rear beam/trailing arms..!

[bmben]

So, after much annoyance and getting oily of hands, arms, face etc, it would definitely look as if ive bent the rear beam mounts for the n/s/r trailing arm unsuprisingly i guess. is it a bugger to get the rear beam off? obviously got to take apart other side etc,but other than that, gettin it off the diff....is this a pain? or just a case of undoing the bolts connecting diff to rear beam and chassis and then the propshaft and dropping out?
thanks a lot guys, thanks for all the help so far
Ben

[Bob_S]

remove the bolts connecting the diff to the prop, split and move away, drop the struts from inside the boot, unplug the speedo from the back of the diff and put a large jack under the diff, remove the big bolt attaching the diff casing to the body and then remove the bolts from the rear beam mounts. use an axle stand under the beam for when it drops, you may need to break the crusty seal at the top of the beam bush to get it away from the car.

lower the beam away from the car.. dont forget to disconnect your brake lines also.. I'd replace everything and the T piece flexi's the lot and be done with it same for beam bushes and trailing arm bushes.. or change to discs if you dont already have them

[bmben]

awesome, thanks very much. will have an attempt at it tomorrow i thinks...will let you know how it goes!
cheers,
Ben

[bmben]

righty, in the middle of doin it atm.got to the part where i disconnect the diff from the propshaft. whats the best way of holding the propshaft in one position when you undo the bolts, because it obviously spins when you go to undo them?got both driveshafts off, and all the niggly bits, so goin ok so far...
thanks,
ben

[Morat]

stick it in gear?
(I'm not a mechanic so please forgive me if that is a stupid suggestion)

[Globulator]

Handbrake.

If that side of the diff is already disconnected then try 1st gear.

[bmben]

ahh righty, ok, will have to try the gear idea....not much left of brake assemblies at this point theyre bloody tight little bolts mind you!! cheers

[bmben]

right, got the diff out, everything is disconnected, got the bottom mount bolts off.last thing is the torx bolts on the side, except theyre bein a bitch...just bending my allen keys...hmmph.sprayed a load of wd40 on them nd will try tm.if that dont work, case of drilling them out??anything else i need to think about while im there? should be gettin the new beam tomorrow aswell..so soon have the iS back
ben

[stuartgallafant]

heat the hex nuts up with a blow torch and cover them on WD40. that worked for me. other than that you'll have to drill them out, but that could mean buying new plates that the bolts go into which are £25 a side i had to buy one!!!

[Taylor325i]

right, got the diff out, everything is disconnected, got the bottom mount bolts off.last thing is the torx bolts on the side, except theyre bein a bitch...just bending my allen keys...hmmph.sprayed a load of wd40 on them nd will try tm.if that dont work, case of drilling them out??anything else i need to think about while im there? should be gettin the new beam tomorrow aswell..so soon have the iS back
ben

Probably - I had to drill mine out too as they had been rounded off.



Taylor.

[gareth]

are they the wierd male torx jobbies or allen key (female hex).
a 3/8" 12 sided socket will fit the torx ones, for the allen key type, i'd grab a decent socket set bit (3/8" drive should do it) and give them some welly

[SPADGE]

Well i just managed to snap one of those allen bolts on the side and round the other
Gary Grinder did the trick with the troublesome one

[bmben]

Back to the top! Ive been completely inundated with work the entire bloody week, so only just got round to doing some more! however, ive found the end of propshaft where it attaches to the diff to be in the way any way to get around this? or is it gonna be have to taken off at the centre section....under the exhaust, nd heat shields etcetcetc? thanks for all the comments keep em comin!
Ben

[bmben]

anyone?.........
Ben

[Taylor325i]

Easier to remove the whole prop shaft in one. If you were to split the rear of the prop from the front section It must go back on in exactly the same position to keep it balanced. And yes the exhaust & heatshields will need to come off too.




Taylor.

[bmben]

...really cant believe how long this is taking me....altho, got the new beam on just on a lunch break! locating the threads on the diff are proving to be a royal pain in the ass tho!!! any hints or tips? it just aint liking it at all atm! cheers fellas
Ben

[gareth]

don't tighten any bolts until they're all in. giving the diff a bit of a shake and changing the angle etc with a trolley jack will also help find the holes.

[bmben]

Well, at long last...i have it back. got it all together the other day, only to find out that both cv joints on the driveshaft were far past buggered, so had to wait till i get another! got it all sorted tho, and is lookin nice on the mim's.

thanks for all your help guys, really appreciate it!

Ben