subject: Learn How To Replace The Control Arm Of Bmw E36 3-series1 [print this page] Once the car is up in the air and firmly supported on jack stands, remove the lug bolts and pull the wheels off. Look at the backside of the rotor/hub assembly and locate the sway bar drop links that attach to the control arm. In order to remove these, we will need to jack up the control arm assembly to as near as ride height as possible. Place a jack under the control arm and jack the control arm up, then remove the nut that secures the drop link to the control arm. Now lower the jack. As you lower the jack, the drop link will pullout of the control arm. Repeat this procedure for the other side.
Now locate the outer control arm ball joint. This is the joint that secures the control arm to the rotor/hub assembly. You may have to turn the wheels inward to access it. Locate the nut that holds the tapered ball joint in place, then remove the nut using a breaker bar or open-end wrench. Once free, tap the top of the control arm with a rubber mallet to free the control arm from the rotor/hub assembly. Be prepared for the strut assembly to expand slightly once free. This is normal.
Look at where the control arm mounts nearest the rear of the car. You will see a large rubber bushing housed in a bracket bolted to the chassis. Remove the two bolts holding this bracket to the car. The control arm will now be only connected to the car by the inner ball joint.
We now need to remove the inner ball joint, which will free the old control arm from the car. Look inside the engine compartment, on both sides, you will see the nut that secures this joint to the car. Remove both nuts from inside the engine compartment and use the rubber mallet to free the control arm from the car.
Now that both control arms are now free, it is necessary to remove the bracket containing the rubber bushing from the ends of each control arm. We will need to transfer these to the new control arms. Keep in mind that these rubber bushings are a very tight fit on the ends of the control arms. Therefore, it is necessary to use a two or three jaw puller to remove them from the control arm. Coat the ends of the control arm with grease to help slide the bushing off. It may also be helpful to center punch the end of the control arm. This will help you to seat the puller on the end of the shaft. Now, use the puller to remove the bushing/bracket.
Once off, take the bracket over to the new control arm. BMW has a special, kerosene-based lubricant that is used to help install the bushing. This grease dries out after 30 minutes, essentially gluing the bushing in place. Make a mental note of the position on the old control arms as to how the bushings are mounted. This will save you headaches when you go to put the bushings on and you realize it's on backward or the left bracket is on the right control arm.
