I'm going through this rear suspension rebuild process and have found all but 2 parts: rear upper control arms #33321138015 x2. The bushings are bad and not listed separately. Have checked with several dealers and BMW has them backordered with no estimated date of availability. Also checked AutohausAZ, FCP Euro, Maximillian, TMS, and sent an e-mail to Wokke. Anybody have any idea where to get these control arms?
Life's too short to drive boring cars --
- 1988 M6 (e24) - Zinnoberrot/Pearl Beige (sold )
- 1994 850 Ci (e31) - Orient Blue Metallic/LtSilverGray
- 2017 Porsche Macan - Night Blue Metallic
I think Wokke is your best bet right now. Like many before me I searched for a replacement part including a call into Lemforder.... after searching their data base they told me they do not have a part with these dimensions.
Thanks -- Wolf replied and has the control arms -- remanufactured with new bushings. Ordered them, so just have to wait for delivery.
Life's too short to drive boring cars --
- 1988 M6 (e24) - Zinnoberrot/Pearl Beige (sold )
- 1994 850 Ci (e31) - Orient Blue Metallic/LtSilverGray
- 2017 Porsche Macan - Night Blue Metallic
I am starting a rear suspension returb this week on my 850 6-speed and had a couple of questions for the more experienced. I decided it was best to revive this old thread as the information is very detailed and the pictures are great for reference. I purchased all the parts about three years ago, but haven’t had time to get to this due to other projects. So now’s the time. My goal is to achieve the same results as TxGR8White, but I will not be disappointed if I don’t get there. That refurb was the gold standard for rear suspension refurbs.
Right now I have everything disassembled and loosened, and ready to lower from the car, however, I am not certain about the drive axles. In order to change the lower ball joint in the wheel carrier, it seems it would be prudent to remove the two half-shafts. I have loosened the 6 cap screws that attach the drive half-shafts to the differntial, but the nut on the wheel side of the axle is where my questions are directed. My experience with these nuts on other cars are that they are under extreme torque, as high as 250 lb-ft, so removal could be challenging. I also don’t have a socket large enough to fit the nut. At first it looked like a nut cover like other cars I have worked on, but according to the maintenance manual (and closer inspection), it seems to be about a 36 mm 12 point nut. The manual also indicates that they need to be pressed out of the wheel carrier. I would also need to put the tires back on and lower the car back down on the ground to keep the axle from turning. So the more I think about it I wonder if it is really necessary. I might be able to press the ball joint in and out of the wheel carrier with the half-shaft still attached, with a little help from a buddy. Does anyone have any experience with either removing the axles or pressing the ball joint from the wheel carrier while the half shaft is attached?
If you are not replacing the wheel bearings it might be possible to press out those ball joints with the half shafts in place but it won’t be easy. I think best to use a hydraulic press and you will want to remove the half shafts from the wheel hub for this. Spinning the axle nut off is easy with wheel on ground and an impact driver. You’ll need the right thin wall socket. With the right tools this job is straightforward but without them it could be frustrating, especially if there is rust. I have some pics on my website http://km5tz.com/BMW%20850iP7.htm
Last edited by BMSman; 01-01-2019 at 06:17 PM.
Buy the right socket and either get an electric Impact or use this as the time to get a high capacity Air impact with compressor. They will change your life.
you dont need to remove the half-shaft to change any of the ball joints, there was enough room when i did it usisng a threaded rod with some short pipe pieces of correct diameter to pull it out and push new one in.
Thanks all for the helpful advice. The link was very helpful. I have saved all the posts that i found thriugh the last few years, but that link had information that i havent seen before. The bearings are fine and wasn't planning on replacing them. The car only has 75k miles, and no rust anywhere. It's had a good life. I have most of the tools, except the socket and the hub puller/separator, but haven't had much luck with impact hammers and sockets on other axle nuts. Overall, I like the idea of fabricating a press from threaded rod. My head was inside the 'use the hydraulic press' box and I didn't think about that approach. Great idea razman850! That should get me headed in the right direction. I'm hoping to get the whole carrier assembly completely broken down this coming weekend.
