Thank you Jason for this video, it was very helpful when I did this job over the weekend. Also for other DIYers who's planning to do this job, here are somethings I learned and maybe helpful to you. 1.) Remove the break caliper including break pad and speed sensor when you are doing this job, it is an additional step but will make the job a lot easier as it will provide you a lot more room to remove the strut from the steering knuckle and will also lighten the weight of the wheel assembly especially if you do not have a helper. 2.) Crack lose the 21mm center bolt (but DO NOT totally remove) while it is still attached to the car BEFORE you remove the 3-13 mm nuts on the strut tower, (12:24) mine was on really tight and would have been impossible to remove if you don't have an impact wrench or some sort of table vise once the strut is out of the car. 3.) When compressing the spring, use the metal collar (Retaining Plate 17:50) just below the strut mount plate as your top anchor point for your spring compressor, you will not be able to compress the the spring far enough to release all the tension (as what happened to Jason in this video) if you only clamp on the spring itself. Be EXTRA careful when you use the metal collar as anchor point since this method will not be totally secure and there is a small chance it could slip. This risk can be mitigated by making sure BOTH spring compressor are anchored on the metal collar (not just one) and to secure the anchor point by tapping it with a rubber mallet. Tighten compressor bolt manually (no need to use an impact wrench) and switch bolts every few turns to equally compress the spring, after a few turns, check your anchor points again to make sure they did not slip before proceeding. Also like Jason said, it is important to place the spring compressors equidistant from each other as this will compress the spring evenly and prevent it from buckling as this will be bad news. If you use this method, you do not need to compress the spring all the way, just enough so the shock absorber detaches from the spring about half an inch and you will be able to turn the shocks by hand, this means that you have released the tension far enough to remove the 21mm nut. Do not over compress the spring as this will only increase the risk of failure. I also I had to shave portion of the rubber tab on the side of the spring rubber pad to secure the anchor points properly. The rubber tab I'm referring too can be seen on 16:08. Good Luck!
You've got a video for everything I've run into so far. Much thanks for saving me time, money, and a ton of headache so that I can actually have fun driving and repairing my 325Ci and 330Ci!
Also found a Craftsman spark plug socket worked well for the front upper strut nut. The SAE conversion was close enough that the fit was snug. Pulled the rubber core out to fit an allen key through the top. The spark plug socket was important because it had flats at the top to fit a box wrench on.
I learned most of my e46 skills from you and have so much to upgrade and replace because of the videos you post. This has an impact. Just so you know, some guys at Dinan are familiar with you suggested your videos. That's a top quality company that cares about customers over just making money. Your help has been tremendous and without your videos, I'd have a stock e46 that would probably breakdown in 10k miles.
Just picked up a 2000 323ci convertible for cheap a guy had parked in a garage for over a yr using your channel as a go to guide thanxs alot doing shocks and struts next week. Finished all new brake hardware today with your help calipers rotors pads thanx again
You have given me so much help with these vids, I have changed my steering rack on my E46 with the help of your video, now I have enough info and courage to change the front shocks and save a TON of money doing it myself! 👍👍👍👍👍
Hi! Just starting this job on mine and had to re watch this video. Thank you Jason for this tutorial. You help a lot of eager people connect with their cars!
Yes flip flops means you have not met misfortune as of yet. When you do misfortune will help you understand why protective clothing is a blessing. Self injury.is hard to accept. Its the nature of neglect. Great video though you took a grrat amount of frustration i was feeling going into this project. Your videos have improved.thanks. p.s. ads are running longer that start before your videos. That means they have public value.
I just made a 02pilot mod, BUT! Changing rear shock absorbers is easy and fast on a convertible. I had looked at a few non conv changing the shocks, so the day when i cleaned out everything in the trunk, i realized a conv has a lot more work to be done than a sedan. A LOT! Next day i got my shocks and went home. But before i started i wanted some coffe and started up my TV and computer and klicked on UA-cam, and guess what? On my recomended was a guy changing rear shocks on a 330 convertible! Just open the top until the cover comes up and rear window is lifted, and have a broom or something to stop it from closing. In the bay there is 2 plugs on top of the shocks to loosen the 2 nuts on each shock. I just lifted the rear end high enough to get under the car so i could crawl under it far enough to see what i was doing when sending up the new shock, but i think the car can stand on the wheels on a ramp as well. Or a narrow deep ditch. Its plenty of space to send up the shock, just some sand coming down. It did not take long time to do.
After seeing the trouble you had with the spring compressors, and having the exact same tool, I decided to hook it to the top spring seat and it was a lot easier since I could compress more of the spring. I could still remove the bearing easily which I also replaced. Thanks for the vid.
just a bit of trivial information.. the top nut on the strut is 21mm or 13/16 if the strut is Bilstein so a sparkplug socket with 1/2 drive will work so all you have to do is remove the rubber plug from inside the sparkplug socket so you can then put a 7mm allen key inside the socket to hold the strut shaft and that will work to undo the nut and tighten it up
Yes, awesome video. I was thinking I was going to have to drop everything on the front end to do the shocks. Saved me going to the mechanic again and spending hundreds.
I’m giving this a go after a front spring broke on my 1999 E46 323 saloon. Think the metric sizes are slightly different on the older car. 16mm top strut bolt. Saw in another video that you can use a 7mm hex and a 16mm ring spanner to loosen the top bolt, from the front. RTher than a box spanner around the back. Lower bolt was a 18mm too. Cheers for the videos...
Some struts won't come out unless you disconnect the lower control arm from the wheel hub assembly; without the disconnection, you simply won't be able to get the hub assembly low enough to get the strut valve tube out of the collar. He was lucky he didn't have to. I did. And if you've got rust, you need a ball joint puller/separator tool (it looks like tapered tuning fork) to do the job. And don't replace with stock parts. They are useless. Get Bilstein B6s. They are far more robust, and, if, like most, you've been riding without any shock valve pressure, then the B6s will never feel "harsh," like many say.
