rear subframe bush removal tips.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 6:48 am

Hi guys, I'm going to change my rear beam bushings and I have read the wiki and its unclear. Do I undo both sides at once and if I do won't I need a jack under it all to stop it dropping on my head. Any other tips would be great. After all these years this is a job I've never done.
Cheers, Andy

Fri Mar 06, 2015 7:04 am

The Wiki describes more than one technique, but either way you still want jacks under the beam. There's only three mounting points holding the beam, trailing arms, driveshafts and diff to the car, so undoing any one of them makes the whole thing very unstable.

If you've got a bush puller (as the wiki describes) then you do each side individually (i.e remove bush plate and bolt, pull bush, fit new one, refit bolt, switch sides). If you haven't got a puller then you'll need to take the whole rear beam off anyway to get the bushes out.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 7:24 am

Hi, thanks for the info. I haven't got the special tool. I was going to use hole cutters to get it out. I think I'll undo both sides and just lower enough to remove them.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:22 am

IMO taking the whole beam off make changing the bushes much easier. Couple of jacks and or axle stands to drop it off the mounting points, it might need a bit of encouragement though

.

Ive found the easiest way to get old rubber out is to burn it out, then easily clean up what ever is left. Holesaw is not a bad option but will leave some hard rubber behind.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:33 am

Burning may be the easiest way to get the old bushes out, and perfectly suitable for bridge dodging scrap, but some of us have reservations about setting fire to our cars. I'm sure it can't do the paintwork any good.
Two hole saws will remove the majority of the rubber, allowing you to get a hacksaw blade into the outer steel bush from the inside. When the saw cut is almost through, the cut will close up, allowing the remains of the bush to be driven out.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:50 am

If I take the whole beam off the brake lines and hand brake cables will need removing, and the prop. Can you tell I don't want to do this job ?

Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:52 am

Brian, that's how I was thinking of doing it.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:25 am

Brianmoooore wrote:Burning may be the easiest way to get the old bushes out, and perfectly suitable for bridge dodging scrap, but some of us have reservations about setting fire to our cars. I'm sure it can't do the paintwork any good.

Not a problem with the beam off. Unless you're on a ramp, the extra time undoing prop and brake lines is trivial compared to the ball ache of hacksawing through the metal sleeves whilst lying on your back...

Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:13 am

buster wrote:If I take the whole beam off the brake lines and hand brake cables will need removing, and the prop. Can you tell I don't want to do this job ?

I got the trailing arms off without removing the handbrake cables, and the brake hoses needed replacing anyway.

It's not a job to look forward to, but it probably counts as one of the most satisfying repairs you can do yourself.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:55 am

So undo the trailing arms , prop and brake flexi, support it all. Undo diff upper bolts and remove subframe ?

Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:01 pm

Yep, as easy as that

While its all apart you ought to strip everything down and get it all sandblasted and powder coated, rebuild everything with fresh bearings/bushes/pipes/hoses/brakes/cables etc etc

Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:01 pm

Yup. Its not that bad once you start

Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:11 pm

Ok cheers guys. If I was going to fit the full e30 m3 running gear I have I would have just dropped the lot but as I'm now not fitting it I only want to replace the beam bushes as their hanging out. Cheers fellas

Fri Mar 06, 2015 1:20 pm

This is why I altered my beam as below:

Has been fine for the last 1300 miles so I can't see it being an issue.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 1:40 pm

DanThe wrote:Yep, as easy as that

While its all apart you ought to strip everything down and get it all sandblasted and powder coated, rebuild everything with fresh bearings/bushes/pipes/hoses/brakes/cables etc etc

Then whilst it's out of the way that's when you find your fuel tank is rotten, prop coupling and centre bearing are fubar, gearbox mounts are fubar, gear linkage needs sorting......and that's all assuming you don't find any rot. Which you will.
How do you think I know this ?

Fri Mar 06, 2015 1:55 pm

That lot is fine, I fitted a diff not long back. Fuel tank is new also.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:06 pm

capri_rob wrote:How do you think I know this ?

Agreed

There'd be no reason for me to write the Wiki article in the first place, if my car wasn't a bridge-dodging rusty turd!

Fri Mar 06, 2015 7:14 pm

If this is any help some pics and a writeup of the very job

Go forward a few pages there's more.

http://cookracing.co.uk/index.php/e30-3 ... conversion

Bastard of a job but in truth it's just a lot of work, and the usual "simple jobs" like putting the second trailing arm back in taking an entire day