Clunk at the front, creak at the back... which bushes?

M

Mr Whippy

Veteran
 Harrogate
I'm guessing it's bushes.

Front will clunk when cornering hard ish and hitting bumps. I think this is either ARB (will do cos they are cheap anyway), and/or rear bushes on front wishbones.

Rear creaking when driving up ramps while turning (so one rear wheel is up in the air while the other takes the load)... I have no idea what this might be.


Just after opinions on which bushes to go for... pros and cons of all of them. Never fitted anything but OEM before, just a bit concerned how much BMW's front wishbone rear bushes are vs the poly ones.
Also, how long would people say it should take to do the front arb bushes and the control arm bushes? Just that I'll be getting a garage to do the work so a rough idea on time would be cool. I was thinking an hour to do the fronts, and hour to do some at the back if needed.

Hmmm

Thanks for any views/opinions :D

Dave
 
Dont know the answer to your questions - but what mileage are you on and how has the car been driven during this time?
 
I had clunking at the front and it was a bush. Can't remember which one but iirc it was about £100 to sort. I can check the docs when I get home if you want exact details.
 
I bought the car at 60,000 miles in Jan 09, it's now on about 85,000 miles.

I've driven it 50:50 really. I drive it how it's meant to be driven. Play hard, maintain hard hehe.

My brother said the ARB bushes at the front looked a bit worn about 18 months ago when it was up on a jack, but it's passed two MOT's since then. I guess they are now worn to the point they are ready to be replaced.


All in I'm happy to replace the whole lot since it'll improve the car and I know they will last a good 4 years+ considering the life of worn looking ones over the time I've had it already!

Just not sure if it's worth going with some poly bushes at certain locations to tighten it up a bit... or if their downsides really are gonna put me off (ie, harshness)

Hmmm

Dave
 
Mr Whippy, I had PowerFlex poly bushes put on the front of mine, just the two, tightened it up fantastically and haven't found it harsh at all.

I have a similar issue on the rear, the indi checked the rear bushes when the did the fronts, but said they were fine. My problem somehow seems related to the handbrake. I left the car over night with the handbrake off (in gear) and then drove the 10 miles to work, again without using the handbrake, and it didn't make a sound. The following trip, used the handbrake, started creaking again. I'm going to have a better look when I change the brake pads... hopefully this weekend.
 
Hmmm, might just get powerflex ones then... the RFT's removed a lot of harshness when I ditched then, but also a touch of sharpness. The polybushes might add some sharpness back, while keeping it smooth still :D

Dave
 
OK, taking a look at these on Amazon...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Powerflex-Front-Wishbone-Rear-Bushes/dp/B0044E9S4M/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1305194333&sr=1-4

My June 04 car seems to use the 66mm bushes, so these are the ones to get it seems. BMW replacements are £125 for the pair, vs £45...


It looks like the main other ones offered are front/rear arb bushes, and the rear trailing arm front bush. Are those likely to be the ones that go often?


Tempted to just get the front trailing bushes, and the rear trailing bushes, then get new ARB bushes from BMW as they are much cheaper than poly ones for those ones...

Hmmm

Dave
 
Well I've ordered the front wishbone rear bushes and the rear control arm bushes from Powerflex.

I've then bought OEM BMW arb bushes (roll sharpness feels nice to me, but I think toe/camber control probably want tightening, hence the choice of OEM vs Poly)

Will be fitting on Thursday sans alignment (will get that done later), so will report back on total cost and difference :D

Dave
 
May want to take a look at the front shock housing in your engine bay. The ones in my 2003 were so wore out that they were broken all the way thru. I don't know what was holding them together, but after we replaced them, the ride changed drastically for the good. As far as other bushings are concerned, they were getting changed as we found them, or rather as the mechanic found them. The car had 236K before it got totalled, so I really wore out the bushinge, etc...
 
ARB bushes are easy to replace yourself and I don't think they are an MoT issue which might explain how they were allowed to degrade so much....technically ARBs are supposed to be a comfort thing as much as anything.
 
Just thought the time to do ARB bushings would be tiny, and they will be worn/old by now, so they can get done with the other bits :)

Cool Z4, which is that shock housing in the engine bay? Is that one of the engine/gearbox harmonic dampers (rubber blocks), or the engine mounts themselves?

Dave
 
Mr Whippy! I'll be doing my powerflex bushes in the next week or so, so any fitting dos and donts would be greatly appreciated!

Had a quick look though and it seems simple. 2 bolts each, pull from wishbone, press out old bush. I bet the final stage will be the worst!!

Definitely have a good wiggle of your ball joints while youre down there (oo-err!!) as these could also be worn.

As pawn said, handbrake shoes often cause a rear end creak. My car does it when I get out! Rather embarrassing!
 
I'm just sending the car in to a garage for them all being done. Unfortunately Awesome GTI (UK reseller) doesn't have them in stock anyway, so I can't even get them done for maybe another week now. Rather crap that the UK reseller doesn't have them in stock, while a random guy on Amazon did but couldn't offer faster delivery than 5 days... arghhh :D

So this Thursday it's just arb bushings and a check around all the bushes/joints anyway, then if there are any other bits I need I can sort them out.

Yes, the front arm rear bushes look a pain, mainly the cleaning of the donut and then end of the wishbone of the old bits... I don't have a press or puller, hence just sending it in for loads of work. Saves me crawling around under the car spending hours doing it, when I can earn more money in those hours and pay someone else to do it instead (win win :D )


Next job will be tracking. Probably gonna use the same garage (Selby TVR), but spec my own alignment. Probably gonna go to bottom end of specified camber on the rear, and keep everything else as it should be. With my weight in the drivers seat...

Hopefully with the bushes tightening it up a bit, alignment tweaked a bit, and a louder oem exhaust, it should be a bit more fun for through the summer :D

Dave
 
Mr Whippy: How have you got on with the Powerflex bushes?

I'm thinking along the same lines as you regarding sharpening up the front a bit with new bushes as I've ditched the run flats. Interested to know if it's made much difference?
 
Just fitted ARB bushes so far (OEM BMW)

Still have the Powerflex flying around in my boot :D

Not sure whether to DIY or pay someone else to fit at this stage.

Creaking still there at the bacj, had it checked a few times and done myself... all looks good so guess it's just old dried out bushes somewhere.


Will probably book the car in and get them done!

Dave
 
how much will a full set of aftermarket bushes cost? mine have gone on an 05 2.2 z4 @ 32000 miles? i am prety new to the Z4 side of things

cheers
 
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