Thanks for the tips about using the spring compressors. As someone else commented, I highly recommend adding the front strut tower reinforcement plates. My towers were both bowed as well as the strut bearing plates being bent. I installed Koni FSDs and really like them for my daily driver 2001 330ci.
Great videos clear and concise. Thanks for all your tuition. Btw wish I had seen your transmission rebuild before I spent £980 on the same problem and had it fail again 14 days later for exactly as you describe. The video has given me the confidence to do a complete transmission rebuild. 👏🏻🔧
Thanks for your videos find them very helpful saved me a lot of time trying to figure out what to do on my own BMW, whole shock change took me about half an hour after a two minute argument with my dad about how to remove them and put them back! Keep up the good work👍🏻
OMG. I have a set of visegrips just like those from my grandfather also. How strange. They do work better sometimes than newer version. I have used them for exactly this too.
good job buddy! you really do help many people save themselves from especially the bmw rip offs! I am a mechanic too, but just wanted to say a good supporting word to you and the kind deeds you do sharing your knowledge! Cheers brother!
Great video(s)! Still very helpful. Luckily I didn't do all the steps in your video, I was able 2 get my front struts in without removing brakes. Getting stuff disassemble was much easier than getting them assembled (spring compressing for me was tough trying to get them in the right spots to compress evenly) rewatched and noted where you set yours and copied and completed.
I know this video is a little old, but I'm surprised you didn't change all the mounts. Definitely a 'while you're there' part and they are all pretty cheap. Rear mounts can fail, and also rip out from the body. Reinforcement plates are super cheap and highly recommended.
Thanks for the quick response but I mean for the front struts .. I put mine at the bottom of the strut tower but I believe that's maken my ride height a bit to high at the front
The BMW procedure for compressing the struts uses a tool with an adapter like the Hesselink FS-1 to compress from the top spring plate. Otherwise it's difficult to compress the spring enough as you found out. There's a video by bavarian autosport for the E39 where they show this albeit without the adapter.
I'm having a real problem removing the upper strut mount. I have 2 different impact drills and they don't do a thing to the top nut. maybe my drill are just crappy... Thanks for your videos.
Do you have any recommendations for high quality shocks? I live in Boston, aka pothole city, and because of that, I'm looking for the comfiest ride ever...Thanks! Love your vids by the way...they're literally the best on youtube
Hey! I have 2016 Mini Cooper S and there is some thumping noise coming from the rear when going slow over uneven roads or some patches. Also noise is heard when entering/exiting driveways. I checked the trunk for any loose parts such as tools, stereo amplifier, rear seats and seat belts but everything is all tight. Took it to MINI dealer, drove with a tech 2 times within 10 days but the guy doesn't really hear anything. There was no sound in the spring and summer but all started in October. So the tech took the car into the shop, lifted the car, checked all suspension parts but couldn't find anything that is loose or needs repair. I am personally leaning towards the rubber dampers(just like in your video) that go between the the rear strut and upper mount. It is possible that something got deformed and is a bit loose OR possibly you can give some other ideas.
Hey brother!!! Your videos are awesome!! I'm definitely a fan of yours. I have a 2004, 325i and I replaced the front struts and rear shocks on my own thanks to you. Keep them coming!! I'm going to do more work on my car based on all of your videos. I have an oil leak right now on the 2004, 325i with about 170k miles, but I have to clean the engine to find where the leak is. (based on your video which you replaced the oil filter housing gasket, that's what I'm hoping the leak is). I end up adding a quart of oil after driving about 4,000 miles. Could you please make a video on cleaning the engine so that I can locate the leak?
+Ken Can't really make a video on that because my engine is now clean, lol. What you really need to do is follow the same repair procedures I've gone through. Odds are you probably need to do both the oil filter housing gasket and the oil pan gasket, but the filter housing gasket is the much bigger cause of leaking oil of the two.
Hey 50sKid been a tech for 38 years, got an E46 325ci, love it. need to do the struts and shocks, what type of aftermarket brand would you suggest... love your comment about the D*** H**** on the spring strut tool have one just like it and saw that right away, made me lol...
Great videos. I have just make a comment about using air wrench or similar and vise grips in process of the tightening new locking nuts. Well that is not good practice at all. Back in Europe I used to work in car parts wholesale store, and most our customers were car shops. I had one shop constantly coming back and complain about shocks quality, and after some time we discovered that they use air gun for mounting lock nuts on new shocks and sometimes hold shock rod using vise grips. Well, any damage on the rod or exceeded spinning of the rod will damage inner shock seals. So they had customers coming back shortly after service and they use to come back to us blaming shocks quality. After xx replacement we just quit to do business with that shop.
+YesNo018 Ah, that's an interesting comment you make. I only used the vice grips to keep the bad shock from spinning, so I didn't care about damage to the shaft in that case. I see what you are saying about the shaft spinning and damaging the seals. I doubt ANY shops actually tighten the lock nuts manually with the proper tools as intended by the factory for two reasons, a) no shops provide specialty tools for their mechanics, not even car dealerships (I have a friend who's worked for several), and b) it's just faster to use air tools and get it done--most technicians work on a flat rate system here in America, where they get paid the same no matter how long it takes so the goal is to get more jobs done per day. In the case of the rear shocks I could have held the shaft from spinning with a wrench, but for the fronts it would require an allen key AND a specialty socket, and those sockets are hard to come by. I will look into that.
