out. Cheers.
Is the noise @12sec on my car the same as you had? Thanks showing us your diagnosis!
m.ua-cam.com/video/Wg6vXKHTJhI/v-deo.html
Sorry for the late response . I can't really tell clearly from the video. It would like a something coming from the flywheel. Can you describe what did you exactly do which causes this sound to happen ?
@@SaidAlhayek The noise he's referring to is the one in my video: ua-cam.com/video/vTmGxdoocJQ/v-deo.html that video is about 5.5 years old now and it's actually gotten worse, but hasn't had any affect on performance.
@@SaidAlhayek Regardless of gear I can hear it when initially accelerating and declerating, and can also hear it when shifting. Past 4th gear you would really have to listen for it due to wind noise and tire noise but it's still present on all gears.
that clink is normal. it comes from the lsd itself because of the clutch pack inside
Hi Saïd,
Thanks for the videos, they are really instructive.
I have a quite similar issue on my 330ci automatic : a clunk when shifting down from 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st (at low speedy mainly).
I tried to check the issue by moving the rear wheel as you mentioned in the part 1 and here is the video I filmed on my car :
ua-cam.com/video/bNyfxS2bYRQ/v-deo.html
Do you think the issue is the same?
Many thanks!
Hey Mohamed,
It definitely sounds very much like the issue I had. It may very well be the same.
3 mins to get to the problem.. geez talk slower...