Thrust Arms 20K miles old - got shimmeys again...

[RobPatt]

I'm fairly sure it's the thrust arms, regular 55-60 shimmey, and more pronounced when breaking... nothing changed up front....
- Since the 750 bushings alone are a lot cheaper then the whole arm, how likely is it the ball joints are still good?
- Can I test the ball joints?
- How could I pull the arm to get new bushings pressed in w/o damaging the ball joint?
Thanks.......Rob '93 525ia
(w/a leaky thermostat housing too.... ;-) )

[tim s]

when i replaced mine last year i did not torque the bushing bolts under load. i just replaced them again 2 weeks ago.
tim s.

[RobPatt]

in Hawaii, now I'm in Florida.... I was always impressed w/his attention to detail, etc, but you never know, so I don't know... but I'm aware that you must torque under vehicle load.... just hoping for some advice whether I can save some $$ by getting bushings only. Thanks.-Rob.
when i replaced mine last year i did not torque the bushing bolts under load. i just replaced them again 2 weeks ago.
tim s.

[Robin-535im]

There is a ball joint removal device (not a pickle fork) that clamps on and pops out the joint without damaging anything. If your joints were out only a few years ago they will probably be easier to remove than if they were in for many years... even then the tool often works just fine. You can rent it at Autozone.

Theoretically you can check for play but I've not got the touch for that, probably 1ea. Bill R. or Winfred could do it in the dark. If it were me, I would get new 750 or M5 bushings and keep the old arms - assuming you still trust the mech to take the old ones out without buggering them up too bad!

[RobPatt]

...thanks again -Rob.


There is a ball joint removal device (not a pickle fork) that clamps on and pops out the joint without damaging anything. If your joints were out only a few years ago they will probably be easier to remove than if they were in for many years... even then the tool often works just fine. You can rent it at Autozone.

Theoretically you can check for play but I've not got the touch for that, probably 1ea. Bill R. or Winfred could do it in the dark. If it were me, I would get new 750 or M5 bushings and keep the old arms - assuming you still trust the mech to take the old ones out without buggering them up too bad!

[Hector]

if you have a 1.5 ft long, heavy duty, flathead screwdriver. Raise the front of car and put it on jackstands. Stick the screwdriver between the ball joint and its supporting bracket. (If I had a pic I would show it as it would describe what I'm saying easier.) Move the screwdriver sideways like you're gonna pry the ball joint off but move the scredriver almost along the plane of crossmember. If play is noticeable, that is if you've moved the ball joint by more than a 1 mm, then you need to replace arm. This applies for upper and lower control arms. This is how I tested mine, and found out I need the driver side upper control arm.

[Hector]

if you have a 1.5 ft long, heavy duty, flathead screwdriver. Raise the front of car and put it on jackstands. Stick the screwdriver between the ball joint and its supporting bracket. (If I had a pic I would show it as it would describe what I'm saying easier.) Move the screwdriver sideways like you're gonna pry the ball joint off but move the scredriver almost along the plane of crossmember. If play is noticeable, that is if you've moved the ball joint by more than a 1 mm, then you need to replace arm. This applies for upper and lower control arms. This is how I tested mine, and found out I need the driver side upper control arm.

[RobPatt]

...but as my therm housing has cracked I'll be doing that before the bushings... anyone know where coolant is listed on their website?

BMA: http://www.bmaparts.com/epcgetspecials.epc?cookieID=1EN18MZ871EN195OIG&drillid=5&level3=E34+5+SERIES&clientid=bmaparts

will check the joints as you've described and that should make the decision for me. thanks again. -Rob.

if you have a 1.5 ft long, heavy duty, flathead screwdriver. Raise the front of car and put it on jackstands. Stick the screwdriver between the ball joint and its supporting bracket. (If I had a pic I would show it as it would describe what I'm saying easier.) Move the screwdriver sideways like you're gonna pry the ball joint off but move the scredriver almost along the plane of crossmember. If play is noticeable, that is if you've moved the ball joint by more than a 1 mm, then you need to replace arm. This applies for upper and lower control arms. This is how I tested mine, and found out I need the driver side upper control arm.

[Hector]

a bent tip would make the ball joint easier to move with little effort.


...but as my therm housing has cracked I'll be doing that before the bushings... anyone know where coolant is listed on their website?

BMA: http://www.bmaparts.com/epcgetspecials.epc?cookieID=1EN18MZ871EN195OIG&drillid=5&level3=E34+5+SERIES&clientid=bmaparts

will check the joints as you've described and that should make the decision for me. thanks again. -Rob.

[632 Regal]

Rob call them up they are very helpful you also will get a better price than is posted on their website.

Just to let you know.

[Robin-535im]

...thanks again -Rob.
I used the little three finger clamp jobby from Autozone and it was very elegant. No whamming (and believe me, I've done my fair share of pickle fork / BFHammer removals!) it just went "pop" like I had the magic touch. I try not to use force on anything anymore, though sometimes I still need to beat the hell out of something.