Fix It

[DarkWing6]

I had an estimate done on my car for a few noises I was hearing and this is the result.

The lower control arm needs to be replaced. (the right side is where the noise is)
The right rear wheel bearing needs to be replaced.
Transmission output shaft seal is leaking and needs to be replaced.

How hard are these fixes to do? What do the parts cost? What of them can I do myself?

[AdamF 88iS]

The control arm isn't too bad.

The seal and bearing both need special tools and you'll have a helluva time trying to do them with basic tools.

[BahnE30]

wheel bearing = PITA!!!!
output shaft seal = how bad is it leaking mine seaps a little bit but at this point in the eta's life we're not too worried about it as long as it's not bad and you keep and eye on the fluid you've got nothing to worry about except maybe some tranny fluid on the driveway :x

[DarkWing6]

wheel bearing = PITA!!!!
output shaft seal = how bad is it leaking mine seaps a little bit but at this point in the eta's life we're not too worried about it as long as it's not bad and you keep and eye on the fluid you've got nothing to worry about except maybe some tranny fluid on the driveway :x

the mechanic says its pretty bad, but i'm just gonna watch it for a while and see how it does. keep it filled till i can afford to fix it. (newbie question) where can i check the tranny fluid at/fill it?

[Blaster.]

is it automatic? if its auto, theres a yellow dip stick between the engine and the blower motor. Your car should be ON and have been running for a while in order for your measurement to be accurate. Your transmission is supposed to be warm (running for about 20 minutes) in order to get a correct reading.

If its manual youll have to unbolt this filler bolt on the right side of your tranney. Youll have to jack up your car and go under to get to this bolt. Its gonna be kinda hard to check the level, youll have to stick your finger in to see how much is in there.
The level mark for the manual tranney is when the fluid reaches just under the filler hole. So stick you finger in so see how far down the oil has gone.

[StereoInstaller1]

DW, call Cost-less auto parts in Vancouver. Ask for JT or Chris, tell them Luke sent you. Chris is a dipshit (you can tell the jap scrap lovin' doof I said so) but cool. JT is cool and has an e21...but tell them to source some of the balljoints they got for me...$21.00 each for real OE stuff. You will have to remind Chris that they came from Tigard, and I don't know if JT remembers it at all.

Otherwise, go to Discount Import Parts (yeah...DIP!) in Milwaukee, (just north of GI Joes) and ask for Chris there too...different Chris. He can get you OE control arms with both balljoints for like $112 (IIRC) each. Do both sides. If you opt (like I did) to buy balljoints, most any machine shop will press them in (you will have to pull the control arm though) for like $30 for all 4. Rassmusen BMW has OE control arms for like $132 each with balljoints and I should be able to get you a 20% discount off of that. MAYBE I can...it's been a while, I used to do all of their stereo crap back in the early 90's.

DIP may be my new source for FK motorsports stuff, plus Chris seems to think he is gonna find a generic H4 "angel eyes" housings for e30's. I can recommend DIP for anything. Excellent prices and if you are into air cooled VW, call them. You can ask these guys about your wheel bearings too.

If you need a pickle fork, you can borrow my Mac set, but you gotta leave your girlfriend behind while you go get greasy.
Luke

[DarkWing6]

SI, Thanks for all the info, I will check them out when I get the $$. But I also might end up with a connection in Portland. I might get in working at a BMW/Mercades-Benz only shop. A lifelong family friend of mine knows a couple guys that own a shop so I might get on there. And we all know the perks of workin' for a mechanic. (hint hint LIFT).

[Den]

Manual trans has a 17mm hex plug ~halfway up the passenger side of the transmission.

Sears sells a 17mm hex key for $9 . . . dunno if there's enough clearance between the trans + car for that tool though.

I got a 17mm hex bit in a 3-pc set for ~$10 at AutoZone ~5 yrs ago. . .then I left it in the side of the trans + drove off once after filling . . . so I went to the hardware store & got a short metric bolt with a 17mm head for $0.19. Clamp vise grips on the threads of the bolt at a right angle and insert the head of the bolt into the filler plug on the side of the trans. Works great if your plug is not in too tight.

After removing the plug, stick in your finger & check if the oil is up to the level of the hole. To fill, drop a 4' piece of 5/8" clear vinyl tubing down through the engine compartment and stick a small funnel in the end of it. When the gearbox is full, oil will start to drip out all over the floor/driveway, so you might want to put some newspaper down first.

[nando]

I wouldn't replace just one control arm, do both and get new bushings too.