Is e30 ball joint replacement possible?

[DaN]

I have replaced one outer ball joint on mine, with the control arm still on the car.
I had to torch the old one out after the press popped the ball and stud out.
Then I pressed the new one in with a ball joint press, not too hard, and the joint was like $20 or something.

[nickmcc92]

Was he able to replace the outer ball joints? I'm doing the same

[AndrewBird]

Note the date. NINE years ago...

[roguetoaster]

By now it's probably been done twice! How did you even find this thread?

Seriously, get replacement ball joint, heat/cajole/press old joint out, clean splines, press new in, done. Takes ~30 minutes a side on the first attempt assuming you have a press.

[bmwguy325is]

Someone just posted a DIY on this not more than a month ago.
But ya wow 9 years.........

[irish44j]

By now it's probably been done twice! How did you even find this thread?

Seriously, get replacement ball joint, heat/cajole/press old joint out, clean splines, press new in, done. Takes ~30 minutes a side on the first attempt assuming you have a press.

This.

And buy Moog balljoints....

[nickmcc92]

By now it's probably been done twice! How did you even find this thread?

Seriously, get replacement ball joint, heat/cajole/press old joint out, clean splines, press new in, done. Takes ~30 minutes a side on the first attempt assuming you have a press.

Wait, what's a press?

[nickmcc92]

This.

And buy Moog balljoints....

I bought meyle ball joints. Read they are made fully out of metal. Not hollow


Jk vvvvv

[TobyB]

Made fully out of metal. In China. With quality control that is... variable.

I love old threads. I tried pressing out ball joints, and realized that, to press new ones
in, I'd have to make some pretty neat custom fixtures.

So I bought new arms, and threw the old ones into the steel recycling.

I am lazy.

I'll see those arms again when I buy a Daewoo...

t

[E-Z]

lol. people rip for digging up old threads, then complain when people make a thread and dont search? haha

[AndrewBird]

The point of searching is both

A. So you don't post a thread about something that has already been covered, often multiple times.

B. So you don't NEED to bump old ass threads that give you an answer to your question.

[E-Z]

lol

[Northern]

175 from BMW, and online is not especially an option for that... I learned my lesson on that one. I bought a shift know from Bavauto for 80$ US... = 120$ Canadian (back when the exchange was almost 50%), plus 30 dollars shipping plus 46 dollars Customs fee (that's the big one) equals almost 200 dollars.
The heavier and bigger things get, the more expensive they are for Customs to rip you off.
People in Canada know, it's worth finding a Canadian distributor.
Price-wise, it's definitely worth it to do ball joints, plus it's a moot point know since they're already bought and opened.
If anyone wants to know about the ball joints;
The box says they are OCAP (it's got a weird panda on the cover), they are made in Italy, says TUV certified, not much in the way of part numbers on it, just E30BMW316-318 on a sticker on the side.
They look quality, and have a 1 year warranty, so for 20$ for the short outer and 25$ for the long inner (again, CDN), it's worth it to me.

Lol

[nickmcc92]

lol

Lol

[Vtec?lol]

I have another solution,
I froze mine for a few hours.
I then slowly heated the controll arm istelf and the ball joints slid right out.
I stuck the new ball joints in the freezer for a few and warmed the control arm up and they snugged right in.
All without a press.