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Thread: Rear suspension - torques and ride height tightening Qs - order of assembly notes

  1. #1
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    Rear suspension - torques and ride height tightening Qs - order of assembly notes

    Well, I got through the rear suspension. In the end, I did not take the rear shocks off because.. well, they weren't coming off and I feared that I would damage the shock bushing.

    So I discovered that there is a precise order that makes it easier to do things, which I will note here because I have not seen it elsewhere:

    Take everything apart. Remove control arms, spherical bushing, etc. Be aware that it's a lot easier to loosen nuts while the suspension is all in one piece, so loosen nuts first, then take pieces off. Yes, do remove the calipers and the carriers. It's only two 16mm bolts. Hang them on the exhaust. Remember while you're taking things apart to remove the ABS sensors wires from the clips on the H arms and remember to disconnect the headlight level sensor on the passenger side. Yes, the passenger side does have the fuel inlet which is a drag and the pad wear sensor wire that is even more of a drag.

    Be aware that the least bad way to get things apart is to do what Gareth @ FCP says and remove the frameside rear bolt for the H control arm. Loosen the front bolt and let it hang down rather than using the vise grip method.

    Forget the rest of the stuff and get the bushing removal kit which has the central screw, not the C-clamp. There are several copies, but even the BMW tool is less than $200. Various copies are around for $120 or so. Sell it used here or on ebay when you're done.

    So now you have everything apart, the H arm is dangling and you have the new spherical bushing in. You will note that you can move the wheel carrier around a lot, because the upper arms are nowhere to be seen. THIS IS KEY.

    Lift the H control arm - no L link on the wheel carrier so you have plenty of room to move things around - and position it ABOVE the spherical bushing, where it will want to go anyways.

    With the control arm ABOVE the spherical bushing, persuade the frameside rear part to go into the bracket. Hammer and punches necessary. The bolt will, eventually, cooperate. Remember to keep the ABS sensor wire out of the way because it will try to get trapped between the half shaft and the control arm.

    Once that is in - but neither frameside bolts are tightened - position the spherical bushing more or less where it's supposed to be. Be aware that it's easier to position the spherical bushing if you pull the carrier OUT and insert it into the H arm from outside in rather than up or down because of the lips on the H arm. Yes, you will have to yank. Yes, it will take quite a bit of force. Once the lip of the control arm is on the spherical bearing surface, thus negating any possibility of the rubber boot getting pinched, slip the L connector on the front of the spherical bushing and let the front H arm lip rest in between the two bushings on the L arm, then get the H arm in position on the lower bushing of the L arm by slipping the bushing in from below and the outside. A punch on the rear side to make sure the control arm doesn't slip off the spherical bushing won't hurt. Hammering will be required until the coupling is almost in position, then it will become looser and the last few millimetres will be easy. I actually slipped the bolt of eternity in, helping myself with punches on the rear side, as soon as I had the bushing in the front more-or-less situated, then I tapped with a hammer to get the front sorted so I could see the head of the bolt. At that point, firm hammer application on the bolt of eternity will make it come out where it's supposed to. Put the 24mm nut back on but do not tighten it.

    Once this is sorted, put the upper control arms in. You'll have to position the frameside part below the brackets, then slip the ball joint stems in, then lift the opposite head of each arm into the brackets on the frame. Slip the nut on the balljoint stem, then slip the bolts into the frameside ends and slip on but do not tighten the nuts.

    At this point, tighten the nuts on the ball joint ends of the control arms. This is the only place where you will actually be able to USE a torque wrench, so if it makes you feel better, use it.

    Put the caliper back on and thread the ABS sensor wire back into its clips - of course, you'd removed it from the clips before swinging the arms down, right? On the passenger side, connect the headlight level sensor again. Yes, you will have to replace the small connector arm with the two small ball joints. Yes, it's offensively expensive.

    Now comes the part where I have questions myself.

    You're supposed to tighten the upper control arms, frameside, the L connector bolt and the bolt of eternity at ride height. That... can be achieved, sort of, as long as you're clear that there is no way to use a torque wrench on the upper control arm bolt/nuts, so the 60 and 110 Nm are going to have to be eyeballed. Not that any alignment place would EVER use a torque wrench on the camber bolt or that a bolt specced at 260Nm (!!!) needs a torque wrench anyways.

    But. Are you ALSO supposed to tighten the H arm frameside bolts at ride height? That is, effectively, geometrically impossible. I can't tell whether the bushings would actually remain twisted - they do not have the grabbing surfaces that others do.

    PSJR, I checked the file on your website and it is eminently unclear. Any clarity will be much appreciated.
    Last edited by nmlss2006; 02-19-2018 at 10:43 AM.

  2. #2
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    Following up...

    Thanks to psjr's post here https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...4#post29876524

    I tightened every single bolt at ride height.

    Then I took the car to be aligned. And all the angles seem to be fine, except for front camber being a little low, more so on one side.

    And now I get to figure out why it feels like I'm driving my in-laws' 2004 Camry with 207kmi on the clock and all-original suspension components.

  3. #3
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    Wait you're saying it doesn't drive well? Did you replace the struts? How many miles? What doesn't feel right?
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  4. #4
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    Indeed I'm saying that it drives worse than before I replaced everything.

    Car has 95.8kmi on it. Struts are original and were not changed.

    Basically, there is a more... vague centre feel to the steering and response to very small steering inputs is nonexistent. Which would tend to indicate too much toe-in.

    But, I have to keep slight positive pressure on the steering to go straight AND the car needs to be.. overdriven continuously, in a way which has nothing to do with E38s (or E39s).

    On the other hand, as soon as you load a side of the car, whichever, it's fine, though not particularly precise.

    The Hunter alignment angle sheet looks good, not perfect. But I get the feeling someone didn't attach the sensors to the wheels properly. The problem is, it feels like toe has .. both issues, if you ask me. As in, both too much toe-in and too little.

  5. #5
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    You only replaced rear components, not any steering components? Drove better before the rear replacement and alignment? If yes, then it seems to me they screwed the pooch on your alignment. You can have everything "within spec" if the sensors are mis-aligned by less than 1 degree and not have a good alignment as a result! Been there and done that.
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  6. #6
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    I previously replaced the front suspension and steering components. At this point the only wear item that is left is the four shocks themselves.

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