Thanks! :thumbup:

Oh no!

You can buy replacement buttons off AliExpress if that helps?


AU$32.60 | 14pcs/set Car Climate Control Air Conditioning Switch Button Covers for BMW X5 E53 1999-2006 E39 1996-2002
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrawzvR

Amazon.com: VIP KRoM Air Conditioner Heater Climate Ventilation Control Buttons Switch Set Compatible with BMW X5 E53 5 Series E39 520,VIP0493 : Automotive https://www.amazon.com/Conditioner-C...Y2hfYXRm&psc=1

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X5 is beating me down
 

Wheel speed sensor was waiting for me when I got home from my most recent trip. Sure enough the top tabs on the female (chassis end) shattered when I tried to unplug it, but fortunately I was able to work it out without further damage. I have a new plug, but really didn’t want to do that fiddly work. I started the car and voila, trifecta solved.

Now for the bad….ive been trying to troubleshoot a front wheel that refuses to get into ballance so I decided to swap the rear I had off, with a front wheel. After doing so, and dropping the car back down I noticed an unmistakable bushing squeak, mostly on acceleration from zero to maybe 10mph. Presumably, this is as the cars weight shifts after? Anyway, super frustrating, especially since the CSR has new upper and lower control arm bushings, amd a new way bar link. It also happens a bit when the wheel is aggressively turned left and right when stopped.

Have somebody launch the car while you are standing at each corner to confirm which is squeaking.

Then see if pushing the bumper can reproduce.

I've seen the issue quite recently on XO and it was a suspension bolt on the tension strut was loose. Likely because the installer never torqued to the spec of something like 165 ft·lb (250 N·m).

You can creep and stab the brakes to get the front end dipb better than human push on the bumper.

That test exercises the ball joints more than the bushings.

My suspicion is the outer tie rod dive that's affected by steering and dropping to the ground. (but so is main ball joint among others)


–awr–

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That's a killer deal! I paid almost that for EACH button fixing up my e70 worn buttons


–awr–

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One reason I like to use an air compressor for tight dirty areas. :thumbup:

Thanks Andrew. I’ll get my wife to help me troubleshoot when I get home later this week. It takes a few blocks for the creaking noise to “warm up” it seems. On the drive to the airport this am she was quiet until I’d gone three-ish blocks from my house, then sure enough the creaking started. 90% of it happens as I first start accelerating from a stop. No matter how gently. Only occasionally on stopping, amd I can’t get it to do it when bouncing the front of the car up and down by pushing on the bumper. I can get it to make the noise intermittently when I kick the top of the tire with a lot of force.

My leading hypothesis is that I failed to torque the new lower arms several months ago with the suspension compressed enough. The car was on the lift so I put a floor jack under the hub and jacked until it got light on that corner of the lift. I have a “new” hub completed (new ball joint and bearing) and I’ll redo that lower arm install and torque when I put the hub in next week.

The uppers are poly and don’t need to be compressed when torqued, according to polyflex. The central bushings is lubed up though and maybe I didn’t get it fully covered? I was in a hurry.

Beyond that I wonder if it could be the ball joint itself? Stripped fasteners on these are the reason I built and am swapping in new carriers/hubs. I already swapped in the right hub and the old ball joint was absolutely floppy and had no tension left. It doesn’t seem like a failure mode in this piece would make noise tho.

I don’t want to throw parts at it since the struts and left tie rod are all within 8 months old, so I’ll swap the hub in next week, check/re-tourque everything, and do a good general integrity check.

I wonder if there is anyway the rack could be making the noise I’m hearing? I’ll check it’s fasteners too, if I can get to them without dropping the stiffener.

Kick on the tire and the fact you m said turning gets it leans ball joint.

If you're working to swap the knuckle soon, you can pull the boot up/down to get some wd-40 into the ball joint to animate the grease and if that's the Source it'll stop. I used to cut a hole in the boot to get the spray tube in but saw a hint you can pull the boot down so try that first.

Usually ball joint will squeak on road undulations though but it depends a lot on what surface is dry.


–awr–

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Changed water pump. Second one in two years and only 18,000 miles. I put a Graf pump with a metal impeller when I last replaced it. I replaced it as a part of a cooling system refresh. I went with that one because it had good reviews on FCP and it had the metal impeller and I wanted something I didn't need to worry about self destructing because it was plastic. The thing is a piece of junk. Judging from the rusty water marks it has probably been seeping for about the last 3000 miles. The bearing had become loose. Because it was a weep and pretty much hidden from view I didn't figure out I had a problem until I started hearing noise coming from it. So 15,000 miles on a water pump. That is totally ridiculous. FCP should quit selling these pieces of junk. The reviews fell of a cliff for the Graf shortly after i bought one. I don't think its being made where they claim. I think its coming from China.

Some times you just get a bad one

I have a Graf in my M3 that has close to 100K on it and I think thats whats in the X5 too, probably 40-50K on it now