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DIY: 1998 BMW 528i COMPLETE FRONT SUSPENSION OVERHAUL

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#1 · (Edited)
1998 BMW 528i COMPLETE FRONT SUSPENSION OVERHAUL

I just did my ENTIRE FRONT END SUSPENSION-STEERING OVERHAUL and here is the DIY.
It is a Long Write-up! So get some Popcorn and Coke to get through it.

At 105K miles, here is my observation:
- The Thrust Arm: Bushings are long gone (may have been gone around 50K) with oil leaking out, rubber cracked; the BJ side is a bit loose but no play yet.
- The Control Arm: Bushings are still OK, the BJ side is a bit loose but no play yet. May have another 30-40K miles.
- Tierods: INNER and OUTER BJ a bit loose but no play yet. May have another 30-40K miles.
- OEM Struts (Sachs) are long gone with no resistance and oil leaking out the top seal. The Strut Guide (with built-in bearing): grease dried out, there is slight-moderate play in it. May have another 30-40K miles.
- The Sway Bar Rubber bushings: the hole is widened and loose.

Now with Brand New Suspension, car is nice and tight. I will have to wait to do the Rear Suspension later (No time right now with family and kids).

PARTS LIST:
I got 90% of my parts from EACTuning.com, excellent services/prices. They also know the E39 well, so if you get stuck with any technical stuff, call Jared or Mark at EACTuning.com.

* The Lemforder Thrust Arm comes with liquid-filled Boge bushing, which can leak after 30-40K. Best is to buy the Thrust Arm with Meyle HD already pressed in for you. The Meyle HD Bushing allows the Thrust Arm to last much longer like 100K or so. Only available at EacTuning dot com:
http://www.eactuning.com/e39-thrust-arms-with-hd-bushings-p-453.html

* For parts that EACTuning does not carry (such as Stabilizer rubber mountings, nuts/bolts), get them from your local BMW dealer or "Crown Auto" (a large dealership network in NC):
http://www.crownbmw.com/bmw-parts-specials.aspx

* The issue of re-using nuts/bolts: I use New nuts/bolts, but most BMW mechanics re-use the bolts, they simply change the nuts. If you go this way, note that the New Lemforder Items (Tierods, Thrust and Control Arms) come with the extra Nut in addition to the Ball Joint Nut! So the only thing you may need are the Pinch Bolts Nuts holding the strut in to steering knuckle: PN 33326760374.

ITEM..................................PN................Price/each.....Qty....Subtotal.......Comment
Bilstein HD Front Struts........VE3B406H1.........$167.08......x2......$334.16
Strut Mount.........................31336752735.......$43.18......x2.......$86.36
[Rubber Boot for Strut]......31331091868.........$2.35.......x2.......$4.70
(Bilstein had its own Rubber Boot and Internal Stopper, so no need to buy Rubber Boot for Strut if you use Bilstein)

Spring Pad UPPER...............31331091867.........$3.72........x2........$7.44
Spring Pad LOWER..............31331091864.........$3.54........x2........$7.08
Collar screw
M12X1,5X95-10.9...............31306779823.........................x2..............To get from dealer
Self-locking collar nut
M12X1,5-10 ZNS3...............33326760374.........................x2..............To get from dealer

LEFT Swing Support............31351095661..........$35.61.......x1......$35.61
RIGHT Swing Support.........31351095662..........$35.61.......x1......$35.61

Stabilizer rubber mounting...31351093108.........$20............x2........$40.........To get from dealer

Left tension strut (= Thrust Arm)
LEMFOERDER.....................31121141717..........$160.........x1.........$160.........From EACTuning.com only
Right tension strut (= Thrust Arm)
LEMFOERDER.....................31121141718..........$160.........x1.........$160.........From EACTuning.com only
(NOTE: These are Lemforder Thrust Arms with Meyle HD Bushing pressed in, only at EACuning.com)

Hex bolt with washer
M12X1,5X120...................31106769441...........................x2.........To get from dealer
Self-locking collar nut
M12X1,5-10 ZNS3.............33326760668..........................x4..........To get from dealer

Left Wishbone (= Control Arm)
LEMFOERDER...................31121094233.........$133.14.......x1.........$133.14
Right Wishbone (= Control Arm)
LEMFOERDER...................31121094234.........$133.28.......x1.........$133.28
Collar screw
M12X1,5X95-10.9............31306779823............................x2.........To get from dealer
(Control Arm Bolt same is the same PN as the Pinch Bolts for Steering Kuckle)

Tierod Left LEMFOERDER....32111094673.........$60.78........x1.........$60.78
Tierod Right LEMFOERDER...32111094674........$59.14........x1........$59.14
Rubber boot For Tierods.....32131092876.........$7.29.........x2.........$14.58
"Oetiker" Clamp.................32111137132.........$1.79.........x2........$3.58
"Oetiker" Clamp.................32131094100.........$2.30.........x2........$4.60

Options:
Front Wheel Bearing
(mfg = F-A-G).............31221093427.........$125.42............x2.........$250.84
Wheel Bearing Bolts.....31121093843............$2.25............x8...........$18.00
I did not replace the Front Bearings!


