Front Left Tire moving
 

After replacing what i THOUGHT was the lower control arm on the left front tired b/c when jacked i can move the whole tire front and back. and the steering wheel shakes at certain speeds.

I replaced the lower control arm and it was all good... then 2-3 weeks later again shaking and moving wheel back and forth.. i guess it was the control arm and i messed that one up also.

what is my next step? i took it to a place to get checked and they said it was that part. so i did the work myself. ?? =(

HELP!!!! i cant drive like this it sucks

Dou you mean the thrust arm? That is the one that allows front to back movenent.

In this link #6 is the whole arm, #7 is the bushing that wears and causes the issue. When you tighten the bolt through the bushing side you need to have the X on her wheels, otherwise if you leave it on jackstands the bushings will be tightened in that position and will be twisted when you are driving... causing an extreme case of premature failure as you may be experiencing from the sound of it.

RealOEM.com BMW E53 X5 4.4i Frnt axle support,wishbone/tension strut

steering wheel shakes? always at a certain speed? after driving for a while?

suspect brake caliper stuck, measure the brake pad lining thickness on both front wheels. Also make sure when replacing the control arm, that the ball joint is loaded.

although rare, the tension thrust arm bushing when fully failed, can cause steering wheel vibration, typical life of said bushing is 30,000 miles.

I would say the same....

So you guys think its just the pull rod bushing? ok i will order that today and see if i can install it ASAP. i HATE driving like this as its the only car. i drive very carefully but im afraid of others pulling in front of me out of no where and causing me to brake hard.

thanks for the help ill keep you all posted

Any updates on this?

Is there a noise coming from the front left? I think I have the same issue but I can hear a drone similar to a wheel bearing issue. I had the wheel bearing replaced but I'm still hearing the sound. It's the front left wheel and it feels like there's play when I'm driving from that corner.

so after replacing the lower control arm, and that going bad, and then replacing the Tension strut bushing, it still MOVES! i think its the wheel bearing. Where can i find the wheel bearing +hub so i dont have to get it pressed out and might be an easy install for me. a new control arm is coming and i dont want to install till the bearing is in. thanks for the advanced helped.

ps. when going in rev with the wheel pulled to the left, and going back slowlly the car goes side to side really slowlly. i think this is def a bearing =(

RealOEM.com Diagram Selection
with the part number go to pelicanparts.com to order it

So what i thought fixed the issue wasnt. it wasnt the bearing so that wasnt replaced. i replaced the lower control arm and the bushing as well. AND nothing it still shakes!!!!!!!!! i want to throw the car officially out the window

and let me say its shaking while driving, and moving when on jacks. it moves left right, up down whatever direction u want.

Could be an axle on it's way out. Lift the car up and see what is loose, physically manhandle the wheel and see if it jiggles.

theres a lot of play. how can i check if its inner or outer.

whats the diff b/t these 2.
BMW 2000 X-5 X5 COMPLETE FRONT RIGHT CV JOINT AXLE:eBay Motors (item 130337832009 end time Jan-14-10 13:40:04 PST)

BMW X5 3.0 4.4 4.6 4.8 D/S AXLE CV SHAFT Driveshaft NEW:eBay Motors (item 370307163942 end time Dec-25-09 06:38:12 PST)

which do i get and can i be ok with these?

Man, I feel for you. I am also chasing after a vibration issue and am hoping mine is the tension strut/control arm bushings...

Anyhow, back to your issue: maybe having someone move the wheel left/right/up/down while you are under the car (make sure it is securely lifted!!!) can help you see which part is giving way? Perhaps a ball joint?

i have tried all. it does seem like its the axle. but i need some pointers on how to confirm.

Have you been torqueing to spec w/ the weight on the wheels like Weasel suggested? You've never replied once to how you went about installing the parts you've done.

I've replaced what felt like perfectly good suspension pieces when I pulled on them in my hand, but the weight of the vehicle on the ground will obviously pull way more than I ever could. This is a common problem I've read about for years on the 7 forums where people replace an item just to have it fail again almost immediately, then blame the part supplier instead of their lack of proper installation techniques.

yes torqued it :) sorry i didnt see his reply. was to busy kicking the x5 at the time.

do u think it could be my suspension?

The different suspension links are what holds the wheel to the vehicle... if there is play it is somewhere in there. As suggested above the best way would be to have the vehicle securely held up on jack stands with the e-brake set and have someone man-handle/shake the wheel hard in every direction (one direction back and forth at a time naturally) while you look under there and see where the play is.

Also, you said you replaced the control arm and bushing... was that the lower control arm that goes straight in from the wheel, or the thrust arm that goes towards the front at an angle?

Ive replaced the th arm bushing, and the lower control arm. nothing worked.

Hate to say it, but it sounds like it might be time to take it into the stealership for them to look at. At least then they may not charge you for every part if they're also having trouble locating the source of the problem.

I understand that the general consensus is that people from NYC are too busy to actually slow down and take the time to read things thoroughly here on the forums, instead just firing off questions. I think you should make an exception this time.

Weasel and myself have both told you now that the weight of the vehicle needs to be on the wheels for the suspension and bushings to be properly torqued, so I'll ask again....when you torqued these items down, was the weight of the vehicle sitting on the suspension? Look at www.e38.org for suspension write-ups. Some people jacked the car up and placed it on all fours on cinder blocks, some people pulled half the vehicle up onto a curb and crawled under, some drove up on driveup ramps in the front and put the back on blocks...did you do any of these things?

I doubt you did, so whatever suspension pieces you've installed are installed incorrectly, hence why your problem hasn't gone away. IF in fact you did have the weight of the vehicle on the wheels while torqueing the suspension, then you need to follow Weasels other advice for checking instead of being impatient and needlessly throwing more and more parts at it when it could just be the way your doing it being the only problem.

Tie rods?