Wymiana tulei gumowej BMW e36.pdf

Hands On

Words Paul Wager

Photography Michael Whitestone

The Sharp End

When BMW debuted its Z axle in the Z1 and

later in mass production in the E36 cars , it

brought in a new era of sharply-handling

BMWs and meant an end to the semi trailing

arm drama which had held up the company’s

rear ends for so long.

To a large extent it meant the end of

replacement rear suspension bushes on an

annual basis, but if the rear end of your E36

is starting to feel a little soggy, then spend-

ing £20 on a couple of replacement trailing

arm bushes will sharpen things up again.

The symptoms of worn trailing arm

bushes are easy to spot: a generally soggy

feeling from the rear and sometimes a

clunking, as if a rear door isn’t closed

properly. In extreme cases, if you rock the

car with the handbrake on, you’ll be able to

see the wheel move back and forth slightly.

It’s a quick and easy job with basic tools –

even quicker and easier if you have the spe-

cial tool. You might think that rules it out for

an enthusiastic hands-on BMW owner, but

ever since the days when service lights had

us bemoaning the birth of the ‘throwaway

car’, the aftermarket has provided the tools

to take apart what BMW invents.

In the case of the E36 suspension, the

appropriate tool is made right here in

Britain by Auto Service Tools, who can sup-

ply a wide range of BMW special tools and

electronic diagnostic gear. You can easily

buy them from this very magazine through

Euro Car Parts and GSF. Yes, the job can be

done with a basic puller and a Jubilee clip,

but it’s nothing like as simple.

Read up on this job in the workshop manu-

als and you’ll find pages and pages of instruc-

tions on dismantling the entire trailing arm,

driveshafts and hubs – to the point where the

potential costs involved frighten you away

from even paying someone else to do it.

It’s not that difficult though, and can easi-

ly be done with the trailing arm on the car.

Even if you’ve never done it before, you’ll

easily replace both bushes in a couple of

hours and if you don’t fancy getting your

hands dirty, here’s what you’re asking your

specialist to do.

Contact

AST Tools

www.asttools.co.uk

Euro Car Parts

0208 956 5190 www.eurocarparts.com

German Swedish & French

0208 917 3899

What It Costs

Trailing arm bushes (pair) £20

AST4464 E36 suspension bush tool £191

Prices include VAT

www.gsfcarparts.com

Powerstation

01242 238400

www.powerstation.org.uk

TOTAL BMW DECEMBER 03 77

E36 suspension getting soggy? Invest an hour and £20 in a

sharpening up your 3-Series rear end.

Hands On

Safety

The first rule of working on cars and using tools of any kind is

don’t take risks:

• If you’re using power tools, protective gear is essential.

• Never work under a car without supporting it, using axle

stands first.

• When cars catch fire, they burn fast. Always have a fire

extinguisher to hand.

• If you’re not completely confident in your ability to complete

any task safely, don’t even start it. Leave it to the experts.

The advice and guidelines given in Total BMW magazine

are given in good faith and neither Total BMW nor A&S

Publishing can take any responsibility for injuries sustained

while carrying out the described tasks and procedures, or any

consequences arising from them.

Sunday afternoon and being stuck with a car in pieces. Like most suspension

bush tools, the kit consists of a heavy-duty threaded shaft, a locknut on one end,

a force nut on the other end and a selection of bridging pieces and spacers. The

conical sleeve is crucial, as you’ll see.

2 Before taking anything apart, carefully measure the distance from the trailing

need to support it before you release the bolts. A trolley jack is ideal, and allows

you to gently lower the arm afterwards.

4 Before you do that though, you’ll need to release the flexible brake pipe from

the arm. Just unbolt the small retaining bracket and then...

5 ...you can lower the arm all the way to gain access. Here you’ll see the mounting

arm to three fixed points on the bodywork. This will make it easier to align

the wheel accurately afterwards. First task is to unbolt the trailing arm cage from

the floor of the car. BMW calls this a ‘console’, but on closer examination there is

no trace of fake plastic wood or 1970s Radiomobile tapedecks.

cage, which is bolted through the bush.

TOTAL BMW DECEMBER 03

3 Because the suspension arm is still under some tension from the spring, you’ll

1 The AST tool: the difference between being able to do this job on an easy

will need plenty of force. You can see that we’ve used Total BMW special tool

No 001a (lovingly crafted from a 78 mm length of planed square edge pine) to hold

the arm clear, while a strip of duct tape protects the paintwork.

7 Now you’re ready to extract the bush. The tool is assembled and bolted

be surprised to find it doesn’t look that worn, but as with most suspension

bushes, it can be pretty knackered and still look perfectly fine. These slotted bushes

are a revised part introduced by BMW in 1998 to make replacement easier.

10 Without even a pause for a cup of tea, it’s time to fit the new bush. You’ll

finger-tight to the arm and then...

8 ... with everything lined up properly, all you need to do is wind in the force

have noticed that the new bushes are slotted and so need to be compressed

to fit into the trailing arm — this is where the AST tool is particularly neat. The

sleeve provided in the kit is tapered internally, so that the bush is compressed as

it’s pressed into place. If you don’t have the tool, you can use a big Jubilee clip to

compress the bush as you push it in, but expect a bit of a struggle doing it this way.

nut with a 23 mm spanner and the bush is drawn out. You’ll be surprised by

how little force is required if the bush is past its best.

TOTAL BMW DECEMBER 03 79

6 Removing the cage is a simple matter of unbolting it, although you’ll find it

9 Compare the old bush you’ve just removed with a brand new part and you might

Hands On

11 Continue pressing the bush into place until exactly 2.5 mm of the metal part of the bush protrudes

Tooled Up

from the trailing arm and you’ve got it spot-on. Now it’s just a case of...

12 ... bolting the cage through the centre of the new bush, torqueing it to 82 lbf.ft and lifting the trail-

There’s not much you can do to modern BMWs

without having the proper tools, and the inde-

pendent specialists get theirs from people like

AST in the West Midlands. The firm was formed

in 1990 and supplies everything you need to work

on the suspension of a modern BMW, right up to

models like the E39 5-Series and the current 3-

Series. AST can also supply the crucial tools for

engine servicing, including camshaft locking sets

and special Vanos wrenches, as well as a wide

range of electronic diagnosis equipment. Find

details of their range at www.asttools.co.uk and

order them through the usual trade distributors.

ing arm back into place. Before finally tightening up the bolts to 57 lbf.ft, use a lever to ensure the

mounting cage bolts are lined up with the previous marks. Double-check against the measurements you

took earlier and if all’s gone, well you’ll have got the wheel alignment pretty accurate. It’s still sensible to

get it checked properly, but for now you’re finished: no more clunks and a tighter rear end.

13 No matter how careful you were to align the mounts to their original position, you still want to get

the wheels aligned properly by a specialist who knows their stuff, as just a small movement in the

position of the mountings can make a big difference to the rear wheel toe. We took our car to local experts

Powerstation in Cheltenham who can offer a full four-wheel alignment using the same Beissbarth system

that your BMW dealer uses. As it turned out, we had managed to get the alignment pretty close, but the

front needed attention anyway. If you’re in the Cheltenham area, give them a call on 01242 238400.

TOTAL BMW DECEMBER 03

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