Installed ES differential bushings - GREAT results!

[es.biggs]

Since I bought the car about a year ago, I've done a lot of maintenance and a ton of engine work...but I never got around to fixing the ridiculously irritating "clunk" in the back. I would have a clunk just about every time I pushed the clutch in, and when released the clutch. It would sometimes clunk when I switched gears. It would clunk when I released the throttle, when I applied the throttle. It would clunk when I made a U-turn on a yellow light, and it would clunk every time I rolled the passenger window down. It would clunk every time I would reach for my girlie's legs while she rode shotgun...ok no that clunk was from the back of her hand meeting my face

But you get it...I didn't drive down the road, I clunked down it.

Obviously I got fed up with it...I installed subframe spacers in the spring hoping to remedy the problem. They tightened up slop from the subframe floating around, but the "clunk" was still there. Then I had a timing belt problem, and parked the car all summer repairing it. Finally, I get the car back and I'm driving around loving it, but I'd forgotten about the problem in the rear end. It got worse by winter, and I decided to change the differential bushings.

Let's get down to business:

Differential down!


OK, sorry that's the only picture I have, because the job was extremely frustrating and I didn't think about taking more pictures.



The easiest part was removing the diff...cleaning the rubber off of the metal pieces that needed to be removed - that was a nightmare. It took forever. I also had to install and remove the differential a few extra times because I had a hard time getting the inner sleeves on the subframe to line up properly. The job was no fun, but lift and access to shop tools made it easier (we have a gazillion different presses in the "bmw special tools" room, that was a big help, and so was the transmission jack I used to support the differential).

After I got everything buttoned up, I could feel the improvement immediately. I could tell it was fixed just by pulling it out of the lift

Drove it home that night clunk free, and I drove it around all day today with no more clunkage. I am very happy with the results! Anybody who is having similar problems to the ones I described, I would highly recommend some new differential bushings. They make the ride SO much smoother. It's easier to drive, because now I don't have to try my hardest to minimize the clunk noise every time I shift. It's simply not there anymore! It really feels great.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this job a 7/10.
1 = oil change, 10 = home-made wiring harness with a butter knife, butt connectors, and a lighter.

[awesomekasim]

I did ES subframe bushings and ES diff bushings at the same time. I had a BAD clunk. The clunk became better but i still had it. Now i decided to have my differential rebuilt so i will see if that fixes it. The only problem i had with the diff bushings was pressing the new ones in. I had to use a s*** of lube and a ghetto homemade press made out of long bolts and washers to get them in. Rest of the process was cake though. Butane torch and wire wheel air tool removed the rubber off those cups.