Under the car and noticed this worn out bushing...what is it?

[97 MPWR]

I was changing the oil this weekend and had the car up on jackstands. I was checking some things out and came arcoss this worn out bushing in the rear.

Is this a pretty common bushing to go? Is this a DIY? Is there an aftermarket bushing I should buy or just replace it with the stock one?

http://www.cameron.pair.com/bsm/bolt1.jpg

http://www.cameron.pair.com/bsm/bolt3.jpg

http://www.cameron.pair.com/bsm/bolt2.jpg

[scottycs]

Rear subframe bushing. There are 4 total. I plan on replacing them shortly. The whole rear subframe must come out.

[vjlax18]

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/image/Used%20Parts/Dcp_4329.jpg

Looky like a dis outta da car. :D

[97 MPWR]

John,

Is that what I need to buy or do I just need the bushings? Can that be purchased directly from Turner?? My bushing is obviously completely shot. Am I OK driving the car like this until I get it replaced?

[scottycs]

You are fine driving the car if you haven't noticed it while driving. My car feels very loose in the rear, that is how i know I needed to replace them.

You don't need a whole new subframe, you just need to have the bushings replaced, the 2 front and the 2 rear.

I dunno if your a DIY, but if you are the bushings cost around 100 total.

[alexd]

Bri - that looks okay to me, am I not seeing something??

[John H]

John,

Is that what I need to buy or do I just need the bushings? Can that be purchased directly from Turner?? My bushing is obviously completely shot. Am I OK driving the car like this until I get it replaced?

Like any bushings that are worn, if you neglect them for too long, eventually you'll begin to stress and then tear the metal.

I'm not sure this is common on M3's but it definitely happens on 325's. The M3's mounting points are supposedly reinforced.

Just take it easy on the car until you get a chance to replace them.

- John, running out to check his subframe bushings....

[M3Run]

those bushings look normal. I take it you think that part of the bushing is missing, which was my first thought when I saw mine. That's how they look normally, though. Try to compress them or move the subframe around to see if they're soft and worn. Otherwise, they look ok.

[U1arunit]

Brian they look normal. Don't worry, be happy! :)

You and I need to make plans for BFE with Josh for the drive up sat. PM or email me.

[97 MPWR]

those bushings look normal. I take it you think that part of the bushing is missing, which was my first thought when I saw mine. That's how they look normally, though. Try to compress them or move the subframe around to see if they're soft and worn. Otherwise, they look ok.

i think you are probably 100% correct. at first, it looked to me like the bushing was completely deteriorating. i'll throw it back up on the stands and see if there is any play. my guess is that these probably do not need replaced just yet.

[RagnarDanskjold]

Three weekends ago, I dismantled the entire rear subframe on my '95 M3 with 133k/mi. to replace all the bushings in the rear end. Subframe, diff mounts, control arm ends and the ball joints.

It was really easy to get the whole thing apart, and I was amazed to find that all the bushings were in great shape. I had seen some cracks on the surface of the front diff. bushing, and I feared it was about to go. Not so. All the rubber was very resilient and the cracks were all environment related. Just dirt, ice and heat.

Even with a full set of new bushings (Powerflex for the subframe, aluminum mounts from Turner for the diff), and OEM for the rest, I wound up leaving them all in.

What I DID replace were the two ball joints on the upper control arms outer end where it meets the wheel. They were definitely worn and had about .5mm of play. On my test drive, the back end felt much tighter and the annoying klunk I'd been hunting down for two years was gone. (New RTABs and RSMs already).

I'd recommend starting with those outer ball joints first if you're experiencing play in the back end that isn't fixed by the RTABs.

HTH,
Steve