+50sKid I agree with all you said. Last time when I did front shocks on my old Audi, about 5 years ago, I did use air gun. If I am not wrong locking nut doesn't require some huge torque. Holding the rod on new shock and possibly make marks on it, will be main reason for short life of the new shock. And one more time I have to say there is many other videos on youtube but for some reason I like how you did the jobs. I was looking some DIY for cooling system and came across your channel. BTW you did not do any cooling system repair yet?
+YesNo018 I did repair about half my cooling system when I first bought the car. Thermostat housing, water pump, and radiator hoses. I'll be redoing those just for the sake of video very soon, plus changing the radiator and coolant tank as well.
+50sKid Could you please explain bleeding procedure for cooling system? I just did my radiator and now I have cooling sprayed out off the expansion tank cap after few days driving. Car doesn't overheat, heat is working, temperature seems to be around 92 F for highway driving and goes up to 95 - 96 in traffic. I did notice if I shut off the car and open the hood there is some gurgling, burping noise coming from the expansion tank cap. It stops after 5-10 mins. I did try different ways to bleed system and I am about to order spill free funnel and try one more time. I did pressure test on cooling system and looks like there is no any leak. It is just annoying to see coolant spray around. And that noise, do your car have any noise coming from the expansion tank right after shut off the car? Thank you.
So there is a bleeder valve on the top radiator hose a few inches from the radiator cap. You can't miss it. You use a #3 large phillips strew driver to get it off. It allows air and excess coolant to bleed out of the system. I've over filled the cooling system before and it'll just spit the coolant out of the cap, as you are describing. However, if yours isn't stopping, perhaps your radiator cap went bad and you might want to consider replacing it to see if that helps you.
On my Konis the large fender washer included with the rears went between the lower strut bolt head and the strut. Some people on e46fanatics have had issues with struts separating from their bushings and slipping off the bolt. The design of yours is different though so I'm not sure if its the same thing.
CompCrasher86 this is correct. The washer goes between Bolt head and strut to prevent Bolt head from pulling the sleeve through the bushing. The exceptions are when the strut has a beefier one side to the bushing plate...the oe ones have a reinforced square instead of the aftermarket sleeve through the bushing. The non directional struts have a washer and the directional ones have a heavier plated side and no washer.
Watched your video cause I'm doing my front struts. Can't see how you got it out without compressing the spring cause there's not enough room to pull out of the strut clamp. Did you disconnect the lower control arm? Thanks
hey guys i just watched this video and addition to watching the control arm replacement. I have a "clicking" noise coming from the front left side that i noticed after having the shocks replaced. The mechanic that says it is a bushing on the left control arm. But the noise appears when i am driving st. ahead. Another mechanic drove it and says it is not the bushings but something in the strut. He says that after driving a few hundred miles it can loosen up and take it back to the guy that replaced the shocks.. Anybody have an opinion?
Very helpful video. I think I will need to do this job soon on my car. Does anyone know if the 04 convertible has the same suspension? Any differences? Also, I have ZSP sport package. What is the difference between normal suspension and sport package suspension? Thanks.
could you have loosened the bolt that you took off using the vise grips before taking the mounting bolts off? Prior to actually getting the strut removed from the vehicle. i saw that it was accessible from the top in the trunk.
Always love your vids, super informative. I’ve a tired set of struts/dampers on an e53 (rear airs) so taking the opportunity to fit a set of Bilstein Prokit which will bring it back to life and lower it by about an inch etc. I’m keeping the rear airs and think some lowering links will take care of the rear air/computer throwing codes issue. Do you have any experience of this sort of modification? Some say you need to recalibrate the rear airs? But HandR offer a kit with the links and don’t suggest any sort of recal. Any thoughts? Keep up the great work btw.
My 2005 330ci has a clunking noise in front suspension. But only at low speeds around town. Makes no noise at highway speeds. I looked at the front of the car but can’t seem to find the noise. The lower control arm rear bushings were just changed. What am I missing?
I have an xi. The strut didn't sit all the way back in the cup. The alignment pin on the strut... should it be above the bolt hole or below. Trying to figure out what's causing the front to sit high.
Thanks for the inspiration to do my own work on my e46 tour. Just did rear shocks and springs . All is good. I maybe have a stupid question , but, I am working on cooling system next, and I am wondering if I could just change the pulleys on the tensioners or change out the tensioners and the pulleys , tensioners seem fine when I changed the belts the pulleys are a bit noisy .. I would appreciate your thoughts on this situation. Thanks again for all your video Help.
Hello, I changed upper struts on my E91 LCI...old ones making knocking/rapping noise when slow ride on damaged road...I put on the new upper struts and noise was quite better for a while. But now again. When I check my upper struts during the replacing, he has swaying... little bit loosen...it is normally or must to be firm and only spind around? Thakns.
There's a set of adjustable coilovers here at my local junkard on an 05 e46 330i rwd sedan that look great & am considering going and taking them off. However i own the same 05 e46 330 sedan but mine is an 330Xi (AWD) model, they look like they'd fit/work. Should i not attempt the replacement or what Should i do?
Thanks for this, your videos are so much help. You the man. One question, do you have any experience or recommendations for coilover systems, instead of just replacing the strut and having to tension the coil and all that work. I've been shopping around but having seen much discussion on forums for going that route.
just looked at that yesterday. how ironic... I found a folded up wire on the left side behind the carpet..has a 28 pin connector I think . you know what that is??
Great, easy to follow vid. I have to do this on my bros car that he just bought. Unfortunately, some crackhead hammered the beautiful bilsteins so he could have more camber.
hey 50's kid , i am trying to figure out which way to have my lower spring perch , i bought some bilsteins that did'nt come with the lower perch and now i have all the parts , yet can't find anything that shows which direction the lower perch will go , any ideas ? i checked realoem and no luck plus mine is a xi if that matters
My bmw doesn’t bounce but when I hit pot holes or uneven dirt roads I get a loud bang and hit every time my front tires hit a bump. Almost as if whatever holds the tire hits the top of the car each time the tire goes into and over a hole/bump. Any idea as to what that could be??
