How to replace rear trailing arm bushings on a BMW e36 (without a RTAB tool, Torque specs included)

A step by step guide showing you how to replace your rear trailing arm bushings without using a specific RTAB tool :)
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[@jayanthony2342]

Thanks for making this great video. I got the bushings today and am gonna do the job on my 92 325i tomorrow. I feel pretty confident because of your video. So thank you!

[@lofexaj]

Your e36 is in really good condition noo rust it is unbelievable :D really nice i am from czech republick and our e36 have almost everything rusted :(

[@minkorrh]

You failed to mention that those holes on the trailing arm bracket are slotted, and its for a reason. That's one of the rear alignment points to adjust the toe-in of the rear wheels. The three bolts should be marked as to their exact position on that plate (trace around with a marker) ......that way the car will drive straight when you put it back together and help you save money on tires.

[@Oneklickmedia]

Thanks bro! Glad I read this comment to keep that in mind

[@SUBOSVK]

Thank you for upload,I'm waiting for mine powerflex kit now :)

[@ThoseCarDudes]

All good dude! Sick, they make a big difference!

[@richardweerasinghe3296]

Nice video. Looks like a very clean e36. Mine grew up in the Uk. I wish it was that clean.

[@blazonable]

finally a good instalation guide! thanks alot man!

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Not a problem mate! Glad it was some help :)

[@bradbeach23]

great video mate! my E36 already came with powerflex LCA bushings and I picked up some rear subframe reinforcement bushes cheap as that I may throw in down the line. would be great to see you do a m50anifold swap. regardless of all the pros and cons it's pretty popular and would make a great video. seen this around Auckland and it's mint as hell!

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Brad Beach thanks dude! Awesome, they really make a difference aye! Oh I would love to do an m50 manifold swap but I'm trying to focus everything into my e30 atm. I may look into it soon though! Thanks dude, very nice car, perfect for what I use it for :)

[@kevinkennedy9720]

Great vid bud, you seem quality

[@kevinkennedy9720]

Thanks bud! You did a quality job!

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Thanks Kevin!

[@jamber007]

What a fantastic video. Cheers buddy.

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Not a problem Alistair! Glad you enjoyed it and I hope it helped :)

[@liudas5377]

Great video - thanks for the effort.

[@oneinthemouth]

I have a compact. I wish changing the rear bushes was as easy on it lol. Great video!

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Yeah but more of a mission aye! Thanks dude, all the best!

[@Xixu.co.6]

This is significantly more work, dirtier, and way slower than just getting the right tool. Kudos for making what you have work, but i definitely won't be doing this lol

[@Oneklickmedia]

I know I thought he going to jigg his own tool. Doing this tomorrow last min and searching for alternatives but I might just wait til I get the right tool. So much quicker it seems

[@50sKid]

Great job, dude!

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+50sKid thanks heaps dude! About to check out some of your videos! :D

[@mripodhelpr]

Really helpful thanks man

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Glad to hear! Thanks Mitchell!

[@MrHengDoItAll]

oh i done the same thing before i see your video . nice man

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Raksasok Heng Thanks heaps man!

[@daultonhippauf3346]

Hella helpful did both in 25 mins

[@klutzythecrab8665]

hey bro, where did you get your trolly and stand jacks? how much was it all? and how much are the weight ratings? cheers

[@Cheezey1111Phenom]

Hey man great vid! What are some signs that these may need replacing? I have a pretty horrible creek in the back left of my e36 when going over speedbumps or some corners,the rear end sometimes feels a bit loose in its stability sometimes, any help or other ideas on what to look for would be awesome!

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Hey man! Thanks heaps, glad you liked it! Not too sure on all the signs, but yes often the back end will feel loose in the corners. If the car has done a high milage and they haven't been replaced, then i would recommend doing it as it is a common thing to wear out :) Also check your subframe because they commonly crack too on e36's and e46's. The creek could be a lot of things to be honest but it would be good to check the RTAB's just in case! Hope that helps! Cheers for watching!