TOTAL APPROX.............................................................$1510 (including Bearings)
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SPECIAL TOOLS AND NOTES:

1. The 13/16" (= 21mm) Spark Plug Socket, plus Metric Allen Wrenches for counter-holding the bolts.



2. One 2-foot length of black cast iron piping $5 at Home Depot Hardware Store. This helps with the 3/8" ratchet to undo tough nuts/bolts.

3. Harbor Freight Ball Joint Removal Tool: PN 99849 ($18.00):
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=99849
This is a MUST! Don't even dream doing this job without this Ball Joint Removal Tool!
Remember to spray WD-40 (or similar lubricant) onto the Ball Joints and let it sit for 30 minutes before removing it.
Oil/Grease the BJ Tool a bit before using it. At this stage, you can dream about Bahamas vacation when tightening the BJ Tool (22-mm socket-ratchet with iron pipe) but you will hear a "Rude Awakening" when the BJ comes loose: a loud bang like a shotgun! So Ear plugs are very useful when you get to this stage! Or tape your ear with some masking tape etc.
The trick: Tighten in increments, let's say 4-5 moves at a time to allow the BJ to adjust to the force; stop and repeat in a few minutes. By the time you reach 110-120 Nm, you should get the loud bang! The BJ Tool will drop to the ground.

4. Strut Nut Socket.
- The Stock Sachs Strut Nut is 21 mm and the 13/16" (= 21mm) Spark Plug Socket works just fine.
- The Bilstein Strut Nut is 22 mm, so you have a few options:
a. From Speaking with local mechanics, they laughed at me when I mentioned I need 22 mm Socket with Hex Sides at the top for a wrench to fit. They all use Impact Air Tool set at the lowest setting to get about 60 Nm. They have done hundreds of shocks without problems.
b. Re-use the Stock Sachs 21mm Nut (it will fit the Bilstein), probably OK to re-use 21-mm stock Nut.
c. The special 22-mm Socket with a Hex Top (Like a spark plug socket) is expensive and difficult to find. What I did was: Get the Harbor Freight Oxygen Sensor Socket Tool: PN 95045 ($4.00):
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95045
The Oxygen Sensor Socket Tool is a bit "fat" and cannot be inserted into the Strut Guide to tighten the nut, just grind the socket a bit and you will be able to insert it.
I used a Belt Sander turn upside down and grind it down a bit. You can also use a Stone Wheel Bench Grinder as well. I made a nice tool for Bilstein Strut 22-mm Nut for only $4.00!

5. Liquid Paper: You wonder why right? Yes, use this (or any paint touchup brush) because there are many nuts/bolts and it is easy to forget which one has been torqued or not. At BMW factory, they use blue paint to mark a nut or bolt that has been properly torqued, so later at a glance they know the bolts/nuts have been torqued.

6. Wrenches: Get a complete set of metric anyway to qualify you as a Saturday mechanic......:)
Most Metric Wrench Set jumps here and there, missing one or 2 wrench sizes. Get a compete set, i.e. every single size from 8-mm all the way to 25-mm for your collection!
* LONG 13-mm. The 13-mm wrench is for the Sway Bar Bushing nut, which is in a very tight place on the passenger's side and you DO need a long wrench for extra leverage!
* You need a total of two (2) 18-mm wrench for the Thrust Arms. The additional 18-mm wrench is for the Thrust Arm, which is in a VERY TIGHT space (i.e., no space for socket); unless you remove the Plastic Housing next to it.
- A 16-mm thin bicycle wrench is very useful to hold the Sway Bar Endlink bolt while you undo the 16-mm nut. The standard 16-mm wrench is a bit 'fat' and can damage the endlink Rubber boot: don't ask me why but I made this mistake in my 1998 Volvo V70, the 16-mm wrench pused the boot too far out, I spent 45 minutes repairing the rubber boot = not funny!
- If you use a standard 16-mm wrench, then BE VERY CAREFUL not to damage the rubber boot! The 16-mm BICYCLE wrench makes this a breeze! It is $4-5 at local bicycle store, I use 'Park Tool' wrench (This is known as a 'CONE Wrench' in the bicycle world):
http://www.parktool.com/products/

7. The BIG Trick: Jack up BOTH Sides but work only on ONE Side at a time. Why? Because if you jack up only one side of the car and try to remove the end link from the sway bar, you will likely use the 4-letter word! Jacking up both sides makes the job MUCH easier.
Why work only one side at a time? Because you want to leave the other side alone as a reference in case you want to know how nuts/bolts are fitted, orientation etc.

8. From the Start, Undo all the nuts/bolts on both sides but STOP as soon as the nuts are flushed with the end of the bolts, Why? This loosens all the nuts but keep the components (tierods, thrust arms, control arms) in place. Also this allows space for spraying lubricants such as WD-40 into the Ball Joints. For Ball Joints Nuts: if you leave the nut flushed with the end of the Bolts, you now have extra place for the Ball Joint Tool to bite, and less likely to slip out (see pic later)!

9. Do this inside of your garage or out of place in case you don't finish the job in one day, you don't block traffic!

10. Note on BMW terminology: Go and look at let's say a 1998 Volvo V70 with standard A-arm: 2 bushings and one ball joint. BMW simply splits this A-Arm into two (2) separate parts, each with its own bushing and BJ and calls it "Thrust Arm (front part) and "Control Arm" (rear part). This split of the Ball Joints allows the Front Tires to move up and down in a more controlled manner (tires making more contact with the road under different situations) during turns ---> spirited driving ---> Ultimate Driving Machine!



