[Foghorn]

I recently changed my front ball joints on a 2007 E90 335XI for which I made a tool that may come in handy for some of you.


I had read a couple of threads here;


https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1498039


https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1156333


A couple of notes to start.


I cleaned around the ball joints with an angled pick to remove any rust build up before using a mix of 50/50 acetone and tranmission fluid (Mercon or Dexron) a couple of days before the job and again the day before.


Picture courtesy of JDoms47



The tool is made from a piece of 2" pipe thread (2.375" OD) by 2 1/2" long. I used a vice to squash the pipe and hack saw to make the cutouts from the ball joint mounting franges. I used a piece of steel plate on the top, which I had a friend weld, with a 9/16" through hole that also drilled with a 3/4" bit from underneath to allow enough travel to pull the ball joint 1/4" out of the spindle, at that point the ball joint is easy to remove with a few taps.


Once the tool was tightened onto the ball joing with a 1/2" drive ratchet (use a washer and grease between the tool and the ball joint nut), I then used a piece of 1" shaft and 4 Lb hammer to hit from above.


Two things here: I don't know if I could have used a power bar with the tool alone to pull the ball joint out. Secondly, the shaft I used was long which limited the space to strike with a hammer.


I hit the ball joint 3 times being carefull to line up the 1" shaft to hit aroung the perimeter of the ball joint. I then checked the tension on the tool and was able to tighten it further, took a few more hits from the top, tightened the tool again. I repeated this a few times and the ball joints came out without too much fuss.


I should mention this car has 170K Kms on it, has always been winter driven and a lot of salt is used on the roads.


Here's a few pictures of the tool, hope this may help someone out:

[RB]

You've come up with an elegant solution to a tough problem. Thanks for sharing.

I tried doing something similar using modified pieces from a bushing tool but wasn't able to get it to fit without interference. I eventually resorted to the air hammer to get the ball joints out. Your custom oval shape is the key to making it work.

I'll bet you could sell a tool like that to a lot of BMW enthusiasts

[Twinning_N54]

nicely done! put me down for one asap! lol I am about to tackle this job and something like this would be invaluable

[RB]

Originally Posted by Twinning_N54

nicely done! put me down for one asap! lol I am about to tackle this job and something like this would be invaluable

Good luck with the procedure. Please post how it went for you.

[unbimmer]

Nice job! FYI for those of us who suffer with this DYI, here's a tool to make your life easier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXbEsd2OFOQ

[Buug959]

Originally Posted by unbimmer

Nice job! FYI for those of us who suffer with this DYI, here's a tool to make your life easier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXbEsd2OFOQ

This is a slick piece of kit but at $120. it's a bit pricey. The 2" pipe nipple and a 1/2 hr to put it together makes more sense to me considering how often most of us are going to need it.

my 2cents.