You don't have to remove the caliper. Place the bottom of the shock in place first, then swing the top in under the fender. Folks make certain the strut goes ALL the way down in place and clocked correctly.
Im having a lot of difficulty with this. I started up top, but only hand tightened one of the nuts on the strut tower. Still, I couldn't get the bottom in place and was afraid I was going to break a ball joint on the lower control arm. IS the caliper whats causing me to not be able to seat the bottom? If I seat the bottom first, I cannot get the top protion inside the wheel well.
Rich Coley The caliper doesn't have to come off, just have both front wheels off the ground so you can turn the wheel. It'll go in, you just have to work with it.
Strut mounts on my 04 330Ci are cracked and will be replaced soon. Is it OK to use the torque wrench on top nut if I am re-using the old struts ? Should I be adding the strut reinforcement plates ? My towers are not mushrooming (yet). May be coz it was a FL car. Now in NYC.
Jason. What kind of shock is the right to buy for a 328-sedan- 2000. ( sport or standard ) ? Looking forward for your respond. I will use this video to instal them. Thank you so much.
Hi I would like to know if anyone has any information about replacing the left strut knuckle? Shop said they couldn't properly do alignment after I did front struts because they believe the knuckle may be bent. I've searched online but can't find a video on how to do it.
I'm having a problem with my 99 BMW 323 I E46 maybe you can help me with this the problem I'm having is I'll be driving 4 maybe 25 to 30 minutes and all of a sudden the car shift into I don't know if this the stability control or traction control but the transmission starts shifting really fast on take off the RPMs are revving up higher the car seems like it's basically in a valet mode maybe you can help me with this please contact me if you can help me
Jason: That is my next project about to do in the near future replace rear and front shocks. Do you recommend or think replacing the springs will be better. Thank you. You the best.!!!
As others have mentioned, love your videos. I have watched a number of them since finding your channel and finding them fast, yet quite thorough. I replaced rear shocks last weekend, and will hopefully be doing front struts this coming weekend. On the rear shocks, one of the nut's threads was bad, and ended up mucking about with it for a while, during which the shaft was rotated slightly while trying to get the nut on. Could this have cause terrible damage, or can they take a little punishment? I don't really want to have to replace them in a months time. Anyway, keep making videos.
Great videos . I just purchase stagger wheels 18x9.5 rear it's rubbing I already change the shocks but it still rubbs can you make a video how to replace camber I only seen 1 video but it's 2 guys that's are just playing around and the other is a M3 e46 that's has a different differential. Thanks
Oscar Aguilar look for eccentric nuts, that’s what we call it in the UK, I don’t know what they call it in the US but the eccentric nut is what you need to adjust to control the camber.
love your detailed video and subscriber. My front strut mount gave away (making cling noise on uneven pavement and I replaced control arm, swaybar end links) I plan to replace all struts + mounts and rear shock. I was planning to purchase Sachs OEM with sports package. Did you purchase after market or sachs? My second question, should I do alignment? I just had alignment done after replacing 4 tires...kinda pissed.
I actually purchased eBay shocks/struts... they seem to be just fine, I have no complaints, but I leave it up to you to make the decision. It's your wallet. You don't need to do an alignment.
One note if you've got the self leveling headlights, detach the sensor arm before lowering the control arm or you'll snap off the plastic arm like I did. Oops.
YOUR VIDEO HELPED US TO REPLACE SHOCKS AND SAVE US $1500.00 THANK YOU
I love hearing that, thanks!
Thank you Jason for this video, it was very helpful when I did this job over the weekend. Also for other DIYers who's planning to do this job, here are somethings I learned and maybe helpful to you. 1.) Remove the break caliper including break pad and speed sensor when you are doing this job, it is an additional step but will make the job a lot easier as it will provide you a lot more room to remove the strut from the steering knuckle and will also lighten the weight of the wheel assembly especially if you do not have a helper. 2.) Crack lose the 21mm center bolt (but DO NOT totally remove) while it is still attached to the car BEFORE you remove the 3-13 mm nuts on the strut tower, (12:24) mine was on really tight and would have been impossible to remove if you don't have an impact wrench or some sort of table vise once the strut is out of the car. 3.) When compressing the spring, use the metal collar (Retaining Plate 17:50) just below the strut mount plate as your top anchor point for your spring compressor, you will not be able to compress the the spring far enough to release all the tension (as what happened to Jason in this video) if you only clamp on the spring itself. Be EXTRA careful when you use the metal collar as anchor point since this method will not be totally secure and there is a small chance it could slip. This risk can be mitigated by making sure BOTH spring compressor are anchored on the metal collar (not just one) and to secure the anchor point by tapping it with a rubber mallet. Tighten compressor bolt manually (no need to use an impact wrench) and switch bolts every few turns to equally compress the spring, after a few turns, check your anchor points again to make sure they did not slip before proceeding. Also like Jason said, it is important to place the spring compressors equidistant from each other as this will compress the spring evenly and prevent it from buckling as this will be bad news. If you use this method, you do not need to compress the spring all the way, just enough so the shock absorber detaches from the spring about half an inch and you will be able to turn the shocks by hand, this means that you have released the tension far enough to remove the 21mm nut. Do not over compress the spring as this will only increase the risk of failure. I also I had to shave portion of the rubber tab on the side of the spring rubber pad to secure the anchor points properly. The rubber tab I'm referring too can be seen on 16:08. Good Luck!
You've got a video for everything I've run into so far. Much thanks for saving me time, money, and a ton of headache so that I can actually have fun driving and repairing my 325Ci and 330Ci!
