Anybody know about headlight connector links? Xenon right angle vs others?

[geargrinder]

Had some trouble a while back w/ my self adjusting headlights, and just thought one side was borked (maybe it still is since my problem wasn't happening on both sides...) but yesterday then found this...

http://www.j2c3.com/misc/BMW/LightLeveler.jpg

So pretty clearly had a problem there. Leveler arm popped off, and, the joint had totally seized up. OK fine no bigs.

Except look at the parts, there's apparently 2 configs for the arm & level sensor according to parts catalog.

One has both ball joints in parallel, the other has them 90 from each other.

Parts are these:
37146752797 - parallel - $6
31121094607 - 90 version - $28

The 90 includes the clip for the swaybar while the parallel version is just a link... so there's about $.50 of extra stamped sheet metal, making it obviously well worth being 4x the price.

But really, anybody know anything about these suckers? Is there an alternate?

I might just fab up a replacement from McMaster parts out of spite. Tried to loosen up the old one but it clearly will never be right - even if I get it free now the minute we have ice and snow its going to lock up again I'm sure...

[jstern]

I looked up these parts on realoem and the 90 degree angle rod is for the front headlamp sensor. The parallel one is for the rear ride height sensor that feeds info to the control unit for the pneumatic rear springs. Both have clips but the front clip is included with the control rod and the rear clip is a separate part.

Who knows why the front is 4X+ the $? Must be the included clip :D:D! Who knows why the halls effect devices are priced differently????

You probably know all the above already.

I had a rear level sensor fail and had to replace it. Can't remember if I had to replace the control rod too.

Edit- http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=DR63-USA-02_1998_E39_BMW_540i&diagId=31_0265#31121094607

If you look carefully at the two control rods, they bolt to the arms on the sensors and the suspension differently. The clip for the front arm does seem to have a more complicated clip-3 times more complicated: NO.

[sleuth255]

Interestingly, on my 2003 530i (sport suspension), the front angle joint is parallel. Having just spent several hours today under the car working on this exact joint/level sensor, I can succinctly attest to the factual basis of this contention...

More importantly:

$28 for a BMW part? Why are you even bothering to question this when you know that you have to pay to play with E39s. <$30 for a part is a bit of sunshine in my book...

I'm more interested in your statement that the problem isn't happening on both sides. Are you saying that one of the headlights is working and the other is not? If so, that's a whole different animal.

[auaq]

My front one is 90* while the right rear is parallel.

[sleuth255]

Yeah, there's like three different configurations. Looking at RealOEM, I'm still not sure what part number my front sensor really should be. The bracket for mine looks like the one (#2) on the lower left below. That's pretty much why I decided to just fix the one in the car.

http://media.fotki.com/1_p,rrkqdbgwtddbgwtxstggtgfbwtk,vi/tdtrwsqfxwttsttqfsxrgdbtrwkg/4/43626/167477/Capture-vi.png

[auaq]

Mine is #7 on the M5 in the front. I don't remember what it's like on my 530i.

[SloopJohnB]

Resurrecting zombi thread.
This angle joint assembly is the worst I've ever seen. I've replaced two of them..they all fail at the right angle bend where the link attaches to the suspension arm bracket. The bracket is at least ½ as thick as it should (and could be) and the locking clip can also break at the two 1mm square cross section points. The first one I replaced the locking clip broke on installation and I clamped the bracket to the lower suspension arm with a worm hose clamp. Eventually the bracket fatigued at the lower spherical joint right angle bend. The second one I installed also broke at the locking clip...just insufficient metal to hold it together...fortunately I had the hose clamp, again.
Next time I have to install one I'll try to reinforce the right angle bend with some epoxy and another piece of metal. The hose clamp will be used again...it seems to hold!

PS: E46M3 cabrio. Only one angle joint on the RF lower suspension arm. The pic is of the OEM part, ignore the ECS logo.


https://c1552172.ssl.cf0.rackcdn.com/91759_x450.jpg

[TerraPhantm]

The M3 one sucks too. Breaks super easily, even when brand new. Zip ties work much more reliably.

[Dking078]

The M3 one sucks too. Breaks super easily, even when brand new. Zip ties work much more reliably.

+1 broke mine way back when on a CA car and zip ties remedied it.

[f355spider]

Wow, count me blessed. Just shy of 18 yo car, 290k miles, never replaced that part.

[geargrinder]

LOL. I saw this zombie thread revival and didn't register that it was my thread from years ago. I never fixed that actually, haven't had auto leveling in years... Ironically I just snagged a brand new link from a parts car on Sunday... it'd just been replaced shortly before the car croaked. Trying to decide whether I care enough about self-leveling to re-set-it-up...