[anom3]

I'm getting setup for a strut replacement on my 335ix.

I am going OEM to OEM. They are worn, its time to drop a new set in. The rears are easy as pie, no need to even mention them.

I have watched the following videos (at the end of the post).

I noticed there are a number of posts on the forum here as well as some youtube comments where people run into trouble with the knuckle of the front struts not dropping down low enough to wiggle the strut out.

Any ideas why this is the case?

[SuperLomi]

1) the bushings are torqued in place at “normal” position. To lower the arms they need to be forced down, and they try to spring back up because of the tension this creates in the bushing. So it can be hard to get them down fat enough. I used a 2x4 as a lever.

2) On AWD vehicles it can be more difficult because you also have the drive shaft to worry about, and you can pull the CV joint out of the cup, potentially damage a CV joint boot, etc. I suppose you could loosen the driveshaft retaining bolt to avoid this, just make sure you have the tools to re-torque it correctly, and a replacement part as they are torque to yield.

[anom3]

Thank you so much.

What a difference a little bit of knowledge makes.

Further question : I am curious as to why in two of the videos the knuckle seams to drop with very little effort. I know there is no way to know for sure but maybe because someone had been there before and did not torque some of the bushings under "normal load". I'll add that they both state they are working on an xdrive vehicle

Maybe I am over thinking this but for the time being I will hold off on doing the fronts my self. Looks like there is a high chance that the struts won't have enough clearance and to get them out I will have to release the cv joint from the bearing housing (sorry about my terminology...) or release the upper + lower control arms, or both, to get the strut out.

Thanks again really appreciate the info.

Originally Posted by SuperLomi

1) the bushings are torqued in place at “normal” position. To lower the arms they need to be forced down, and they try to spring back up because of the tension this creates in the bushing. So it can be hard to get them down fat enough. I used a 2x4 as a lever.

2) On AWD vehicles it can be more difficult because you also have the drive shaft to worry about, and you can pull the CV joint out of the cup, potentially damage a CV joint boot, etc. I suppose you could loosen the driveshaft retaining bolt to avoid this, just make sure you have the tools to re-torque it correctly, and a replacement part as they are torque to yield.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by anom3

Thank you so much.

What a difference a little bit of knowledge makes.

Further question : I am curious as to why in two of the videos the knuckle seams to drop with very little effort. I know there is no way to know for sure but maybe because someone had been there before and did not torque some of the bushings under "normal load". I'll add that they both state they are working on an xdrive vehicle

Maybe I am over thinking this but for the time being I will hold off on doing the fronts my self. Looks like there is a high chance that the struts won't have enough clearance and to get them out I will have to release the cv joint from the bearing housing (sorry about my terminology...) or release the upper + lower control arms, or both, to get the strut out.

Thanks again really appreciate the info.

You do seem to be overthinking it. The FaRKle! video especially goes into great detail on the issue. Just make sure that you have the correct tools and give it a go.

I tend to get nervous about accidentally/stupidly scratching paint. So I would put a wide layer of blue painters tape on the fender lip and even up onto the fender itself. Then put a layer or two of duct tape which is thicker and more protective on top of it. The painters tape prevents duct tape glue from getting on the paint. Better to gash tape than paint. Good luck!

[anom3]

After giving myself some time to think it over I have decided to give it a go.

Basically I will keep going until it demands I start taking apart the CV joint bolt or loosening the control arms.

At that point I'll just reverse course and put her back together and call it a day.

Originally Posted by johnung

You do seem to be overthinking it. The FaRKle! video especially goes into great detail on the issue. Just make sure that you have the correct tools and give it a go.

I tend to get nervous about accidentally/stupidly scratching paint. So I would put a wide layer of blue painters tape on the fender lip and even up onto the fender itself. Then put a layer or two of duct tape which is thicker and more protective on top of it. The painters tape prevents duct tape glue from getting on the paint. Better to gash tape than paint. Good luck!

[Markyboyt]

Originally Posted by anom3

After giving myself some time to think it over I have decided to give it a go.

Basically I will keep going until it demands I start taking apart the CV joint bolt or loosening the control arms.

At that point I'll just reverse course and put her back together and call it a day.

Undoing the control arms is easy, you’re supposed to replace the bolt but they’ll be fine. It’s only releasing the driveshaft bolt that’s an issue as it has to be replaced and it’s specified torque is very tight.
Recently swapped mine, I fitted upper arms as well anyway so released them but also removed the driveshaft bolts. The drive shaft bolts are easy if you’ve got a torque wrench that goes high enough for the initial torque and then I used a 1/2 knuckle bar with a length of scaffold to do the angle part.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by anom3

After giving myself some time to think it over I have decided to give it a go.

Basically I will keep going until it demands I start taking apart the CV joint bolt or loosening the control arms.

At that point I'll just reverse course and put her back together and call it a day.

You'll be fine. There's plenty of space if you need to loosen that high torque center nut. Just need a good 1/2" drive socket, a 1/2" drive 24" breaker bar and a 24" piece of iron pipe that slides over the handle. (Available at hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe's) Have someone hold the socket on the center nut so you don't have to be concerned about it slipping off.

Then position the breaker bar handle to the left side and slide the pipe on about 8-10". Position both of your hands at the end of the pipe. Use your body weight to push down on that pipe end to loosen that fastener. The longer the handle, the more torque is generated. So the breaker bar/pipe combination is at least 36" long. It probably generates 300+ ft lbs of torque.

[anom3]

Pardon my ignorance but...

I have recently purchased a Makita DTW300 impact wrench.

They claim it has a nut busting force of 540nm... Any reason not to give taking the collar bolt off with this thing a shot?

[Markyboyt]

Originally Posted by anom3

Pardon my ignorance but...

I have recently purchased a Makita DTW300 impact wrench.

They claim it has a nut busting force of 540nm... Any reason not to give taking the collar bolt off with this thing a shot?

You could try it. I have a similar one but can’t recall what model or claimed torque but it won’t even undo a wheel bolt once it’s been tight a few weeks.
Undoing the nuts is easy enough with a good knuckle bar, I did the whole thing solo.