Front Strut Leakage

[Pima Roadster]

Owned the 3.0 Roadster for over ten years now. With 40K miles, not many parts have reached the point where normal wear requires replacement. Since the car came home with 10K miles less than it has now, I have noticed a dampness on the passenger side strut. There is a dimple of sorts on the outboard side of the funnel shaped metal where the tube meets. There is an OEM sticker below this & it too was soiled from oil. There was not a copious amount of fluid but more to a dampness. With the strut installed, I could not tell whether the dimple was actually an opening or not. Maybe it was there to allow rain water out? Once the strut assembly was disassembled, the purpose of this & the condition of the strut became clear. Evidently fluid, leaking from the top of the strut, was travelling from the cartridge top seal & down through this dimple. Also there was little resistance from the strut in either direction. So a heads up if you see what I found on the strut. It may be time for replacement!

[Randy Forbes]

I'm amazed it lasted this long! Forty thousand (40,000) miles seems about right, which is generally when the OE struts/shocks are toast anyway, so the fact that it lasted >20 yrs before leaking was a bonus.

I don't know what your driving style is, or what you expect from a shock/strut, but there are PLENTY of choices. I personally find the Bilstein SPORT shocks to be too harsh, but I think they market a "touring" replacement (at least they used to) that's more in line with the stock calibration. My go to shock has always been Koni, but price and availability may be a factor.

Contact Eric Peck at bimmerbum.com and he'll help you find what you're looking for.

[saneesh8]

Touring - This one? -> https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...y-z3-22-158819

Wonder which one lasts longer on normal use. Sachs or BilsteinTouring. Sachs seems more expensive.

Back in 2012, a mechanic installed Monroe (from Pepboys) on my 2000 2.3 Auto. Now 33k miles and 10 years later, they started making noise. No leaks so far. Kind of like pumping noise. The mounts, he used the original and i replaced them with Sachs on 2016 and seems holding up really good. Rear one's were also Monroe and started making noise and under warranty, it was replaced free.

[ZGator]

brings back memories, and my very first Z3 diy - at least 15 years ago the FIRST problem I ever had was a leaking stock Sach front shock/strut - Sachs are little fragile tin cans compared to Bilstein B6,
My z3 Bilstein HDs with 120k? are like new still, I would be going on my 3-4th set of Sachs - no thank you.
I would also take the Bilstein Touring over Sachs any day - have used them on my old VW.

[Pima Roadster]

Much research before I purchased the Touring B4 Bilstein for the front & rear. Very sedate driver now, making up for an exuberant driving style in years past. I decided to go ahead & replace the top bearing mount. Looked at a few manufacturers which stated made in China. Chose one reportedly made in Germany, Corteco. My surprise as the housing is made of cast aluminum. Wondering if I should have stayed with OEM instead of aftermarket.

[Pima Roadster]

Evidently the alloy upper bearing mount is the upgraded unit which also fits the Z4. Makes me feel better for what it is worth. The other surprise when doing a dry run reassembly is that the Sachs strut nut is 21MM. I used a 1/2" drive 13/16" spark plug socket to remove it. However, the Bilstein strut uses a 22MM nut. A 1/2" drive 7/8" oxygen sensor socket will work nicely. My mention of the drive size is important to allow for a pass through opening for a hex wrench to hold the shaft. To torque the nut to specs, I have an open end crows foot. The strut shaft on the Bilstein has an internal hex whereas the Sachs has an external hex. The torque spec is lower on the internal hex shaft vs. the OEM external. Another challenge was the removal of the two short bolts which attach the strut assembly to the lower suspension. From the factory, the pair were assembled with red Loctite! Rust was not an issue. Over the course of a couple of days, moving the bolts a small amount forward then backward I was able to free them without resorting to heat. Might get this buttoned up in a week or so. After that it will be on to address a differential cover leak which with helpful comments from Randy Forbes. I hope to accomplish this nasty job without major disassembly.