Has anyone changed the front lower outer ball joints on an R60? My car sat for about 4 months while I was changing the clutch and I've got a nice clunk when turning now at low speeds. I'm going to start with the ball joint to see if that cures my clunk before diving into other parts. I see it is held in with two screws, then I am guessing you have to pry it out of its recess somehow. Is a press required for reinstallation? Thanks all in advance for your help and opinions. Oh yeah, and the bearings are shot too, mucho howling...she did not like sitting for that long!

2012 Mini CMS All 4
132k miles

 

Yeah the two screws and then the thing prys out. That is the only way I have ever taken that piece apart (like when replacing a CV axle, ect).

I would doubt it would be that part though from just sitting. Makes no sense. You should actually try and find the clunk before throwing parts at it. Im inclined to say the same with the bearings, but they do go bad...much more of a grumble / roar than a howl.

 

Yeah, of course there's more to the story than my simplified version above. I am going to change out all the coilovers for adjustables, so I'm going to have to take apart the front end again of course. On the driver's front I mushroomed the cv axle end, it's just plain stuck in the hub...so I am going to replace the coilover, knuckle, cv axle, wheel bearing, swaybar end links, and ball joint all at once. The donor knuckle is a junkyard piece so it makes good sense to change the ball joint at the same time, just curious about its installation. If anyone is good at clunk detecting I'm all ears, I've been through the front end like 10 times looking for something loose or damaged.

 

Ah, I see. Might very well be a CV clunking if you happened to break something sledging it.