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Thread: Control Arm Bushing Replacement Woes

  1. #26
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    Everyone is overthinking and complicating things.

    1. Throw out rubber/OE-style LCABs and buy poly LCABs.
    2. Lubricate Poly LCABs generousy with copper-based lubricant.
    3. Push Poly LCABs on by hand (maybe a slight tap with a deadblow hammer).
    4. Enjoy incredible feedback and ultimate driving sensation.


    "You don't win silver....you lose gold."

  2. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by danomite View Post
    Everyone is overthinking and complicating things.

    1. Throw out rubber/OE-style LCABs and buy poly LCABs.
    2. Lubricate Poly LCABs generousy with copper-based lubricant.
    3. Push Poly LCABs on by hand (maybe a slight tap with a deadblow hammer).
    4. Enjoy incredible feedback and ultimate driving sensation.

    Clearly one size does not fit all... depends on the intended use of the Z... personally I have all poly throughout my autox car, and I very much would not want such in a touring Z.

  3. #28
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    Now I'm glad I didn't replace with OEM. I recall my install taking a couple minutes per side. I went with the spherical units that Turner used to offer. They're called Monoball now. However, the prices have increased dramatically. I recall paying $179 for both sides, and now they're $299!

    My steering is immediate with the slightest flick of the wheel.

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by s8ilver View Post
    Now I'm glad I didn't replace with OEM. I recall my install taking a couple minutes per side. I went with the spherical units that Turner used to offer. They're called Monoball now. However, the prices have increased dramatically. I recall paying $179 for both sides, and now they're $299!

    My steering is immediate with the slightest flick of the wheel.
    The solid rubber ///M ones are $70 for a pair, including the lollipops - they give you the immediate turn-in, the total lack of tramlining, yet don't rattle one's wrists after a 6 hr drive like the polys do. The poly's also result in shorter lives for the balljoints.

  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by gmushial View Post
    Clearly one size does not fit all... depends on the intended use of the Z... personally I have all poly throughout my autox car, and I very much would not want such in a touring Z.
    Danomite is only poking a little fun!

  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by gmushial View Post
    The solid rubber ///M ones are $70 for a pair, including the lollipops - they give you the immediate turn-in, the total lack of tramlining, yet don't rattle one's wrists after a 6 hr drive like the polys do. The poly's also result in shorter lives for the balljoints.
    I believe the ones I installed on my Roadster were actually OEM-like rubber with an embedded spherical bearing, but I hear you about the poly. I've got an all-poly track car that I wouldn't drive down my driveway due to the harshness. The Roadster sees a couple thousand miles/year, so not terribly worried about ball joint life (I did replace control arms at the same time). For a DD I'd go OEM all the way (actually converting some of the poly on my Coupe from PO back to stock...RTABs screech when it's hot out and I get a lot of strange looks!).
    Nathan in Denver

    1999 M Roadster, VFE V3 S/C, Randy Forbes Reinforced, Hardtop, H&R/Bilstein, Apex PS-7, Supersprint
    1999 Z3 2.8 Coupe, Headers, 3.46, Manual Swap, H&R/Koni, M Geometry/Brakes, M54B30 Manifold, Style 42

  7. #32
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    Tim @ BMW of Dallas
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    Quote Originally Posted by danomite View Post
    Everyone is overthinking and complicating things.

    1. Throw out rubber/OE-style LCABs and buy poly LCABs.
    2. Lubricate Poly LCABs generousy with copper-based lubricant.
    3. Push Poly LCABs on by hand (maybe a slight tap with a deadblow hammer).
    4. Enjoy incredible feedback and ultimate driving sensation.

    But that's just too easy! Haha. I have poly in both of my Z3's, and i dont notice any additional NVH from them. Only thing I get is more crisp steering feel. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.
    96 320i Touring
    98 Z3 2.8 Roadster
    01 PY M Coupe
    96 Z3 1.9 - DASC
    95 318ti Clubsport
    94 Miata M-Edition
    13 smart fortwo



  8. #33
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    2000 2.3l z3
    If you got the new bushing in the lolipop - you have the hard part done. i put a liberal amount of silicone tune-up grease in the shank and on ID of bushing.
    grab the arm in the vice and then get both hands on the bush. kind of push in hard with your body weight and rotate at the same time. It will slide right on.
    i got to do it several time as I would put it on--- take it under car and see it was on backwards..... :-)
    The grease helps a lot. Hammer is pointless.
    Tim
    PS---- I used the later model real rubber ones that dont have the cutouts. Dramatically firmer than the broken-up stock ones. NO rattles no -AT ALLTracking with the steering is ---- well ----- so precise it like the car is paranoid ! :-) Its SO much tighter than a "normal" car its kind of hard to relax my arms
    while driving. All most a motorcycle sensation..... but in a good way. I replaced both struts, upper strut mounts, control arms , ball joints and CAB.
    She's tight now. But still a bit noisy as the old ragged rear tires are paper thin and scalloped at the edges. It get conti extreme contact sport tomorrow.
    Cant wait to feel the difference !!!!!
    I think the bushing are just right. Any harder and I wouldnt like them on the street. I think they were stock on an M coupe if I remember right.
    Last edited by fairchild; 07-25-2017 at 11:32 PM.

