Suspension woes. Is this normal? You can move this part while it’s screwwd in...

[Booey1979]

So check this YouTube video out.

I just shot it. Can anyone confirm if this is normal? When I drive my car and I hit a bump I hear a rattle. this is after I installed my front suspension (springs and shocks) I’m thinking this part was damaged but then again I’m not sure if this was present or not.

[02Pilot]

Sway bar end link with loose ball joints. Very common, but also very cheap and easy to replace. Do that.

[Booey1979]

Interesting. It was fine before I replaced my suspension. Why would it suddenly go bad when I removed the nut at the top in order to replace the strut/shocks? Anyone know of a place to buy this end link?

[gjm120]

Do you have the end links torqued on correctly? If I recall correctly, you have to counterhold the link to get it tight initially then it will torque down. Look up the specs to be sure, but, I think the end link to the strut is 43 ft-lb. Not at all sure about the end link to the stabiliser bar.

[02Pilot]

It's old. Removing it may or may not have exacerbated the issue, but at eight years it's likely they were at the end of their service life anyway. Any BMW parts supplier will have piles of them available.

[Booey1979]

Ya I torque it using a wrench to hold one end.

I guess I’ll change it. It can’t be any worse then when I had to remove the struts.

[jcrane82]

They are Heim Joints, so the rotating is normal. You just don't want radial play in the joints.

Is there radial play in the joints, or is it just the "rotating" that you noticed?

[gjm120]

Heim joints - new one for me. Thanks.
I knew there had to be some articulation allowed.

[02Pilot]

Yes, the ball has to be able to rotate in the cup, but in my experience if you can easily move the link there's enough play to cause rattling, even if you can't detect any.

It's two nuts per side with nothing else to be removed except the wheel. Doing both shouldn't take more than 15 minutes, assuming you have the right tools. FYI, thin cone wrenches for bicycle hubs work great for holding the ball joints in place.

[jcrane82]

Originally Posted by 02Pilot

Yes, the ball has to be able to rotate in the cup, but in my experience if you can easily move the link there's enough play to cause rattling, even if you can't detect any.

The force required to rotate the link also depends on if the anti-roll bar is being loaded right/left. For example, if you jack up just one side of the car and remove the wheel, the anti-roll bar is loaded since the right wheel travel doesn't match the left wheel travel. If you have the full front end on jack stands, then the anti-roll bar isn't loaded and therefore the link isn't loaded.

If the front end of the car was on jack stands during the video, the rotation of the link might be normal in the unloaded state. The OP also didn't answer my previous question about radial play at the joints of the link.

[Booey1979]

Originally Posted by jcrane82

They are Heim Joints, so the rotating is normal. You just don't want radial play in the joints.

Is there radial play in the joints, or is it just the "rotating" that you noticed?

What does radial play mean (talk to me like a 2yr old).

[Booey1979]

I’ll check it out this weekend and update the thread. I appreciate the info guys. I changed the fronts and to drive it and make the car worst is super frustrating but at least I have a lead. The rotating is pretty easy to do. There’s no resistance at all which leads me to the cause of the clunk when I hit changes on the road.

[02Pilot]

Originally Posted by jcrane82

The force required to rotate the link also depends on if the anti-roll bar is being loaded right/left. For example, if you jack up just one side of the car and remove the wheel, the anti-roll bar is loaded since the right wheel travel doesn't match the left wheel travel. If you have the full front end on jack stands, then the anti-roll bar isn't loaded and therefore the link isn't loaded.

If the front end of the car was on jack stands during the video, the rotation of the link might be normal in the unloaded state. The OP also didn't answer my previous question about radial play at the joints of the link.

Easy movement of those ball joints is not normal unloaded. Take a new piece and try to rotate the ball joint and you'll see that there is significant resistance.

Felt play or not, when these things get loose enough to rotate easily (which they do fairly frequently on most modern BMWs) they cause rattles.

[jcrane82]

Originally Posted by Booey1979

What does radial play mean (talk to me like a 2yr old).

Here is a cross-section of a steering ball joint:



The heim joints in the stabilizer link is similar. The radial play is the clearance between the ball and the socket. If there is radial play, that could cause a clunking sound as the anti-roll bar is loaded and unloaded.

[Booey1979]

Ahhhh wow you guys rock. Ok I got a lead now! Hehe. I’m glad I reinspected the car yesterday. That was the only thing I felt off when I inspected it.

[Mandinca]

Half an hour job once you get it on the stands. Unless you put the left side on the right, and vice versa....although why anyone would do that is beyond me....

Seriously though, I think most are universal but the OEM's are left and right sided, as I found out.

[Booey1979]

I got one on amazon already. Same price as ecs turning but free shipping.