E30 Zone

Hi guys, my e30 318i, failed the mot on the weekend there, with nearside, inner, rearmost, wishbone bushing. I assume its the passenger side, bushing with the bracket.

How hard are these to replace, is it not a simple matter of unscrewing two bolts which secures the bracket, pull the old one of as it is relatively loose. And grease the joint, whilst slowly pushin with the help of a mallet back onto the wishbone, finally securing the two bolts ?..

Something tells me its not that simple. Any advice guidance appreciated guys

If you fit the new one using grease it will fail prematurely. The lubricant used must be one that dries out, such as a 50/50 mix of water and washing up liquid, or the bush will rotate on the pin with suspension movement, rather than twisting the rubber.
Pull/cut the old bush off, and use a hacksaw to cut nearly through the outer steel ring of the bush, which will allow it to collapse slightly and be pushed out. Lightly sand the pin of the control arm to clean it up.
New bush should be fitted into the lollipop with the aid of a press, but a large vice or a wooden block and large hammer will do the job. Heating the lollipop to 200 degrees will help. Make sure you line the mark on the bush up with the mark on the lollipop.
Lubricate the pin and centre of the bush and twist/push it in place by hand. Jam a block of wood between the back part of the control arm and the body to stop the pin moving around.
Bolt the lollipop back up and get the car on the ground before the lubricant dries, throw some hot water over the bush and pin to wash away what lubricant you can, then leave the car for a couple of cars.
Bushes should ideally be sold in pairs, and the steering alignment checked afterwards.

Thanks Brian for the feedback pal, however is there any need to cut the bracket etc. I was just going to buy the assembly like this, see link. Surely alls I have to do is 50/50 solution and use the wood to place back in ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Z3-E36-FR ... 257556ca71


Is there a guide on how you line the lollipop bracket up with the wishbone ?

Also worth fitting a quality oem brand rather than the slightly cheaper tat.

E30 M3 bushes were about £31 for the pair from BMW a while ago, maybe a little bit more now, but for £31 it's not worth skimping a few £ now to be redoing them in 3 months time

Andy

If you're buying the whole assembly then no, you don't have to worry about the sleeve.

If they're really knackered you'll probably find you can just twist the bracket and the rubber will peel away from it, if not, just slice through it then cut the remains off the arm being carefull not to damage the pin.