►Michael Hidalgo is here back in his driveway to walk you through the steps needed to tackle replacing your BMW front control arms and bushings from start to finish.
The vehicle used in this video is a 1999 BMW E36 323i Convertible.
The front control arms are a crucial component of your BMW E36’s suspension system, responsible for keeping your car planted and on the road. If you feel your BMW wandering, hear it clunking, or feel it reacting slowly to your steering input, it may be time to service the control arms and their associated bushings.
Despite this job being more on the comprehensive side, not many tools are needed. A few different sized sockets are needed as well as one specialty bushing press tool (linked below) to press the control arm bushings into place.
Symptoms of a front control arm & busing needing replacement:
-Clunking and popping can be heard when your vehicle travels over bumps or dips in the road
-Your steering feels disconnected from the rest of the car
-Your vehicle is slow to react to steering input
-Your vehicle wanders around and has difficulty driving in a straight line
-Your vehicle cannot be aligned properly due to play in suspension components
Read this DIY on our blog: https://blog.fcpeuro.com/how-to-replace-bmw-e36-front-control-arms-bushings
Read more BMW DIYs, guides, news, and more on our blog: https://blog.fcpeuro.com/tag/bmw
Shop The Parts Used In This Video: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-control-arm-kit-5-piece-e36-e365piece-l#fitment?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mps%20bmw%20e36&utm_content=diy%3a%20front%20control%20arms
This Lemforder kit is a direct replacement for the factory E36 control arms. The kit includes both control arms, stabilizer bar links, and the control arm bushing kit.
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-control-arm-bushing-with-bracket-e36-reini-31121136531?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mps%20bmw%20e36&utm_content=diy%3a%20front%20control%20arms
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-suspension-control-arm-support-bracket-31121136532?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mps%20bmw%20e36&utm_content=diy%3a%20front%20control%20arms
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-trailing-arm-bushing-tool-cta-8920?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mps%20bmw%20e36&utm_content=diy%3a%20front%20control%20arms
00:00 – Intro
00:14 – Plasti Dip Disclaimer
00:38 – Parts To Use
02:28 – Diagnosing Your Broken E36 Suspension
03:54 – Tools Needed
05:19 – Jack the Car up & Place Jack Stands
05:27 – Remove End-link
09:41 – Front Ball Joint Removal
12:05 – Rear Bracket Bushing Removal
12:30 – Final Ball Joint Removal – PITA
18:12 – Done being stuck – HEAT and Removal
19:48 – Passenger Side Entire Removal
22:03 – Analysis of Failed Parts
24:38 – Press on Bushing and Bracket onto Control Arm
30:15 – Loosely Reinstall Control Arm – Hand Tight
31:02 – Jack up Control Arm, Torque Nuts and Bolts to Spec
33:26 – Reinstall Sway Bar
35:53 – Install End Links
37:31 – Conclusion and Button Up
This job is applicable to the following vehicles:
BMW 318i
1992 BMW 318i
1993 BMW 318i
1994 BMW 318i
1995 BMW 318i
1996 BMW 318i
1997 BMW 318i
1998 BMW 318i
BMW 318is
1992 BMW 318is
1993 BMW 318is
1994 BMW 318is
1995 BMW 318is
1996 BMW 318is
1997 BMW 318is
BMW 318ti
1995 BMW 318ti
1996 BMW 318ti
1997 BMW 318ti
1998 BMW 318ti
1999 BMW 318ti
BMW 323i
1999 BMW 323i
1998 BMW 323i
BMW 323is
1998 BMW 323is
1999 BMW 323is
BMW 325i
1992 BMW 325i
1993 BMW 325i
1994 BMW 325i
1995 BMW 325i
BMW 325is
1992 BMW 325is
1993 BMW 325is
1994 BMW 325is
1995 BMW 325is
BMW 328i
1996 BMW 328i
1997 BMW 328i
1998 BMW 328i
1999 BMW 328i
BMW 328is
1996 BMW 328is
1997 BMW 328is
1998 BMW 328is
1999 BMW 328is
BMW Z3
1996 BMW Z3
1997 BMW Z3
1998 BMW Z3 Roadster
1999 BMW Z3 Coupe
1999 BMW Z3 Roadster
2000 BMW Z3 Coupe
2000 BMW Z3 Roadster
2001 BMW Z3 Coupe
2001 BMW Z3 Roadster
2002 BMW Z3 Coupe
2002 BMW Z3 Roadster
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Shop the parts used in this video here: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-control-arm-kit-5-piece-e36-e365piece-l#fitment?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mps%20bmw%20e36&utm_content=diy%3a%20front%20control%20arms
I had the same done on my 99’ e36 M3. I did everything. Control arms, bushings, trailing arms and tie rods. Remember, the suspension setup is different on the M cars, although some parts are interchangeable. Luckily, my RTABS were still good.
We need more diy videos from Mike hes hilarious!! this helped me big time and of course I ordered all the parts from you guys!
Thanks for dipping it properly. I couldn't imagine if The Vehicle Wraps i install had a rough start like dipping got. I was one of the first in the world to sell, design, install, and PROMOTE Vehicle Wraps.
Great DIY! I just finished taking off the arms and one thing I would like to note is that I tried to take off those subframe nuts in a variety of ways. A ratcheting wrench didn't fit on the drivers side, and the open ended wrench was just painful to have to deal with.
Drivers side:
Take off the airbox
Remove the PS reservoir and move it to the side
Bend one of the metal PS hoses slightly toward the motor mount (mine need replacing anyway but they only need to move .5" or so)
You should now be able to fit a socket and a U joint along with a bunch of extensions and use a wrench, breaker bar, or impact to take it off.
I havent tried the passenger side but a similar approach may be beneficial
Well done – no air tools either – at my age though – air tools are key 🙂 (two 95 325i E36 convertibles)
your brake rotors are backwards
Lmao I still have the original TRW control arms on my 996 with 175k miles on it. When people tell me to use Moog or Mevotech "upgraded" arms I sorta just squint at them. One google later tells you they couldn't even get the ball joint dust boot rubber composition right for my application. I know this will take longer but I think it's important to show the symptoms of bad/failing parts, and the after with a road test.
Oh yeah baby! Lovin those mutton chops. If you can hit all those nuts and bolts the day before with some PB Blaster. Gotta love all that rust from the lovely east coast winters…
You are a fool for getting under a car supported only by jacks. Please get some decent jack stands.
I’m doing this on my new e36 right now. That subframe bolt is such a pain! Ended up biting the bullet and getting a ratcheting wrench