BMW E21 Front Shimmy, Shake – How To Eliminate –

320i, 323i, 320/6, etc.

MAY 23, 2013

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Q car year: 1982

car model: 320i
Hello Otto: BavAuto used to sell and anti-shimmy kit for a 320i front end. My understanding is that
these were quite popular with 320 guys back in the day. I know BavAuto discontinued the kit, but as
one of the few first gen 3 series die hards I was wondering if you could share what was included in
the kit? I love to get rid of the 45 mph shimmy! Please help – remember the E21 was not the fastest
– but it was the first!

A 
John, unfortunately, the E21 (3-series through 83) Anti-Shimmy kit is indeed no longer available.
The kit consisted of two urethane discs that were installed between the control arm bushings and
the rear washers, on the swaybar ends.  Even with the kit installed, all of the other suspension
points had to be “just right” or the discs would actually move the vibration to a different speed.  With
this noted, we should be able to get your 320i into shape and eliminate the common front shimmy.
Below, we’ve copied an article that Otto wrote for the local BMW CCA chapter (White Mountain)
Profile Newsletter, way back in 1996. All of the parts listed are available in our online store
at www.bavauto.com.

Otto’s 1980 323i, Auto-crossing with the Boston chapter BMW CCA, 1995

ELIMINATING E-21 FRONT END SHAKE

OR
I Used to Shake, Rattle & Roll….Now I Just Roll!
OK class, let’s see a showing of hands……how many E-21 (3 series ‘77-’83) owners are plagued by
that nasty front end shake or shimmy which seems to peak around 50-65mph? Oh come on now,
don’t be bashful.  It’s really quite easy to cure in most cases.
 

Before getting into the meat of it, let’s look at the basic design of the E-21 front suspension.  Part of
the reason our BMWs handle so well is because the ratio of sprung weight (the weight suspended
by the spring) to unsprung weight (weight which is not suspended by the spring;  tire/wheel and
typically ½ of the spring, control arm and strut) is high.  In order to achieve this desirable high ratio
on a light car the suspension is designed to be comparatively light in weight.  The negative side to
this is that the suspension is very sensitive to any irregularities.  Now don’t misunderstand, even
though we’re talking about “BMWs” some of the design parameters are concessions to cost and
manufacturing …… when is the last time you saw a McPherson strut on an F1 or sports racer (or
NASCAR, for that matter)? McPherson struts were developed to be easy and cheap to
manufacture.  The desirable set-up, for handling, is an upper and lower A-arm design.  The
suspension geometry characteristics are much more favorable and controllable using dual A-
arms.  However this is background info. and not directly applicable for us.  We’re dealing with struts.
 

Most of us realize that the E-21 needs the control arm to sway bar bushings replaced periodically
and they are the most common cause of the front end shake.  But, what happens when you change
the bushings and you’ve still got that, by now, irritating shake?  As stated above, the E21 is very
sensitive to anything not being ”just right” in the front end.  At this point we’ve got to make a run
through the whole front end. When we’re done, we should have a fine riding E21.
 

Let’s look at the parts which must be checked while replacing the Bushings.  There is a large
washer which is the first part that slides onto the end of the sway bar.  Did anyone know that this
washer is supposed to have a rubber ring molded around the side that faces the bushing?  Has
anyone ever removed one that still had the rubber on it?  OK, so get new washers when you buy
the new bushings.  After the new washer and bushing & control arm are installed over the end of
the bar, we’ve got another large washer to slide on (this is where the old anti-shimmy discs were
installed, between the bushing and the rear washer). All right now, assuming you’ve checked the
ball joint and the inner control arm bushing (or you’re just replacing the whole arm), finish
assembling each sway bar end.  Before you crawl out from under there, though, check out the sway
bar mount bushings at the frame rail mounts. These should be nice and tight, no movement.  If in
doubt…..replace ‘em.
 
Now that we’ve got the most common problem areas out of the way, lets look at the other areas
which could still be contributing to that nervous front end.  Inner and outer tie-rod ends must be tight
with no play.  Any play in either end…..replace ‘em.  The steering rack is mounted in a clam shell
housing using two rubber mounts that surround the rack and are clamped tight by the upper and
lower halves of the clam shell assembly.  These mounts will become soft with age especially if
they’re drenched in oil from a leaky engine!  Inspect them and replace them if they look
suspect.  Urethane mounts are available but I don’t recommend them unless you’re auto-crossing
or driving the car on the track.
 

Upper strut mounts can also be an issue but usually don’t contribute to the shake unless they’re
pretty loose.  Check them by visually looking for cracking or stretching of the rubber.  To check the
actual bearing in the mount, jack the car up in the center of the front cross-member until the wheels
are just touching the ground.  Remove the caps on the top of the mounts, which cover the
bearings.  Carefully rock the car from side to side alternately loading and unloading the
bearing.  Note if the piston rod and nut move in relation to the mount housing, this would indicate a
loose bearing.  If any looseness or rubber cracking or stretching is found, replace the mounts.
 

Next, let’s make sure that the wheel bearings are properly adjusted.  Too loose and we wobble, too
tight and we burn up bearings and create a load on the suspension. Get the car in the air (I’ll
assume you know how to safely raise and support a car). Use a pair of channel-lock type pliers to
remove the bearing dust cap (depending on the type of wheels you are using you may have to
remove the wheel).  Remove the cotter pin which keeps the castellated nut from turning.  At this
time it’s not a bad idea to remove the nut and pull out the washer and bearing with a pair of needle
nose pliers so you can check the condition of the bearing grease.  If things don’t look nasty but it
looks like it could use more grease, then just go ahead and pack some in there before you slide the
bearing, washer and nut back on.
 

Tighten the nut up until it’s a little snug then spin the wheel through a few revolutions.  Tighten the
nut a little again and spin again, this is to move the grease around and seat the bearing rollers in
the inner and outer races.  Once you’ve got the nut snugged down so that you can feel a load on
the rotation of the wheel, back the nut off about ½ turn and spin the wheel.  While turning the wheel
slowly tighten the nut until you feel it start to snug then back off 1/8 to 1/4  turn.  Try to wobble the
wheel with your hands at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions.  If you feel play, tighten up on the
nut in 1/16 turn increments until it’s just gone then verify that the wheel spins freely.  Next insert a
new cotter pin through the nut and the spindle end. There are two holes through the spindle at 90
degrees to each other so you may have to move the nut slightly to line up a hole, but not much.  Put
the cap back on and you’re done.
 
The front brake rotors must be true and the calipers must be in good working order. The E21 is very
unforgiving to out of true or “warped” rotors and sticky calipers. Check these items out or have them
checked if you don’t know what to look for.
 

Finally, the wheels must also be true and the tires must be well balanced and not have any odd
wear patterns.  You can try moving tires around from front to rear to see if things change, if so then
you’ve gotta do something about tires.
 

Whew…..after all that you should have a nice smooth running E21.  Hopefully you’ll cure the shake
before going through all of the above procedures.  If not, just keep on going through the steps until
you find the culprit.