PSA: check/replace your strut mounts

[slater]

mine 'seemed' fine when i installed my bilstein PSS; the bearing were fine, and i cleaned and re-lubed them. of course, i had no point of reference for what the rubber should look like. anyway - after troubleshooting why my bilstein PSS coilovers at 'max height' were so low - i found the answer, and gained about 15mm (3/4") or height back. crazy! this also will hopefully smooth out the front end of the car - it was a bit bouncy - won't know until i get the car back on the road this weekend (radiator replacement).

on the left - new lemfoerder mount (OEM, with 'BMW' logo shaved off - hilarious), on the right - original mount, with '0504' date stamp. look at how flat the old one is! crazy.

[Vas]

Guess over time the mount gets flat since that is all rubber. So when doing suspension work, might as well just replace those mounts. They probably are not that expensive right?

[slater]

Guess over time the mount gets flat since that is all rubber. So when doing suspension work, might as well just replace those mounts. They probably are not that expensive right?

correct, the lemfoerders are like $35/each. no brainer. i feel like a dummy for not replacing them when i put the bilstein PSS in...

[NoVAphotog]

"Peter's Service Annoucement (PSA)"

Amazing it made that much of a difference in ride height!

[QC_ZHP]

I wish I would've done this when I installed my coils, can't believe the difference. $35 isn't bad at all, I just hate using spring compressors lol.

[slater]

"Peter's Service Annoucement (PSA)"

Amazing it made that much of a difference in ride height!

LOL!! i'll have to remember that. :)

and yes, amazing at the difference - it really was 15mm of difference. huge!



I wish I would've done this when I installed my coils, can't believe the difference. $35 isn't bad at all, I just hate using spring compressors lol.

if you're running coilovers, no spring compressors needed. from the time i jacked up the car until i lowered it back down after replacing both upper mounts was about an hour. easy.

[Vas]

Keep in mind that the bearings inside of them wear out as well. So replacing them when doing any suspension work is a good idea. And don't forget to add the reinforcement plates.

[QC_ZHP]

if you're running coilovers, no spring compressors needed. from the time i jacked up the car until i lowered it back down after replacing both upper mounts was about an hour. easy.

Excellent, I'm about to order a set then!

[QC_ZHP]

Do you mind posting part #s?

[Vas]

Do you mind posting part #s?


Mounts:
31336752735 (x2)
Plates:
51717036781 (x2)

[BMWCurves]

Damn, makes you wonder about all the rubber bits in our cars that handle weight and compression. Thanks for the pics, Peter!

I didn't even look at my old strut mounts when I did my suspension refresh, but yeah, for me, the $70 price of admission to replace the 10 year old parts was an easy decision.

[slater]

Mounts:
31336752735 (x2)
Plates:
51717036781 (x2)

thanks vas! plates is a good mention, and a must-do.



Damn, makes you wonder about all the rubber bits in our cars that handle weight and compression. Thanks for the pics, Peter!

I didn't even look at my old strut mounts when I did my suspension refresh, but yeah, for me, the $70 price of admission to replace the 10 year old parts was an easy decision.

yep - still can't believe i overlooked them.

[QC_ZHP]

thanks fellas, good call on the plates vas.

edit: these are on sale at FCP Euro for $26.75ea

[Sockethead]

This is what I was saying in one of my posts too.... they seemed fine but when I got them out of the car, the bearings were shot. I didn't notice any height difference on mine but I wasn't looking for that. I can see in that pic that the mounting surface that goes against the tower is also distorted, showing the need for the reinforcement plates
I agree that these should just be replaced along with adding the reinforcement plates while doing the suspension. I got Bilsteins on sale at ECS for $59 for the pair... definitely cheap enough. Suspension is something that you really don't want to keep having to take apart so might as well do it all at once, eh?

BTW the H&R sport springs don't need a spring compressor either...

[slater]

This is what I was saying in one of my posts too.... they seemed fine but when I got them out of the car, the bearings were shot. I didn't notice any height difference on mine but I wasn't looking for that. I can see in that pic that the mounting surface that goes against the tower is also distorted, showing the need for the reinforcement plates

my bearings were OK in my old ones... but clearly they are collapsed. the distortion in the mounting surface is from punching the pins out. i ground them off on the new ones - way better.

[Vas]

I keep thinking if I should remove the pins from the mounts or just leave them in. Car is getting aligned in a week after the rtab.

[slater]

thanks fellas, good call on the plates vas.

edit: these are on sale at FCP Euro for $26.75ea

for the lemfoerders? i wouldn't bother ordering another brand.



I keep thinking if I should remove the pins from the mounts or just leave them in. Car is getting aligned in a week after the rtab.

depends - do you want the ability to run more negative camber up front? if so, remove. if not, leave in. i can't see any problems with removing them.

[QC_ZHP]

for the lemfoerders? i wouldn't bother ordering another brand.

yup, https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-strut-mount-front-31336760943

[slater]

yup, https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-strut-mount-front-31336760943

nice! that's a great price.

