Hello All,

This is my very post to this forum and I hope I can get some helpful suggestions/info from someone who's knowledgeable with the front suspension or has experienced this problem before.

This 2002 X5 4.4 with a 130K miles is (well, was) my wife's daily driver until everything that can go wrong started going wrong.

I'm not new to BMW (I actually owned 3, 5 series in the past and now has an 850 for 10 years) and have been working on them for about 10 years now.

On this X5, I have done a long laundry list of R/R since the beginning of the year. Some of the things I have done were:

1: Upper timing covers resealed
2: Valve cover gaskets replacement
3: CAM sensors replacement
4: New spark plugs
5: Timing chain tensioner replaced
6: New tires
7: New sway bar links
8: New upper control arms
9: New driver's door handle
10: New fuel pump
11: New fuel filter
12: Recent coolant expansion tank replacement
13: New front passenger wheel axle
14: Rebuilt driver's side wheel axle with new CV boots/grease
15: etc, etc.

After I replaced the upper control arms, sway bar links, and axles, I partially tighten the bolts and set the car level on the ground to put proper load on the suspension. I then proceeded with fully tightening the axle nuts, and suspension component bolts/nuts.

When I drive on city streets I hear these loud clunking noise underneath the front passenger side. I can't make out what it is and everything seems tight.
On the freeway and at speeds in excess of 65mph, I don't hear the clunking noise...it seems smooth and quiet. Any speeds lower than that and especially around surface roads, the noise is quite obvious.

What have I missed and has anyone experienced this before? I also want to mention that I actually replaced the torn CV boots on both axles where the old grease was cleaned off and new grease added. Due to the noise on the front passenger side, I thought perhaps the CV joint has gone bad so I went and replaced OEM wheel axle just about 30 minutes ago and took the SUV for a test. Didn't change anything...still that noisy clunky sound.

Could the removal and re-installation of the support plate underneath the engine be a culprit? I have removed it before and never had the problem. Reason why I ask is because the sway bar moves freely when the plate is removed and when installed, perhaps the sway bar is misaligned and twist...?

Hoping someone with suspension knowledge can share some ideas.

Thanks.