Harbor freight sells the spring compressor he uses in the video for 40$. Thanks Jason you’re a big help great videos
Also found a Craftsman spark plug socket worked well for the front upper strut nut. The SAE conversion was close enough that the fit was snug. Pulled the rubber core out to fit an allen key through the top. The spark plug socket was important because it had flats at the top to fit a box wrench on.
+CompCrasher86 That's a great tip, thanks for sharing!
A big up to you for posting these videos 💪👍👏👏👍
I can change the rear shocks with my eyes closed, but rhe front ones are a bit of a b*tch to work on.
I learned most of my e46 skills from you and have so much to upgrade and replace because of the videos you post. This has an impact. Just so you know, some guys at Dinan are familiar with you suggested your videos. That's a top quality company that cares about customers over just making money. Your help has been tremendous and without your videos, I'd have a stock e46 that would probably breakdown in 10k miles.
Wow, Dinan? That's pretty cool!
Just picked up a 2000 323ci convertible for cheap a guy had parked in a garage for over a yr using your channel as a go to guide thanxs alot doing shocks and struts next week. Finished all new brake hardware today with your help calipers rotors pads thanx again
I really like you add the torque specs in video. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great videos!!!!
Too bad he doens torque anything... Terrible for BMW's....
You have given me so much help with these vids, I have changed my steering rack on my E46 with the help of your video, now I have enough info and courage to change the front shocks and save a TON of money doing it myself! 👍👍👍👍👍
man you are a great mechanic! thanks for the help will try to replace my rear springs and mayby new shockstruts on my e39 530i! thanks!
Hi! Just starting this job on mine and had to re watch this video. Thank you Jason for this tutorial. You help a lot of eager people connect with their cars!
Yes flip flops means you have not met misfortune as of yet. When you do misfortune will help you understand why protective clothing is a blessing. Self injury.is hard to accept. Its the nature of neglect. Great video though you took a grrat amount of frustration i was feeling going into this project. Your videos have improved.thanks. p.s. ads are running longer that start before your videos. That means they have public value.
I just made a 02pilot mod, BUT! Changing rear shock absorbers is easy and fast on a convertible. I had looked at a few non conv changing the shocks, so the day when i cleaned out everything in the trunk, i realized a conv has a lot more work to be done than a sedan. A LOT! Next day i got my shocks and went home. But before i started i wanted some coffe and started up my TV and computer and klicked on UA-cam, and guess what? On my recomended was a guy changing rear shocks on a 330 convertible! Just open the top until the cover comes up and rear window is lifted, and have a broom or something to stop it from closing. In the bay there is 2 plugs on top of the shocks to loosen the 2 nuts on each shock.
I just lifted the rear end high enough to get under the car so i could crawl under it far enough to see what i was doing when sending up the new shock, but i think the car can stand on the wheels on a ramp as well. Or a narrow deep ditch. Its plenty of space to send up the shock, just some sand coming down. It did not take long time to do.
After seeing the trouble you had with the spring compressors, and having the exact same tool, I decided to hook it to the top spring seat and it was a lot easier since I could compress more of the spring. I could still remove the bearing easily which I also replaced. Thanks for the vid.
+cheepGeek Nice, thanks
just a bit of trivial information.. the top nut on the strut is 21mm or 13/16 if the strut is Bilstein so a sparkplug socket with 1/2 drive will work so all you have to do is remove the rubber plug from inside the sparkplug socket so you can then put a 7mm allen key inside the socket to hold the strut shaft and that will work to undo the nut and tighten it up
Yes, awesome video. I was thinking I was going to have to drop everything on the front end to do the shocks. Saved me going to the mechanic again and spending hundreds.
I’m giving this a go after a front spring broke on my 1999 E46 323 saloon. Think the metric sizes are slightly different on the older car. 16mm top strut bolt. Saw in another video that you can use a 7mm hex and a 16mm ring spanner to loosen the top bolt, from the front. RTher than a box spanner around the back. Lower bolt was a 18mm too. Cheers for the videos...
Some struts won't come out unless you disconnect the lower control arm from the wheel hub assembly; without the disconnection, you simply won't be able to get the hub assembly low enough to get the strut valve tube out of the collar. He was lucky he didn't have to. I did.
And if you've got rust, you need a ball joint puller/separator tool (it looks like tapered tuning fork) to do the job.
And don't replace with stock parts. They are useless. Get Bilstein B6s. They are far more robust, and, if, like most, you've been riding without any shock valve pressure, then the B6s will never feel "harsh," like many say.
Thank God you display the torque specs!!!!
Thanks for the tips about using the spring compressors. As someone else commented, I highly recommend adding the front strut tower reinforcement plates. My towers were both bowed as well as the strut bearing plates being bent. I installed Koni FSDs and really like them for my daily driver 2001 330ci.
Great videos clear and concise. Thanks for all your tuition. Btw wish I had seen your transmission rebuild before I spent £980 on the same problem and had it fail again 14 days later for exactly as you describe. The video has given me the confidence to do a complete transmission rebuild. 👏🏻🔧
+Chris Johnson Oooph!
Thank you so much for showing this video! you are the man bro.........
Thanks for your videos find them very helpful saved me a lot of time trying to figure out what to do on my own BMW, whole shock change took me about half an hour after a two minute argument with my dad about how to remove them and put them back! Keep up the good work👍🏻
OMG. I have a set of visegrips just like those from my grandfather also. How strange. They do work better sometimes than newer version. I have used them for exactly this too.
+Jesse V Awesome!
Good to see your steel cap saftey boots are well used
good job buddy! you really do help many people save themselves from especially the bmw rip offs! I am a mechanic too, but just wanted to say a good supporting word to you and the kind deeds you do sharing your knowledge! Cheers brother!
Great video(s)! Still very helpful. Luckily I didn't do all the steps in your video, I was able 2 get my front struts in without removing brakes. Getting stuff disassemble was much easier than getting them assembled (spring compressing for me was tough trying to get them in the right spots to compress evenly) rewatched and noted where you set yours and copied and completed.