11. Take special care not to damage any Rubber Boot. Nobody sells these Rubber Boots as separate items. If you damage any Rubber Boot, your only recourse is "Energy Suspension" brand aftermarket RUBBER BOOT part.

Another source for Strut DIY is:
http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/front_struts_procedure.htm

-------------
PROCEDURES:

1. Raise and Support car on BOTH Sides but work on ONLY One Side at a time. Remove under car Plastic Shield. And support with Jackstands as shown. It is important to place Jackstands at the proper spot so it does not interfere with removing nuts/bolts later. Chock REAR Wheel. NOTE that I placed the tires under Front Jack Pad as 2nd line of defence in the extremely unlikely situation that the Jackstand fails. Your life is worth more than the Jackstand!



2. Get a container to store nuts/bolts because you can easily lose them. Make note of which nuts/bolts go where etc.

3. Use a Towel to protect paint work above wheel well! Removing the strut can damage paint work if not being careful!

4. Loosen all nuts and leave the nuts flushed with the end of the bolts, i.e. do not remove the nuts yet.

5. Now spray WD-40 on the Ball Joints (BJ) and let it penetrate the parts.

6. Remove Brake Caliper and hang it up using electrical wire:



7. Loosen the Strut TOP nut (21-mm for Sachs and 22-mm for Bilstein) but do NOT remove it. Use a 6-mm Allen Wrench to counterhold it (Trick: use an 8-mm socket and extension to hold the Allen wrench). As mentioned above, 21-mm Nut ---> Large Spark Plug Socket; 22-mm Nut ---> Use the modified Oxygen Sensor Socket (sanded thin a bit):



8. Remove Sway Bar End Links:



9. Remove Outer Tierod BJ:



10. To remove Strut, remove the three (3) 13-mm nuts on the wheel housing. Steps #8-9 are necessary because the steering knuckle must be dropped to remove the Strut. Also Loosening the Thrust/Control Arms Nuts (on the sub-frame side) allows the strut to drop easier because it is not held by the bushing!). Spray some WD-40 at Strut-Steering Knuckle interface. Loosen the Pinch Bolt. Then twist the Strut back and forth to work it loose from the Steering Knuckle:





11. Place a jack below the Steering Knuckle and slowly lower it to allow the Strut to come out. The clearance is very tight, so watch to prevent paint work damage!

12. Now STOP and spend a minute to observe the Strut layout (if this is OEM and has not been changed previously). I think the Spring TOP and BOTTOM are different, so don't mix it up. Mark the TOP of the Spring with Liquid Paper. The BOTTOM of the Spring is about 6 inches to the Right of the Notch on the Strut Perch or roughly at 4:30 o'clock if the Perch Notch is 12 o'clock.
The Trick: use the old rubber pad as a guide, transfer it over to the New Strut and Mark the spot where the BOTTOM of the Spring should be, this will make your life mush easier and avoid the clunking problem seen in this forum from improper Strut installation. The Bottom line: follow the factory setup!



13. I use three (3) Spring Compressors instead of the usual 2 compressors, it is much easier (and SAFER) to compress the Spring this way. Remove the Strut and NOTE the layout. Do NOT lose any washers. Note that at the bottom of the Strut Guide, there is a protective washer, I re-use it. Of course, you can also get a new protective washer.

14. Now install the new Bilstein Strut, Rubber Pads (the UPPER Rubber Pad is different than the Lower Rubber Pad), New Strut Guide, Washers in the appropriate order. Align the Lower Rubber Pad with the Notch on the Strut Perch:







15. Hand-tighten the 22-mm TOP Nut for now, final torquing of this Nut will be done later in the car. Slowly release the 3 Spring Compressors making sure that the Spring lines up exactly as factory setup: TOP of Spring touches the Guide notch and BOTTOM of Spring lines up with the 4:30 o'clock mark on the Perch.

16. NOW Stop! If you want to replace the Thrust Arm, do NOT install the Strut now! I made this mistake***8230;..............Arghhh***8230;..............and later have to undo the Strut-Steering Knuckle attachment because the Thrust Arm BJ cannot be removed with the Strut in place!
NOTE: BJ Removal Tool bites on both the nut (I leave it flushed with the bolt's end) and the bolt:



17. Replace the Thrust Arm with new Thrust Arm, hand-tighten the 22-mm Nut but do not torque it yet (Do all of these Nuts later). Before you can do this, you have to remove the Thrust Arm's protective boot (10-mm bolts) and the Plastic Fender Lower Housing and the Plastic trim (8-mm socket) which itself has three (3) 8-mm screws:





18. Replace the Control Arm with new Control Arm, hand-tighten the 22-mm Nut but do not torque it yet (Do all of these Nuts later).

19. Re-install Strut, taking care not to damage paint work!
- Place a jack below Steering Knuckle and slowly raise it up.
- Twist the new Strut a bit to allow it to sit properly.
- Make sure the Strut bottoms down properly on the Steering Knuckle!
- Also check the R vs L marking lines up correctly as shown.
- Jack up the steering knuckle a bit more, verify that everything is correctly lined up.
- Now torque the Pinch Bolt to 81 Nm.

