FCP delivered a set of new lower control arms and tie rods (inner and outer) last week so I figured I'd "pop them on" in the driveway today. To save time I didn't replace either when I had the motor out but have still been getting a little shimmy and bounce in the steering wheel on braking and over bumps. A new double joint a couple months ago made things a whole lot better, but I am still getting vibrations in the steering wheel under braking.

I'd forgotten what a pita it can be to get the lower control arms out, but finally succeeded in doing so after too much time monkeying with the floor jack under the hub and lots of leverage and pounding. I had thought that the control arms had to be torqued on the ground, but Bentley says to fully tighten both ends up on the jacks. I guess it is only the tension struts that have to be done on the ground. At any rate, its is pouring rain now and I still need to do the final torque. Tie rods will have to wait. I may get lazy and have the indy I go to do them when he does the alignment that will be needed anyway.

I took a look around with the wheels off and up in the air. The motor and skid plate are still bone dry thankfully, but I do have evidence of fluid on the subframe under the left inner tie rod boot/end. All the banjo bolts in the area look dry, so I'm hoping it isn't the rack. I'm going to wipe it down and check it when I do the brakes in a few months. I've made some messes since the motor swap, like forgetting to fully torque the oil pressure sensor on the filter housing before the first start of the new motor, so hopefully its just older fluid from one of these instances. I was going to replace the rack when I did the swap, but was running low on time, money and patience.

Beyond that the X is running strong. Yesterday I drove out to see a friend with a custom shop and a little extra room and begged for a little space in the corner to move the 4.4 I pulled out of the X into. My goal is to rebuild it into a "M60TUB44", if I can find some good heads from an M60 motor and shove it into something fun like an E30 or E28. I love the raked noses on those cars.

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Current
Original owner 2002 E53 X5 4.4i to 4.6i swap
2026 G80 M3 6 spd
2025 G06 X5 50e
Former
1972 Audi Fox
1986 Saab 900S
1996 BMW Z3
1998 BMW E36 M3 Sedan
2004 BMW E46 M3
2006 Audi A3 Quatro
1993 Mopar 318 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2015 V6 Jeep Grand Cherokee