Tell you what, that doesn't look so bad! Thanks for the tutorial once again. Maybe I will brave the spring compressor after all..
Your vids are very helpful man, keep it up
I know this video is a little old, but I'm surprised you didn't change all the mounts. Definitely a 'while you're there' part and they are all pretty cheap. Rear mounts can fail, and also rip out from the body. Reinforcement plates are super cheap and highly recommended.
Do u know if the reinforcement plate front struts goes at the bottom or top of the strut tower?
Silver Reyes top. Inside the trunk.
Thanks for the quick response but I mean for the front struts .. I put mine at the bottom of the strut tower but I believe that's maken my ride height a bit to high at the front
Silver Reyes I'd Google that.
One of the best videos I've seen that can really motivate you to do it your self,keep up the good work!
Thanks!
Going to try this on my E 46 soon thank you so much bro
The BMW procedure for compressing the struts uses a tool with an adapter like the Hesselink FS-1 to compress from the top spring plate. Otherwise it's difficult to compress the spring enough as you found out. There's a video by bavarian autosport for the E39 where they show this albeit without the adapter.
Bout to do this guys shocks in an hour 😮💨
I'm having a real problem removing the upper strut mount. I have 2 different impact drills and they don't do a thing to the top nut. maybe my drill are just crappy... Thanks for your videos.
+Jose Iglesias You probably need to hold the inner part of the shock in place with a vice grip because it's spinning.
Do you have any recommendations for high quality shocks? I live in Boston, aka pothole city, and because of that, I'm looking for the comfiest ride ever...Thanks! Love your vids by the way...they're literally the best on youtube
Koni fsd are your best bet
Would be nice if you explained how you got that strut back in so easily
This was an awesome 👏 video.. SUPER DUPER!!! Straight forward.
Hey! I have 2016 Mini Cooper S and there is some thumping noise coming from the rear when going slow over uneven roads or some patches. Also noise is heard when entering/exiting driveways. I checked the trunk for any loose parts such as tools, stereo amplifier, rear seats and seat belts but everything is all tight. Took it to MINI dealer, drove with a tech 2 times within 10 days but the guy doesn't really hear anything. There was no sound in the spring and summer but all started in October. So the tech took the car into the shop, lifted the car, checked all suspension parts but couldn't find anything that is loose or needs repair. I am personally leaning towards the rubber dampers(just like in your video) that go between the the rear strut and upper mount. It is possible that something got deformed and is a bit loose OR possibly you can give some other ideas.
Thank you sir, 🙏 you helped me out in a jiffy no cap
Just what I was looking for, thank you!
Hey brother!!! Your videos are awesome!! I'm definitely a fan of yours. I have a 2004, 325i and I replaced the front struts and rear shocks on my own thanks to you. Keep them coming!! I'm going to do more work on my car based on all of your videos. I have an oil leak right now on the 2004, 325i with about 170k miles, but I have to clean the engine to find where the leak is. (based on your video which you replaced the oil filter housing gasket, that's what I'm hoping the leak is). I end up adding a quart of oil after driving about 4,000 miles. Could you please make a video on cleaning the engine so that I can locate the leak?
+Ken Can't really make a video on that because my engine is now clean, lol. What you really need to do is follow the same repair procedures I've gone through. Odds are you probably need to do both the oil filter housing gasket and the oil pan gasket, but the filter housing gasket is the much bigger cause of leaking oil of the two.
Sounds awesome champ. I'll replace both and keep you posted. Thanks brother!
Hello
Thanks for a great videos
Will this be applicable to
A 2006 BMW 330 ci ZHP ( convertible)
Appreciate if you can get back
Much obliged
You are a top man 👍everything explained spot on ...what size fork would I need to separate the control arm and track rod end?
Thank you for your helpful videos!! :)
You’re the man, also I had no idea about realoem 🤙🏾💯
Hey 50sKid been a tech for 38 years, got an E46 325ci, love it. need to do the struts and shocks, what type of aftermarket brand would you suggest... love your comment about the D*** H**** on the spring strut tool have one just like it and saw that right away, made me lol...
Great videos. I have just make a comment about using air wrench or similar and vise grips in process of the tightening new locking nuts. Well that is not good practice at all. Back in Europe I used to work in car parts wholesale store, and most our customers were car shops. I had one shop constantly coming back and complain about shocks quality, and after some time we discovered that they use air gun for mounting lock nuts on new shocks and sometimes hold shock rod using vise grips. Well, any damage on the rod or exceeded spinning of the rod will damage inner shock seals. So they had customers coming back shortly after service and they use to come back to us blaming shocks quality. After xx replacement we just quit to do business with that shop.
+YesNo018 Ah, that's an interesting comment you make. I only used the vice grips to keep the bad shock from spinning, so I didn't care about damage to the shaft in that case. I see what you are saying about the shaft spinning and damaging the seals. I doubt ANY shops actually tighten the lock nuts manually with the proper tools as intended by the factory for two reasons, a) no shops provide specialty tools for their mechanics, not even car dealerships (I have a friend who's worked for several), and b) it's just faster to use air tools and get it done--most technicians work on a flat rate system here in America, where they get paid the same no matter how long it takes so the goal is to get more jobs done per day. In the case of the rear shocks I could have held the shaft from spinning with a wrench, but for the fronts it would require an allen key AND a specialty socket, and those sockets are hard to come by. I will look into that.
+50sKid I agree with all you said. Last time when I did front shocks on my old Audi, about 5 years ago, I did use air gun. If I am not wrong locking nut doesn't require some huge torque. Holding the rod on new shock and possibly make marks on it, will be main reason for short life of the new shock.
