Suspension sorting

[uberhahn]

With 120K miles, and sloppy steering, I think it's probably time to sort out the front suspension. I know that my left inner tierod is shot (can move LF wheel L/R when on lift an see movement). It is likely that other connections are similarly worn.

What is there to know in replacing front-end wearables (control arms, tie rods, etc) other than what's in the Bentley? Anything specific to look out for? For those that have done the full workup, how long did it take, given normal conditions (I don't have a lift at home, merely jackstands, etc)?

I figure it'll be a full weekend, but any input would be appreciated, as always.

uberhahn

[632 Regal]

i replace all the steering parts in a half hour. Did you check the but steering collar nut underr the dash?

[uberhahn]

Yah. I checked the nut. seemed tight. with no forward motion, i can move the steering wheel roughly 15deg in each direction. it isn't to the scarry point, but it's awfully annoying having to correct all of the time on the highway.

worthwhile checking the nut again, though.

Did you have to remove the steering rack to get to anything?

[632 Regal]

no, what I did was seperate the far ends, idler arm and steering box while on ramps. Put the new stuff together with an impact to "set" the taperd parts and then torque them down. When I assembled I put the steering and idler on and tight then adjusted the steering ends so they fit right in without having to move the tires, when I had it aligned it was almost perfect and could have skipped that part.

[Kalevera]

FWIW, there is no steering rack on a factory E34 ;)

It all depends on how handy one is with the tools and the condition of the car. Jeff is seasoned and that's why it took him 1/2 hour. The first time I did a suspension rebuild (on my car), it took me three or four days spread out across three weekends. Most of that time was spent working around my ineptitude with tools and dealing with fused components. You will inherently need less time because you're taking less apart. The idler arm will be the trickiest part; the heat shields have to be bent or removed in order to get hand tools on the fastener. Be sure to have a plan for ball joint removal on the tie rods. A good hammer usually does the trick. Jeff may have said this already (I can't remember), but -- do as little disassembly as is necessary to remove the links: tie rods at steering plates, idler arm, and pitman arm at the center link should be all that're necessary. Assembly of the links in the car is easy peasy, so is doing it outside of the car (do whatever you're comfortable with). If the ball joints spin, use an impact or get some kind of force behind the ball.

best, whit