Control arm and ball joint replacement

[Tags]

Hi guys,

Apparently my control arm ball joints and caster bushes are worn and need replacing. I'm hoping to do this myself as the euro garage wants $1200 to do it, including parts.

i think im on the right track with ordering the right parts but i'd like come confirmation from you guys, if possible.

Am i better off replacing the whole control arm as well as new ball joints? The seem cheap enough

2 FRONT LOWER Control Arm BMW X5 E53 99-06 - eBay Control Arms, Suspension, Steering, Car Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 07-Jul-10 20:14:36 AEST)

Are these the right ball joints? (scroll down on the page)

BMW Parts and BMW Accessories | Bavarian Autosport

Do i need to do the control arm uppers and lowers or just the lowers?

Where might i find tension bushings? Cant see them on the bavauto website.

thanks again guys,

Mike

[jst2878]

Check out parts at bavauto or getbmwparts.com. Ecstuning has some nice febi parts at a great price.

[Michael22x5]

I am doing the same thing and after reading various articles right or wrong decided to change the tension strut in additon to the lower control arms and ball joints, this is what i found and ordered.

Ball Joint Febi Ball Joint X5|4.4i Febi Price: $32.95 Qty: 2.00 Part #: W0133-1627472

Control Arm Lemfoerder Control Arm X5|4.4i Lemfoerder Price: $70.95 Qty: 1.00 Part #: W0133-1665396

Control Arm Lemfoerder Control Arm X5|4.4i Lemfoerder Price: $124.95 Qty: 1.00 Part #: W0133-1665394

Control Arm Febi Control Arm X5|4.4i Febi Price: $87.95 Qty: 1.00 Part #: W0133-1614680

Control Arm Febi Control Arm X5|4.4i Febi Price: $82.86 Qty: 1.00 Part #: W0133-1665393

i bought at autopartswarehouse.com after shopping around.

[amacman]

the first link to ebay is the lower control arm with bush and ball joint included , check if nuts and bolt included , you will at least need to replace all nuts that are removed because they are usually single use self locking nuts .
the link to bav auto shows the same arms at third and fourth items
the first and second items are the upper control arms with bushing installed ( these arms are the tension struts )
the fifth item is the ball joint for the tension strut , same part number fits either side ,check nuts are included . also , the last item is the bolt for holding the plate section of ball joint .
so , the bushings which are 6th & 7th on bav auto list are already fitted to the arms listed .
RealOEM.com BMW E53 X5 3.0d Frnt axle support,wishbone/tension strut
you can save a few bucks if you buy the ball joint and bush for upper control arm and fit these to your existing tension strut . some folks use a 10 ton press to replace bushings , you can use big sockets with a long bolt or threaded bar through . here is a link to a diy tool .
Ball Joint Replacement Tool
the bushing has an arrow to align with same on strut . the bushing must be centered .
only fully tighten bushing bolts once car is off jacks and suspension settled .

[Tags]

thanks for all the info and advice. Still waiting to hear back from BAVauto with a price to post the ball joints and bushings to me in Australia.

agreed amacman, i think i'll just buy the bushings and have them fitted to my existing arms.

[Rockmelon]

dont forget to do a wheel alignment after you are done replacing these items. cheers

[amacman]

just buy the bushings and ball joints and nuts and bolts from bmw dealer , the cost is similar , maybe cheaper due to postage costs.
here is a link to replacing , about halfway down the page , upgraded bushes but procedure is similar.
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...tempt-2-a.html
the bmw bush is 66millimetre so you will need a socket or tube with 67mm or more inside clearance and one with maximum outer diameter of 65 mm .
bmw recommend replacing bushings once only so if you have high miles they could have been replaced previously but I think most folk would have replaced the arm with bush fitted ..

[Michael22x5]

Just finished replacing the items ordered. First time ever doing a ball joint, one came out without any issue the other well... Now for an alignment.

I am sure there is an easy way to do it, I didnt have any manuals and winged it.

[Tags]

Can someone confirm which of the parts in the bavauto link are the castor bushes? I've forgotten the other name for them.

[amacman]

the first line of your first post you say you need control arm ball joints , item 10 on this link called wishbone by BMW, items 3 & 4 on bavauto link .called control arm lower , complete with bush and ball joint .
the tension struts are as previously discussed .
you should ask the person who mentioned caster bushes exactly what are they refering to .

RealOEM.com BMW E53 X5 3.0d Frnt axle support,wishbone/tension strut