BMW (E46) Lower Control Arm and Bushing Pair Replacement
The Lower Control Arm are an important suspension part that controls the position of the front wheels. Each LCA on this car has two ball joints and an end inserted into the bushing. If a play has developed at any of the ball joints, as is the case on the passenger side of my car, the wheel will have a play that can cause uneven wear of the tire (cupping) and the car pulling to the side when going over uneven roads (bump steer). It's easy to test the LCAs. Simply jack up the car so that the front wheels are off the ground. Rock each front wheel back and forth. If there is any play, there is a problem with the LCA or bushing.
In the BMW E46, once the front lower control arm rubber sleeve fails, the tip of the lower arm increases, losing direction stability during running, and turning accuracy is lost. If it is not repaired for a long time, the ball joint will be damaged prematurely. At that time, the more expensive whole lower arm had to be replaced. Normally, the original car will drive normally. After 5-6 years, the lower arm rubber will gradually age. If the driving habit is more severe, the aging time will advance.
You may have a shudder when braking or a clunk when you hit a bump. When replacing your front control arm, I suggest replacing the bushing and both ball joints. Inspect your control arm bushing and ball joints for looseness by jacking up the front of your vehicle and moving each wheel side to side. If you feel looseness in the attachment points, this indicates a problem. You may need help from a friend to watch the control arm components while you wiggle the wheel.
In this article, we would like to share the steps of replacing the BMW (E46) Lower Control Arm and Bushing Pair.
The control arm has three areas of trouble: The ball joint that connects to steering knuckle (1), the ball joint that attaches to subframe (2) and the control arm bushing (3).
Steps 1：Get a set (left and right) of BMW E46 Lower Control Arms with busing, which i got for 95$ plus taxes and shipping in HexAutoParts.com.
Step 2: Raise and support the front of the vehicle on jack stands. I've done it several times, and I still find it tricky because the car is so low to the ground. First, use the jack that comes with the car to lift the car just enough so that you can slide a hydraulic jack under the car. Then lift the car by jacking on the frame reinforcement railing, after which you can put a stand to replace the car jack. When you do the other side of the car, you need to constantly check to make sure the car doesn't slip off the jack. Remove the plastic dust guard and the aluminum underside reinforcement. Both are easy.
Step 3:
Now remove the front wheel from the side of the vehicle you are replacing control arm on.
Step 4:
Use an 18mm socket or wrench to remove the outer ball joint nut. The ABS sensor is in the way of a socket as the nut rises. I didn't have an 18mm wrench. So I used an 18mm socket to break the nut loose and used a 19mm wrench to remove the nut completely.
Step 5:
Then separate the ball joint from the steering knuckle using a pickle fork.
Step 6:
Next, working at the subframe, remove the inner ball joint 21mm nut (green arrow).
Step 7:
Knock the ball joint out of the subframe using a hammer. To do this, hit the control arm in the area of the ball joint. Since you are replacing the control arm, it does not matter if you mar it.
Step 8:
Working at the rear of front control arm, remove the two 16mm control arm bushing fasteners (green arrows). Then remove the control arm from the vehicle. When installing the new control arm; first, install the subframe ball joint nut finger tight. Then install the ball joint at the steering knuckle. The LCA comes off the car completely.
Step 9：
Install the outer ball joint and the LCA bushing. This is after the new LCA have been installed.
Fortunately replacing the LCA bushing is not difficult, and there is no need to remove the LCA from the car. This is written for people who do their car repairs in their own garage, i.e., without access to a lift or specialized tools. My BMW dealer wants $300 for this job, so I decided to do it myself, given this economy.
In the BMW E46, once the front lower control arm rubber sleeve fails, the tip of the lower arm increases, losing direction stability during running, and turning accuracy is lost. If it is not repaired for a long time, the ball joint will be damaged prematurely. At that time, the more expensive whole lower arm had to be replaced. Normally, the original car will drive normally. After 5-6 years, the lower arm rubber will gradually age. If the driving habit is more severe, the aging time will advance.
You may have a shudder when braking or a clunk when you hit a bump. When replacing your front control arm, I suggest replacing the bushing and both ball joints. Inspect your control arm bushing and ball joints for looseness by jacking up the front of your vehicle and moving each wheel side to side. If you feel looseness in the attachment points, this indicates a problem. You may need help from a friend to watch the control arm components while you wiggle the wheel.
In this article, we would like to share the steps of replacing the BMW (E46) Lower Control Arm and Bushing Pair.
The control arm has three areas of trouble: The ball joint that connects to steering knuckle (1), the ball joint that attaches to subframe (2) and the control arm bushing (3).
Steps 1：Get a set (left and right) of BMW E46 Lower Control Arms with busing, which i got for 95$ plus taxes and shipping in HexAutoParts.com.
Step 2: Raise and support the front of the vehicle on jack stands. I've done it several times, and I still find it tricky because the car is so low to the ground. First, use the jack that comes with the car to lift the car just enough so that you can slide a hydraulic jack under the car. Then lift the car by jacking on the frame reinforcement railing, after which you can put a stand to replace the car jack. When you do the other side of the car, you need to constantly check to make sure the car doesn't slip off the jack. Remove the plastic dust guard and the aluminum underside reinforcement. Both are easy.
Step 3:
Now remove the front wheel from the side of the vehicle you are replacing control arm on.
Step 4:
Use an 18mm socket or wrench to remove the outer ball joint nut. The ABS sensor is in the way of a socket as the nut rises. I didn't have an 18mm wrench. So I used an 18mm socket to break the nut loose and used a 19mm wrench to remove the nut completely.
Step 5:
Then separate the ball joint from the steering knuckle using a pickle fork.
Step 6:
Next, working at the subframe, remove the inner ball joint 21mm nut (green arrow).
Step 7:
Knock the ball joint out of the subframe using a hammer. To do this, hit the control arm in the area of the ball joint. Since you are replacing the control arm, it does not matter if you mar it.
Step 8:
Working at the rear of front control arm, remove the two 16mm control arm bushing fasteners (green arrows). Then remove the control arm from the vehicle. When installing the new control arm; first, install the subframe ball joint nut finger tight. Then install the ball joint at the steering knuckle. The LCA comes off the car completely.
Step 9：
Install the outer ball joint and the LCA bushing. This is after the new LCA have been installed.
Fortunately replacing the LCA bushing is not difficult, and there is no need to remove the LCA from the car. This is written for people who do their car repairs in their own garage, i.e., without access to a lift or specialized tools. My BMW dealer wants $300 for this job, so I decided to do it myself, given this economy.
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