[mfoote]

Help please... Anybody know the torque spec for those T-50 bolts? Trying to reassemble before work tomorrow and stuck on those values!

[PhaseP]

Here, E92 328i:

http://workshop-manuals.com/bmw/3_se...uts/page_3424/

It is listed as "7AZ Guide joint to swivel bearing" 60Nm or 44 ftlbs.

Kind of high but important not to come loose. The new screws have some locktite micro granules mumbo jumbo, I think they are red locktite kind.

The ball joint nut is there too, "6AZ Compression strut to guide joint" 80 Nm which is 60 ftlbs.

Note this is for E92. The ball joint torque maybe different for E90.

On AWD that arm is called "compression strut" because they are on compression during car moving being on the rear of the wheel center. On RWD arm is called "tension strut" because it is on tension when car is moving, being in front of the wheel center.

"Guide joint" is that ball joint. "Swivel bearing" apparently is the spindle. I had not heard that term before, not used as spindle. But that is BMW terminology I guess.

[mfoote]

You are the absolute best! .... Hey wait...Now I have to go to work in 5 hours :-/

Update: The Lemforder threads now have Blue Locktite on the. I'm not sure if that's any different other than in color.

Again, thank you.

[mfoote]

Also, thanks for introducing me to the online shop manual. I searched franticly for an online reference and even wasted money on a Haynes manual for a year older model just to find that in their universe those bolt do not exist. Not sure why that book even included the XI in the title. As far as I can tell they didn't mention any differences in the suspension for AWD. As I recall, years ago my Haynes Saab 900 manual was garbage too.

[PhaseP]

Bentley manual is the BMW manual for DIYers. I have Bentley but previous version than current. That one didn't have that XI only ball joint mentioned neither. I don't if current version does.
That online site I go for reference usually.

[blueloco]

Found this thread on Google... Bought replacement parts in hopes of fixing the vibration issue that seems common with these cars. Glad I bought the kit that has the ball joints! It sounds so easy, you tube vids make it sound easy but holy crap! My thrust arm took a huge amount of force to get off and the ball joint was seized in the knuckle something fierce.

My advice... skip the hammer tapping, pry bar and whatever other default ways and just go right to the big guns if there is any sign of corrosion at all.

I wasted a few hours doing the usual crap and then:

1) Wrap CV joint boot in heavy fiberglass cloth and then heavy foil.
2) remove boot from ball joint and degrease
3) Torch
4) Air hammer... No substitutes!!!
5) Watch it pop right off!

There was quite a bit of rust holding it in place. Wasn't going to come out nice.

[blueloco]

Old ball-joint carnage:



These were not bad ball joints but replacements were sold as a kit with the thrust arms and control arms. For as much struggle as it was getting these out I would have done it again, as the thrust arms themselves were pretty hard to pop off. My puller damaged the ends on these, and yeah I could have dressed them up but going to all this trouble replacing them seems pretty wise.

The passenger side took a lot more effort than even the drivers side. Make sure to put something solid under the knuckle so the strut isn't getting hammered. Bottom line on this job, at least for wet climate cars, make sure you have a GOOD air hammer and good compressor. I managed using a Harbor Freight compressor but the HF air hammer stood no chance. Borrowed a NAPA one from work that did the job but drained the air tank in about 30 seconds... I really don't think I would have won this fight with the 4lb sledge. I almost thought about dissecting the balljoint in place but there is a lot of hardened steel there and that would have been nasty. Anyway, new ones are in. Note where the hammer marks are on these. There is no access to the other side of the joint.. wondering if the asymmetrical hammer action made this job harder?

Car is back on the ground... waiting for clear roads for a test drive. I checked the alignment with a trammel both before and after and it didn't seem like there was any change. Given these cars (E90, XI) don't have camber or caster adjustments I am guessing the the tolerances on the arms is very tight, so hopefully no alignment required. I am 120 miles form the nearest competent alignment shop (BMW dealer) so if there are any issues I might try the string method first. Fun weekend

[Rotorocious]

So to at least humor people. I'm doing this tomorrow am. I have the control arms loose and hanging down but need to pop them off then I can start on this fun stuff.

^Short cut to 1:43
Here is a video that better shows sort of what it will look like under there. You can conveiently see in the video they edited out the HELLL it takes to get it out. i found that to be pretty funny. With their editing magic it just took a few tappa tappa tappas with a hammer to pop out.

[Rotorocious]

Done!
It stumped me for a while but once I got one side done the other side came out in about 10 minutes.

I recommend putting the nut back on the ball joint (they usually give you a new one anyway) and using a separator tool to wedge in and leverage the bolt against where the thrust arm is on the spindle. Hammering it in and then hammering down on the end of the tool a few times created a lot of downward pressure sort of like a slide hammer. Eventually you will see a gap start to spread, a couple more times and it popped out or you could try to wedge the tool in the gap and go after it that way.
The night before I soaked the top of the ball joint in corrosion x spray , maybe that helped. I've used it before on guns and it spreads like crazy and starts to eat the rust away. Welp, never doing that again. Hopefully that helps someone next time.

[PhaseP]

Good idea on the spreader.
In all fairness yours doesn't seem that much rusted. The stud of the ball joint still has shiny surface.
Compared to this one:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...1&postcount=59

[Rotorocious]

Originally Posted by PhaseP

Good idea on the spreader.
In all fairness yours doesn't seem that much rusted. The stud of the ball joint was still has shiny surface.
Compared to this one:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...1&postcount=59

Ya wow good point. The car has seen snow/salt so I'm grateful it wasn't as bad as those.
Car has about 82k on it.

[jblood]

I know this thread is old but it's a great thread that really helped me with this problem. I too used a welding blanket to protect the rubber boot while heating the plate with a torch that the ball joint is rusted into. Using a sledge and a metal rod I finally got the bugger out. Not sure I would have even believed it possible without this thread. Anyways, if you tackle this - keep going. I must've hit that thing 200 times with the sledge before it finally let loose!

[RB]

Here's a good video that goes through an E90 xDrive front end refresh. At the 8 minute mark they do the nasty outer ball joint. Air hammer is your friend.

[redws601]

I'm thinking of useing a .22 cal ramset from above. What are the chances of cracking the hub? Is this a bad idea? I might need to ditch the saftey glasses for a priest and welding helmet but If it works I could be in and out in under an hour without air tools. If it doesn't budge and cracks the hub... is that even possible? Has anyone cracked or shattered cast iron before with a single strike? I've seen ramsets used to break open hardened steal locks but how does cast iron behave when being struck hard and fast? Would you try it looking back considering how hard it is to remove the ball joint? I think this is extreme but I also think torching the hub and beating it for 3+ hours could cause damage.

[unbimmer]

Originally Posted by redws601

I'm thinking of useing a .22 cal ramset from above. What are the chances of cracking the hub? Is this a bad idea? I might need to ditch the saftey glasses for a priest and welding helmet but If it works I could be in and out in under an hour without air tools. If it doesn't budge and cracks the hub... is that even possible? Has anyone cracked or shattered cast iron before with a single strike? I've seen ramsets used to break open hardened steal locks but how does cast iron behave when being struck hard and fast? Would you try it looking back considering how hard it is to remove the ball joint? I think this is extreme but I also think torching the hub and beating it for 3+ hours could cause damage.

Why not just use this?

[RB]

Originally Posted by unbimmer

Why not just use this?

Yes, this tool would do the job.

[Gizmotron87]

i got them out with a four pound mini sledge today and a cold chisel oh i hit it from the bottom side on the flange to loosen the rust