20. To replace the Tierods:
* Stock BJ Nut is 18-mm
* Steering Rack Driver's Side: 32-mm wrench and counter-hold with adjustable wrench.
* Passenger's side, no place to counterhold (simply a round Steering Rack Shaft: no place to apply the adjustable wrench), so apply 32-mm wrench and tighten it. I tighten it a bit below the published torque values (71 Nm) to avoid damage to steering rack. Actually when you remove the 32-mm nut, it was not tightened much from factory, it comes out easily:



* Do NOT forget to:
- Measure the old tierod and set the NEW tierod to same length before installation, this way you come close to previous setting, it makes subsequent alignment easier.
- Apply a bit of extra grease to the output shaft rack and INNER ball joints.
- Protective Rubber boot.
- The Oetiker clamps: dry fit on the rubber boot first so you know what notch needed to tighten it. Use a Ceramic Tile Cutter (Tips filed blunted) or any Oetiker Clamp Tool to tighten it. Do not over do it. Just tighten it snug.
- The BJ side: adjust the Steering Knuckle a bit here and there (support with jack) so the BJ can go in.

21. Sway Bar Bushings: 13-m wrench and Allen wrench to counterhold. Driver's Side is easy.
Passenger's Side 13-mm Nut will drive you Nuttttttttttt! The space is so tight to fit the 13-mm wrench. On the back side, there are two (2) nuts. The Top Nut holds the exhaust shield, which is lifted up a bit to work on the lower nut. Slide the Bracket out, rotate the Rubber Bushing upside down to slide it out. The Pass Side Bushing alone took me 1.5 h! It is a PITA. So, for The Pass Side Bushing, you are allowed to use the 4-letter word***8230;.............***8230;.............:) The alternative is to turn on some nice radio music to soothe your pain dealing with this nut!



22. Now go around the car and torque ALL nuts/bolts except for the nuts on Thrust Arm and Control Arm (which need to be torque with car on the ground and properly loaded (150lb in each front seat, rear center seat, full gas tank and some luggage and all that blah blah blah***8230;..............:)).
Many people simply torque these Nuts on Thrust Arm and Control Arm with car on the ground w/o the extra weights. Any nuts/bolts that have been torqued, mark with liquid paper or paint touch-up so you know. These include:

- Sway Bar Endlink 16-mm Nuts: 65 Nm
- Strut Suspension Tower 13-mm nuts: 24 Nm
- Strut Main 22-mm Nut: 64 Nm

- Thrust Arm Ball Joint 22-mm Nuts: 80 Nm
- Control Arm Ball Joint 22-mm Nuts: 80 Nm
- Thrust Arm Subframe 18-mm Nuts: 110 Nm***
- Control Arm Subframe 18-mm Nuts: 110 Nm***
*** Torque these bolts ONLY with car on the ground and weighed properly
(150 lbs each front seats, 150 lbs center rear seat, full gas tank***8230;..............blah blah blah)


- Tierod 19-mm Ball Joint Nut (Stock 18-mm, Lemforder 19-mm): 65 Nm
(Remember the Tierod 32-mm INNER Nut for the steering side, Torque is 71 Nm, but it should have been tightened by now).

23. Now: Install Wheels, Remove Jackstands, LOWER the car and drive it up on ramps. Then:
Torque:
- Thrust Arm Subframe 18-mm Nuts: 110 Nm***
- Control Arm Subframe 18-mm Nuts: 110 Nm***
NOTE: As a practice, tighten the Wheel Bolts to 110 Nm using a Torque Wrench so you have an idea of what 110 Nm feels like because under the car, it is virtually impossible to fit a torque wrench, so use your muscles and feel (I did!!!).
*** Torque these bolts ONLY with car on the ground and weighed properly
(150 lb each front seats, 150 lb center rear seat, full gas tank)
I had my 16-year-old and 11-year old kids to sit in the front and that is good enough for me!


Also, after install, the car WILL appear higher than before, don't panic yet!
Give the Bilstein Strut 30 minutes to settle down before torquing these Thrust Arm and Control Arms Subframe 18-mm Nuts to 110 Nm.

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#168 · (Edited)
total confusion

Hey!
I found the fluid filled bushing, but this is not the thrust arm bushing but the control arm bushing! You can clearly see the oily crack on the picture.

I think the thrust arm bushing is not fluid filled since it is a spoke type bushing, not like the control arm bushing which is a solid block.

So what is this? :
http://www.eaceuroparts.com/catalog/product/453
Are they just replacing the bushing to have a thicker spoke in the bushing? (this is the only difference between OEM and Meyle as I can see)

Can anyone prove, that the thrust arm bushing is fluid filled?

Update:
I sent this question to Eaceuroparts and quickly got back the answer:

"The thrust arm bushings are definitely fluid filled from the factory. We were not the first to report this. Thousands of owners around the world have been reporting this for quite some time. We cut open some OEM bushings to show they are fluid filled. While pressing them out of the arms we've also had some of the rubber sections slip out of the metal sleeve and spill fluid over our press."

So it looks like my thrust arm bushing with many cracks on it at 140kmiles still doesn't leak.
 

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#169 · (Edited)
Just finished doing the overhaul this weekend ***8211; This DIY was INVALUABLE!!! From the ordering of parts to the actual procedures themselves. I just have a few points to add that folks might find useuful:

- The replacement Sach's struts also come with the larger 22mm nut ***8211; so you will have to get the larger deep well socket'/O2 sensor puller whether you get Bilsteins or Sachs.

