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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > Suspension | Chassis | Brakes > Removing front control arm / tension/thrust arm. (SOLVED)
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      08-31-2018, 05:46 PM   #1
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Removing front control arm / tension/thrust arm. (SOLVED)

Has anyone on here removed there front tension control arm? I have an x drive and cannot get the ball joint to clear the knuckle. The axle boot in the way. Dont want to take it apart because the torque on it is insane. You can see below how I have to lift the ball joint out but the axle boot is blocking it. Has anyone done this job before?

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Last edited by Insane435; 09-24-2018 at 11:35 AM..
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      08-31-2018, 05:52 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Insane435 View Post
Has anyone on here removed there front tension control arm? I have an x drive and cannot get the ball joint to clear the knuckle. The axle boot in the way. Dont want tontske it apart because the torque on it is insane.
Why are you doing this? When I drive over potholes I here a lot of shaking and clicking on my front passenger suspension
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      08-31-2018, 05:53 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jadenkid22 View Post
Why are you doing this? When I drive over potholes I here a lot of shaking and clicking on my front passenger suspension
Mine is broken. The fluid in bushing leaked out. Both have done this on bith if my cars. Lol. Its a classic thing.
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      09-04-2018, 07:44 AM   #4
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Bump.

It can come out by removing the axle bolt to allow the knuckle to push back, but I would rather not go that route. The axle bolt feels like it is torqued down by Hercules. Has anyone done this?
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      09-13-2018, 07:36 PM   #5
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What if you remove the strut from the knuckle then hinge the knuckle out.
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      09-14-2018, 09:37 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel View Post
What if you remove the strut from the knuckle then hinge the knuckle out.
doesnt work because the axles is still connected. I bought a new axle bolt so i can replace it when i remove. I think the easiest way to do this is to remove the axle bolt and then undo all of the control arms. I will report back once I get a chance to do this. It should be about a 2 hr job from start to finish.
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      09-14-2018, 12:03 PM   #7
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You're supposed to remove the axle from the steering knuckle before removing the tension strut.

Here's the procedure.
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      09-14-2018, 12:12 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FaRKle! View Post
You're supposed to remove the axle from the steering knuckle before removing the tension strut.

Here's the procedure.
thanks for posting. This is crystal clear now. Wonder how hard it is to remove the axle from the knuckle once the bolt is out.
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      09-14-2018, 02:03 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Insane435 View Post
thanks for posting. This is crystal clear now. Wonder how hard it is to remove the axle from the knuckle once the bolt is out.
Based on the procedure it looks pretty easy since it just passes through the knuckle and locks up to the teeth/gear on the back of the wheel hub.
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      09-18-2018, 11:46 AM   #10
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I had to use a pipe on my breaker bar to loosen my axle bolt but it wasn't that bad.
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      09-18-2018, 12:43 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zole2112 View Post
I had to use a pipe on my breaker bar to loosen my axle bolt but it wasn't that bad.
Did you have someone press the brake or did you leave the wheel on and pop center cap off?
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      09-24-2018, 11:35 AM   #12
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Following the instructions posted above got the job done. It took me 1.5 hours, including raising and lowering the car on the lift.
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      05-21-2020, 02:36 PM   #13
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Just did this at 60k, but a couple questions. It was a bit tight with cooler lines and some extra hardware blocking the screw to be removed - anybody know what purpose part number 22 serves? It doesn't appear to do much of anything but get in the way...
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      05-21-2020, 03:51 PM   #14
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22 looks like a bracket for the underbelly pan to screw into
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      05-21-2020, 07:38 PM   #15
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Nothing screws into it - it just has a hole at one end for the thrust arm bushing's screw to go through (I took two of them out today, and reinstalled them despite them not having any clear function). I wonder if it's to protect the little radiator hoses from road debris that might make it through the wheel well or undertray? It doesn't seem to serve any other purpose.
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