I really want to rebuild the rear suspension on my car in the next couple of months. I have purchased all but two bushings to do the complete rear suspension, subframe, diff mount, etc. I have also bought new diff seals and wheel bearings. I also have an LSD diff, larger bar, and new brakes to install at the same time.
The threaded rod is the better approach for another reason, you will have to disconnect the handbrake cables to remove the whole wheel carrier and on my car atleast i had to disconnect it from inside the car and snake it in and out which is hard to do with the exhaust in the way, had to do that when swapping my rear subframe because they stupidly thread the cable through a loop on the carrier, didnt want to cut the loop or ring.
I was able to disconnect the parking break cables at the rear wheels - pretty straight forward if I remember correctly. Here is a link to some of the pics from my previous restoration: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...toration/page9
CSi #18 - Car & Driver Magazine 1994 actual test car
-- Hellrot/Black-Gray (1 of 1 NA CSi color combination)
BMWCCA E31 Chapter International Clubs Liaison
North America Representative, 8er.or Board of Directors
I agree with disconnecting the cables at the rear wheels. Very straightforward. I just had to tape up the brake linkage afterwards so I wouldn't lose the tiny pin that holds the cable end. The previous owner had installed a 3.15:1 differential and I discovered that he used socket head cap screws to attach the axle shafts onto the differential. After researching the correct torx head screws, I think I understand why he went with socket heads. About the cheapest price I can find is $18./bolt. Found a post where someone suggested another available (but much less expensive) BMW torx bolt that is 2mm longer. I'm going to check it out to see if there is enough space to allow another 2 mm. And save myself about $160. Thanks again for all the help!
CSi #18 - Car & Driver Magazine 1994 actual test car
-- Hellrot/Black-Gray (1 of 1 NA CSi color combination)
BMWCCA E31 Chapter International Clubs Liaison
North America Representative, 8er.or Board of Directors
Why aren't socket head bolts acceptable? Because they weren't used originally? I would imagine that both are 12.9 strength.
Been on the road the last week and just got back. I checked the bolt length clearance on the rear axle half shafts and there is easily and additional 5mm of clearance, so I am going to order the 52 mm length torx head bolts. I agree there is likely not significant difference between torx head and sockets head bolts, but original BMW is important to me, so that's my primary motivation for going this direction. The p/n is 26117526322 if anyone is interested. I will post up again once I verify fitment.
On another issue, there are two black plastic 'plug connect brackets' mounted to the rear end of the rear carrier frame. I have included a photo. They are identified with a p/n 1 383 839 on the inside. That number gets me nowhere on realoem, and I couldn't locate them anywhere in any of the diagrams. I looked in the E38 section as well, and found one that was similar, but not close enough. Mine are brittle and broken in a few places and I would like to replace them. Anybody have a p/n for these or know if they are still available?
Looks like they may be available from: https://scorebmwparts.com/parts/inde...&siteid=218743
Thanks everyone. I ordered them from ECS tonight along with a few other items. Got to finish cleaning everything this weekend so I can start refinishing all the parts.
Getting ready to drop the subframe complete this weekend
I was looking at the 33321135134 and its Companion 33321135135 at $219.99 each
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...ft-33321135134
or
Just the bearing at $11.00 each and press them in
Does anyone have a PN and MFG for the Ball Joint that goes into the other end??
Capture.JPG
Last edited by rjjablo; 11-26-2021 at 08:06 PM.
There may be a way of refreshing the boot with a universal repair kit, but who knows what condition the joint is in. I elected the replace the arms when I did my rebuild.
If you are buying a job lot of parts for the rear suspension try pricing up with Schmiedmann. That rear control arm is only $161 plus shipping (but if you’re ordering a few parts it makes it worth while).
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