BMW e90 Clunking / Binding Sound (after e90 M3 suspension upgrade)

catlinsm · 11-03-2024, 08:19 PM

Hey all, running into an issue with my 2007 BMW 328i and I have no idea how to proceed. Any ideas?

Car has sport suspension and active steering and 160k miles

So I recently installed the M3 control arms, new struts, tie rods and end links. Since then, I have been having numerous issues including:
- A binding/clunking sound on the front drivers side. The sound is only at slow speeds and especially felt when I pull out in reverse and turn the wheel to the right. You can listen to it here:

- The car wants to pull to the left at speeds above 60 mph

I recently got under the car to see if there was anything obvious. I noticed:
- The control arm on the drivers side is not showing any threads, while the passenger side is showing multiple threads. I loosened the control arm and fully seated it, yet still only one thread would show and it was definitely tightened as far as it could go.
- My strut mount nuts (both sides) only show, at most, one thread. Looking at other peoples cars, they look like they show multiple threads and the alignment pin is way more obvious.
- The control arm (brand new) on the passenger side is completely destroyed.

Super confused why the drivers side control arms don't fit right, why the passenger side control arm is destroyed, and why both strut mounts don't seem to fit all the way!?

catlinsm · 11-07-2024, 12:52 PM

No ideas?

Brandoch · 11-07-2024, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlinsm

No ideas?

Did you torque everything to proper spec with the suspension loaded?
Did you get an alignment right after?

catlinsm · 11-11-2024, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandoch

Did you torque everything to proper spec with the suspension loaded?
Did you get an alignment right after?

Yes and yes. Towed it to the alignment shop.

Brandoch · 11-11-2024, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlinsm

Yes and yes. Towed it to the alignment shop.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you need to align it to M3 specs.

catlinsm · 11-12-2024, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandoch

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you need to align it to M3 specs.

Correct which is what I did and the results are in the picture above. Are they incorrect?

AshwinLB · 11-15-2024, 01:41 PM

I think the swaybar needs to be repositioned so the endlinks don’t bind.

Not sure why your lower arms got cooked on the spindle side though… what brand did you go with?

AshwinLB · 11-15-2024, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandoch

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you need to align it to M3 specs.

You can usually align to stock non-m specs with no issues

catlinsm · Yesterday, 09:32 PM

So the blown up control arm was because I didn’t counterhold it well enough on the install, so it was installed all binded up. so I was super careful to counterhold it properly and it looks a lot better.

The clunking on the drivers side was resolved upon discovering that the washer on the strut mount was upside down. Oops.

Thanks everyone for your input.

11-03-2024, 08:19 PM	#1
catlinsm New Member 2 Rep 7 Posts Drives: BMW e30IX, 74 02, 72 02tii Join Date: Dec 2023 Location: Tennessee iTrader: (0)	BMW e90 Clunking / Binding Sound (after e90 M3 suspension upgrade) Hey all, running into an issue with my 2007 BMW 328i and I have no idea how to proceed. Any ideas? Car has sport suspension and active steering and 160k miles So I recently installed the M3 control arms, new struts, tie rods and end links. Since then, I have been having numerous issues including: - A binding/clunking sound on the front drivers side. The sound is only at slow speeds and especially felt when I pull out in reverse and turn the wheel to the right. You can listen to it here: - The car wants to pull to the left at speeds above 60 mph I recently got under the car to see if there was anything obvious. I noticed: - The control arm on the drivers side is not showing any threads, while the passenger side is showing multiple threads. I loosened the control arm and fully seated it, yet still only one thread would show and it was definitely tightened as far as it could go. - My strut mount nuts (both sides) only show, at most, one thread. Looking at other peoples cars, they look like they show multiple threads and the alignment pin is way more obvious. - The control arm (brand new) on the passenger side is completely destroyed. Super confused why the drivers side control arms don't fit right, why the passenger side control arm is destroyed, and why both strut mounts don't seem to fit all the way!? Attached Images
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11-07-2024, 12:52 PM	#2
catlinsm New Member 2 Rep 7 Posts Drives: BMW e30IX, 74 02, 72 02tii Join Date: Dec 2023 Location: Tennessee iTrader: (0)	No ideas?
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11-15-2024, 01:41 PM	#7
AshwinLB Private First Class 103 Rep 148 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 135i 6MT Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	I think the swaybar needs to be repositioned so the endlinks don’t bind. Not sure why your lower arms got cooked on the spindle side though… what brand did you go with? Last edited by AshwinLB; 11-15-2024 at 01:45 PM..
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Yesterday, 09:32 PM	#9
catlinsm New Member 2 Rep 7 Posts Drives: BMW e30IX, 74 02, 72 02tii Join Date: Dec 2023 Location: Tennessee iTrader: (0)	So the blown up control arm was because I didn’t counterhold it well enough on the install, so it was installed all binded up. so I was super careful to counterhold it properly and it looks a lot better. The clunking on the drivers side was resolved upon discovering that the washer on the strut mount was upside down. Oops. Thanks everyone for your input.
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