BMW E90 3 Series Front Strut / Strut Mount DIY

Рет қаралды 81,302

7 жыл бұрын

In this video I replace my failed front strut mount on my E90 BMW 335i. This will apply to many BMWs. When you see the word "affiliate" listed beside any link in my description please know that this is a custom link and I will earn a small commission if you opt to purchase using said link. This is at no extra cost to you so it's a win all around :) Thank you!

Пікірлер: 81

@thebroncochronicles6495 6 жыл бұрын

I like how you addressed the strut mounts. No one ever talks about those going bad. Good stuff.

@myxipitlik2 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips and tricks, especially the way you mounted the strut compressor on to the collar and not just on the spring itself. People may not realized that mounting the compressor tool on the spring will not compress it enough to release all the tension on the strut as you can only grab 2 coils on one side. Great video and very helpful.

@itbeme123321 2 жыл бұрын

This was my problem and could not get to the bolt. I did not realize it can be done like this safely. So a big thank you for this

@confettier Жыл бұрын

Been struggling with this myself not enough compression with the available space on the coils

@quartznation9499 4 жыл бұрын

Watch to the end.. Good tip on the sway bar level to get the strut in go back in.. I had trouble with that the first time around

@tspark1071 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Special care needed both for compressing the spring and for handling the brake line

@shadyrulls08 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video! Very helpful! BTW nice work shoes, lol

@silviagiron8067 5 жыл бұрын

well explained procedure, best of all: bmw e30 M3 at the back!!!!!

@mrpriceisright 5 жыл бұрын

Great video. Just did it on an 07 x3 e83. Just about the same. Did take the brake caliper off which also made it easier to see the bottom of the strut. The tip about using a spark plug socket to put back the nut was priceless (size 13/16" sae) . Saved me a long trip to town - do not have a 21mm pass thru socket.

@pappyvanwinkle6580 2 жыл бұрын

For the record it's an o2 sensor socket

@Pe3Cee 7 жыл бұрын

Another great DIY! Thanks 👍🏻

@VehicularDIY 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@gh-cu1jh 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the vid, I bought a 08 335i and both strut front mounts were shot that they were broken and malformed. The car is at 95k mile and changed them at 94k so about them wearing out I think is just how hard one drives it.

@tcphoto 3 жыл бұрын

I will be installing a set of Supreme Power lowering perches and the video will be a great help. I'll probably skip the pajama bottom, socks and flip flops though...

@robmorrow9675 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video bruh. Mucho helpo.

@MrEnthusiast88 7 жыл бұрын

Nice video. I'll be using this video for when i change out my struts on my E92 👍 btw what strut mount did you go with?

@Himoutdoors 11 ай бұрын

I like working on my car in my PJs and slippers too!

@rickbeau2447 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video, I couldn't figure out how to compress the spring enough with the AAP compressor, so thanks for the idea about clamping them over the top support. I am still pretty nervous about how tight they have to be to get it compressed enough, one of them is not fully seated on the support, sort of goes off at an angle. There should be a paper gasket on top of the metal ring that goes over the strut. It is probably bonded to the underside of the strut tower. Not sure how important that is maybe prevents some squeaks. Also the strut mount for the i and xi are different.

@VehicularDIY 7 жыл бұрын

Yes there is a beige paper gasket that goes in between.

@henryarrey1812 Жыл бұрын

Great video

@mhks68 6 жыл бұрын

Pajama pants socks and flip flops! Why not just bring the strut to the bedroom?

@VehicularDIY 6 жыл бұрын

haha, don't under estimate how much staying comfortable when DIYing matters.

@PatricioGarcia1973 4 жыл бұрын

I assembled mine on the living room while watching this video

@Daniel22777 2 жыл бұрын

👏🤣🤣

@santiagopena7910 4 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks for the video, one of my springs broke in my 335xi and I'm gonna replace it. Quick question. Did you need it an alignment after the replacement? Thanks

@dateg18 7 жыл бұрын

nice DIY bro

@VehicularDIY 7 жыл бұрын

tony stjulian Thanks man, btw glad to hear you got your car running right.

@dateg18 7 жыл бұрын

ya thanks bro u give me alot of great info

@colleneharding7881 5 жыл бұрын

being xtra care ful would that be wearing slippers and pajamas when working on strut spring but I got to hand it to ya I tried these cheezy spring compressers and could not get spring compressed evenly so I could remove spring and replace the other strut on without spring going croooked

@elyeschinoune1927 6 жыл бұрын

Crazy e30 m3 👌👌

@luispina317 Жыл бұрын

My guy wore slippers and pajamas to do this job lol.

@Jo-hannson 6 жыл бұрын

thank you sir

@jackckng5316 8 ай бұрын

Was the shock top mount bearing suppose to little movement ?

