i just found a bolt in my 540i/a oil pan....

[tim s]

i had replaced my leaking oil pan gasket last year before i knew about the loose oil pump bolt issue. so i decided that i would check the bolts when i install my new thrust arm bushings & center link. i dropped the pan today & found one of the long bolts for the oil pump rolling around. we re-adjusted the pumps chain tension & tightened all bolt to spec. i plan on checking this every 18-24 months now.
as for the new center link, i bought a "trw" last year from FCP Groton along with tie-rods & thrust arms. we replaced the center link after we found a worn joint that was loose. this time i purchased a center link from the bmw dealer. it came with a bmw sticker & trw molded into the casting on boths ends & the caps on the joints. the "trw" i purchased from FCP Groton did not have any trw markings at all.
i will not buy from FCP Groton again.

i did decide to use these heavy duty bushings from lemforder.

i already put 50 highway miles on them. so far they are noticably stiffer, but not to harsh. and this time i did torque them under load.
thanks
tim s.

[winfred]

those are m5 bushings, the stiffness is noticeable because the old ones were allready squashed, it happens slowly so until you replace them it feels normal