Front Control Arm Bushes

[Gonzo-the-Great]

The time has come to replace the control arm bushes on my 316i, I have the new bushes and a puller, so I am ready to go ahead.
The Haynes manual mentions a special BMW lubricant (part no. 81 22 9 407 284) which bonds the bush to the arm.
My question is this. Are there any products availiable from, for instance, Halfords or MDC that do the same thing?
Will a large vice be man enough to push out the old bush and replace the new ones?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Lordschleife]

I think you can probably use a 50/50 fairy liquid/water mix or sumsuch as the lube?
I'm going to do this at the w/e on my car, but replacing with the polyflex eccentric buches
Was hoping to hacksaw the old bushes out, and press the new ones into the lolipop bits using trollyjack, couple of bits of wood and the underneath of the car

If anyone has any better suggestions lets hear them!

This should help
http://zoso.no-ip.org/318i-control-arm.html

[Gonzo-the-Great]

Cheers Robin

Thanks for the link, its good to see the process with pictures and reassuring that the bushes can be done without special tools!
Will probably do them this weekend, although I think I will remove the lollipops from the car.
Good luck with yours!

[Lordschleife]

I meant take the lolipops off the car, then push the bush in by placing between 2 bits of wood, the car and the jack

Well thats the theory anyway!

[Chris-W]

I've just done a set this afternoon & managed to snap a 1 ton vice pressing the bush into the lollipop!

I resorted to a 20 tonne press for the second one...

[Ziggy]

The powerflex bushes are easy enough to fit Robin, certainly easier than the standard ones. Struggled briefly to get them to go on the final bit & line up with the bolts, but got there!
& you can just take a hacksaw to the old ones if you struggle otherwise

[Ziggy]

Oh - a handy tip if you don't already know:

They come labelled incorrectly - Right=Left & vice versa! Bit confusing if you assume they can't be wrong & you're just being thick about it!

[Lordschleife]

Thats the powerflex ones labelled wrong yeah?
Think I read that here before somewhere.

Hopefully they'll turn up tomorrow and I can have a look

[Gonzo-the-Great]

I've just done a set this afternoon & managed to snap a 1 ton vice pressing the bush into the lollipop!

I resorted to a 20 tonne press for the second one...

Blimey!!!

[Ziggy]

Thats the powerflex ones labelled wrong yeah?
Think I read that here before somewhere.

Hopefully they'll turn up tomorrow and I can have a look

Yep. It's pretty obvious really - you'd have to really struggle to get them anywhere near on, the way they're labelled!

[Brianmoooore]

Old bushes can be removed by unscrewing the lolipops from the car and twisting them around, while attacking the rubber with a sharp craft knife. Then trim the remaining rubber away from one side of the bush remaining on the control arm untill you reach the metal sleeve near the middle. Cut through this with an angle grinder, and then the remains can easily be pulled off. Clean up the control arm pin ready for the new bush.
The outer part of the bush can be removed from the lolipop by using a large hammer and suitable drift ( I use part of an old propshaft), or by sawing through the steel with a hacksaw.
I always push the new bushes into the lolipops with a six inch engineers vice. (A good quality one, not some Chinese import).
Make sure you fit the bush correctly with the arrow pointing directly away from the lollipop arm.
30/70 mix of washing up liquid and water on the pin and bush, and it can be twisted into place by hand.
Either bolt up the lolipop and drop the car back onto its wheels quickly, before the lubricant dries,so that the pin can turn in the bush, or leave the lolipop at the correct angle untill the lubricant dries before it up.

[DanThe]

I've just done a set this afternoon & managed to snap a 1 ton vice pressing the bush into the lollipop!

I resorted to a 20 tonne press for the second one...

Thats one heavy vice

Ive done a set with a hammer, drift, an old brake disc and a 200x60x10mm piece of flat steel!
Although I would normally use a vice

[Gonzo-the-Great]

Thought I might share this with you. I have been told to put the bushes in the freezer and the lollipops in the oven (or heat with a blowtorch) the temperature difference should make refitting the new bushes a bit easier! (Delia told me )
(don't know what it is about this bannana!!)

[Lordschleife]

Struggled briefly to get them to go on the final bit & line up with the bolts, but got there!

Well just done the pax side one, and having trouble getting the bolts to line up, so I guess the purple bush needs to go on further? Doesnt seem like it will though? The black parts in the lolipop fine, and seems to go on to the purple part fully

Couldnt get at the inside ball joint bolt properly to do the drivers side, exhaust manifold and other bits get in the way. I fear I'll be off to halfords to buy extensions tomorrow, unless anyone has a tip?

[Chris-W]

You can get to it (inner ball joint nut) from underneath if you can get the car high enough.

[Lordschleife]

Yeah I tried that, had to remove some exhaust heat shield, but theres still no real room to move a wrench in there? and I cant really get any strength behind it, only that of my wrist instead of whole arm

[fuzzy]

i found the easiest way to that inner balljoint was a couple of extension bars with a flexi joint on the end,although yours might be different as ive got a different engine.

[Chris-W]

It's a bugger on an iS as the manifold does it's best to stop you reaching the nut at all.....