Rear Uneven Sag even after New Suspension! Help.

[R3VN R3D]

Hey all,

I have a 89 325i Auto Sedan.
Since I bought it, it was lower on the Driver Side by 2"+.
It was very noticeable.
I figured it was no big deal because I was going to swap out Suspension anyways, and that would fix it.
I just removed both Stock Springs and Shocks and installed JOM Coilover Springs and Shocks and the uneven sag is still there .... ?
Not sure what else in there could affect the Ride Height so drastically.
Rear Sway Bar?
RSM's?
Any thought?

Thanks.

[deutschman]

Pictures?

[R3VN R3D]

Pictures?

Post tomorrow...

[dashboardmonkey]

Rear sub-frame and trailing arm bushings. Or your car has been in an accident and wasn't fixed very well.

[SmokeE30]

If you have Joms then you can adjust them to even it out. Obviously something is fucked up but at least you can do something about it if te car was in an accident previously then there's not much you can do

[AndrewBird]

If the car was in an accident, something is bent and you can replace it or get the frame pulled back straight. Not that big of a deal.

[R3VN R3D]

Rear sub-frame and trailing arm bushings. Or your car has been in an accident and wasn't fixed very well.

My TABs are def. bad but not sure they would affect the ride height so much.
I am going to pull it apart again and look for any bent components in the Sub-Frame.

If you have Joms then you can adjust them to even it out. Obviously something is fucked up but at least you can do something about it if te car was in an accident previously then there's not much you can do

If it was in an accident, I will replace the part that is bent.
The problem is, I like the low side and I think that is the fucked up side.
The high side is not low at all for Coilovers.
If I adjust the low side to match the high side, the JOM drop would not be that impressive.

If the car was in an accident, something is bent and you can replace it or get the frame pulled back straight. Not that big of a deal.

I did notice when I put the Driver Side Shock on, it was contacting the inner Wheel Well and the other side wasn't..
Maybe Rear Sub Frame Mounts unevenly bad?

[jlevie]

Yeah i might have to have it towed off a cliff. Lol all my parts are oem with the exeption of my cap and rotor which are napa echlin. The fuel tank is clean and has a new pump in it and new filter outside, il double check my fuel lines but it definitely seems like an electrical glitch. The tach, mpg, and coolant temp gauge all snap to 0 when it bucks/chokes

That sounds like something is bent. It could be the trailing arm or subframe, if you are lucky as those parts can be replaced. But it could be the unibody in which case it will need to go on a frame machine.

[R3VN R3D]

That sounds like something is bent. It could be the trailing arm or subframe, if you are lucky as those parts can be replaced. But it could be the unibody in which case it will need to go on a frame machine.

Do you think if I took the Car to my Alignment Shop he could diagnose what is going on back there, or should I just take it straight to a Frame Shop and see if they can find any Dimensions off..?


BTW.... 200! Yay...

[Earendil]

Half for the OPs sake, and half for my education, but it couldn't be the RTABs right? If the car is sitting motionless on a flat surface the springs are the thing holding the body away from the trailing arm, not the shock or shock assembly. And if the OP is right the the rear is sagging by 2 inches, that'd be a big fracking bend in the trailing arm to cause 2 inches of sag, right? Wouldn't that be visually apparent?

[R3VN R3D]

Its not the trailing arms..
I jacked it up tonight and the driver side takes longer to lift high enough to place a stand under.
As I lower onto the stands, the driver side settles way before the passenger side rests on its stand.
I placed the stands under each side of the rear axle carrier and took some measurements.
Every measurement I took was even on both sides.
Wheel arches to floor, shock mounts, trailing arms, stabilizer bar links and even the unibody rails.
All even.
And nothing obviously bent or noticeably damaged.
But again, as I place the Jack under the center of the carrier or even under the differential and start to lift, the passenger side starts to lift first and after 3-4 full pumps later, the driver side starts to lift.
Sub-frame mounts?

[Earendil]

1. Always place bodies in the center of the trunk to avoid sagging. Handling is effected if you don't.
2. Never run bottle caps on one side and 24" spinners on the other. Front and back is okay.

[R3VN R3D]

1. Always place bodies in the center of the trunk to avoid sagging. Handling is effected if you don't.
2. Never run bottle caps on one side and 24" spinners on the other. Front and back is okay.

Almost at 1000

[Justin B]

My last e30 did the same thing, but it sagged only about an inch and lower on the pass side. Never quite figured out what it was, but think it was the height of the spring perch on the frame rail vs subframe. If it was off a little, since it pivots it would only be off more at the point of the wheel. There was evidence in the trunk, mostly on the passenger side of porta-power and 2x4 work, and I think the frame rail was a little higher than it should have been, tucking that side. Same problem though, no loss of overall travel, but in a different ground clearance "window".

[noE30]

any update to this? I have a very similar issue.
New RTABS, New Subframe bushings, all new shocks/springs. Car still sits crooked, do I take it to a wheel alignment shop of frame shop first?