Thrust arms suck! Go Tigers! (archive)

Replacing the thrust arms � it sounds so simple. I quote from the Bentley, "Unscrew the ball joint nut from the steering arm. Lightly tap ball joint out of steering arm.". LIGHTLY TAP MY ASS! I pounded and pried (and yelled and cursed), but that damn thing would not break free. The pickle fork was completely useless. I even made a trip to the auto store where I futilely searched for a suitable press.

After a couple of hours from the start of the job, I took a break to rethink the situation and to watch a little basketball. The lone bright spot in my afternoon was watching Missouri jump all over Ohio State in the NCAA tournament.

Coming up with no other options, I broke down and completely removed the steering arm with both control arms and tie rod end attached. I then inverted the arm on a make-shift anvil (hex dumbbell) and hammered away with a baby sledge. FINALLY, the damn thing came out. Of course, I had to do this on both sides. A job that should have taken 2 hours ended up taking about 6.

On the positive side, the "clunk in the front" has been completely eliminate. I also saved couple hundred dollars by doing it my self and I feel like a full-fledged DIYer.

Russ
'91 735i 90K

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