Front control arms

[Newtricks]

I took my z3 2.8 in for a pre-MOT check the other day, whilst it’s far from complete as a project I wanted to ensure it will receive an MOT before I start on the paint and body work.

2 problems - washer jets blocked (school boy error.....), and worn bushes on the front lower control arms.
I thought it best to replace both sides, and the drop links too. I’ve the new parts from GSF. I’m struggling to get the nuts off the ball joints on both sides behind the wheel hub and the right-hand inboard ball joint - the nuts are all the way up to the top of the thread, but the ball joints have started spinning - I’ve had a Jack underneath them to no avail, on one of them I’ve also tried separating it and gripping the shaft with a pair of self gripping pliers - again to no avail. What am I doing wrong, and is there another approach I’m not seeing?

 

[colb]

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BMW parts Z3 E36 Z3 2.8 Front axle support/wishbone/stabilizer

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Sounds like your doing the right thing with the jack in an attempt to stop the joint spinning. If that dosn't work have you got room to get a nut splitter on the nuts to get them off?
Screwfix do a set which may assist you https://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-nut-splitter-set-2-pieces/535hp
Getting a hacksaw on them looks difficult given the space available.

 

[t-tony]

Before you give up try this. Spray the tapered pins with brake cleaner before jacking the pin back up. Then tighten the nut back down. If you get it to screw down a little apply some freeing oil to the top of the thread and loosen again. You need to be generous with the brake cleaner as it's got some lubricant on the taper and the brake cleaner will remove it and allow the taper to lock up. I did one on a members car earlier in the year and had to resort to using my reciprocating saw with a metal blade to cut the pin, it didn't take very long to cut through.

Tony.

 

[colb]

Good tip there Tony, reciprocating saw, did think about suggesting that but given the one I have it would be too big to get in there, is yours an air saw which is probably smaller than the 240v one I have.

 

[t-tony]

No mate, mine's a Ryobi one + 18V cordless. It was the bottom ball joint pin that we cut though, not the inner joint. The brake cleaner trick has never failed me on those.

Tony.

 

[Newtricks]

Thanks for this - I suspect I’ll have to cut through (at least 1 of) the ball joints behind the hub - despite using the right size spanner (not enough room to get a ring spanner on it, so open-ended) one is starting to round off a bit. It’s good to know that there is enough room to get in to cut them off. The one I’m worried about in the inboard one - it’s on the right-hand side where access is complete pig - I’ll try the brake cleaner tip before putting a Jack under it. There’s no room on any of them to get a nut splitter around them. Two steps forward and one back.......

 

[Nodzed]

You can try winding the nuts back down and checking someone hasn't damaged the top of the thread by belting it with a hammer. If this is the case you can usually redress the thread enough with a junior hacksaw blade to get the nut off, or just use a dremel/hand grinder to strip the damaged thread off ..........................or as said just cut the buggers off if you have room.

 

[Newtricks]

I cut to the chase with the left hand side where it was only the ball joint behind the hub that wasn’t playing and cut it off with an angle grinder, so I know I can do the same with the right hand side. Not keen to do that until I’ve addressed the inboard joint first - I’ve sprayed very liberally with brake cleaner and jacked back up in place - I attempted to do the nut back up and thought I was onto a winner the nut moved about half a turn, now it won’t go in any direction despite locking two spanners together for leverage. I’ll have to find some way to cut it off.

 

[Newtricks]

I‘ve cut them off after a great deal of messing trying to get access to the inboard joint - choose whatever I did I couldn’t get a ‘normal’ angle grinder in, and I don’t have a reciprocating saw that I could try. I used a Dremel with a flexible shaft and a 38mm cutting disc threaded down from the top of the engine to where I was laying underneath and managed to cut into the thread beneath the nut enough so that when I used a 3/8 22mm socket, universal joint and a lot of wobble bars on it with enough force to break the remainder of the shaft. Cutting the remaining one off behind the wheel hub was straight forward - particularly relieved to get that out of the way. I’ve fingers and toes crossed that installing the new ones is not as troublesome......

 

[Newtricks]

Just to finish this thread from my perspective (I’ll update my Project thread too); I’ve fitted the new drop links and control arms - it all seemed to go back together pretty easily and smoothly (thankfully). I cleaned the taper sockets for all the ball joints with brake cleaner and put a Jack directly under each before tightening down. I’d pressed (actually pulled really) the new rubber bushes using a spring compressor and some dilute washing up liquid to lubricate them.