- Take the time to inspect your components to ensure you truly need to replace everything. My car had 125k miles, so I just 'assumed' that EVERYTHING needed replacing. My struts were completely toast ***8230;.. oil all over the place, and I could tell when I drove the car (wheel was doing bunny hops when I hit rough pavement, etc). However my control arms and thrust arms were in excellent shape ***8211; all the ball joints were still nice an stiff with no slop, no leaking oil, etc. I could easily have just replaced the struts and the sway bar links and called it a day.

- My experience with the harbor freight tool was that it was not strong enough to get the bigger ball joints associated with the control arm or thrust arm. It did fine on the smaller tie rod end BJ's, had no alignment issues, or slippage issues with the tool, however, I did have issues with stripping the threads off of the tensioner bolt. I completely stripped one tool, and almost ruined a second. However, instead of rushing out and spending $200-$300 on the official BMW tool (not that that was an option for me this weekend) I removed the control arm an thrust arm from the subframe, detached the anti-lock brake sensor from the back of the steering knuckle, and then removed the entire knuckle assembly from the car. With the assembly laying on the garage floor it took me all of two minutes to knock out the BJ's with my BFH.

EDIT:

- Almost forgot my most important tip: If you don't have an air compressor, I would use this job as an excuse to go get one. Even one of the relatively inexpensive lubeless ones that have 3-4hp and a 20 gallon tank (usually run $200-$250) will do the trick. I have found that these inexpensive air compressors will do 85% of what you want it to do and 90-95% of what you need it to do. Because of all of the room I was able to use either my air ratchet or my impact wrench on nearly all of the dis-assembly. If you don't have an air compressor you will be surprised at how handy they are - even for house DIY stuff. Along the same vein, if you don't have a 1/2 drive socket set I would either purchase one, or borrow one.
 
#174 ·
shimmy question does this bushing look suspect ?

could this bushing connecting to front tie rod be the cause of my shimmy ? I have replaced some many bushing/controlls arms and road force balancing yet the shimmy exist. All oem on car. The gap on this bushing concerns me that it is worn out but could it really be noticeable with a consistent shimmy at even low speed ?

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#176 · (Edited)
could this bushing connecting to front tie rod be the cause of my shimmy ? I have replaced some many bushing/controlls arms and road force balancing yet the shimmy exist. All oem on car. The gap on this bushing concerns me that it is worn out but could it really be noticeable with a consistent shimmy at even low speed ?

[/URL][/IMG]
You are correct
this will give very slight feeling of steering wheel shimmy on any speed !!
not a vibration !!

I cant explain the feeling but it's like your steering wheel is not hard in your hands and you feel every road unperfection
 
#175 ·
It's worn but I don't think that could cause anything when going straight.
Are you talking about a vibration or you just don't feel the suspension tight enough? This bushing could cause a feeling like that when hard cornering. Rear ball joins also cause "loose" feeling.

I would check the following things in this order: rim runout out of spec, road force balance with tire-rim matching, wheel centered on hub, control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rod and steering rack play, rotors, wheel bearings. Struts cause vibration only if they are really really bad.

If you had driven the car with vibration for a long time, the tires can be unevenly worn and cause vibration even with good suspension.
 
#177 ·
It's worn but I don't think that could cause anything when going straight.
Are you talking about a vibration or you just don't feel the suspension tight enough? This bushing could cause a feeling like that when hard cornering. Rear ball joins also cause "loose" feeling.

I would check the following things in this order: rim runout out of spec, road force balance with tire-rim matching, wheel centered on hub, control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rod and steering rack play, rotors, wheel bearings. Struts cause vibration only if they are really really bad.

If you had driven the car with vibration for a long time, the tires can be unevenly worn and cause vibration even with good suspension.
Thank you for the guidance. The vibration I am getting is at all speeds including under 40mph it very subtle but at 55-75+ its worse , on a scale of 1-10 around a 4. Feels more like bouncing then a shake. I suspect if could have to do with something in driveshaft or steering rack. I had new front rotors/ 4 (rear)+4 (front) control arms put in already and made no difference. Two sets of new tires Bridgestones and now Continental DSW.
Rim straightening at two different places. Road force balancing two different places.

The car never had this problem before 130K now has 138K and never in in accident. So I had had about 8K of this problem.

Last episode I went to three places in one day. BMW specialist shop for suspension inspection, said nothing wrong with my suspension its your tires they have a hop on them they also said not to put the Continental DSW on my car. Went to the tire place of purchase, they spin them and say no its all your rims.Went to a different rim straightening place this time (RimPro) and they said only one rim was bad and straightened it and noted that one my tire was lumpy. Went back to tire place and they put the lumpy tire on road force and said it was able to balance. Tireplace told me to get an another alignment to see if that will fix it ? (WTF) I know about cars and alignment has nothing to do with this I would sure hope not. Car drives straight already. I originally did not when this first started at TownFair Tire hope they did not screw me in all this.

My bearings don't make any noise nor do the struts been bouncy when going over big dips on the road. I absolutely love this car it is mint always garaged and inside is like new sport. Absolutely stunning but this will may make be unload it. I have been going to reputable shops only one of them was a BMW specialist going to another shop as the last hope http://www.aceperformancesystems.com/.
Keeping my fingers cross.
 