[@joshdavies8291]

This video is really well constructed! I'm in NZ too and need some of these bushings, did you get them off TradeMe ? Cheers bro :)

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Josh Davies thanks heaps Josh! Yes from Trade Me :)

[@Xsilent227]

Hey man Nice videos, Where do you buy your powerflex bushing? i don't know where to buy them in nz. Thanks heaps : )

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Xsilent227 Hey man! Thanks heaps, glad you like them! I bought mine on Trade Me from a company called NZAD. They seem to do quite a few cars. Hope that helps :)

[@dannyDC2]

Nice video! I'm doing the two bushes closer to the hub on my RTA at the moment. Bastard things.

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Thanks Danny! Yes they can be a mission!

[@jw200]

Useful video, i need to do the same. You are lucky, your own BIG garage with lots of free space around. My dream to have such one one in future. Currently i rent the garage. Its small but i can do things there. Its for 2 cars. Just a little small primarily because of garbage stored there by owner.

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+jw200 thanks man! Yes we are very lucky, definitely helps! I hope to own my own one too one day!

[@tentywenty]

You can also throw the bushings in the freezer for a few hours and they will shrink just enough for you to push them into the arm, after a while they will expand again when they return to normal temperature and you can just push in the metal sleeve into the bushing

[@retro80s80]

Air chisel works a treat or use a hole saw in a drill slowly

[@inmortem]

Nicely done

[@esobeegarage]

Hey could I get the name of the song that's playing when you popped the cassette back on the RTAB? Pretty funky beat!

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Hey man! Cool beat aye! The song is called 'Other Way' by Otis McDonald Thanks for watching :)

[@esobeegarage]

Many thanks!

[@DuskersHusky]

yo dude, my e46 sways badly under acceleration feeling unstable, would this be a cause having worn out rear bushings? , it feels like i have a loose back end, ps i have replaced all the front arm components plus toe rods up front

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Duskers Jake south hey man, it could well be. Have a look at them underneath your car, sway bars and bushing can make a huge difference! Thanks for watching :)

[@DuskersHusky]

thank you for the reply dude! i have just fixed this today, yes my rear right bushing was fooked, but i have replaced both sides with new poly bushes and has remedied the cause of some very dodgy handling!

[@MrAcc45]

just a question. I noticed a lot of struggle remvng the old bushing. could it be done by softening melting the old bush with a heat gun? youtuber Mechanical Fix used it but I'm not sure if its the same bushing. it looked different to urs.

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Nizar Ahmad Probably, I have seen some people burn them out before. Thanks for watching :)

[@mikeblast7507]

I did this job over the weekend. I tried the Schwaben bearing press, it broke because the bushing was so frozen in the arm. On the first one, I used the drilling method. I didn't do what this guy did, I just drilled through the rubber one time and pushed down until the drill wore through the aluminum housing holding the rubber bushing. Then I took a rubber mallet and a a pry bar and put the pry bar between the bushing flange and the arm and banged away. The bushing came out easy, and the whole thing probably took less than two minutes. On the other side I decided to skip the drilling and just hammered the pry bar between the flange and the arm. Came out just as easy. If you're replacing the OEM bushings with the powerflex bushings, don't waste your money the press tool, or spend forever drilling. My way works easier and faster.

[@backnd_2329]

Will these make alignments go bad

[@xxdylan123]

Do you need an alignment after that?

[@georgesmbyd6603]

That’s why u mark around the bolts before you remove them...but I would still get an alignment

[@blackterminal]

Thank you for the interesting video. Reminded me of when I removed my fuel tank. Guide says drop the drive shaft but I wasnt keen so cut it off. Yes drained the fuel first then filled it with water before going at it. No need for fuel now as it has a electric motor.

[@carlotlouis6331]

EXCELLENT..

[@steveesm3]

Yup this has been how iv done it everytime. A pain in the ass forsure

[@hyewonkim2449]

haha,,, it's so cool Nathan

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Hyewon Kim Haha thank you Hyewon!

[@adamblaknovski279]

You put grease everywhere but on the outside of the metal sleeve, between the bush and the sleeve, where it's supposed to go.

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Adam Blaknovski I did actually put some there but if didn't film it. As long as you have enough on the outside of the bushing you should be sweet because it has the same contact patch :) Thanks for watching man!

