About to do thrust arms, control arms, and shocks

[530iBall]

I've got my parts from BMA, and I've been studying the archives. From what I've read, it looks like I can spare myself some grief by getting a good ball joint puller.

1) Does anyone have any suggestions on a decent puller that won't cost me an arm and a leg?

2) Any final words of wisdom. I've done brakes, rotors, valve cover gaskets, and regular maintenance but this will be my first foray into suspension and I'm a bit nervous about it.

Thanks!

[uscharalph]

Many have done it themselves on this board, but I had this work done by my trusted shop. That's just me though.

[Sam-Son]

are thrust arms and control arms the same thing?

[530iBall]

are thrust arms and control arms the same thing?
When I say thrust arms I mean the upper control arms. I'm replacing both the upper and lower control arms.

[Sam-Son]

When I say thrust arms I mean the upper control arms. I'm replacing both the upper and lower control arms.
that's what I thought I want ones with polyurethane bushings I hope they last longer than the crap ones I just had installed:(

[Barney Paull-Edwards]

Beg or borrow a snap-on battery gun,end of potential problems!

[KenB]

Just did Lemforder (from BMA) upper control arms up front and dogbones on rear, indy charged $140 for labor. I didn't want to mess with it for that kind of $...

[e34.535i.sport]

I've just replaced the lower control arms and track rod assemblies with a SCISSOR TYPE BALL JOINT SEPERATOR. I bought it from Halfords for around £15, and its one of the best purchases I ever made. It makes short work of the ball joints. I'm about to do the thrust arms too, going to get the arms with 750i bushings pressed in.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Ferret]

I've just replaced the lower control arms and track rod assemblies with a SCISSOR TYPE BALL JOINT SEPERATOR. I bought it from Halfords for around £15, and its one of the best purchases I ever made.

I've just discovered a neat trick with the screw type ball join separator working on the wifes Audi...

The drop links on this thing have pretty much zero access due to their diminutive size and they dont have flat spots on the stud to get a wrench in behind... they just have an internal hex drive in the end of the stud. Which of course you've got no hope in hell of getting a hex drive into due to the space constriction.

I'd managed to get the last lower bolt 90% of the way off when it seized completely. Using a hex and spanner I just couldnt get this bastard off. Toys went out of the pram and I was ready to pitch spanners at the shiny paintwork...

I ended up setting up a ball joint separator up on the balljoint BACKWARDS, so that it was actually compressing the whole balljoint into its socket. The amount of force these things can produce is staggering and it locked up the whole balljoint - and let me get the correct breaker bar in there to put a metric ****ton of force on the balljoint nut which finally gave up and span free :)

The drop links were /not/ resuable after this little stunt as the sheer force put on the back of the balljoint causes the whole unit to seize up.

[525SEI BRIT]

with a SCISSOR TYPE BALL JOINT SEPERATOR. I bought it from Halfords for around £15, and its one of the best purchases I ever made. It makes short work of the ball joints.

Dito, spent £17 on a Draper ball joint splitter from the local hardware/car parts shop. couldn't of done it with out, well worth the money.

Just finished replacing just about every thing under the car after 200,000 miles, what a deference! long week, at least the weather was nice! quite a lot of hardwork though and thats before you encounter the stubborn stuff! a few cuts and bruises later and its like a new car! plus i know its done right, and just think of the amount of labor i saved.... more than enough to justify the splurge on the M5 Coil overs!!!:D

All OEM Parts sourced in Germany at a fraction of the $teller's prices:

Upper and lower Control/trust arms.
steering tie rods inc center
Roll bar links
Power flex polyurethane bushes full set
M5 FK Automotive (German) fully adjustable coil overs (rear is still a bit to stiff!)
Wheel bearings
Discs
Predator fast road Pads F+R
5mm spacers on the front, cos the tires were rubing the adjusters
Handbrake shoes
Full Service
Mobile 1 X something!
plus everything received a throw coat of POR15

earlier in the year the ass end had some attention, in the form off Power flex bushes inc. subframe, dog bones, pitman arms, etc.

Also added a couple of other new bits whilst i had the chance:
Electric Rear sun blind
Rear side window blinds
M5 sill plates
Replaced the sumpgard
Snooper laser diffuser

Should keep me quite until the new year!!:)

[JMI]

I used this (http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=SER&PartNumber=3918&Description=Tie+Rod+Removal+Tool+%28Outer%29) and it work real well.
Kinda pricey.

Jim

[leicesterboy15]

I used this and it work real well.

I used one of those as well and it didn't work, it just kept slipping off, maybe its because mine cost £7 and the above costs $37!! I also used a fork type remover and that didn't work either but I don't think mine had been changed for a while as the garage told me they had trouble as well. I am going to get the scissor type for the next job. Also make sure you have a breaker bar (ideally a couple of different sizes) and some good sockets. I managed to loosen all bolts except the upper arm to crossmember bolts, partly because I couldn't get any leverage there and partly because of clearance issues. I would start with these bolts first as they are the hardest (IMO).

[530iBall]

I used this (http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=SER&PartNumber=3918&Description=Tie+Rod+Removal+Tool+%28Outer%29) and it work real well.
Kinda pricey.

Jim

I clicked on that link but there wasn't a price and when I searched the catalog for it, I couldn't find it. Did you buy it recently?

[fkong777]

If you are changing out the entire Upper control arm. Just get a set of Pickle fork. I changed out 3 pair of UCA with it. cost $20 for a set of 3 forks. It also proved handy when I changed the LCA and tie rods.

[530iBall]

Another stupid question here. When I remove the brake line from the caliper, I have to assume that brake fluid is going to come gushing out. What's the procedure for dealing with this?

[525SEI BRIT]

Another stupid question here. When I remove the brake line from the caliper, I have to assume that brake fluid is going to come gushing out. What's the procedure for dealing with this?

A bucket and lots of rags!!!!.....;)

[Ferret]

Another stupid question here. When I remove the brake line from the caliper, I have to assume that brake fluid is going to come gushing out. What's the procedure for dealing with this?

Question!

Why are you going to remove the hydraulics from the caliper?

You can do shocks and arms without removing the caliper totally?

[Barney Paull-Edwards]

If you make sure all threads are clean you will lose very little, crack the line to caliper before you remove it and remember you will have to wind the caliper round the pipe, but why remove it?

[Sam-Son]

Are upper control arms and thrust arms the same thing?