@pietropietros216 2 жыл бұрын

I have a question. Did you loosen any controls arms in this vid? Thanks

@veritas17 3 жыл бұрын

How did you get the springs to compress properly without them sliding down the springs themselves? I have the identical compressor and it just isn't working right and keeps sliding away 😒

@haihonguyen 6 жыл бұрын

Actually, your old strut mount DID have a nipple just like the new one you show. Reason it was no longer there (just a hole left) was because it was popped out as you tighten your 3 mounting screws. Just like the screws, the nipple was just stick to the mounting body, if you apply enough force, it would just popped right out. thanks for the video, i did strut on E70 and E46 before, but tomorrow will be doing my E93

@funitoo 6 жыл бұрын

He said the pin wasn't there when he was fitting the mount. Most likely it was removed previously to gain more negative camber. He should have done the same - removed the nipple from the new mount so he adjust for more negative camber.

@actionman67 5 жыл бұрын

E30 M3 !!!!! Lucky guy!!!

@nathannagel6451 3 жыл бұрын

I don't think the "nipple" was your problem. Previous owner probably took the roll pin out of the strut bearings to allow a little bit of camber adjustment. the Lemfoerder strut bearings also have the "nipple" cast into the plate so you can't do that, or you'd have to grind it off. I'd file this under "stuff happens". Thanks for the vid, I'm just trying to make sure I have my stuff together before I try to do a driveway strut swap.

@fastrice3461 4 жыл бұрын

Dude change your smoke detector battery! Nice job!

@omarsanchez4358 7 жыл бұрын

Great video, Where's the oil pan replace DIY video???.

@VehicularDIY 7 жыл бұрын

I did that job before I started filming videos...

@frankdogg75 5 жыл бұрын

I know this is an older post. But I felt you needed to know. That black ring you installed was an error to a previous owner. It's called an upper strut tower reinforcement plate, or ring. And it doesn't go on top of the strut hat, but rather to squeeze and sandwich the metal just under the strut brace. In time the bolts on previous BMW cars the strut would pull the nuts through from underneath, destroying the factory metal. This is a ring designed to bite on a larger area like a massive washer. So you should be able to see them as black rings just opening your hood. That's why they looked all bent up too. It's not supposed to go underneath and on top of the hat. Rather on the opposite side of the metal to the shock tower of the body. Hope this helps... also, another reason that guide nipple was missing. And why it was bent up, it may have smashed it out during install, or removed to allow no interference... anyway. Great content as always. Keep up the good work...

@ramosc40 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video!!!

@drevonteswain5136 3 жыл бұрын

Old vid but just noticed the same issues with my car (creaking when I turn). The strut mount was completely destroyed and yet all the others were fine. My car just hit 150k and currently debating whether I should just replace all the struts and shocks.

@bal4cars 2 жыл бұрын

Yes replace them all

@fredjohs 7 жыл бұрын

Hi - thanks for the vid. 1 question, is that an e30 M3 in your garage? Getting to be a rare car, what's its history? Thanks.

@VehicularDIY 7 жыл бұрын

Np, yeah it's an E30 M3. Had it for a few years now. It's very clean, California car. Yeah you don't see them very often that's for sure.

@AtomicPixel 3 жыл бұрын

I know it’s a good idea to get an alignment after suspension work, but do you guys think we could get away without if we’re just changing the mounts?

@Gutsmagoria 2 жыл бұрын

I think you're good without one. Camber is controlled by the control arms, tension struts, and that locating pin on the strut mounts, which never move so that's basically static. Caster is also static because the control-arm and tension-strut lengths don't change and there is no adjustment. I've heard of changing camber by removing the strut-mount locating pin and then the lugs can move within their slots. At any rate, when I took my car in to a high-end German imports shop for a full 4-wheel alignment, they adjusted rear camber & toe, and only front toe.

@AtomicPixel 2 жыл бұрын

@@Gutsmagoria thx buddy. I never did. I’ve been only getting alignment if I remove a control arm or tie rod.

@Gutsmagoria 2 жыл бұрын

@@AtomicPixel mine was after I upgraded to M3 control arms and tension struts. They still only did toe. Even if I didn't change the tie rods, I still think I only needed alignment because the M3 control arms are slightly longer. The tie rods require a longer setting to match.

@danbessent246 Жыл бұрын

A 21mm ratchet wrench would be a better choice than that O2 sensor socket.

@ml-ed4sc 6 жыл бұрын

How long did this new strut last? still ok i assume. Also, when you did the other side, was the mount ok or did you have to replace it.

@VehicularDIY 6 жыл бұрын

The new mount is still working well, I had the other go a few months later and replaced it with the same part. They're both fine so far.

