| Author |
Message |
Tom Jones (Ferrarioldman)
Junior Member
Username: Ferrarioldman
Post Number: 149
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, September 27, 2003 - 8:29 pm: | |
On early 550's, the sway bar links were bad about creaking. There is an updated link that fixes the problem. I would replace the links first then drive it again. IMHO |
Kurt Kjelgaard (Kurtk328)
Junior Member
Username: Kurtk328
Post Number: 219
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 1:25 am: | |
My BMW325 Cabriolet was creaking, when driving over bumps - changed sway bar links, no change.
Turned out to be hood locking mechanism making noise due to slight flexing of the car body.
Grease cured the problem. |
Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member
Username: Doody
Post Number: 1779
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 3:17 pm: | |
dan - you should talk to FoSF on the shock actuators. when i bought mine, i was told the two front actuators were hosed (they "spin" or something like that). the dealer replaced them as part of the deal, and suggested that FNA knew about this problem on the cars, and had redesigned the part at some point to fix it (ie: it was a design flaw).
i could be totally wrong, but that's what i understood.
what is a sway bar link? aren't sway bars wildly simplistic devices? a big metal rod and bolts on either end? what on earth could be worth $702.50 in that equation?
fwiw, i've never noticed a creaking noise on my car going over speed bumps and the like.
doody. |
Steve Magnusson (91tr)
Intermediate Member
Username: 91tr
Post Number: 2122
Registered: 1-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 3:08 pm: | |
I think "spherical rod end" (or "Heim joint", to use a trade name --http://www.monstertower.com/HeimJoint.htm,) might be a better translation than "ball joint" if the shock end fittings are somehow similar to the photo in the link (it does have ball & socket elements that function-wise are identical to that in a classic A-arm "ball joint", just the attachments are different).
Same sort of things on the sway bar "links" -- the link part itself isn't bad, it's the spherical joint(s) attached to, or built into, the link ends that are probably bad. |
Dan (Bobafett)
Intermediate Member
Username: Bobafett
Post Number: 1399
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 2:54 pm: | |
Ok, I have a question: my 550 'creaks' over speed bumps and the like, but seems to be ok otherwise. She's in for service now, and I just found out that I need the following:
A couple of things on your 550 -
1. Creaking noise
a. 2 front-top shock ball joints - $2033.00
b. 2 sway bar links - $702.50
c. 2 shock actuators - $944.00
What are shock ball joints?
--Dan |