Problem with Steering (Wearing a line on the tyre)

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BeemaBoy
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Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 11:00 pm

Wed Feb 15, 2006 8:22 am

Hi all

Just got a quick question.

I was under the car not so long ago, lubricating all the steering and suspension stuff and I noticed that the, what i thought were tie rods, seem to have torn quite badly and are allowing movement. When I was checking in the diagram on realoem.com, I noticed that they refer to them as ball joints?

What do I need to tell the mechanic to replace??? I have checked in other posts and they talk about replacing the control arm bush aswell as it is in the same place??? Is'nt the control arm bush on the control arm and not the tie rod???

It seems to say that the tie rod is number 14 and the ball joint is number 8. What has torn on my car is number 8. Is this an easy replacement and if I got the parts, could I replace it myself?

Many Thanks

BeemaBoy
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Brianmoooore
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Wed Feb 15, 2006 9:19 am

First of all, what on the suspension and steering were you lubricating? There's nothing on an E30 that needs/can be lubricating!
I've even looked up a couple of realoem diagrams and, I'm sorry, I can't work out what your asking about.
By tie rods, do you mean the tubes that come out each end of the steering rack? The drop links for the anti roll bar?
There are two ball joints on the control arms that commonly wear. They can be changed individualy, but the usual procedure is to change the whole arm. This will require a new control arm bush as well.
There are also ball joints at the end of the steering rack, commonly known as track rod ends.
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BeemaBoy
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Wed Feb 15, 2006 10:07 am

Oh crap! Sorry, forgot to put the link in :oops:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=32&fg=25

The bit that has torn on my car is the little rubber bit and the end of the part numbered 8. What is this called? Is it a ball joint or tie rod end?

Sorry for wasting ur time

Many Thanks

BeemaBoy
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Brianmoooore
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Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:14 pm

Right, makes a bit more sense now.
Part 8 is commonly known as a track rod end. If the joint is still good, and no dirt has got in, it's possible to replace just the rubber boot if you can find one, either from an old joint, or try the suppliers of bits for the kit car fraternity.
If there's any play in the ball joint, then it must be replaced, and the front trabcking checked.
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