BMW 33303411651 Lower Wishbone

A new control arm-to-rear subframe pivot bolt and nut will be required for installation. To remove the rear wheel, first loosen the rear wheel bolts, chock the front wheels, raise the rear of the vehicle, and support it securely on jackstands. After removing the rear wheel, use paint or a suitable marking pen to make alignment marks between the lower control arm pivot bolt eccentric washer and the trailing arm to ensure correct rear wheel alignment and camber upon installation. Support the trailing arm with a jack, then remove the nut and washer from the lower control arm pivot bolt and withdraw the pivot bolt. Support the weight of the final drive unit with a jack and remove the unit mounting bolts, or alternatively, remove the driveshaft. Loosen and remove the pivot bolt securing the control arm to the rear subframe, withdrawing the bolt while moving the final drive unit slightly to the rear if necessary, and remove the control arm from underneath the car, recovering the special nut from the subframe. On some models, it may be necessary to detach the propeller shaft from the final drive unit to gain the clearance required for removing the pivot bolt. If the vehicle will be left for some time, reinstall the final drive unit mounting bolts and tighten securely. For installation, locate the special nut in the subframe cut-out and maneuver the control arm into position with its welded seam facing up, then install the new pivot bolt, tightening it lightly at this stage. Maneuver the final drive unit into position and tighten its mounting bolts to the specified torque, reconnecting the propeller shaft to the final drive unit where necessary. Install the lower arm-to-trailing arm pivot bolt, eccentric washer, and nut, aligning the washer with the mark made prior to removal and lightly tightening it. Reinstall the wheel and lower the car to the ground. With the car on its wheels, rock the vehicle to settle the disturbed components in position, check that the lower arm eccentric washer is still correctly aligned with the mark, and then tighten both control arm pivot bolts to the specified torque wrench setting, also tightening the wheel bolts to the specified torque where necessary. It is advisable to have the camber angle and wheel alignment checked and adjusted if necessary upon completion.

New lower control arm front ball joint nuts are needed for assembly. To start with, one should place a block on the rear wheels, engage the parking brake, lift the front part of the car and support it by means of jackstands and finally remove the correct front wheel. Then, unscrew the splash shield to undo if from the screws, and finally unscrew the bolts to undo the reinforcement cross brace/plate located below the vehicle. For the models with suspension ride height sensors, now, the retaining nut needs to be unscrewed and the sensor link bracket needs to be detached from the lower arm. Loosen of the lower arm balljoint nut and free the arm from the steering knuckle by using a universal balljoint separator, while holding of the balljoint with the Allen key before nut removal. Undo the two bolts that fix the lower arm rear mounting bracket to the chassis, then unscrew the nut in the inner balljoint of the arm and raise the lower arm assembly out from under the car: the balljoint is likely to be tightly pressed into the crossmember and may need to be tapped out. Wash the lower arm and the adjacent zone and inspect the area for cracks, distortions, or other signs of wear, particularly in the mounting bushings and ball joint; if necessary, you should take the lower arm to a BMW centre or to a garage equipped for replacing the bushes as they should be pressed in. For installation, first, make certain that the balljoint studs and mounting holes are clean and dry, then align the lower arm, by engaging the inner mounting stud to the crossmember; then the balljoint stud with the steering knuckle while using the jack to pull the inner balljoint stud into place. Thread on a new nut to the inner balljoint stud and tighten it to the specified torque; then do the same to a new outer balljoint stud. Replace the bolts of the lower arm rear mounting bracket and torque it, in case you have models with the suspension ride height sensors then replace the sensor link bracket and tighten the nut. Last of all, replace the reinforcement cross brace or plate and torque the bolts, replace the engine splash shield, fit the wheel, lower the car and torque the bolt of the wheel.

After reinstalling the coil spring, lower the car to the ground and rock it to settle all disturbed components. With the car on its wheels, tighten the heel bolts, shock absorber lower mounting bolt, and control arm pivot bolts to their specified torque settings.

Extract the upper control arm from under the vehicle through the wheel well.

It is important to have the vehicle professionally aligned once the job is complete.

Remove the ride height sensor arm and the control arm strut fastener.