BMW Z4 3.0SI -06 with creaking front suspension when cold

S

Snowman

Member
I recently bought a BMW Z4 3.0SI -06 cab with just above 60000km on the odometer.
The shocks/springs have been replaced with Eibach B12 PRO and Bilstein dampers, the roll bars and some other goodies have also been upgraded.
However now when the temperature has started to decrease ive noticed a loud creaking sound when driving slowly and turning the steering wheel.
The sound definitly comes from the suspension when im turning the steering wheel when standing still or going slow.
Anytime im turning the steering alot, the suspension creaks alot..

Hopefully the creaking will stop once spring arrives again, but it would be nice to be able to use the car when its below 15degrees C, without having the suspension creak awfully..
So does anyone have any ideas on what can cause the creaks?
It is not the steering that is causing the creak, it is definitly from the front suspension.
The car does not creak when the front end of the car is elevated, but once it is back on the floor it starts again..
 
Try tightening the front strut braces. They will cause a creaking sound from the front bulkhead area if even slightly loose.
 
Number5 said:
Try tightening the front strut braces. They will cause a creaking sound from the front bulkhead area if even slightly loose.
Click to expand...
How much should they be torqued?
I did torque them to 35Nm when i noticed this squeaking sound.
By "front strut braces" you mean the ones that goes from the middle of the engine bay to each strut tower?
Just to be 100% sure that we are talking about the same braces.
 
If the suspension was re-built I'm guesing poly bushes were used? If so it's probably the poly bushes squeaking which is a potential downside of the product. You should lube them at installation and I guess it's possible to do so afterwards but am not sure what the best product is. A good explanation as to why they squeak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpEZUbHVhUs
 
Check TIS for the strut brace torque. It's different depending on if you have nuts or bolts, and surprisingly tight with torque plus angle needed.
 
Ewazix said:
If the suspension was re-built I'm guesing poly bushes were used? If so it's probably the poly bushes squeaking which is a potential downside of the product. You should lube them at installation and I guess it's possible to do so afterwards but am not sure what the best product is. A good explanation as to why they squeak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpEZUbHVhUs
Click to expand...

That is very likely since alot of bushings were also replaced at the time that they replaced the suspension.
I will google around some to see if i can find a guide on how to lube them after installation.

My braces have nuts on them and what i could find was that they should be torqued to 35Nm, which i have done.
 
Which is wrong.
The value could be correct but angle is also specified. So it would be a good idea to check, I've definitely posted correct values on here somewhere before, or TIS can be found online.
 
Scooba_Steve said:
Which is wrong.
The value could be correct but angle is also specified. So it would be a good idea to check, I've definitely posted correct values on here somewhere before, or TIS can be found online.
Click to expand...
What is TIS?
 
A friend of mine came by and listened to the squeaky sound.
He thought it came from the front strut top bearings.
The top bearings has been replaced about 15000miles ago with Millway fully adjustable ones, at the same time the shocks were replaced with Bilstein ones.

Does this sound reasonable?
I have no idea what kind of bearings the one news are using.
Could it be that they are bad already, or that they just need a bit of lube?
If so, what kind of lube should i apply?
 
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