My Expierence with Control Arms and CAB s

[Naplm00]

First off, last weekend started off as an oil change...

88 325ic

Then I noticed that my CABs were shot (the vibrations i had been feeling when going over some bumps)

Steps I took and made the job easier:

NUMBER ONE: I have a shop press, and air tools...DO NOT ATTEMPT without at least AIR TOOLS

NUMBER TWO: buy replacement nuts for ball joints ahead of time!


I removed the control arm ball joint nuts at the wheel on both sides (easy)

Then i removed the driver side front subframe ball joint nut with a 3 foot ext (1/2 in) a impact swivel and a 22mm deep impact socket, and a 1/2 in husky 600Foot pound impact gun. came off easy.

The passenger side is much more visible but way harder to get to, I didn’t have a 22mm offset box end wrench (would be good for under car removal) so, i removed it from the top. I used a O2 sensor socket that is offset or crowfoot type. This allowed for removal from under the hood instead of under the car, 3/8 to 1/2 adapter, 2 foot 1/2in ext and breaker bar to break then remove the nut.





ON ALL OF THE BALL JOINT NUTS, they wanted to spin while trying to be removed, place jack under car and jack up under the ball joint you are working on (just enough to get the weight of the car on the ball joint) This will keep the ball join from spinning and allow removal.


I then used a 17mm impact socket and impact gun to remove the CAB 2 bolts.

The control arm was free but still stuck, you can fix this in three ways:

First get a hammer and you ext and hammer the posts of the ball joints down (with a partially threaded on nut to avoid thread damage)

Second use a heavy metal hammer and wack the attachment points that the ball joint shafts connect to

Third and easiest, use an air hammer and point chisel to buzz them out from the top. Place the pointed chisel into the divot in the top of the ball joint post and pull the trigger; they will fall right out. (this is why they are pre dimpled)



Thats the ticket!


OK you got them out, but the cabs are stuck on!

remove them in one of 3 ways:

Burn them out with a torch (messy, smoky and dangerous)

Press them out with a shop press (hanging the whole arm by the CAB then pressing on the control arm shaft)

Use a bearing splitter / gear puller tool to remove them

OR





I used the bearing splitter puller, because i had it handy, it was easy!



OK now to reassemble


Get your lollypops or the CAB assemblies with the old CAB still inside, Place it into your shop press or vise so that the lollypop is supported but the outer metal ring of the CAB is not; use a new CAB or a appropriate sized drift to press out the old pieces. Now press in the new CAB paying close attention to the orientation of the Arrow molded in the rubber and the marking on the lollypop.

Do this for both sides paying close attention on how it is to be installed on the car and the correct arrow facing!




OK now to get it on the control arm there are a few ways:

First boil the CAB assembly in hot water and hammer it on with grease or soapy water with the control arm in a vise (hard to do)

Second Using one of the holes in the control arm as a support for pressing; Pass a solid rod through one of the holes in the control arm allowing the rest to hang free beneath the work area of the press, then place the correct side facing up onto the end of the greased control arm shaft, press the CAB assembly onto the control arm via the inner metal ring of the CAB. This will pop on pretty easily now.


Good time to put it back on the car!


Shove the control arm back into position and secure with NEW nuts

********NOTE:: the superseded nut that BMW provides for the front subframe ball joint nut is 21mm not 22mm and it is not nylock style, it is a 21mm fujilock nut*******




NOT ANY MORE!!!!



NEW STYLE!!!!

make sure you have the correct tools!


DO not fully tighten

Wrestle the 17mm bolts back into place for the CAB and tighten down, then put the sway bar nuts back on and tighten down the ball join nuts again USING THE JACK to support the car under the ball joint you are working on. Torque to specs



Let the car sit for at least 2 hours after taking off of jack stands, then drive


300 mi later recheck your torques!


all done! no alignment needed!


Hope this helps


:pimp:

[wolfgangstbd]

thanks for this i plan to replace my control arms and cabs soon thanks for this

[Adrian_Visser]

Thanks for the tips, Ima be doin this next week, I just realized I forgot to order new lillipops grr.

[xLibelle]

whats this 2 hours bullshit?

[Naplm00]

whats this 2 hours bullshit?

what 2 hours?


If you have everything ready to go and its your first time doing it, with all the tools that i have (press, air, ect) its goin to take at least 3.5 hrs if not more.


mostly because even with the correct tools taking off and replacing the subframe nuts and CABs are a huge bitch.



