Replacing Rear Shock Mounts... Procedure.

[Black 535i]

Took about two hours and the shocks just slid right off the lower mounts. Had the mounts and shocks changed 5 years ago when I bought the car bit realized today that they never changed the bump stops. What a mess they were. Driving around on broken stops for who knows how long. The old mounts did not look that bad visually under the deck but when taken off they were quite split. Explains the wandering rear end of the last week or so. Hardest part was lining up the shock lower with the bolt hole at the reinstall but no other najor issues.

Thanks for all the help on your writeup here as it did save some time and effort. Car drives like new now! Now to do the front control arms in the next few weeks as well. Thanks to BMA as well for the great prices and help over the phone as to what other things to order when doing this. Costs was a total of $105.00 shipped to Evanston, IL. Local dealer wanted $95.00 per side just for the mount!!! Take a hike dealer boy!

[e34.535i.sport]

Hey there glad it went well! If you need any advice on the lower control arms just let us know! Its pretty straight forward but there are differing opinions on the way to do it. Get yourself one of these before you attempt it though...

http://www.saab9000.com/procedures/s...sttrackrod.jpg

[Black 535i]

I have a friend half a block away with air impact wrenches and pickle forks. That should be all I require from what I read. Doesn't seem to be too complicated as far as removal is concerned. Big difference in the way the rear holds and sounds now. Unfortunately it magnifies the front end issues so I want to get that done soon.

[BMWCCA1]

I just got back in from checking my rear shock mounts; bad as expected! The bushing is loose in the rubber and bits of rubber are everywhere. Unfortunatley I didn't have any parts, just an exploratory mission. Not too much more difficult with rear headrests, just have to remove them and the plastic plate at the top of the back seat. Seems like the last guy who put the shocks in (previous owner's period of ownership) ripped out the studs under the armrest, if that's what was there, and replaced one side with a large screw. I'll have to fabricate a speed-nut slot there or something. Just knowing it's not right is mildly disturbing. Anyone know of any stronger mounts for those with lowered suspensions who really push the car over less-than-smooth pavement all the time? RealOEM calls for 33521132270 for my car, and it's the same part under "sport chassis". Can't tell if the M5 parts are better or even if they'll fit since they're specific to the self-leveling suspension. Anyone used anything else?

[Triton540i]

Just Don't forget about the special washer that goes between the upper mount and nuts that hold the assembly together... I over looked that awhile ago and this is what happened!!!!

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/242753

DOH!

[BMWCCA1]

Thanks for the info but mine looks close to that and the washer is still in place. Did you replace the mounts when you put the new shocks in or are they still the originals? If you replaced it, what brand was it?

The washer really doesn't spread the load over the rubber bushing on compression, which is the worst force on the bushing. It may do it to some extent on rebound or under lifting but somehow I don't think those are the dynamics that tear the bushings. I'll post pics of mine when they come out hopefully next month. Too much going on around Christmas to get much car work done.

[Triton540i]

Thanks for the info but mine looks close to that and the washer is still in place. Did you replace the mounts when you put the new shocks in or are they still the originals? If you replaced it, what brand was it?

The washer really doesn't spread the load over the rubber bushing on compression, which is the worst force on the bushing. It may do it to some extent on rebound or under lifting but somehow I don't think those are the dynamics that tear the bushings. I'll post pics of mine when they come out hopefully next month. Too much going on around Christmas to get much car work done.

I ended up going to the local hardware store and purchased a couple heavy duty washers to use as a temporary fix with used, undamaged mounts. I'm going to be replacing them with new mounts in the spring along with the factory washers. There wasn't anything to disperse the energy across the mount and that's why it ripped though in the first place.

-Eric

[BMWCCA1]

Okay, I replaced my rear shock mounts today and I can tell you they will wear out quickly with or without the washers, though the washers are important as are the cup washers under the mount. My car had Meyle replacements from the previous owner's installation of Racing Dynamics springs. The Meyle mounts were mush, the bushing broken out of the rubber, and the rubber literally melted into a pool from the bushing moving in and out. Both upper and lower washers were in place correctly. I replaced the mounts with Meyle Heavy Duty versions from Steve Haygood. These are supposed to have a tapered bushing that resists pulling out of the rubber better. We'll see. I'll post pictures of the new and old mounts as soon as I'm back on my own computer. The washers do distribute the load and are required and they also sandwich the bushing and keep it from coming completely out of the mount once the rubber lets go.

I thought this car was a little noisy in the back over bumps but always attributed it to the 17" wheels w/45-series tires and the Racing Dynamic springs, but I was wrong. It was most likely just the rear mounts going bad all along. The new HD Meyles are quiet and the car is a pleasure to drive over bad pavement where before it was a constant pounding that eventually turned into a rattle and a squeak. If you have any doubts about your rear mounts, check them by taking your seat out and removing the top washer. My best estimate is that the previous owner replaced the originals around 80k and that the "normal" Meyles lasted less than 50k. I'll have pics, prices, part numbers, and a cheap spring compressor recommendation posted soon. Of the very few things I've had to attend to on this car in my 22,000 miles of hard driving, this is a really effective repair with a big benefit and improvement. If your E34 is a bit clunky in the rear over bumps and rough road surfaces, you might want to check it out.

[BMWCCA1]

Here are photos to accompany my rear shock-mount replacement. The first shows the condition of the old mount compared to the new one, from the bottom. The next shows it from the top. The third photo shows the part label from the Meyle bushing which fairly melted after perhaps 50k miles of use (right) compared to the part number for the new Heavy Duty Meyle bushing (left) as received from Steve Haygood's Automobile Solutions.







And this is the spring compressor I used, Ampro T70570; about $30 from AdvanceAuto. My large "scissors" set for front struts wouldn't fit.

[MRMuaz]

Hi, This post of mine is very knowledgable and may enhance the information of the viewers , however I would like some specific information for myself. If someone can help me then please send me a private message. Best Regards,