Front End Clunk

[94boosted]

Any thoughts on diagnosing a front-end clunking sound? Car is a 2023 with 4K miles, it has the camber correction knuckles (swivel bearings) and an Eibach Front Bar w/ SPL Endlinks. The clunking sound is only heard when the drivers side wheel goes over a bump/pothole. Not as apparent when both wheels go over a bump/dip, and it can't be heard at all during aggressive driving/cornering. The sound is new, both the bar/endlinks and swivel bearings have been on for a year, but the sound only began recently.

My immediate thought was endlinks so I replaced the spherical rod ends on both endlinks with new ones, I also put some more grease into the sway bar bushing zirk fittings at the same time. That didn't help.

PFA

Sponsored

 

[Viper]

I had the same issue and turns out my front sway bar endlink was loose. Everytime I hit a bump it would clang. It wont appear to be loose if you jack up the car, so i put mine on ramps and when I hit it with my fist it would clang.

Hope this helps

 

[94boosted]

I had the same issue and turns out my front sway bar endlink was loose. Everytime I hit a bump it would clang. It wont appear to be loose if you jack up the car, so i put mine on ramps and when I hit it with my fist it would clang.

Hope this helps

Yah like I said that was my first thought, so I replaced both endlinks, and made sure they are both tight. The final tightening was done with the car on ramps so as to not introduce and preload.

 

[Ostagon]

I had the same issue.

Installed Eibach front sway bar with OEM end links.
Drove for a few weeks no issue and then that clunking sound started.
Finally installed AFE end links and adjusted for preload with someone in the driver seat.
Sound is gone....for a couple weeks...

Pretty sure I just need to go back in there and give everything a proper torque, plus lube all over the place. One issue i see with AFE end links with Eibach sway bar is the point the two are married up isnt very flush so might also look into some hardware to get more surface to surface contact.

 

[94boosted]

Yah, again, I've ran these endlinks and bar for an entire season with no issues. The clunk only developed recently. And I'm 100% certain that the endlinks are tight (at the strut, at the bar and the length adjustment nuts).

 

[bushido]

maybe deformed bushings? would you be able to take a video on the clunking?

 

[94boosted]

maybe deformed bushings? would you be able to take a video on the clunking?

Could be. Here's a video

 

[razorlab]

Most likely the trash bearings in the SPL endlinks. I have a pile of those pieces of crap.

 

[94boosted]

Most likely the trash bearings in the SPL endlinks. I have a pile of those pieces of crap.

Yah they sent me all new spherical rod ends for both endlinks, they've been replaced. Don't think that's the issue.

 

[bushido]

jack the car up and test for wheel play? maybe ball joint? do you tighten the bolts while it's in the air or once on ground and loaded? the clunk is gnarly

 

[94boosted]

I will check for wheel play, haven't done that yet.

I tightened the endlinks with the car on ramps to make sure there was no preload.

 

[razorlab]

Yah they sent me all new spherical rod ends for both endlinks, they've been replaced. Don't think that's the issue.

I just watched your video. It seems like something much larger. Did you triple check all the nuts for the caster arm, LCA and tie rod to the hub?

 

[94boosted]

Yes sir, when I replaced the swivel bearings May of 2023 we followed the BMW Service Procedure step by step, all new hardware, torque plus turn as required for each bolt.

 

[94boosted]

Well I'm an idiot, even though the endlinks were tight, the actual nuts that hold the brackets (which holds the sway bar) to the subframe had backed off quite substantially. When I was greasing the swaybar bushings (through the zirk fitting) the car was on ramps so that's how I stupidly didn't notice those nuts had backed themselves off

Anyways, I tired to order some new ones, but they're backordered with no ETA

Would anyone happen to know the size/thread pitch of these nuts? I may try to get some aftermarket nyloc nuts to replace these OEM ones.

 

[tenkyouken]

Well I'm an idiot, even though the endlinks were tight, the actual nuts that hold the brackets (which holds the sway bar) to the subframe had backed off quite substantially. When I was greasing the swaybar bushings (through the zirk fitting) the car was on ramps so that's how I stupidly didn't notice those nuts had backed themselves off

Anyways, I tired to order some new ones, but they're backordered with no ETA

Would anyone happen to know the size/thread pitch of these nuts? I may try to get some aftermarket nyloc nuts to replace these OEM ones.

So were the nuts that were holding the bracket the reason for the clunk?

Sponsored