And one more time I have to say there is many other videos on youtube but for some reason I like how you did the jobs. I was looking some DIY for cooling system and came across your channel. BTW you did not do any cooling system repair yet?
+YesNo018 I did repair about half my cooling system when I first bought the car. Thermostat housing, water pump, and radiator hoses. I'll be redoing those just for the sake of video very soon, plus changing the radiator and coolant tank as well.
+50sKid Could you please explain bleeding procedure for cooling system? I just did my radiator and now I have cooling sprayed out off the expansion tank cap after few days driving. Car doesn't overheat, heat is working, temperature seems to be around 92 F for highway driving and goes up to 95 - 96 in traffic. I did notice if I shut off the car and open the hood there is some gurgling, burping noise coming from the expansion tank cap. It stops after 5-10 mins. I did try different ways to bleed system and I am about to order spill free funnel and try one more time. I did pressure test on cooling system and looks like there is no any leak. It is just annoying to see coolant spray around. And that noise, do your car have any noise coming from the expansion tank right after shut off the car? Thank you.
So there is a bleeder valve on the top radiator hose a few inches from the radiator cap. You can't miss it. You use a #3 large phillips strew driver to get it off. It allows air and excess coolant to bleed out of the system. I've over filled the cooling system before and it'll just spit the coolant out of the cap, as you are describing. However, if yours isn't stopping, perhaps your radiator cap went bad and you might want to consider replacing it to see if that helps you.
Great video, you should have protective foot wear on.
I agree 100%
Not really if you just replacing the struts. And you using the jack stands.
Charles Imasiku safety comes 1st.
Those are his old feet anyway, he replaces them with new in a separate video.
@@TheUmbralFox I laughed
On my Konis the large fender washer included with the rears went between the lower strut bolt head and the strut. Some people on e46fanatics have had issues with struts separating from their bushings and slipping off the bolt. The design of yours is different though so I'm not sure if its the same thing.
CompCrasher86 this is correct. The washer goes between Bolt head and strut to prevent Bolt head from pulling the sleeve through the bushing. The exceptions are when the strut has a beefier one side to the bushing plate...the oe ones have a reinforced square instead of the aftermarket sleeve through the bushing. The non directional struts have a washer and the directional ones have a heavier plated side and no washer.
Watched your video cause I'm doing my front struts. Can't see how you got it out without compressing the spring cause there's not enough room to pull out of the strut clamp. Did you disconnect the lower control arm? Thanks
Great job, your car must be almost new with all the work you did on it 😂
Good grief. Replacing the bump stops are a must.
hey guys i just watched this video and addition to watching the control arm replacement. I have a "clicking" noise coming from the front left side that i noticed after having the shocks replaced. The mechanic that says it is a bushing on the left control arm. But the noise appears when i am driving st. ahead. Another mechanic drove it and says it is not the bushings but something in the strut. He says that after driving a few hundred miles it can loosen up and take it back to the guy that replaced the shocks.. Anybody have an opinion?
Very helpful video. I think I will need to do this job soon on my car. Does anyone know if the 04 convertible has the same suspension? Any differences? Also, I have ZSP sport package. What is the difference between normal suspension and sport package suspension? Thanks.
Always check your tools before use!
Dude, you’re the best!
You’re the only person I watch when I need a guide to help with my car. What you do is invaluable. Thank you so much!🫡👊🤘
Lower bolt should be torqued when vehicle weight on the ground...
Car seemed to float after I changed the shocks struts tires and a complete alignment. Still floats?
What do u think it is.
Why not just unbolt the shock/Strut shaft directly form the mount while its still mounted?
could you have loosened the bolt that you took off using the vise grips before taking the mounting bolts off? Prior to actually getting the strut removed from the vehicle. i saw that it was accessible from the top in the trunk.
Do the plates at the bottom of the spring have to be facing a certain position? Would greatly appreciate a response I love your videos
Always love your vids, super informative. I’ve a tired set of struts/dampers on an e53 (rear airs) so taking the opportunity to fit a set of Bilstein Prokit which will bring it back to life and lower it by about an inch etc. I’m keeping the rear airs and think some lowering links will take care of the rear air/computer throwing codes issue. Do you have any experience of this sort of modification? Some say you need to recalibrate the rear airs? But HandR offer a kit with the links and don’t suggest any sort of recal. Any thoughts? Keep up the great work btw.
My 2005 330ci has a clunking noise in front suspension. But only at low speeds around town. Makes no noise at highway speeds. I looked at the front of the car but can’t seem to find the noise. The lower control arm rear bushings were just changed. What am I missing?
I have an xi. The strut didn't sit all the way back in the cup. The alignment pin on the strut... should it be above the bolt hole or below. Trying to figure out what's causing the front to sit high.
Thanks for the inspiration to do my own work on my e46 tour. Just did rear shocks and springs . All is good.
I maybe have a stupid question , but, I am working on cooling system next, and I am wondering if I could just change the pulleys on the tensioners or change out the tensioners and the pulleys , tensioners seem fine when I changed the belts the pulleys are a bit noisy .. I would appreciate your thoughts on this situation.
Thanks again for all your video Help.
+André Roy You can just change the pulleys.
Great video. Thanks
Found your comment on e46 fanatics c.com on another topic, great !
Great video as always. I had a question though, why use the new bolt but not the new washer??
Hello, I changed upper struts on my E91 LCI...old ones making knocking/rapping noise when slow ride on damaged road...I put on the new upper struts and noise was quite better for a while. But now again. When I check my upper struts during the replacing, he has swaying... little bit loosen...it is normally or must to be firm and only spind around? Thakns.
you are super helpful! thank you!
bmw e90 or f30 shock absorbers, or e46, is it possible to put on bmw e60?