[QC_ZHP]

Need to figure out the strut bolt situation. Should I order the special socket from ECS for $15 or should I spend $50 on a harbor freight electric impact? The impact will probably be the better investment but I would rather not spend the money on a low quality one if I could just get the job done with a socket, plus I don't particularly want to tighten it with an impact either.

links
https://www.ecstuning.com/ES2652183/
http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/drivers/12-in-heavy-duty-electric-impact-wrench-68099.html

[BMWCurves]

Which strut nut are you talking about, the one on the end link or the one that connects the strut to the hub? Why do you need the special strut nut socket? On our ZHPs you just need a wrench to hold the end link still while you remove the strut bolt using a breaker bar or a ratchet to remove the nut, or if it's the bolt that connects the strut to the hub, you just need a breaker bar or ratchet.

That said, I got an impact wrench for $100 from Sears for my sister's suspension refresh and I am in love with it.

[QC_ZHP]

No I'm referring to the top nut. The one that holds the strut assembly together. It requires a 6/7mm allen and a 21/22mm hex simultaneously to remove, hence the pass-through socket. I know others have had success just putting an impact on it to remove but I know it's not recommended when tightening it down.

[az3579]

No I'm referring to the top nut. The one that holds the strut assembly together. It requires a 6/7mm allen and a 21/22mm hex simultaneously to remove, hence the pass-through socket. I know others have had success just putting an impact on it to remove but I know it's not recommended when tightening it down.

My BMW tech friend used an impact on mine without even thinking twice about it. I'd say just be careful if using one and don't overtorque.

[slater]

Need to figure out the strut bolt situation. Should I order the special socket from ECS for $15 or should I spend $50 on a harbor freight electric impact? The impact will probably be the better investment but I would rather not spend the money on a low quality one if I could just get the job done with a socket, plus I don't particularly want to tighten it with an impact either.

links
https://www.ecstuning.com/ES2652183/
http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/drivers/12-in-heavy-duty-electric-impact-wrench-68099.html

to be honest, they are both worth the investment. :)

the impact wrench is a great price and even if it lasts 2 years, it's worth it - plus, you'll get a lot more use out of that than the special socket.

typically what i do is hand-thread the nut on, then zip it down with the impact on the lowest torque setting, then tighten it further when it's installed in the car. always works.



My BMW tech friend used an impact on mine without even thinking twice about it. I'd say just be careful if using one and don't overtorque.

yep, you don't want to give it the full beans - an impact gun will (should) have multiple torque settings, this helps. mine has 3 forward settings and i never use #3.

[QC_ZHP]

Alright thanks fellas, looks like I'll be making a trip to harbor freight today. May through one of those sockets in my cart next time i place an order just to have it.

[ELCID86]

An air gun will usually overcome the torque and you don't need the Allen wrench. Alternatively I once used vice grips on a socket so the top was free for hex key.

[Sockethead]

Koni specifically says not to use an impact gun on that top nut. After I read that, I looked for something in my toolbox to use... finally I said F it and used an impact gun. Used an impact gun the second time I installed them too...Everything works fine, no worries

[az3579]

Koni specifically says not to use an impact gun on that top nut. After I read that, I looked for something in my toolbox to use... finally I said F it and used an impact gun. Used an impact gun the second time I installed them too...Everything works fine, no worries
Bilstein says the same thing. Didn't stop my friend from using one. lol

Sent from my LG V10 on Tapatalk

[Sockethead]

Probably for the idiots that hang on the impact gun to "get it real tight" and shear it off

[BMWCurves]

The Konis don't call for much torque, like 35 ft-lbs or less (depends on what type of washer and nut is being used). I used a torque wrench on my car with a Vice grips and foam padding to hold the piston still. Used the impact wrench on my sister's. Just don't over tighten.

[ClimRox]

Mounts:
31336752735 (x2)
Plates:
51717036781 (x2)

I'm curious how you found the mount part numbers? I definitely agree they are the right parts, but if I were starting from scratch I'm not sure I could have found them. i.e. Real OEM gives me a repair kit part number...not sure how I would get to the Lemforders.

[Vas]

I'm curious how you found the mount part numbers? I definitely agree they are the right parts, but if I were starting from scratch I'm not sure I could have found them. i.e. Real OEM gives me a repair kit part number...not sure how I would get to the Lemforders.
I had them saved when I refreshed the suspension

[Sockethead]

I had them saved when I refreshed the suspension

I have an ongoing text file saved on my PC. I add important part numbers members post here and keep it as a reference when I'm ready to do repairs/upgrades

[holyc0w]

A few questions:

I used rmeuropean.com for some parts. They have the Lemforder strut mounts (31336752735) for $22.59 and Febi Bilstein for $17.56. Now I noticed they also have part # 31336760943 for strut mounts with a note that it's from 11/03. Does anybody know what that's about? It seems like the Lemforder mounts are the same for both part numbers, but the Genuine BMW mounts could differ?


Also, I'm guessing the top nuts are the same on the shocks and struts. What size wrench and allen key would work for these? Or is there a better solution? I was just planning on buying the tools on ebay.