[casualDIYer]

A while back I swapped out my FCAB bushings on my F30 with Millway Uniball FCABs. Nice solid feel, especially when braking. But recently it seems they have developed a bit of play in the sense the control arm can now rotate 90 degrees left and right.

See my video here to see what the hell I am talking about
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6rBnBs8fSe4

Not an expert with uniball bushings but I am assuming these bushings are now done and need to be swapped out. Is this assumption correct?

[Watsey]

I wouldn't regard that as a problem.

Spherical ball joints can rotate 360 degrees in all directions - it's just the presence of a rod/bolt through the axis line which prevents this from happening.

The bearings in your arms look to be rotating more freely than they would have done when new, but I'd only regard them as worn if/when they start to become noisy (i.e. knocking).

[casualDIYer]

Originally Posted by Watsey

I wouldn't regard that as a problem.

Spherical ball joints can rotate 360 degrees in all directions - it's just the presence of a rod/bolt through the axis line which prevents this from happening.

The bearings in your arms look to be rotating more freely than they would have done when new, but I'd only regard them as worn if/when they start to become noisy (i.e. knocking).

Thanks for the reply.

The control arm on the left side of the car (looking from inside the car toward the front) can rotate far enough to touch the tie rod. And it’s done that at least once. I’m also getting a squeak when I hit bumps that cause a compression, decompression then compression again of the damper and spring. The spring and damper appear fine so it remains a mystery where the squeak is now coming from. It thought it might be the uniball bushing?

[Watsey]

From experience I know how hard it can be to locate the source of suspension noises.

Stainless steel spherical bearings are unlikely to squeak. For that sort of sound I'd be investigating things like anti roll bar bushes.

Some things to consider : Can you isolate the noise to one side of the car, or does it only happen when there are compression and rebound inputs across the front of the car evenly ?

[casualDIYer]

Originally Posted by Watsey

From experience I know how hard it can be to locate the source of suspension noises.

Stainless steel spherical bearings are unlikely to squeak. For that sort of sound I'd be investigating things like anti roll bar bushes.

Some things to consider : Can you isolate the noise to one side of the car, or does it only happen when there are compression and rebound inputs across the front of the car evenly ?

Good to know about the bearings. It would seem out of place for them to squeak.

On the squeak, on the front left side of the car (the driver's side in Canada), I can hear the sound. But, a passenger sitting in the front right believes the sound is coming from the rear. For small bumps, no squeak. The car must do a cycle and a half of compress-decompress-compress. It does sound like squeaky rubber so it might indeed be the anti-roll bar (ARB) bushes. Wonderfully some euro-pinching idiot decided that buying an integrated bar and bush . . .ing was an excellent idea despite the fact that replacing that part sets some kind of record for most intense labour effort for least amount of gain.

Might be time for the ARB swap. Since I'm allergic to having an engine fall on me, I'll get my mechanic to give me a quote. Christmas is coming.

[Watsey]

Don't blindly take my first suggestion as a definitive diagnosis !

First objective would be to at least identify the approximate location - front/rear, left/right.

You could use a strong lever (brick/block and a suitable length of lumber) placed near each wheel in turn and jammed under the tyre to repeatedly cycle the suspension through compression and rebound. This might be enough to induce the squeak and focus your search.