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  #1  
Old 09-17-2015, 06:48 PM
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front end clunk

All of a sudden my 2010 has developed a front end clunk emanating from behind the driver side wheel when I travel over any pavement transition greater than an inch or so. The sound doesn't seem to be related to the steering (happens straight or turning) or brakes (still there regardless of brake application).

A search came up with sway bar links or the sway bar as the culprit. Those were checked and are not the issue. There is no noticeable movement in the unloaded (off the ground) front wheels so looks like steering joints, ball joints, etc are all ok.

The sound is really annoying and fixing it is now my top priority.

Hope someone here can suggest a cause and/or fix. Thanks!
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  #2  
Old 09-17-2015, 07:09 PM
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Because of the various suspension geometry just because a wheel is off the ground doesn't necessarily unload a ball joint, unfortunately. This was true for a traditional McPerson setup, but double wishbones or multilink suspensions don't necessarily have the same results, unfortunately making diagnosing "clunks" a little tougher.

Here's a video -> https://youtu.be/_guTE2ANcIg

Don't look at this specifics since this is a rear wheel in a prior version X5, but conceptually something similar could happen in the front suspension.

Perhaps other's can give you more detailed diagnostic instructions.

There's a couple of things worth checking:
1) the trust arm bushings are filled with hydraulic fluid so when they break (and they do) the leave traces of fluid behind. This could give you a clue
2) do you have Adaptive Suspension? Just recently someone was trying to diagnose a "clunk" in the front end and he was investigating a possible issue with the servo controlling the front sway bar.
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Old 09-17-2015, 08:10 PM
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Thrust arm bushings are weak in almost all BMW's.

I have a 2008 with only 78k miles on it and have new thrust arms, lower control arms and sway bar end links ready to be installed in the next few weeks.
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Old 09-17-2015, 08:54 PM
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Everybody told me thrust arms for my clunk - which to be fair isn't a bad guess. Ended up being simple loose bolts on the sway bar center bushing bracket (not end links). Don't know why that would be common, but it drove me crazy. Had to remove underbody panel to expose bushing brackets and bolts.
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Old 09-17-2015, 09:12 PM
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Nothing beats getting under the car and inspecting things. Could be something other than common items mentioned.

Even if it turns out to be something other than the obvious suspects, if you want to have maximum performance from the vehicle, I typically refresh the thrust arms, control arms and swap bar end links by around 80k anyway.
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Old 09-18-2015, 05:35 PM
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thanks for the suggestions! I had looked at the thrust arm bushings when checking the sway bar links and didn't notice any leaks or cracked rubber. That's not to say it isn't the issue but rather there wasn't an obvious problem.

Back under the X5 this weekend for a closer look.
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Old 10-04-2015, 01:08 PM
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Pulled off the wheels, jacked it up and looked at every steering and suspension bolt, bushing, nut...you get the idea. Checked all the torques as per the BMW front axle troubleshooting guide.

Can't find anything wrong other than excess wear on the inner edges of all tires. It all looks and feels solid. No leaking bushings , no cracked rubber. The tires are rotated yearly so it's difficult to confirm front or back without measuring the camber.

Odd thing is that sometimes I'll drive over big a speed bump and there's no clunk. Then I'll drive over sewer cover and it clunks. Sounds like a sway bar issue but I removed both links and they're fine as are the bar bushing bolts. No adaptive suspension on this X5.

Rather not blindly start throwing parts at it but that appears to be the only next step
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Old 10-04-2015, 01:57 PM
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Noticed the same noise as the O P described. Looked at the upper strut mounts and found brown crumbling material on both sides. Driver side is much worse. Something obviously wrong here. As the fender is pushed up and down it looks like the center shaft of the strut stays in place and doesn't move with the body.
Purchased the car from a Lexus dealer with a 90 day/3000 mile warranty which is still in effect. How much does this cost to fix. Looks like the strut has to be removed to replace the part. What ever it is.
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Last edited by Basem3; 10-04-2015 at 05:11 PM. Reason: Clarification
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Old 10-04-2015, 06:22 PM
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My first thought was engine mount. Look for non suspension items even loose air box etc. (almost said battery)


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Old 10-04-2015, 08:15 PM
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I will just say that Thrust bushings CANNOT BE DIAGNOSED BASED ON VISUAL. They look fine 40k after they are shot. This from the E39 world. (Were we use X5 bushes as an 'upgrade' into the E39 lower control arm)

One question- at 50-60mph and light braking, what do you feel????
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