#180 · (Edited)
I know I'm new but I just wanted to say THANK YOU to the author of this thread. I just went through the biggest PITA overhaul on a car in my life and it wouldn't be complete without you. I also think my car shakes have been cured and most defiantly the wanders. I will say everything I replaced was shot. I don't think one thing was causing my walking and shaking problems but here is what I did and it worked for me.

The car has 130k

Front control arm all were very loose and were replaced at 90k I don't know if the after market ones are just junk or if it was a cause and effect thing but they only had about 40k on them. So I replaced them.
I did the front brakes and rebuilt the calipers did a huge bleed and now my pedal feel is back and no pulse.
I replaced the front steering rack with a low mile used rack. The old one leaked and had noticeable play when compared to the newer one.
The entire rear suspension in the same way as this tutorial. Most of the same parts were bad. When pressing in the new ball joints slow and steady is the only way without them binding.
The engine and tranny mounts were GONE The drivers side engine mount was the only one that was still one piece.

I had a couple break downs and fbomb fits along the way but it is done. Again I want to say thank you to the author of this tutorial you saved my sanity!!
 
#181 ·

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#182 ·
CN90,

I was admiring your screw type jack stands. I did a quick google--very expensive! oh well. But question since it looks like you have a few jack stands on the car. Did you also put jack stands at the normal change tire points (just behind the wheel well at the rubber pad points? or just sub-frame? I'm probably over doing it, but was thinking jack stands at tire changing points, and either another set of jack stands at sub-frame, or maybe even two bottle jacks at sub-frame. I own one set of jack stands but looking to get a 2nd or bottle jacks for a little more money. Or would you reverse it? i.e. two jack stands on the sub frame and a bottle jack on each side at the tire changing points?

If there's room, I'll also use my racing jack from HF to put under the engine jack point too (extra security blanket). :)
 
#183 ·
I was admiring your screw type jack stands
See also:
- How and where to jack up the BMW E39 with pictures of jack pads & jacking points (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) & jack stands (1)
In addition to the 3-ton jackstands above, I also have a bottle jackstand for quick job, extremely sturdy because it is solid steel!
It is rated for [b[5 tons[/b] and is $34 at Harbor Freight; very easy to adjust. I have used it a lot and like it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-ton-support-jack-99953.html

 
#186 ·
For the record, so that others find this more easily, the following was updated today for a '99 528i/5-spd M52TU:

Rajaie has a great write-up over at Beisan Systems on changing out e39 thrust arm bushings with the arms still installed on the car. I'm posting my experience here (long) in case anyone else might be thinking of trying Rajaie's approach.

Conventional wisdom is that you need to remove the thrust arms and replace the bushings with a shop press. If you are pulling the arms, though, you probably should be prepared to replace them outright as removal can damage the ball joints. I decided to give the "bushings only" Beisan procedure a shot for several reasons.

- I'd just replaced my struts a couple weeks back and didn't want to lift them out of the hub to pop the arm ball joints.
- I know the arms are at end-of-life but their ball joints are still good.
- I'm cheap. Perhaps the cheapest e39 owner, ever....

I installed a pair of Rein aftermarket bushings made in China. They seem identical in build to the Boges I pressed out. I may end up replacing the entire thrust arms within a year or two anyway but that depends on how well these Reins hold up.

The Beisan procedure calls for a 5-ton 3-jaw gear puller, a special pipe cap, and a press sleeve. I already had the puller. Since I have an i6 car, I bought the 1.5" socket weld cap recommended in the procedure from a local industrial plumbing supplier for $7, and tried to order the press sleeve tool through my local BMW dealer. [Note: the procedure calls for different-sized or psi-rated caps & BMW sleeve tools for the i6 and v8 cars....]

However, my local dealer refuses to order any "tools" so, before placing an order online, I investigated the O.D. specs for socket weld couplings and found that certain 1.5" couplings (full or half) in the 3000 psi category have an O.D. of 57.25 mm -- about .75 mm less than the BMW press sleeve but still wide enough to match up well with the outer steel shells of the bushings. My local plumbing supply had one 3000-psi "full" coupling in stock, for $5. A "half" coupling might be preferable (they're shorter) if your puller is on the small side. If you visit a plumbing supply to get socket weld fittings, take your calipers....

I followed the Beisan procedure pretty much as written. (Aside: Rajaie mentions a hidden, hard-to-reach screw that's holding the front of the air duct on the driver's side. I accessed it from the front of the car bumper, pulling off the small grille piece, loosening the brake duct and getting a socket on it in plain sight.)

All the pre- and post-press steps of this procedure take far more time (hours) than the actual press work, which will be over in only minutes if all goes well. Pressing these bushings in and out of the arms with the tools described was a piece of cake even though I had to do it on my back (of course, with the car on jackstands). I'd say the only thing "hard" about it is getting the sleeve, cap, and puller all lined up and sorted on the thrust arm, but even that is nothing to fuss about.

I've been out and about with the car, have not yet gotten an alignment, but have driven on the expressway at 85 mph and have no vibrations or shimmies (my car didn't have any beforehand). At that speed, the car feels really settled, as if it were going much slower .... Now I know why these cars need an autobahn.

