BRM Vibration

I've been dealing with an increased vibration that is starting to get really annoying and bad at the same time. The vibration seems to be RPM related and seems to be the worst between 1700 and 2600 RPM's. It's getting to the point where is rattles the dash, door panels and you can feel it in your teeth. The vibration was not there when I purchased the car and I have not done any significant mods/work to the car that would lead me to believe it was the cause. The DM clutch and flywheel were replaced with a SM clutch and flywheel, so I feel that helps eliminate that source, but it depends if it was installed correctly. Here is a list of what I've checked thus far to help possibly eliminate it as the source.

-I've checked the exhaust and all the hanger rubber looks good and nothing is touching metal.

-I've checked the motor mounts to include the sub frame bushings and dog bone. None of the mounts are torn/ripped, look slightly worn, but not in bad shape. When I purchased the car, the PO said the mounts where changed and that was 25k. ago. Mounts are Meyle.

Now for questions to the experts.

-The mounts do have play in them and will move around in the metal mount housing. The rubber looks a bit squished, but not flattened and smashed down. I'm not sure if the mounts are supposed to be tight with no play in them or to have some play to mitigate the vibrations?

-Could the clutch assembly be causing a vibration problem since it seems to be RPM related? Could the clutch plate be slowly wearing out of falling apart that would cause a vibration issue?

The car runs well other than the vibrations. I drive it daily about 200 miles back and forth to work and can't seem to pinpoint the source. Any insight or previous experience on this issue would be appreciated.

I just had a rpm-related vibration that varied but did shake the passenger seat and dash-mounted gps. It turned out to be a bad caliper, which had to be replaced. Solved it. If you haven't lubed the pins on your calipers in a while, you might wish to check them. The one wheel was warm in comparison to the others which helped track it down.

Alternator pulley locked up? That is usually worse after a cold start, and most noticeable at idle however.

Don't believe it's brake related. If I push in the clutch at hwy speed, the car is smooth and the vibration is gone until RPM's come back up.

I'll have to check the alt pulley, thanks for another area to check. I'll take a look and report back.


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Tires rotated and balanced? Check cv axles, Bent rim?

Kalter|Tod said:

Tires rotated and balanced? Check cv axles, Bent rim?

Click to expand...

Don't think these apply, it only seems to be related to engine RPM's, I don't get the crazy vibration if I'm coasting or have the engine idling at hwy speeds.

On a side note, I do need to rotate my tires, thanks for the reminder.


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I just replaced the passenger side drive shaft for that exact symptom. Fixed it right up, nice and smoooooth now.
If it's a drive shaft, it can do harm to your transmission.

Dallas said:

I just replaced the passenger side drive shaft for that exact symptom. Fixed it right up, nice and smoooooth now.
If it's a drive shaft, it can do harm to your transmission.

Click to expand...

Did you have the same symptom of the vibration if you were coasting at hwy speeds? I only get it relative to engine RPM, which makes it seem like it's a centrifugal weight issue within the engine, not the driveline. Like metal on metal to produce the vibration.


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Checked the alt pulley and it is in working order. Still can't seem to find the source of the vibration. I guess I'll just keep motoring away and maybe it will eventually show itself so I can find it's source. I'm getting close to a TB change, so perhaps I'll just invest a bit more and get all new motor mounts and the sub frame bushings. At least it will provide peace of mind that the mounts are new and can be eliminated as a source.

So if you push the clutch in and rev the motor to that RPM is it there? What about even just sitting still and reving it? If no, then like Dallas said, check the axles....I have had ujoints cause wicked vibrations when under load, but if I slipped it into neutral the vibration would stop.

WMITDI said:

So if you push the clutch in and rev the motor to that RPM is it there? What about even just sitting still and reving it? If no, then like Dallas said, check the axles....I have had ujoints cause wicked vibrations when under load, but if I slipped it into neutral the vibration would stop.

Click to expand...

Yes, vibration is still there only on revs. Even when driving slowly down the street, when the revs get to that certain point, is vibrates/resonates inside and throughout the vehicle.

All the way to work this morning, I could here a constant vibration from a rear panel that must be loose. It can get bone jarring at times.


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Kalter|Tod said:

Tires rotated and balanced? Check cv axles, Bent rim?

Click to expand...

+1 on the CV/ axles

Checking the harmonic balancer for a missing bolt/tightness might be a good idea.

