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FCP Euro Service Kits

FCP Euro Kits

The BMW E39 suspension setup is pretty complex even by modern standards. Keep in mind the E39 chassis development began in 1989. The E39 BMW used the same basic rear suspension architecture found in the E38 7-series. BMW refers to this rear suspension setup as a “four link integral rear suspension” or “z-link” design. The major advantage of this suspension setup is it allows for exceptional handling performance without unwanted toe change under load.

One of the more critical components of the rear suspension of this design is the wheel carrier ball joint. This “ball joint” looks more like a bushing than a ball joint, but looks can be deceiving. This joint is actually designed to pivot and move with the rear suspension under load. It is packed with grease and the “sleeve” that goes through the center can rotate or pivot freely. This pivoting action is what sets this suspension apart from a conventional trailing arm design.

Over the course of tens of thousands of miles, this rear ball joint can begin to fatigue. When this ball joint wears out, it allows for extra play in the rear suspension. You may notice that the rear end likes to wander on the highway or that the inner section of the rear tires is wearing out faster than the middle or outside. The rear ball joints when worn out significantly affect your alignment specs, which results in poor handling and road response. You may also hear a “squeak” when you enter or exit the car. One way in which you can test rear ball joint play is to grab the wheels at the 12 and 6 o’clock positions and pull outward from the 6 o’clock position. If the wheel moves and you hear a “thud” it means your wheel carrier ball joints are shot.

Replacing the rear ball joints looks to be a complicated task. However, it is a fairly straight forward procedure that can be done at home. Normally, this is quoted as a six hour job. However, if you have had any suspension work related experience before, you can likely take care of this yourself within that amount of time.Below are a list of tools you will need for the job.

 

Parts:

BMW Wheel Carrier Ball Joint Replacement Kit - 33326767748KT

Standard tools:

  • 18mm box wrench
  • 16mm box wrench
  • 16mm socket
  • 18mm socket
  • 24mm socket or box wrench (your choice)
  • Large screwdriver or punch
  • Small flathead screw driver
  • Prybar (the bigger the better)

 

Special tools:

Ball joint removal tool

Note: Using the BMW ball joint removal tool is preferred; however you can still do the job with a universal ball joint tool. You will need to get creative with the adapters you use if you go this route.

You can watch the video on this page to see the steps I did to complete the repair, but I would like to discuss a few details in more depth. There are several methods out there which show how to do this procedure. One of the more popular procedures I have seen involves clamping the swing arm underneath the wheel carrier with a vice grip. I do not prefer this method because I believe it puts too much tension on the swing arm (lower control arm) bushings and you also run the risk of marring the surface of the control arm with the vice grips.

Either way, I am not interested in damaging a near $400 control arm.  I opted to lower the swing arm by removing the eccentrics after carefully marking my alignment. This got the swing arm out of the way and allowed me more access to the ball joint. If you use the BMW special tool this won’t be an issue. However, if you rent the universal c-clamp style tool the swing arm will undoubtedly get in the way. Bottom line is I recommend lowering the arm out of the way for easier access.

The snap ring which holds the ball joint in the bore will likely be corroded in place. You will need to work at this for awhile to break it free. Using a fine flat head screw driver and a hammer you should be able to get under the backside of the snap ring. Work your way around the entire ring until it releases. The ring will be bent out of shape but that’s fine because it needs to be replaced anyway and most new ball joints come with a snap ring. When pressing the ball joint out you may notice it “pops” when it releases from the bore. When installing the new ball joint make sure to clean the bore with some sandpaper first to clean up any corrosion. When pressing the new ball joint in make sure it is going in straight. For the most part the ball joint will center itself and press all the way through.  Make sure you replace the 24mm self-locking nut with a new one.

When it comes time to tighten all the fasteners to spec make sure it is done at ride height This can be accomplished by using a floor jack to lift the suspension while still supported by jack stands (or by a lift in our case). Failure to torque at ride height can cause premature component wear as well as inaccurate torqueing.

 

Torque specs:

  • Integral link bolt (Integral link to wheel carrier) – 77 ft-lbs
  • Self locking hex nut (For swing arm bolt) – 189 ft-lbs
  • Nut for swing arm eccentrics – 43 ft-lbs

Note: that this repair will also be similar on E38, E53, E60, and E90 models

  

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Written by :
Gareth Foley

Gareth is the BMW Make Level Marketer for FCP Euro and has been with the company since 2012. Gareth's BMW obsession started with a hand me down E39 528i when he was 17. From this car he learned how to do his own repair work while also learning more about BMW. When Gareth was at CCSU studying Marketing he had the opportunity to go to SEMA with the college car club. This is where he developed his love of the automotive industry. Since joining FCP in 2012 Gareth has sought out to develop one of the broadest and most accurate BMW replacement parts catalog. he can be reached at gareth1@fcpeuro.com


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