Changing suspension/steering links!!

[athflying79]

Not to discourage anyone but this is a royal pain in the ass, especially by yourself. Not impossible, but time consuming. Just finished one side after the second day of pulling everything apart.

As a side note and not trying to start any debates...I ordered the kit from Ebay (FCP Groton). Got the swaybar links put on and one of the boots already looks dry rotted. Now I would just send it back, but I just spent all this time getting it on and I've heard this stuff is junk anyway. I only bought for the convenience and price. Suspension is low on the priority list right now as she needed some other mechanical work. Now that I'm "seasoned" with the front end components, next year when these parts fail I'll spring for the Lemfoerders.

[632 Regal]

i did the centerlink and tie rods in about 30 minutes, the strut arms are the part I dont care for.

I guess it has a lot to do with experience and technique.

[athflying79]

The tie rods and sway bar links were cake...it's the upper and lower control arms that are impossible. The upper arm came off not so bad, but I've been banging on this lower arm for like 3 hours. I have tried about a can of Busters in hopes of loosening it up. I think it's the original arms and after 15 years just doesn't want to let go.

[632 Regal]

Ahhhh I now see your problem, this is what I dont care for.

I used a #20 sledge to pop mine and the pass side wouldnt pop so I heated around the pivot deal with an acetyline torch and just the pressure of the stuck picklefork made it pop out. If you dont have an acety;ine torch keep on pounding. Bill R's suggestion is to remove both arms and knuckle and pound them out using a spacer and hammer on the floor...I dont know where that info is, maybe in the archives? let me see.

The through bolt nuts were impossible to get to and I had to drop the cross bar.

[632 Regal]

cant find Bill R's post on his method.

[athflying79]

I used a little heat, but I just had installed the upper arm and didn't want to melt the new boot. I might take the whole steering link off and back track a bit. That way I can torch the crap out of the thing and hopefully get her to pop off. I have used an air hammer, hammer, and pickle fork...all have failed so far.

I'm going in at like 5 am on Monday to hopefully get her mobile again. Right now it's in the way of the mechanics. The drivers side should take no time at all with what I have learned so far.

[632 Regal]

a hammer WONT do it, need at least a #10 sledge, #5 is useless and the 10 takes a dozen or so hard whacks (real hard). The #20 takes about half dozen and probably tears the **** out of everything else.

[athflying79]

How in the world do people do this and reuse parts?? On E34.net and in the Bentley, it has instructions on how to pop this off without tearing the boot and I'm going to need a bench press before it's over. Actually, might try that before I get a #20 Sledge Hammer. Take the whole steering arm off and press the old arm out.

[ryan roopnarine]

bill r's instructions here.

http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=5869&highlight=bill+thrust+arm

if i were taking care of every suspension component at once, i'd take it all out of the car and use pullers on it instead of using a picke fork. less destruction and frustration.

[Bill R.]

complaints about how tough it was and all the special tools needed blah blah blah....I have pullers, pickleforks etc so its not a problem but the idea was for me to come up with a way that virtually anybody could get them off easily with only a few tools. By supporting the arm solidly on some thick sockets or some other suitable surface on concrete where there's no give, then when you hit the stud all the energy is delivered to it instead of being absorbed. This customers car who i experimented with had the original thrust arms in it and they came loose with one medium whack from this hammer. Anyway here's the link that Jeff couldn't find.
(http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=5869)
Edit , sorry Ryan I didn't know you were posting at the same time that i was typing..


How in the world do people do this and reuse parts?? On E34.net and in the Bentley, it has instructions on how to pop this off without tearing the boot and I'm going to need a bench press before it's over. Actually, might try that before I get a #20 Sledge Hammer. Take the whole steering arm off and press the old arm out.

[Dave M]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/dave_macisaac/puller_3.jpg

Had no problem removing without a sledge. Find a fine thread puller and give it $hit.

Edit: seems we were all typing at once.

Dave M

[88m53453]

a 2lb dead blow hammer and a pickle fork are your friends...and let me know when you want the "good stuff" parts ;)

[632 Regal]

now theres a copy of it where it belongs, suspension & steering.


complaints about how tough it was and all the special tools needed blah blah blah....I have pullers, pickleforks etc so its not a problem but the idea was for me to come up with a way that virtually anybody could get them off easily with only a few tools. By supporting the arm solidly on some thick sockets or some other suitable surface on concrete where there's no give, then when you hit the stud all the energy is delivered to it instead of being absorbed. This customers car who i experimented with had the original thrust arms in it and they came loose with one medium whack from this hammer. Anyway here's the link that Jeff couldn't find.
(http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=5869)
Edit , sorry Ryan I didn't know you were posting at the same time that i was typing..

[athflying79]

complaints about how tough it was and all the special tools needed blah blah blah....I have pullers, pickleforks etc so its not a problem but the idea was for me to come up with a way that virtually anybody could get them off easily with only a few tools. By supporting the arm solidly on some thick sockets or some other suitable surface on concrete where there's no give, then when you hit the stud all the energy is delivered to it instead of being absorbed. This customers car who i experimented with had the original thrust arms in it and they came loose with one medium whack from this hammer. Anyway here's the link that Jeff couldn't find.
(http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=5869)
Edit , sorry Ryan I didn't know you were posting at the same time that i was typing..

Bill R. 1.................BMW 0

Took off the upper arm, put the steering link between two solid objects, torched for about 20 seconds, WHAM...WHAM...and then in slow motion the control arm falls out!!! I couldn't believe how easy it popped out after trying for easily 3 hours on Saturday.....took 5 minutes this morning.

Anyway...Bill R....I owe you a huge thanks. You should have a paypal account setup for tips or let the forum pay your Snap-On bill.

For the driver side, I will take the entire assembly out rather than doing piece by piece, much easier that way.