What in the **** is this goop on my exhaust?! - United Bimmer Community

**bitcore** · 08-17-2005, 09:37 AM

1998, 323Is - 113,000 miles

Ok, so my car starts idling a BIT funny, it's becoming a little shakey like something was off balence, and I'm in my driveway trying to figure out some things and my pesky exhaust begins rattling again, so I quickly get out and look under to see the whole pipe shaking up and down a full half-inch due to wave doubling - Ah, resonance, not the heat shield. Nothing a little extra mass or bracing wont fix.
That black goop infront of the cat catches my eye and I'm like... WTF... To my knowedge, all that's been done to my exhaust are O2 sensor repalcements almost 2 years ago and I havn't notice anything there since.
I don't have the slightest idea what that mess is. Any ideas?
for the shaky idle: I'll change my sparks soon and run injector cleaner on an almost empty tank before I change them. What else should I do to fix a slightly shakey idle? How expensive is it to get my ICV cleaned?

Also, I know the things that can cause a shakey steering wheel under braking. Rotors being the main cause, alignment, and then ball joints. I drive very hard & track this car, so just about everything gets worn out. I doubt it's my front rotors, they are new when I put my Hawk HPS pads on, and the pads have half their life left. My alignment should be ok because I dodge bumps, but would the ball joints really make a big difference? and is it really that much of a pain in the ass to get new ones pressed or should I just get new arms alltogether?

**komodo** · 08-17-2005, 11:46 AM

My guess is tar or something from a road that you kicked up somehow.

**bitcore** · 08-17-2005, 12:32 PM

I've bene looking at it and I think it'd probably like a black plastic bag I drove over and got stuck to my exhaust, and melted on there.

What about my other Q's?

**Antiburn** · 08-19-2005, 04:25 PM

Its a white plastic shopping bag from the grocrie store.

**delmarco** · 08-20-2005, 09:02 AM

yeah plastic bag...I had that once...sucks...hard as hell to get off.

**Numark318i** · 08-21-2005, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bitcore

1998, 323Is - 113,000 miles

and is it really that much of a pain in the ass to get new ones pressed or should I just get new arms alltogether?

one of my ball joints went out in my 91 e30 318(i know its a different model and what not..but same basic engineering..i would think) I was told that it is a pain in the ass to re-press the ball joints..so i just had the entire arm replaced. It was like 160$ for a front left control arm..might have been less..but i think thats how much it was. Yea anyways..just change the arm. IMO