Some Observations

Whether you are replacing the arms entirely or just doing the bushings, you still have all that pre- and post-install work involved.... For the actual bushing press work, using the Beisan approach, after I had the control arm unbolted (bushing end) and lashed to its adjacent tie-rod with thick twine, I spent approx. 10 minutes total per side pressing the old bushing out and the new one in. The time factor here really boils down to how smoothly you are able to line up and center or square all the pieces (puller, cap, sleeve) against the thrust arm. When pressing the new bushing in, I made sure the puller jaws grabbing the other side of the thrust arm would not interfere with the leading edge of the bushing as it came through and exited the bore.

The rubber chambers in the old original (1999) Boges I took out were cracked in several *inside* and outside spots and had leaked out all their fluid (only dried residue inside). I didn't notice the inner cracks until I cut one bushing in half (cross-sectional) with a hacksaw to see how they're constructed. The outer shells are stainless steel and the square inner core the bolt passes through is aluminum.
 
#187 · (Edited)
Did this.

Cost me 12 hours and a sore wrist. Even thought I prepped all the bolts and nuts with WD-40 a few days prior to the R&R, I ended using all day with a pickle fork, wrenches, and a big hammer :(

The only ball joint removal tool available (which I bought) was too small!

Thanks for the DIY - it runs pretty straight but the steering wheel is pointing left :rofl: I'll get it aligned on Monday.

When tightening the bolts on the bushings I lowered the car unto two jack stands which rested on each hub - I had lots of room to fit a torque wrench :)
 
#188 ·
Hi all,

About to approach the front suspension overhaul ...

Has anyone used the Meyle HD Control Arm (the whole thing, not just the bushing) ? Both Meyle HD and Lemfoerder control arms are roughly same price so a bit undecided which one to buy.

I know EAC does a Meyle HD bushing + Lemfoerder control arm combo but it is just too expensive (like $100+ more). For that difference in price, I would rather take my chances.

Thank you.
 
#190 · (Edited)
I just replaced my lower and upper control arms ( also called Thrust arms on Rock Auto ) and I used Moog control arms that I bought from Rock Auto for about $50.00 each. When I can afford to replace the Thrust arm bushings with Meyle HD bushings or Poly Urethane Bushings I will.

My lower factory control arm snapped in half while driving and making a U-turn, granted the Thrust arm bushings were gone ( unknown to me at the time ), and the vibration I had at highway speeds was misdiagnosed by the alignment shop as a bent wheel which is not bent.)

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=379275&d=1369888663

If I had the money, I would have replaced my control arms with the Meyle control arms with HD bushings.
http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...9armrodkitmy?gclid=CMO-vej4vLcCFSeCQgodTwwAbg

BMW E39 Thrust Arm Bushings Replacement
 

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#198 · (Edited)
I just replaced my lower and upper control arms ( also called Thrust arms on RockAuto) and I used Moog control arms that I bought from Rock Auto for about $50.00 each. When I can afford to replace the Thrust arm bushings with Meyle HD bushings or Poly Urethane Bushings I will.

My lower factory control arm snapped in half while driving and making a U-turn, granted the Thrust arm bushings were gone ( unknown to me at the time ), and the vibration I had at highway speeds was misdiagnosed by the alignment shop as a bent wheel.)

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=379275&d=1369888663

If I had the money, I would have replaced my control arms with the Meyle control arms with HD bushings.
http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...9armrodkitmy?gclid=CMO-vej4vLcCFSeCQgodTwwAbg
I just replaced my passenger side upper thrust arm & lower control arm, and was wondering what might be causing this wear on the thrust arms, I know that this sounds crazy, but it looks like some one took a die grinder and ground the control arm in hopes that it would snap while I am driving. I checked the inner wheels and see no scraping marks, which should be there if that was what caused the gouge on the arm. All four control arms I replaced have a BMW logo, and part number on them so they are probably the original upper and lower control arms.
 

Attachments

#193 ·
front-end alignment question...

As I'm rebuilding the suspension, I don't see any provision for camber or caster adjusement, Do I just need to worry about toe?

Also, re: the rotational alignment of the strut and the lower spring seat... The only thing I can see that matters on that is that the spring seat doesn't hit the tire and it doesn't hit the inside of the strut tower, correct? I don't see how it could affect suspension geometry, but wanted to make sure I was looking at it right.

Why they didn't just make the darned thing round, I'll never know.
 
#194 ·
I don't see any provision for camber or caster adjusement, Do I just need to worry about toe?
The answer is covered, in gory detail, over here:
- Which of the dozen alignment specs are adjustable on the BMW E39 (1)

I know most people don't weight the car, during these alignment tests, but if you want ballast, water seemed to work well for me.
- One users quest to diagnose uneven tire wear on the inside edge due to excessive and uneven alignment camber & toe (1) (2)




See also:
- Which of the dozen alignment specs are adjustable on the BMW E39 (1) (pdf) & cn90's front (1) (2) and rear (1) wheel alignment DIYs & how to keep the steering wheel (SW) straight during home alignment (1) (2) & what tools measure rear camber at home (1) (2) and what tools measure front/rear toe at home (1) & what tools lock the steering wheel & brake pedal at home (1) & the theory of alignment with weights (1) or without adding weight (1) (2) (3) & philosophically why most people prefer to let a professional alignment shop align their suspension (1) & what expensive equipment is used at the stealer to align your suspension (1) (pdf) & Internet references for how to DIY caster, camber & toe at home (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28) (29) (30) (31) (32) (33) (34) (35) (36) (37) (38) (39)
 
#195 ·
Great DIY...
I just did Bilsteins on my 2003 525i and what a difference. I did the control arms and drilled rotors/pads. I have 160k on the car and it drives better than new.
Great shocks, not stiff, improved handling and ride. I was afraid I would loose the smooth ride on the highway, but the old shocks were definitely shot.
Paying the extra freight on better shocks is worth it, especially with all the work that is involved with the labor.
 
