Hello,

My 1994 W124 keeps making a groaning sound in the left front. It is apparent when braking to a stop and when I press down on the left fender. I also sometimes hear that sound or a clunk when going over potholes. The first culprit is usually the LCA ball joint, so I replaced the LCA on the left side. The sound persisted regardless.

Here's the list of what has been replaced/checked on the car so far:

-Left LCA replaced
-Right LCA replaced
-Sway bar bushings inner and outer (inner bushings sit very firmly. The outer ones slide on very easily and there seems to be a bit of play, as the bar was worn to bare metal underneath. Recoated the sway bar with few coats of paint.)
-Sway bar "hangers" are OK, no signs of breakage
-Unrelated, but let's rule those out: idler arm bushing has been replaced, steering linkage inspected, no play.
-Strut mounts inspected, no play, no cracks
-Top strut nuts tightened just to be sure

The left shock makes a "gurgling" noise when I press on the fender - even if it's bad, I don't think it would be a culprit for that sound. I undid the top mount and inspected the shock - it has considerable resistance going up and down, does not seem to be shot despite the sound. The shocks were replaced with Bilstein parts before I purchased the car (late 2021).

The steering and suspension feel very tight and the car does not wander - I had a very bruised 300D in the past and that one and the current car are like night and day.

My money's on the sway bar being excessively worn on the outer bushing side, but I'm very curious about your suggestions before I go sourcing a new sway bar or smaller diameter bushings (if I remember correctly, there are several diameters. The ones I currently have on the vehicle are VIN appropriate). Any help is greatly appreciated.