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by fairchild View Post
    If you got the new bushing in the lolipop - you have the hard part done. i put a liberal amount of silicone tune-up grease in the shank and on ID of bushing.
    grab the arm in the vice and then get both hands on the bush. kind of push in hard with your body weight and rotate at the same time. It will slide right on.
    i got to do it several time as I would put it on--- take it under car and see it was on backwards..... :-)
    The grease helps a lot. Hammer is pointless.
    Grease would work, but I wouldn't use it myself--the bushing is supposed to affix itself to the shank of the control arm in the normal "suspension at rest" position. Using soap (or Randy's alcohol/water solution) achieves this result as soon as the lubricant dries (pretty quickly, which is why all the advice to get it on the ground asap). Using grease could interfere with this process. The idea is that the rubber bushing is seated in the lollypop and to the control arm, and the bushing itself twists as the suspension moves up and down (thereby resisting movement either up or down, resisting increasingly more with greater degrees of movement, and helping to return the suspension to the at rest position in concert with the spring dampeners). Using grease might let the control arm twist in the bushing for an extended period following assembly, and the control arm could ultimately seat when the suspension is loaded or unloaded (or not at all--depending on the grease). I agree that a hammer is not the right tool for the job either way.
    Last edited by Mr Bingley; 07-26-2017 at 07:13 AM. Reason: delete repeated word

  10. #35
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    That's why I like the silicone spray. Lubes temporarily, dries fast. It works extremely well and is rubber etc. friendly.

  11. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Bingley View Post
    Grease would work, but I wouldn't use it myself--the bushing is supposed to affix itself to the shank of the control arm in the normal "suspension at rest" position. Using soap (or Randy's alcohol/water solution) achieves this result as soon as the lubricant dries (pretty quickly, which is why all the advice to get it on the ground asap). Using grease could interfere with this process. The idea is that the rubber bushing is seated in the lollypop and to the control arm, and the bushing itself twists as the suspension moves up and down (thereby resisting movement either up or down, resisting increasingly more with greater degrees of movement, and helping to return the suspension to the at rest position in concert with the spring dampeners). Using grease might let the control arm twist in the bushing for an extended period following assembly, and the control arm could ultimately seat when the suspension is loaded or unloaded (or not at all--depending on the grease). I agree that a hammer is not the right tool for the job either way.
    Have to agree... though would go one step further: I don't think the adhering to the LCA horn so much has to do with adding resistance to the up and down motion of the suspension - the struts and springs would offer much higher resistance to that: but so much as to not add slop to the suspension geometry: if the LCA horn is rotating relative to the inside of LCAB, it's going to wear away on the rubber pretty quickly, and soon you're going to be metal of the horn on the metal on the inside of the bushing, with a couple mm of slop btwn the two - and since the bushing is one corner of a triangle (two balljoints the other two) - any slop there and you're really going to feel that in the suspension. My guess is the locking up between the two only needs to be stronger than the bushing is "weak", ie, there is enough adhesion between the horn and inside of bushing, so as to be able to flex the rubber in the bushing when there is motion to be absorbed. ... w/re silicone lube: it's still lube and I suspect it never allows the bushing to adhere to the horn - the test would be to see how "locked up" a LCAB is relative to the horn when one goes to replace one. ... with the kerosene [or Randy's alcohol/water], one is dissolving the rubber and as it becomes a solid again, it does such filling in all the interstitial spaces/rugosity of the horn surface, forming a epoxy type space filling bond... if one doesn't dissolve the rubber, that's not going to happen. ... if one needs a two arm puller to pull the old ones off, or a two foot pipe wrench to break them free - then they were well bonded: anything short of that and they weren't.

  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by fairchild View Post
    If you got the new bushing in the lolipop - you have the hard part done.
    I made a tool to press the new bushing into the lollipop. It's a 60mm socket from Northern Tool and a giant bolt, nut, and a bunch of washers. I think I paid about $25 for everything.

    IMG_20170521_143621.jpg

  13. #38
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    THIS is how BMW pays their techs to do it, using these tools and recommended rubber lubricant (around the middle of page 2).

    I know better than to think so, but this should be the last word on the subject

    RA Replacing bracket for control arm.pdf

  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Forbes View Post
    THIS is how BMW pays their techs to do it, using these tools and recommended rubber lubricant (around the middle of page 2).

    I know better than to think so, but this should be the last word on the subject

    RA Replacing bracket for control arm.pdf
    I think the take away is, or one major one is: moving the bushing without lube, destroys the inner surface, effectively destroying the bushing.. and it seems the 5 min or 10 min number I remember was short by a factor of n.

  15. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Forbes View Post
    THIS is how BMW pays their techs to do it, using these tools and recommended rubber lubricant (around the middle of page 2).

    I know better than to think so, but this should be the last word on the subject

    RA Replacing bracket for control arm.pdf
    No fair Randy--are there any special tools that you don't have for these cars? Are there any tools you don't have in general?

  16. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Bingley View Post
    No fair Randy--are there any special tools that you don't have for these cars? Are there any tools you don't have in general?
    Regrettably, yes; I didn't buy the full complement of ZF tools to overhaul the xmsn a dozen (>12) years ago. Back then, all the required tools and fixtures would've only cost around $2600.00, of course that decision was tempered by the reality__then__that a new/reconditioned gearbox was available across the BMW dealer's parts counter for only $1600.

    I still should've bought them, dammit

    As for your second question, none of any importance come to mind. I mean, I don't have a Col-Met paint booth or a Chassis-Liner frame rack (or even a 12' x 5' x 1' Starrett granite surface plate...) but I'm not lacking for much

  17. #42
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    I don't recommend doing the control arm bushings outside in the middle of winter while it's raining. I just thought I'd put that suggestion out there. It's a lot harder to remove them from the arms or install them when it's cold.

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