I forgot to mention in my writeup that the 100% best tool to remove the subframe nuts would be a 22mm impact swivel socket




alas these are hard to find im 22mm


harbor freight has a set but it only goes up to 19mm...a tool like the one above from snap-on is about $65 bucks!

the harbor freight set is about $25 bucks, if you buy the SAE set, you get a 7/8 impact swivel (about 22.3mm)

[etxxz]

all those tools woah!! its nice to have them ey, but its not totally necessary.

i had none of them. I did get stuck last time and still took me like 3hours total. Lube (sli glide ftmw), turn and twist.. i'm not a big strong person ~ 5.9 160lbs...but i have done it a couple times

as for the cab into the lollipop, i used my jig saw to cut the rubber. Used my dremel with a metal bit to grind the CAB metal "enclosure" bent it out with a screw driver and a hammer. popped a new one in with a bench press. Sli glided back into the CA.

i used a 50/50 palmolive/water solution the last time.

whats this 2 hours bullshit?

it is recommended that you let the car sit to settle the CAB as it gets preloaded when you bolt it down and put that wheel on the ground.. its not necesary, just recommended.

[Naplm00]

all those tools woah!! its nice to have them ey, but its not totally necessary.

i had none of them. I did get stuck last time and still took me like 3hours total. Lube (sli glide ftmw), turn and twist.. i'm not a big strong person ~ 5.9 160lbs...but i have done it a couple times

as for the cab into the lollipop, i used my jig saw to cut the rubber. Used my dremel with a metal bit to grind the CAB metal "enclosure" bent it out with a screw driver and a hammer. popped a new one in with a bench press. Sli glided back into the CA.

i used a 50/50 palmolive/water solution the last time.

it is recommended that you let the car sit to settle the CAB as it gets preloaded when you bolt it down and put that wheel on the ground.. its not necesary, just recommended.

Oh my fault i thought he was refereing to the total time for the job!


yea i agree you need to let the car sit for a bit after the job, mine relaxed noticbly after sitting. I think most of the "tension" that is built up is in the CABs themselves, sine you kinda have to force them into position when botling in,

the sitting allows them time to slip into a non-stressed position

[E30Hooligan]

Put the bushings in the freezer for about 2 hours. You can now press the bushings on by hand with just soapy water. DO NOT USE GREASE, the bushings must harden on the control arms....this is why you don't move the car for at least 30 minutes after completion of the job, allowing the bushings to "glue" themselves in place.

[Naplm00]

Put the bushings in the freezer for about 2 hours. You can now press the bushings on by hand with just soapy water. DO NOT USE GREASE, the bushings must harden on the control arms....this is why you don't move the car for at least 30 minutes after completion of the job, allowing the bushings to "glue" themselves in place.

I dont agree with this, the bently and the factory manual tell you to use grease or do it with a press.


Making the bushings hard by freezing them is a good idea if it works tho

[xLibelle]

More bullshit.

Hooligan, your post makes no sense. Freeze them to let them harden on the control arm?! First of all, freezing them isn't going to do anything - its not like fluid where it hardens and if it is hardening to be able to notice, if there is an issue with the size of the hole in the bushing, its going to make it that much more difficult.
Second, harden on the control arm? Thats the last thing that you want to happen. The arm should move freely.
Use polyurethant approved grease, do NOT use gear/bearing grease, it will impregnate the plastics and harden them shortening the life. And warming the bushing is not recommended but it may soften the material to aid with insertion.

About the topic of not moving the car for a period of time is not important. It does not relate to the use of polyurethane control arm bushings. And even with the rubber CAB's, it still doesnt really make a difference, if you want to get technical.
The idea that the car's ride height decreasing because the CAB settled is laughable. The car settling is related to the shocks allowing release of pressure and the geometry of the wheel base when the car was set on the ground and the outward pressue of tires on floor surface.

[guibo09]

is there a reason why people dont drop the front subframe vs all these complications and toolings? support the engine and unbolt the two mounts from under. then it's 4 bolts, + 2 for the steering rack. then with a bit of manouvering, the subframe comes out with control arms. super easy access to the difficult bolts.

[Aptyp]

for 22mm nuts, I got me one of these at Sears at a close out price:

you need it in 7/8 SAE size, and works like a charm.

[Naplm00]

I used a 22mm offset O2 sensor socket from the top to remove the nuts


made it really easy

[E30Hooligan]

Before you criticize something you haven't done you might just learn to shut your mouth.

Freezing the bushings takes the "play" out of the rubber taking the fight out of pushing to bushing onto the stub of the control arm, and yes you can do it will only soapy water.....assuming you freeze the bushings.

Try stuff before you critique it.

[wolfgangstbd]

take it easy...

i dont have a manual right now and the computer ones at my school give me very shitty torque index sooo what did you torque the CAB bracket bolts to and the two ball joint nuts?