Firstfives.org

Robert. What's the theory behind torquing the wheel bearing to 24 ft lbs then backing it off completely to only finger tight? ....seems counterintuitive.......won't the bearing work it's way out till stopped by the nut and cotter pin? Karl, I haven't done this job myself in a while. I think the ide...

Well I took a look at the rubber bushings on my car and they didn't look all that bad. The stabilizer rod bolt bushings were in bad shape and need replacing but other than that I think I'm going to leave things the way they are. However with the front of the car off the ground there is a little pla...

My question: After what I know was a long and arduous process, did your driving experience, the feel of the car make you exclaim, " Eureka !, fantastic incredible what they are like new !" Or, if I'm not seeing any visible rubber deterioration, no looseness in the tie rods or center link,...

Robert... I will need to change my wishbone/control arm soon. Can you tell me if there is a specific make we should focus on? Is there a load balance involved? Can I simply lift car, remove and replace? Do you happen to have torque? Appreciate the help! I got my control arm pair from Bavarian Autos...

Thx for the info Robert. What kind of specialty tools would I need to remove the bushings other than the rad rod ones? What do they look like ,where can they be obtained and can they be fabricated DIY? Thx Karl Karl, The other specialty stuff is actually sort of common place, but it's awfully easy ...

Looking at a pic of the control arm it seems that the "balljoint end" is integral with the control arm so you would have to replace the entire control arm to renew OR is just replacing the bushing enough to bring this unit back to new? What else can be done to tighten up the front end? Wo...

Rogert I know Mike's the guru, but, what am I chopped liver?? :roll: :wink: :lol: Just kidding. I'm glad you got your answer. :wink: Haha. My bad. Your advice is being applied too. An alignment was planned all along. I just had a mild panic that there might be bigger issues that an alignment wouldn...

New parts, especially idler arms for some reason, can be significantly stiffer at first. But if toe is off far enough to notice, that could play a part too. How about the steering box, was it adjusted? If the adjustment screw got cranked down it could be the real problem. Hi Mike, Thanks for the ti...

I just finished rebuilding the entire front suspension to the extent that the subframe was removed. I've got some great pictures I need to upload with everything looking clean and shiny. The big "gotcha" on my first test drive was that the steering doesn't naturally return to centered when...

Brian, Thanks for the post. Just to clarify, you did this on a 78 530i, but you originally had the same two brush design of the earlier E12s? My P/N research had me convinced that the outer scraper for all 78s, later E12s, and the E28 all came with the one piece design you describe (ETK showing a fr...

Hmmm, good thought. Except as cheap as they are a lot of us even have infrared thermometers, AKA temp guns, which could be used before it got that bad. Even a 20 degree difference would be significant. Mike, I actually do have an IR gun. I made the water discovery somewhat by accident while doing a...

Robert, I went in circles for months with them trying to get the right part. Finally, they just sent me the entire aluminum carrier with the correct brushes already installed. But, they only sent me them for the rear windows. I have about twelve of the loose brushes that you show a photo of. I stop...

I had one of my rear wheel bearings fail a few years ago. The rears are a big job. In addition to the turning technique to diagnose which side has the offending part, I found just spraying a little water on the wheel and wheel hub was very effective. I had water instantly vaporize off the left side ...

Here's a picture showing what the lower outer brush is supposed to be in the ETK and what that P/N actually produced.



The package shows 51-12-* instead of 51-21-*, but the 51-12-* number doesn't exist if that is looked up.

Blaise, I've got the door apart and my inventory of window and door HW purchased last fall from Maximillian. I was wondering if you ever figured out the P/N mix-up you mentioned? I think I've run into the same thing, but I'm describing it slightly differently. 77 530i window seal and trim cross-sect...