lower control arms

[jybute]

high everyone, this is my first post on this site, so go easy on me.

Im going to be doing the lower control arms on my 89 535i in the next couple of days, just wondering if anyone has any tips. I saw the pics and insrtuctions at the bmw e34 website. In those instructions it says to undo the bolts at the bottom of the strut housing, am i going to need a spring compressor to do this, or is that going to just give me access to the ball joint nut.

also, what are the advantages/disadvantages of not using authentic bmw parts.

thanks in advance.

[Kalevera]

http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=15280

[Bimminator]

high everyone, this is my first post on this site, so go easy on me.

Im going to be doing the lower control arms on my 89 535i in the next couple of days, just wondering if anyone has any tips. I saw the pics and insrtuctions at the bmw e34 website. In those instructions it says to undo the bolts at the bottom of the strut housing, am i going to need a spring compressor to do this, or is that going to just give me access to the ball joint nut.

also, what are the advantages/disadvantages of not using authentic bmw parts.

thanks in advance.
I just did mine with Bruno last fall (well, he did them) and he suggested that when doing control arms do both sides at same time. I had some knocking and shimmying happening while braking. The parts were cheap through Bruno, so what we did was do both control arms and thrust arms, and I upgraded to the 750 bushing. Everything is super tight now, not that I do it but I can now corner while holding the wheel with thumb and forefinger, it is that solid!

Check out his prices, just e-mail him through his link on the e34 site.

Goodluck, Shawn

[pundit]

high everyone, this is my first post on this site, so go easy on me...
He means YOU Regal! :D


...Im going to be doing the lower control arms on my 89 535i in the next couple of days, just wondering if anyone has any tips...
Why the lower arms? If they are shot fair enough, but if you have shimmy/vibration problems at around 60mph/100kmh that becomes worse when braking then I'd check the upper control arms (http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/maintenance/suspension/upper_arm.htm) (known as thrust or caster rod arms)

Do a forum search for 'thrust arms'


...I saw the pics and insrtuctions at the bmw e34 website. In those instructions it says to undo the bolts at the bottom of the strut housing, am i going to need a spring compressor to do this, or is that going to just give me access to the ball joint nut...
You won't need a spring compressor unless you plan on dismantling the strut assembly to replace the springs or dampeners. Whit Lowell can probably give some additional pointers on this.


...also, what are the advantages/disadvantages of not using authentic bmw parts...
Not using quality parts means doing it again in 12 months. You can obtain quality OEM parts (Lemforder etc) from suppliers like BMA (http://www.bmaparts.com/) at much cheaper prices than from the dealers (stealers!)

Okay Regal, your turn... flame away!! :D

[pundit]

http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=15280
Well there you go!

[Kobe Diesel]

Just did mine last week for the first time.

As previously mentioned...
refer to Bruno's website
use 750 bushings
or use polyeurethane bushings as suggested by Jon K.
You can either replace your thrust arms entirely or reuse them and have new bushings pressed in (depends on the condition of the existing ball joints)

you will need a pitman arm puller to separate the ball joing from steering plate.

and the big thing to do is to make sure the bushings are under load when you torque the bushing bolts. withe car on jackstands, carefully place your floorjack under the steering plate, i recommend placing a block of wood so as not to damage any of the steel, and raise the jack carefully. You will see the arms move up and the spring compress and chances are the car will rise off the jackstands. BE CAREFUL. At this point the bushing is loaded and you can tighten the bushing bolt to torque, about 90-95 ft-#.

It's not that hard a task. When done, it's worth self pat on your back.

Have at it!

[632 Regal]

no flames...yet. :D

i agree the upper arms are probably what he is thinking of, hope he dont order the wrong ones.

[jybute]

no, it is the lowers, i jacked up hte car and shook the fronts down, to tell you the truth i didnt even notice anything was awry, i had my window open and i heard a very subtle clunk from the drivers side so i shook the front end down. it seems to me the thrust rod bushings are gone as well but its hard to tell because the ball joints are so far gone, i will be able to tell more about the thrust rods once the lower control arms are replaced. i have to say, that e34 is pretty good at keeping ambient sounds out of the car. i couldnt even hear anything, the steering was a little loose, but i attributed that to the icy roads, hmmm guess the roads arent all that icy.

[jybute]

thanks for the help boys, everything went well. the only problem I had was getting the lower portion of the strut assembly back together, but it wasnt too bad.