[@robertbarata6718]

hey dude, does the bushing make squeking noises?

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Robert Barata hey man, na they are sweet :)

[@paulmc9314]

can tell you come from a place with sketchy animals when you said i dont know what this is but it has big sharp teeth haha

[@afsana.p6257]

Thanks

[@GuruLifts]

How much was the bushing

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Names Samuel I think it was about $180 NZD for the pack :)

[@christoph404]

I don't get why folk would rather sweat, cut, saw, burn a mount out when a press tool will get the bush out in minutes with no mess!!

[@RaheesGarage]

great job but it would have been so much easier with a bushing removal tool!

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+Rahee's Garage thanks dude, didn't have one so decided to do a video on how to do it without :)

[@AgainstEmpyre]

It would have been really easy with a 2 post lift too... its a DIY video he did the job with what he had. Great video @ThoseCarDudes

[@mikedoingmikethings702]

Drilling on rubber, use oil used or new to make drilling easier... PS Buy an power/air tools lol

[@frankhardy123]

If I was you I would have placed a jack or stand under the trailing arm while you were using the breaker bars to remove the bush. All that force was going into bending the arm... Not good.

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+frankhardy123 handy tip! Thanks for the advice :)

[@sultanofswingdrift3021]

I just did this yesterday with 2 tubes and long bolt, bushing was out in like 5 minute max. Your way is so haggard I want to cry 'cos people will watch this and waste hours of their life doing in the wrong way. Please have mercy and take the video down and do one more the proper way...

[@sultanofswingdrift3021]

and you don't need 200$ tool you just need 2 4"inch tubes with correct diameter, some big washers and M12 bolt or threaded rod. 10$ max. and you can reuse it for other bushings

[@ThoseCarDudes]

There are many ways of doing this job, making your own basic tool to remove them is one way. Using metal pipes, bolts and washers is a good idea and I am glad it worked for you. However I did not have those materials lying around at home, but I did have a fairly common multi tool. Some guys burn them out, cut them out and push them out. As long as you are not damaging the bushing housing or yourself, I do not see a problem in using any of those methods, this is just the way i did it. Thanks for watching :)

[@bravoA-su8xm]

the second saw you used was a drywall saw

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Thank you for the correction! It worked well :)

[@bravoA-su8xm]

I am glad it did the trick I will be replacing my rear bushings this weekend and i just happen to have one too guess I will to have to break it out

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Haha awesome! All the best!

[@Magicstockton]

🏆

[@RobynTapps]

that is a drywall saw..

[@ThoseCarDudes]

+RobTapps88 legit! It worked mean! :D

[@birunpatel9546]

True ghetto mechanic

[@KeechysCars]

Literally no rust on that car 😢 wish I didn’t live in a country where salt is used too much

[@ThoseCarDudes]

I feel for you Ash! We are very lucky here in NZ! Where are you from?

[@KeechysCars]

Those Car Dudes UK ! I went on holiday to Australia in December and still can’t get over how well the cars hold up over time in that area !

[@emilepapillon2275]

isn't the tool 80 bucks? I bet you will watch this video years from now and think "why did I give myself so much trouble"

[@HipHopBeatSource]

It's much easier to just use the rtab tool. Far less work for purchasing a $90 tool.

[@Beyond2k7]

How to install RTAB..... ghetto style.

[@garymarquett7989]

Bush mechanic...lol

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Just a diy job, but it worked out 👌🏼

[@WithHeroes]

Just get the tool smh.

[@dervandernburg1641]

you could have bought a bushing removal/installer tool for $200 and saved you multiple hours cutting that bushing out. that was super cringey.

[@ThoseCarDudes]

Correct I could have but I didn't see the point of buying a special tool when I had something that could do the job just the same. It only took about 10mins to cut each bushing out completely. Made this video to help those doing the same job without an RTAB tool. Thanks for watching :)

[@dickjohnson7845]

I'd go with the Monoball / Spherical bearing for the trailing arm. Dude, wear safety glasses when drilling! That hot rubber or whatever it was could end up in your eye just as easily