#196 ·
Yes it's definitely worth it at end , Don't Forget to get a wheel Alignment Done
 
#200 · (Edited)
Bent shaft of DS control rod during (planned) replacement

I am doing a front brake job (rotors and pads) and replacing the thrust arm, control arm, and sway bar end links on my '97 528 (213K miles). Five of the six ball joints pressed out fine with the HF tool (the two tie rod BJs have to be removed, too). However, the last one, the DS control arm BJ didn't pop out. I had the nut flush with the end of the shaft and was pressing there, but the shaft bent rather than press out.

I realized too late what was happening. The nut was removable but the curvature of the shaft was severe. I knew it would not be removable as-is. So I removed the nut and sawed off the shaft just above the big washer under the nut, hoping that the curvature did not extend all the way down. The washer was removable, but the curvature extended through it and all the way down to where the shaft enters the sleeve in the steering knuckle.

I replaced the thick OE washer with a thinner one and sawed the shaft off again above that washer, leaving about 3/16" of shaft above the sleeve. I cleaned up the shaft with a Dremel tool and tried pressing again, but to no avail. The deflection of the shaft at the top of the sleeve is between 1/32" and 1/16" (that is, about 3/64"). The fork end of the HF tool is too narrow to allow the sleeve to press out, and the BJ shaft won't move through the sleeve because of the bend.

I figure that my only options are to press out the sleeve with the BJ attached, or to remove the knuckle and take it to a machine shop. I'm trying to do this "by myself" so don't like the machine shop approach, especially since I have already done about 3/4 of the work on that side. I can buy the BMW BJ tool for $149 + $15 shipping, but I do not know whether one of the two forks is wide enough to allow the sleeve to be pressed out. Does anyone know whether this is possible? That sleeve will be unusable, of course, but I figure that my local indy shop (very cooperative and happy to help) will be able to order a replacement. Does this sound like a reasonable approach, or is there something I am missing? Thanks in advance for your help (and I've been using a lot of it already, what with Blubee's brake info and CN90's front end DIY!)
 
#201 ·
I am doing a front brake job (rotors and pads) and replacing the thrust arm, control arm, and sway bar end links on my '97 528 (213K miles). Five of the six ball joints pressed out fine with the HF tool (the two tie rod BJs have to be removed, too). However, the last one, the DS control arm BJ didn't pop out. I had the nut flush with the end of the shaft and was pressing there, but the shaft bent rather than press out.
Old thread, old car, so no help here. But it's probably because I left myself with few options -- either press out the sleeve surrounding the ball joint or take it all to a machine shop and let them try it. But I didn't give up. I found that on a 540, someone had managed to press out the sleeve, but he had 180 degrees of clearance to fit his two-legged tool in, whereas I have only 120 degrees or so, so I couldn't use that approach. My friendly local indy shop suggested using a big hammer to whack the knuckle with, so I tried that. No luck. (I should have used the hammer long ago.) Then I tried using an air-powered hammer, but it mostly just bounced around making dents in various things in the vicinity of the problem. I checked back with my local shop about whether the BMW BJ tool had a wide-enough fork to allow the sleeve to be pressed out. Their answer was that "we don't use a BMW tool or any other tool other than a big hammer and heat." They suggested hitting the arm itself between the BJ and the attachment to the subframe. Instead, I detached the arm from the subframe and laid the loose end on a foot-long 6x6 so I wouldn't run the risk of damaging the subframe, too. I jacked up the knuckle and rested it on two 6x6s to take the hammering load off the strut and other arms. I heated for 30 seconds and hammered away as close to the knuckle as possible, repeated that, and repeated it a third time. The sleeve and BJ finally came loose!

Then the problem was to get the BJ shaft out of the sleeve. I took it all to my big vise and pounded away using a "pickle fork" as the separator tool. That looked like it was going to be a failure until I applied heat again, this time for a minute. After several hard whacks, the BJ shaft separated from the sleeve!

After cleaning up the sleeve, I tried to reinstall it, but it wouldn't go in, even with some serious hammering. I hand-sanded the sleeve with 220 grit paper, but no luck there. Then I used a Dremel tool to clean out the opening in the knuckle a little, but still no luck. Finally, I sprayed the sleeve with a silicone lubricant and it slipped right in!

Then the new BJ shaft wouldn't fit through the top of the banged-up sleeve. After a little more grinding with the Dremel, that problem was solved, too.

It's all back together now, and I'll get a chance to try it out in a day or two and take it in for an alignment. I never would have dreamed that I would have to "mistreat" my beloved car like that in order to repair it. I've certainly gained a new respect for what professional auto mechanics sometimes have to go through in order to do their work, and am thankful that our local shop was willing to give me good advice even though they received no compensation for their time or talent. Meanwhile, I'm trying to decide which project to tackle next -- the frayed wiring harness in the trunk lid, or the twisted driver's seat whose seat back moves on only one side, or ...
 
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