Quote:
Originally Posted by X5chemist
Every time I see a hitch, I want one for mine. 
After 800 miles on the front suspension refresh/oil pan fix, the X5 started a clunking noise. I knew it was somewhere in the suspension. Sounded like strut noise. During the front giubo replacement, I checked all the strut bolts. Nothing was found. The clunk did get quieter. On Thursday, I remove the wheel again and checked everything else. Sure enough, the front thrust arm had a bolt loose. It was allowing the strut to move too much. I managed to get a 21mm wrench to tighten it. I did the best I could without removing parts. I'll check it again after a few hundred more miles. If it feels loose, I'll take off parts to reach it better.  |
Best way to tighten the thrust arm and control arm bolts is with the truck on jack stands, wheel off and jacking the steering knuckle up to ride height. The bolts are supposed to be tightened with the suspension on the ground. Using a jack to raise the suspension to ride height achieves the same thing and it is much easier to work on that way.