There's a set of adjustable coilovers here at my local junkard on an 05 e46 330i rwd sedan that look great & am considering going and taking them off. However i own the same 05 e46 330 sedan but mine is an 330Xi (AWD) model, they look like they'd fit/work. Should i not attempt the replacement or what Should i do?
No use of a Strut Nut Socket and the proper tourque spec?
Thanks for this, your videos are so much help. You the man. One question, do you have any experience or recommendations for coilover systems, instead of just replacing the strut and having to tension the coil and all that work. I've been shopping around but having seen much discussion on forums for going that route.
I don't I'm afraid, but usually an aftermarket coilover product will out perform the stock setup. Just keep in mind it may be stiffer (bouncier).
just looked at that yesterday. how ironic... I found a folded up wire on the left side behind the carpet..has a 28 pin connector I think . you know what that is??
Shouldnt the spring go in the indentation of the shock?
Great, easy to follow vid. I have to do this on my bros car that he just bought. Unfortunately, some crackhead hammered the beautiful bilsteins so he could have more camber.
hey 50's kid , i am trying to figure out which way to have my lower spring perch , i bought some bilsteins that did'nt come with the lower perch and now i have all the parts , yet can't find anything that shows which direction the lower perch will go , any ideas ? i checked realoem and no luck plus mine is a xi if that matters
My bmw doesn’t bounce but when I hit pot holes or uneven dirt roads I get a loud bang and hit every time my front tires hit a bump. Almost as if whatever holds the tire hits the top of the car each time the tire goes into and over a hole/bump. Any idea as to what that could be??
You don't have to remove the caliper. Place the bottom of the shock in place first, then swing the top in under the fender. Folks make certain the strut goes ALL the way down in place and clocked correctly.
Im having a lot of difficulty with this. I started up top, but only hand tightened one of the nuts on the strut tower. Still, I couldn't get the bottom in place and was afraid I was going to break a ball joint on the lower control arm. IS the caliper whats causing me to not be able to seat the bottom? If I seat the bottom first, I cannot get the top protion inside the wheel well.
Rich Coley The caliper doesn't have to come off, just have both front wheels off the ground so you can turn the wheel. It'll go in, you just have to work with it.
Strut mounts on my 04 330Ci are cracked and will be replaced soon. Is it OK to use the torque wrench on top nut if I am re-using the old struts ?
Should I be adding the strut reinforcement plates ? My towers are not mushrooming (yet). May be coz it was a FL car. Now in NYC.
Can I just buy a whole new front spring ? I don’t want to take anything apart
Jason. What kind of shock is the right to buy for a 328-sedan- 2000. ( sport or standard ) ?
Looking forward for your respond. I will use this video to instal them. Thank you so much.
Tools used? I appreciated it!
Apologize if you mentioned this in the video but what brand strut/shock did you use? Thanks
Hi I would like to know if anyone has any information about replacing the left strut knuckle? Shop said they couldn't properly do alignment after I did front struts because they believe the knuckle may be bent. I've searched online but can't find a video on how to do it.
I'm having a problem with my 99 BMW 323 I E46 maybe you can help me with this the problem I'm having is I'll be driving 4 maybe 25 to 30 minutes and all of a sudden the car shift into I don't know if this the stability control or traction control but the transmission starts shifting really fast on take off the RPMs are revving up higher the car seems like it's basically in a valet mode maybe you can help me with this please contact me if you can help me
Jason:
That is my next project about to do in the near future replace rear and front shocks.
Do you recommend or think replacing the springs will be better.
Thank you.
You the best.!!!
As others have mentioned, love your videos. I have watched a number of them since finding your channel and finding them fast, yet quite thorough. I replaced rear shocks last weekend, and will hopefully be doing front struts this coming weekend. On the rear shocks, one of the nut's threads was bad, and ended up mucking about with it for a while, during which the shaft was rotated slightly while trying to get the nut on. Could this have cause terrible damage, or can they take a little punishment? I don't really want to have to replace them in a months time. Anyway, keep making videos.
+BootLicker83 Thanks very much. I can't say for sure that it's bad or good. My hunch says it's probably ok.
How many hours of work is this? Roughly. Assuming you haven't done it before.
Very helpful, thank you
Would ordering the sport suspension strut fit on the standard suspension? I just have the basic 02 325i.
Thanks for great video. I have done this job my self and it is not too difficult DIY. That milwaukee electric tool seems to be great?
Yeah I love it. It can do 200 ft lbs.
What do you recommend for Bilstein shocks/struts? I want slightly lowered but not too crazy, and a good ride quality. E46, 2002 330Ci thanks so much!
Did the 50s Kid ever get back to you and if not what did you end up purchasing?
Great videos . I just purchase stagger wheels 18x9.5 rear it's rubbing I already change the shocks but it still rubbs can you make a video how to replace camber I only seen 1 video but it's 2 guys that's are just playing around and the other is a M3 e46 that's has a different differential. Thanks
Oscar Aguilar look for eccentric nuts, that’s what we call it in the UK, I don’t know what they call it in the US but the eccentric nut is what you need to adjust to control the camber.
The only thing that bothers me is not cleaning parts you are re-using before reinstalling them, even things like the plastic trunk trays.
love your detailed video and subscriber. My front strut mount gave away (making cling noise on uneven pavement and I replaced control arm, swaybar end links)
I plan to replace all struts + mounts and rear shock. I was planning to purchase Sachs OEM with sports package. Did you purchase after market or sachs?
My second question, should I do alignment? I just had alignment done after replacing 4 tires...kinda pissed.
I actually purchased eBay shocks/struts... they seem to be just fine, I have no complaints, but I leave it up to you to make the decision. It's your wallet. You don't need to do an alignment.
One note if you've got the self leveling headlights, detach the sensor arm before lowering the control arm or you'll snap off the plastic arm like I did. Oops.
Great video!