Rear subframe mounting bolt stuck

[rmdashrf]

I'm doing the same exact thing right now.

I left the diff in and put the diff bolt back through the diff bushing and left a jack about half an inch below the middle of the subframe to catch it when it falls. Then a 10" 3/8 extension through the top, sitting on the tapped and bolted subframe mount.

You really need to pound it, hard. My extension was old and crap, that's why I used it. After I got both free, the extension was in bad shape.

Hit it with a sledgehammer HARD. It'll come out.

[Northern]

The method I use is to put a heavy coat or blanket over the bolt opening in the car to protect the inside of the car and beat it up and out with a hammer.

Then take a long extension, stick it up the hole and beat what is left sticking out the bottom back and forth a few times until it works the bushing sleeve loose. Subframe should be pretty easy to manoeuvre off the car after.

I've done this to two cars now, one of them being a grey market 325ix that's seen more than a dozen salty Canadian winters.

[blunttech]

Then take a long extension, stick it up the hole and beat what is left sticking out the bottom back and forth a few times until it works the bushing sleeve loose. Subframe should be pretty easy to manoeuvre off the car after.

this is the easiest way to get a subframe out in a few minutes.. Works great

[Roysneon]

I've had the busing sleeve break off inside the cavity in the car, I just took a chisel and hammer and smashed the aluminum up until i crumbled.

[dullrot]

funny this thread revived this morning, I spent another few hours last night working to get my subframe out. Fruitlessly.

I'd bought a two jaw puller and welded up a U shaped steel bar stock piece to create a DIY bushing puller, but that just succeeds in bending down the metal lip of the bushing. It brings the bushing down maybe 1/8" in, but that's all. I think I can see why, right above the open spot in the bushing lip where the OEM bushing puller tool (and my DIY one) on either side that is dimpled to prevent the bushing coming out. I banged thin chisels up there to help it seperate. It's only due to that the bush would drop 1/8".

I'd already been through tapping the bushing sleeve, threading in a bolt, and beating on it mercilessly from inside the cabin.

Tried putting a jack on the spring pads and expanding, nope. Pry bar, nope. Hell that sort of washer-like hat where the bushi enters the frame rail, I bent that down 1/4" with a pry bar. Hole saw to chew up the rubber bush between the sleeve and subframe - nope.


This is the single most annoying thing I've dealt with in ten years of wrenching on cars, and I've done it all. Makes me want to give up on the car, just about.

[dullrot]

finally got the f*er off...mostly.

After all I did in my previous post, I decided to remove the diff and both training arms to have more room to work and less pressure on the bushings. Diff came off easily enough. Passenger trailing arm was annoying due to the fuel filler inlet blocking the rightmost bolt holding the arm to the subframe.

Once all that was out I hit the bushings with hole saws and drill bits to loosen them up. Then used a two jaw puller pulling on the subframe and pushing on the bushing aluminum center sleeve. That pulled the subframe off the bushing on the driver side easily enough. (sleeve and rubber part of bushing still stuck in the frame). After that I could push the subframe around to pressure the pass bushing. It snapped off the center sleeve in the frame. I'll have to chisel that out.

On the drive side, with the subframe off I was able to use the bolt I threaded into the bottom of the bushing sleeve to hammer it out from above. I'd beat on that thing a million times, but I think the rubber against the subframe damped too much of the blows.

Now to weld up some mild steel tubing into a shop press to get the bushing sleeves out of the subframe and trailing arms.

[bmwm42]

The tool takes all the stress and waste of time go away....I love my subframe tool.

[jalopi]

I bet it is nice, but the subframe tool won't help with the stuck sleeve problem. I was having a heeeelllll of a time getting the bushing sleeve unstuck. Ended up tapping it for a 16mm bolt. Hit it from up top with the air hammer. Came out for me that way.