BMW E34 535i control and thrust arms

[@TerdFurg3zon]

Glad you enjoy! The tool is a factory ball joint separator, Honda Part # 07MAC-SL00202 (updated P/N) The chain is tethered around a fixed point on the chassis in order to prevent the tool from falling down from the vehicle after the joint breaks free. 

[@Mockibold]

Happy to see it went so smoothly. For me it was a pure nightmare, the screws and bolts had been sitting there for so long. I even broke my ball joint separator. But I got it done anyway :)

[@strongbow549]

Awesome music

[@mandres]

Thanks! You made it seem so easy it took me 3 hours lol

[@franciscovilla9203]

Took my dad and me 1:30 on just one side separating the ball joints with no special tools makes things a whole lot more difficult. Quick tip for all yall viewers: if you don't have the ball joint separator tool dont event try to do it yourself.

[@Resq28]

Hello, what are the Torque numbers for tightening those bolts? Thank you.

[@EnriqueLopez-hb5jn]

Awesome tutorial👍☝🏽👌👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

[@Smennyboy]

Thanks for the video, only one I have been able to find concerning the thrust arm as of now. Doesn't look very hard though, gonna attempt to replacing mine this weekend. But you have to lower the car before torquing it down right?

[@danos1]

Thanks for the post! Just what I was looking for. You work fast! That's a labor cost I would not mind! :-)

[@weborderaccounts]

This is an awesome vid! I need to do this to my E34. What tool are you using at 1:32 ? And why is there a chain attached to it? thanks

[@sativafourtwentie]

Did this fix a tire shimmy when you drove over 55MPH? What was the purpose? I get bad wheel shimmy from 100km/h (60MPH) to 140km/h (90MPH).

[@darylwaynehuff]

Question: at 2:48 - "Chasing the threads per the FSM to remove old thread locking material." What exactly is going on here?I'm lost on "Chasing the Threads" and FSM.Thanks.

[@TerdFurg3zon]

+Daryl Huff "Chasing the threads" is the process of running a tap through the hole in order to remove the old, hardened thread locking compound that would otherwise interfere with the installation of a new/cleaned bolt. "Per the FSM" means "per the BMW Factory Service Manual" as it's a step not mentioned in the more popular Bentley service manual.

[@darylwaynehuff]

+TerdFurg3zon Thanks, I get it now. Good Video. Thanks again for the reply.

[@stacangjr7]

Great job! Will be doing this to my e34 soon. I know when I overhauled the suspension on my e28 I had to preload the car with 300lbs. Prior to tightening to spec. Is this the same with e34's or do I just lower the car then tighten? I'll go over the Bentley before hand but I thought I'd just ask. Thanks and great video!

[@TerdFurg3zon]

You're welcome! The E34 is similar to the E28 where preload weight is required.

[@stacangjr7]

TerdFurg3zon Awesome! Can't wait to get started on this project. Need to do my monthly budgeting first :( Then I can figure out how much extra mooola I have to play with :) Are you on any forums?

[@mv87mv]

Hi. Great video. I need to replace my lower control arm bushings. What would be the good way to do this also which tool is good to remove and put back the bushings. Thanks

[@TerdFurg3zon]

Thank you. The factory service manual explains everything beyond whats shown in this video. It can be downloaded from the various BMW forums. To remove the bushings, a hydraulic press is required. Any good machine shop or service center can install them as well.

[@xotr1x]

thanks for sharing this awesome work

[@bikercowboy1]

love the car and love the music

[@eddiebenitez4682]

I just did the same repair to my e34 last month, I torqued the control arms to the spec (90 lbs), but I'm still getting a tiny shimmy around 65mph. If the torque isn't done while the car is down (taking it's normal weight), do you know if it would have this effect after the repair?

[@StuartOliver83]

Hi mate is this bushing the reason for my wheel moving backwards when breaking? Cheers

[@TerdFurg3zon]

Most likely. Doesn't take much effort to compress them, particularly when they're worn out. I replaced the ones shown here in the video with factory M5 bushings which are solid rubber.

[@StuartOliver83]

@@TerdFurg3zon thanks mate 👍🏻🇬🇧

[@mrgalaw3390]

Nice video. What are the signs that one needs to replace these arms? Same for 91 525i? Thanks. Cheers :)

[@TerdFurg3zon]

The arms have to be changed out when the ball joints wear beyond function...pronounced shimmy at 50-60 mph, grinding while steering, too much free play. As for the bushings, they can either be pressed out/in, or purchased installed in the new arms. They deflect under braking load, but shouldn't rapidly bottom (clunking) under light braking or over minor bumps.

