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1998 Z3 Control Arm Replacement and Powerflex Bushing install

5K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  AB1945 
#1 · (Edited)
In the middle of a Z3 control arm replacement.

I was going to replace the control arm bushings with some powerflex ones, but after getting it up on jackstands, the wheel movement turned out to be due to a bad outer ball joint on the drivers side and I also noticed a cracked boot on the inner bushing on the passenger side, so I ordered a new set of Meyle arms through Pellican along with a new hardware and set of sway bar end links, as the boots on them were looking suspect.

The tie rods ends are only 10,000 miles old and look good and seem fine. I'm not sure how old the shocks are and I thought of replacing them while I was at it, but I think I'll just put it all back together, once the brown truck arrives, and see how it drives. (any opinions out there on front struts?)

I've only had the car a few months, so it's not been totally right since I bought it, but I suspected problems from the way it handles rain grooves or bumpy pavement, and sort of mushy steering response. Once I've got it back together, I'll have a better idea of how it should feel.



Since I didn't need to preserve the ball joints, I just bashed away on a pickle fork. The inner ones popped fairly easily (after I managed to get the nuts off) but I ended up using the Harbor Freight joint separator to get the outer ones to pop. Sort of flimsy looking and feeling, but it worked at least two times. The threads on it look a little worse for wear, (yes, I greased them) b ut for $20 bucks, I cant complain.
 
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#2 ·
... I just bashed away on a pickle fork. The inner ones popped fairly easily (after I managed to get the nuts off) but I ended up using the Harbor Freight joint separator to get the outer ones to pop. Sort of flimsy looking and feeling, but it worked at least two times. The threads on it look a little worse for wear, (yes, I greased them) b ut for $20 bucks, I cant complain.
What is a pickle fork? Can you find and post the link from Harbor Freight for that joint separator?
 
#3 ·
Ball joint Separator Tool and Pickle Forks



Pickle forks are the long chrome things in this picture that look like oversize Barbecue tools, the ball joint separator is also the black device in the photo to the lower right:



Here's a link to the tool: BALL JOINT SEPARATOR

When the ball joint pops, it makes the coolest "crack" noise: like winning a free game on an old flipper-style pinball game.
 
#6 ·
I used a Harbor Freight ball joint separator too, but the "CRACK" I heard was the tool breaking. I ended up using the pickle fork to get the out ball joint separated. I've had good luck with some other Harbor Freight tools, and their prices sure are low, but I would recommend caution using this separator on outer ball joints. Maybe mine was defective, I've seen a video of a guy using and impact wrench on one and popping a ball joint. They gave me my money back, so no complaints.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Safety Precautions



I'll admit that I kept the brake disc between the tool and my face and wore fairly heavy gloves while getting the ball joints to come free.:) I also used a long breaker bar and very steadily ramped up the pressure. You could feel the tension building up, like a guitar string being would up until it breaks; you kind of wince in anticipation.
 
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