I used your post to remove the R.H. bearing, no (archive)

problem....thanks...worked well. But again, how much play should the bearing have? None? I assume what I discribed is considered too much. Right?
Let me know.
Richard V

Richard,

Rememeber that this is a BMW, although it may be older, it is still a BMW. Therefore there should be little to NO play in the front. BMW's are not known for their great abilty to drag race, but more along the lines of "real men do it in the corners" Things you should check:

Control arm bushings - if they are shot (and more than likely at this age they are) replace with the
M3 units, a nice upgrade and better handling. Stay away from urethane ones, they fail and are not recommended.
Sway Bar bushings - when installing my new control arm bushings, I noticed the sway bar bushings (they really aren't bushings, but BMW calls them that) were gone, just shot to pieces. To be expected on a 1984. Replace with stock, again, no urethane, too stiff and failure rates too high. Should not be expensive either.
Sway bar links - again, these were noticed as shot when doing the CA bushes, again the stock items are best and inexpensive.
Control arms - these can set you back, check to see that the joints are not shot. Luckily mine were replaced due to the PO playing "find the curb in the snow" right before I purchased it.

That pretty much makes up the front end, besides struts and springs, but I don't think they would contribute to looseness in the front end like you describe. Replace these items all at the same time to save on labor. My theory is do it once, and do it right (although sometimes I forget to heed my own advice) As for your wheelbearings, if you are still doing the job, I have a nice tech tip from a friend on my site Here.
Hope this helps,
Jim Laing
84 318i EVO II
85 325e
Dirty E30(s)

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