[@mrgalaw3390]

@@TerdFurg3zon Many thanks for the reply. I am experiencing what they call death wobble starting like 65 or 70kph on even pavement/roads. No clunking noise underneath just that heavy wobbling of my steering. Below 65 all good. I wonder what's causing this...

[@mrgalaw3390]

Could this be the culprit?

[@TerdFurg3zon]

@@mrgalaw3390 Possibly. It's a good start, but the crux of this type of design (a four-bar linkage connected to a strut) is that it's particularly susceptible to the total backlash in the entire assembly, alignment, in addition to tire/wheel size combination, and finally tire pressure.

[@mrgalaw3390]

@@TerdFurg3zon I suspected the idler and/or the pitman arm...

[@xoxoLuck]

I just can't get that ball joint out on the thrust arm, it won't pop out of the steering arm. It's so frustrating!

[@arizonacitizen3383]

I installed a spherical special made bushings in my thrust bearings and never looked back. Didn’t want to mess w rubber failin

[@ae9969532]

Whats the tool called that you're using at 2:50 and what's it for?

[@TerdFurg3zon]

It's two tools fastened together, a bottoming tap chucked into a T-handle tap wrench. The combination is typically used to cut new threads in a hole, but can also be used to dress damaged threads, or clean out embedded debris as is shown here.

[@UCSsJ54o4kNA6qfcIBROxiDA]

TerdFurg3zon well played good sir.

[@Adrian_The_Great]

Is he jacking the car from the engine lower crankcase cover? Isnt it dangerous to push from there?

[@TerdFurg3zon]

No. I'm jacking the car from the front sub frame using a wide support pad. Yes, jacking the car from engine lower crankcase cover would be dangerous.

[@ahmadismail9445]

love it.. thank u for sharing this

[@dokterkarel]

great video!

[@TerdFurg3zon]

You're welcome, and yes, the car has to be situated at the correct trim height before torquing the bolts that attach to the chassis and subframe.

[@seyfettinzorbey429]

my e34 can’t go on a straight line.O went for balance and they said me my front right wheel is 1,5cm back according to left.I saw that the car has two different lower control arm, one of them is silver aluminum, the other one is black, possibly steel.Do you think this cause the problem?

[@TerdFurg3zon]

Possibly. That certainly doesn't help the matter. As you can see in the pic towards the end of the video, I also had two types Febi and Boge. However, my car tracked just fine (well into the triple digits) with the old parts until I stood on the brakes, then it would pull to one side. The difference in your car's wheels needs to be addressed, but might not be the sole cause of it not going in a straight as there are several other factors that can contribute to that....alignment, strut bearings, tires, wheels, hubs, etc.

[@seyfettinzorbey429]

TerdFurg3zon looks like my strut tower bent, we will look with a computer soon in a workshop...

[@fmeimfamous757]

how do tightin tge ball joint that sits under thestrut

[@TerdFurg3zon]

joe benbenek The ball joint for the control arm is captive inside the steering arm. The steering arm has to be removed to gain access to it. Once you remove the three bolts that hold the steering arm to the bottom of the strut, the steering arm and attached ball joint are free to rotate. I used a ratchet extension as a pin through the vacant thrust arm ball joint hole (could also use the tie rod hole if already removed) and a clamp to prevent everything from spinning while removing and installing the nut.

[@fmeimfamous757]

I can picture what you are saying. Can you give me exact size of wrench

[@tomislavrom8906]

Thanks for the video.

[@theXevoXman]

what is the point of this mod?

[@TerdFurg3zon]

No mod implied. Just front-end maintenance.

[@dougkroll7507]

Would this possibly cause a vibration around speeds of 50+85ish

[@TerdFurg3zon]

+george deLion Possibly, but there can be other causes too. Failing upper strut mounts, worn center link rod ends, idler arm bushings, and bent/poorly balanced wheel tire assemblies just for example.

[@541_CoyotePower]

So my E34's Supension is out How much do you think Im looking at if I do it my self? Im not familiar with the suspesion names Im a newbie, I would like to get help I love my E34

[@TerdFurg3zon]

Check with a local indie shop in your area for a quote, as I would not recommend attempting the repair without some basic knowledge of what all the parts are and how they function for this particular car. It's a lot more complex than it appears. Good parts alone for a complete suspension overhaul would be ~2K USD at the time of this writing. There are cheaper parts out there, but many are not up to BMW's original quality standards yielding substandard handling and/or durability.

[@541_CoyotePower]

They want to charge me 5,000 us dollars! he said my wholo suspension is out.. thats way to much I got the car for 3,500 man..

[@TheSHEWW]

простая однако)))клева)

[@TerdFurg3zon]

I highly doubt it would have that effect.

[@6403524]

в чем прикол?

[@sabaka1xxx]

chyba szwajcar.... zadokładnie

[@campaspe810]

I really dislike the music