BMW 5-Series Control Arm & Thrust Arm Replacement (E34)

In the past I touched upon the suspension maintenance of a 1989-1995 BMW E34 5-Series. There are several components which require inspection or replacement over time. The subject area I'd like to discuss is Control arm replacement. In doing so I will go into the process of replacing these items so your job will be easier.

Thrust and control arms are attached to the front crossmember and chassis through rubber bushings and to the steering arm by ball joints. Two common observations of failure are clunking noises, wandering, or shaking when braking or accelerating. From a visual aspect most will have cracked, torn, leaking bushings and defective ball joints. If your bushings are bad they can be replaced. The ball joints also can be replaced, but considering the cost of thrust arms and lower control arms, purchasing the complete arms is more simplistic.

The E34 generation spans just over 6 years with several different models. However, the lower control arms differ from model to model. Please be sure you purchase the correct control arm for you car before beginning this repair.

The Tools

To perform these repairs you'll need the following associated tools:

• 19 & 22mm Sockets, 3/8th and 1/2 inch socket wrench
• Breaker bar
• Torque wrench
• 22mm crescent wrench
• Pickle fork or Tie Rod Puller
• Vise Grips/Pliers/C-Clamp
• Hammer
• WD40 or PB Blaster
• Floor Jack, Jack Stands, and Ramps

Parts

BMW 4-Piece Control Arm Kit (E34) - Meyle E34CAKIT-4PCMY

The Job

1. Begin the job by raising the front of the car, place the car on jack stands andr remove the wheel(s).

2. On the bottom of the Strut assembly there are three bolts holding it to the steering plate. Remove these bolts so you gain access to the ball joint nut without removing the entire strut assembly. These bolts can be a little difficult to turn with a socket wrench. Use your breaker bar to crack those pesky bolts loose.

3. Drop the steering plate down from the strut mating surface and use the 19mm socket to remove the nut from the lower control arm ball joint and the 22mm socket on the thrust arm ball joint. Grab apickle fork or tie rod puller and free the ball joints from the steering plate. The biggest hurdle in this part of the procedure is knowing the amount of force needed to release the ball joints. I've experienced some that popped out with very little force to those that required afew small breaks to regain the strength and motivation to continue. Don't be scared to whack that hammer, saturate with PB Blaster, WD40 or use those muscles if the ball joint becomes stubborn. It can be a little tough, but they will eventually pop out.

4. Using the 22mm socket and crescent wrench remove the bolts holding the arms to the chassis. Replace the arms. Installation is the reverse. However do not fully tighten the bolts holding the arms to the frame until the car is on the ground or on ramps.

Note: If the ball joints try to spin during installation, use vise grips, pliers or C clamp to press the bottom of the ball joint to the steering plate. This should provide enough resistance so the ball joint doesn't spin.

Torque with the car on the ground

5. When installation is finished, lower the car onto ramps. The control and thrust arms on the E34 5-Series must be tightene under load or risk damaging your bushings and performing this job again. Apply 127NM/94ft-lb of tightening torque for the thrust arm bolts and 78Nm, 57ft-lb to the lower control arm bolts.

Now that the arms are installed and securely fastened, lower the car and take it for a spin. Usually right before I drop the car to the ground I go back over make sure all the bolts on the bottom of the steering plate are secure. Or when in doubt, torque them up.

Here are the associated torque specs for each nut and bolt we worked with today:

Thrust arm ball joint to steering arm: 68 ft-lb

Thrust arm to cross member: 127 Nm (94 ft-lb)

Control arm ball joint to steering arm: 93 Nm (68 ft-lb)

Control arm to cross member: 78 Nm (57 ft-lb)

Strut housing to steering arm: 110 Nm (81 ft-lb)

Hopefully this will help you when taking this job on. Putting you and your car back on the road to enjoy the summer together. Cheers.

---

Written by :

William Yelder

William is an enthusiast, entrepreneur, BMWCCA member, and admitted adrenaline junky from Freehold, NJ. Preferring the classic lines over modern convenience, he’s continuously improving the performance of his ’95 BMW 5-Series, One bolt at a time.