Knocking noise on front axle (Rotational)

[Chris1712]

Hi all,

I've got a knocking / clinking kind of sound coming from the front somewhere, it sounds very much like there's a branch or something stuck in a spoke but there certainly isn't. The faster your going the less lock you need to demonstrate the sound, ie full lock in a car park you can hear it, fast round a roundabout you can hear it.

I've had BMW look at it once before and they said 'no idea, we took everything apart and it went away'. And indeed it did, for about 2 months / 3000 miles. Anyone have any ideas so I can go armed next time? I don't really fancy paying my £100 warranty excess for another shrug and some WD40.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Nick9one1]

Sounds to me like a the wheel bearing or CV joint. As the z4 is RWD it can only really be the bearing.

 

[mcbutler]

Brake disc backplate loose?
Play in the brake caliper?
Pads loose in caliper?
Loose brake pipe/hose (where the two join they are generally bracketed to either the wheel arch or front strut)
Can you feel anything through the steering wheel when it makes the noise?
Have you tried jacking it up and spinning the wheel by hand?

 

[Player 1]

Wheel bearing. Even if you don't think it is, its a wheel bearing.

My old E85 had a very similar mystery knock that tuned out to be a very slight movement in the wheel bearing causing a wheel weight to knock on the suspension strut. The odd thing was that only the car could put enough force through the bearing to get it to move, on the ramps no amount of pushing or shoving could get anything to deflex.
I was a little peeved at the tyre fitters for putting clip on wheel weights on instead of the ones that stick to the inside of the rim but at least we found an issue before it got worse.

 

[ph001]

Jack it up and grab the tyre top and bottom. There should be zero play, any kind of movement would defo point to wheel bearings.

 

[Nick9one1]

£60 from GSF with discount code