Clunk in front suspension
 

I have a 2001 3.0 X5 that has a clunk in the front suspension. I notice it clearly when going over speed bumps slowly. It is on the driver's side only. I also get a front end shimmy when braking with medium brake pressure. I know the rotors are good; I just replaced them.

Any ideas on what could be wrong? I was thinking that I could have a bad ball joint somewhere up front.

Thanks,

Mike

Because you've got an '01 X, I'll bet it's either control arm bushings or sway bar links. A friend of mine is a BMW tech, he said they get a lot of the same complaint of the clunking in X5's 4 years old or older. Had the same problem with my suspension a few months ago, it was the links. One of these days, I'll get a DIY posted for that. A pair of new links run about $60 from the parts counter at your local BMW dealer.

JV

had the same problem... replaced the sway bar links .... it is perfect again!

When you say the sway bar links, which part are you referring to? I just got under the X5 to pull on the front suspension components to see if anything is loose. The large rubber bushing in the front arm seemed a little loose, but I'm not sure if that is normal for the bushing. The other side seemed slightly tighter.

same thing has happened to my 01, how much are these sway bars?

In the second photo, the part that connect to the sway bar, kinda looks like a dog bone, with bushings at both ends. They sometimes call them something other than sway bar links. Sometimes known as "swing bar links". Part #7 on this page of the OEM for my 01 4.4 11/00 build.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...23&hg=31&fg=10

You'll need to check the MY and build date for your specific vehicle.

JV

Ok, I've been doing a little searching on the problem. The TIS software says that a pulsating brake pedal can be a sign of a bad wheel bearing. Theoretically this makes sense. I get a clunk when hitting a small bump and also have the brake pedal pulse. My thinking is that bad sway bar links wouldn't cause a brake pedal pulse.

I've looked at the wheel bearing procedure on TIS and it looks fairly involved. Has anyone done this? I'll need to get my front tire off of the ground to see if the bearing is bad.

What you are describing is exactly what I was experiencing on my 2001 X5 3.0i. Once I replaced the lower control arms and the control links (#7 in your second picture) both the clunking and the brake pulsating went 100% away. I'd be very surprised if that wasn't your problem as well. Here was my post on this last fall over at the 'fest (pre-X5world days :D ) - http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79659

On our X5 we get it in the back. Its a clunk, only slow speeds, just as he descirbed. Would it be a similar situation? btw, we also have a front end shimmy/ brake pulsation. Mechanic said to get the balding tires replaced first.

I think mine are starting to go.

I hear a pop/clunk turning at low speeds. I don't think it's tie rod related (no noise with rapid turning of the steering wheel back and forth).

when you are referring to the CONTROL ARM are you talking about #6 in illustration below?