2footbraker said:

Checking the harmonic balancer for a missing bolt/tightness might be a good idea.

Click to expand...

I'll take a look at that too this weekend. It has to be engine related, it feels like its getting worse. Now even at idle, when revving the motor, I can feel in through the car. I'm going to pull the valve cover and take a look at the cam and lifters. The PO said he changed out the cam and lifters 85k ago, but who knows if it was done correctly. The car does have PD150 injectors, so perhaps those could be over/under fueling or have a problem that's making it vibrate. I believe they were used when installed, so maybe they need to be pulled and serviced/calibrated.

The search continues.

Update, I guess.

Took off the valve cover and discovered some worn lobes on the cam. Look to be cylinder 1 & 4. Also, I had the serpentine belt off and now noticed the alt pulley was locked, no clutch. What the hell, had just checked that on the advice of oilhammer. Maybe it was going out and locked up. I'll replace that, but I need to know if this cam should just be replaced. I'm coming up on the TB, so this would be the time to drop the whole mass of cash and do it at once. I've attached some pics for viewing.

Any more help would be appreciated.




















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Replaced everything with a complete kit from Franko6. Everything went smooth and completed the break-in and I'm on the first synthetic oil change. I'll make the last oil change at the 2500 mile mark. I would like to give a huge thanks to Frank for his patience when answering questions that arose when I did the service. Everything was spot on and he was clear, concise and quick when replying. His kit was well packaged, had all the parts necessary and definitely saved time by including the oil, filters and tidbits.

I thought this may have something to due with the vibration(s), but they are still there as before. I'm glad at least that I changed out the cam and associated parts before there was any real damage, besides it needed the TB done too. Once the the final oil change is done, I'll need to start logging with VCDS to attempt to get to the bottom of this problem. I swear the car runs great one day and then seems to **** the bed the next, almost like to has a mind of it's own. The only areas left to really troubleshoot and check are the injectors/nozzles and the turbo for adjustment.

Alternator pulley. I’ve seen one that appeared to be functioning properly but when it came to real world operation it obviously wasn’t.

banshee365 said:

Alternator pulley. I’ve seen one that appeared to be functioning properly but when it came to real world operation it obviously wasn’t.

Click to expand...

I replaced the alternator pulley. It was locked up, replaced it with a new one and it didn't change anything.

One thing I'm not sure of because I nothing to compare it to, is how free the pulley is supposed to move. The new pulley seems stiff, but moves in one direction and locks in the other. It's just not free wheel spinning loose, it takes a bit to move it. Not sure if that's normal and eventually breaks in over time. It is a OEM pulley too.


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Good deal.

Do your vibrations occur at all when you're stopped and rev the engine and such? I diagnosed a bad half shaft on a 2010 CR one time for a vibration while driving that only occurred at certain speeds. There was quite a bit of play in the inner joint. It was the pass side axle I think. Put the car on ramps, crawl under it, grab ahold of each axle shaft near each joint and wiggle hard up and down. There really shouldn't be any play. New axle from VW fixed the problem with the 2010 I'm speaking of.

Yes, it vibrates unrelated to speed. If u read some posts above, I go through it a bit with what I've tried and have replaced. I'm all for advise, so please don't think I'm being dismissive to your suggestions. It just feels as if something is unbalanced or untuned in the engine and it creates these vibrations. I'll keep digging.


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So it vibrates when not in gear and sitting still?

Have you watched cylinder contribution on VCDS when it's vibrating?

banshee365 said:

So it vibrates when not in gear and sitting still?

Have you watched cylinder contribution on VCDS when it's vibrating?

Click to expand...

Not so much when just idling, more when it's revved or driving in a particular rpm range. Starts around 1800 and continues up to 3000. Very difficult to explain and give info to folks trying to help. I'll look at VCDS over the weekend when I get a little extra time.


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Here is a screen shot of VCDS on my Injection Quantity after driving my 100 miles to work. Car is idling after the drive. Looks like quite a difference in 3 and 4.

Any thoughts/advice?




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Was it vibrating during that?

No, not like when it's under load or when the rpm's rise. I've reached out to others for advice as well. I've been told those numbers aren't that bad. I'll try some diesel purge again and make some adjustments to the Torsion Value to make some improvements.


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How are you adding your diesel purge?

Straight into the fuel lines from the filter. I made some adapters with filters and attached them to the fuel lines. Lines straight into the DP can, running/driving until the DP is gone.


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