Can someone help me figure out what this clunking noise is?

[07ImolaRot]

Suddenly I developed this clunking noise you can hear in the video below. you can hear it when turning the wheel but its even worse if i hit a small bump while at low speeds without turning the wheel. I have not done any suspension work on the car in like 2,000 miles so it came out of no where. Its an 07 on Bilstein pro kit that has 2,000 miles on it with new OEM front and rear strut mounts and new strabilizer bar links. I inspected the control arms, tie rods and FCAPs and they all seemed intact but theyre factory installed with 67k on them.

https://youtube.com/shorts/qkgcJvTwI...nD-ddjgZylm9jS

[Clearancediver]

Put the car on a hoist… turn the steering wheel/wheels all the way to the stop…

Lift/wiggle tire in that position to see what you hear/see…. use a pry bar to lift wiggle suspension/steering components to look for the cause as well.

Replace your FCAB’s since they are 16+ years old. I’d also suggest replacing control arms as well so you have fresh ball joints as well…

[maupineda]

Could be your top mount bearings. Are they new or original? Control arm bushings can make noise but car would also feel wobbly

[itsjustascratch21]

It sounds like your rack. The bushing is probably a little shrunken.

[Huz-Z]

I would check that the strut brace nuts in the engine bay are properly torqued, just in case.

[jwolf]

I second the strut brace. It can make a sound that sounds like its in the dash (firewall attachment location) and I guess more like suspension near the towers.

[bosstones]

What're the torque specs for the braces (at the firewall and struts)?

I've haf a noise that I now suspect is suspension but intermittent.. Only happens at low speed when stopping (if at all). The braces came to mind as a low hanging fruit to double check but I couldn't find the torque spec anywhere in my notes. I recall it being a topic many years back here but also couldn't find it in search.

[Steeler]

I bookmarked long ago.

https://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1009490

[Clearancediver]

Bosstones…. Your noise/Vibration at slow speed (especially if braking) is likely a FCAB issue. Indicates need for replacement.

Google z4 FCAB issues and have a read of the various posts/info ….

[07ImolaRot]

So I did a lot of searching on the forums and people said dry U joints on the steering wheel intermediate shaft and loose bolts on the firewall braces can make noises. I WD40 the U joints and torqued all strut tower brace bolts to 35lbs and the noise completely went away. I don't think it was the U joints that were making the noise but I did wash the engine bay with simple green several times recently. I think it was the strut tower bolts that got loose after I put on the E46 M3 strut braces a couple thousand miles ago. The excess force probably made some of them loose. Its amazing to me how much of a loud clunking noise those firewall braces can make. It sounded like cracked metal hitting each other. I was convinced something had cracked.

Thanks for the help everyone !