Need sage advise from those more knowledgeable than I.

[Lawyrup]

I am new to this forum, and BMW ownership on the whole. I have learned much from many of you, thanks. I have an issue, or not, that I need assistance with. I was changing the pads and rotors on my '03 X5 (3.0i) and noticed when I turned the wheel hub, with the front end jacked up, it was very easy to turn front and back and made a "clicking noise". The noise seemed to come from the axle and sounded like the gears turning, but almost loose. I am hesitant to use the word "crunchy", but almost want to. In addition, the ride at about 40+mph, seems rough and almost wandering. I would almost expect the ride to be quite smooth, even for a SAV, but it is rough. I hope I am making sense. Thank you in advance.