@FLTHY4N 4 жыл бұрын

My passenger side strut mount needs to be replaced but if I plan on getting coilovers is this a piece that will be reused or should the new coilovers come with the strut mount in place already?

@FLTHY4N 4 жыл бұрын

Also, how dangerous is it to drive like that? With the strut mount all shot and creaking

@JeorgeJetsin 2 жыл бұрын

Well I'm almost positive that you are not the reason that that mount failed, I've learned from experience that all of these strut mounts on most e90s at least the pre LCI ones have strut mounts that all have the same exact common failure point. What it looks like is during the manufacturing process you can tell that there's two separate pieces of rubber that they then melted together to make that mount and on all the ones that I've seen failed they all have the same spot where the rubber was melted together it appears that they didn't actually melt it all the way together so what actually happened was just a thin layer of rubber melted together to keep them bonded together but I'm pretty sure they were designed to be one solid piece of rubber. I have an 08 335 same as yours and had a 07 convertible 328 and on both cars both sides, driver and passenger completely disintegrated a perfect ring just like how yours is but on my 335 (my daily) to the point that I was driving around with just the springs for quite some time, super unsafe, the shocks were so spent that once that piece separated the car actually lifted by a few inches in the front.. anyways. Love your videos bro they have helped me a lot much love here from Tucson Az

@Gutsmagoria 2 жыл бұрын

Other videos have recommended loosening the control arm & tension strut bolts. But those are torque to angle (and I just replaced em too) so I don't want to do that...but I suppose I would rather that than risk straining the bushings by letting the steering knuckle hang on them. Thoughts?

@TheFear37 Жыл бұрын

Hey any updates? Did you have to loosen the control arms? Hoping to avoid doing that

@Gutsmagoria Жыл бұрын

@@TheFear37 Unless you have the M3 control arms upgrade, you DO need to loosen the control arms to get the knuckle lowered enough to get at the top of the strut. The bushing on the standard arm, at the subframe, flexes as the wheel goes up and down. Lowering the knuckle enough to get at the strut top will stretch the bushing excessively and tear it. Same with the tension strut. The M3 control arm is different however because it's a ball joint at the subframe. FCP Euro sells a bolt kit for $50, and then you can replace them any time you want. I was an idiot and needed to replace the strut mounts AFTER I already did shocks and the control arms upgrade. What I did was I left the control arms on the knuckle, and only popped the tie rod and and the tension strut out of the knuckle, so they were unloaded and I could put the knuckle basically anywhere I wanted.

@TheFear37 Жыл бұрын

@@Gutsmagoria Thanks for the detailed response. This helps a lot

@TheFear37 Жыл бұрын

@@Gutsmagoria One more question. I have the M3 control arm set as well as Bilstein B12 kit. I need to do both but can't do both at the same time. Based on what you said, would it be better if I did the control arms first then the struts at a later time after? The way I'm thinking about is that, if I do the struts first, I'll have to loosen the control arms twice. Once for when I do the struts, and then again when I do the control arms. But if I do the control arms first and upgrade to the M3 arms, when I go to do my struts, I won't have to loosen my control arms. What do you think.

@Gutsmagoria Жыл бұрын

@@TheFear37 Why can't you do both at the same time? I would if you have the parts. Well, either way you'll need to loosen the tension-strut (trailing arm) at the subframe or remove it from the steering knuckle when you do the struts. Yeah, I would say if you had to do only one and get back on the road, I would do just control arms. However, you will need a steering alignment after that. The M3 control arms are slightly longer, which gives you a slight more negative camber, which is sexy, but think about it, you should need your tie rods a little longer also or else have excessive toe-in. Now after the struts...I'm not sure. Hypothetically no, unless there's a camber adjustment with your Bilsteins.

@kiemyster420 5 жыл бұрын

fun fact, I see your car came with the PPK, by removing the PPK air filter box and replacing it with those DCI's, you actually lost HP.... I almost made the same mistake a few months ago.

@imanwan2861 Жыл бұрын

Does the strut mount able to turn after you torque the nut? I torqued to 45ft lb based on the spec. The strut mount can't spin by hand. Is it normal?

@aimized1460 2 ай бұрын

no your mount is seized, the top hat should freely spin

@imanwan2861 2 ай бұрын

@@aimized1460 Thanks for the reply. I turn the disc up side down, so it wont spin. I can't tell from the instruction and need to research many video to find the correct way to put the disc on the mount.

@gregoryreid6318 3 жыл бұрын

You need to show difficult situations that way others know what to do. How to get the shock out of the hole

@adlxr 2 жыл бұрын

My strut won’t move independently and it’s completely compressed as much as it will be able to safely yes the compressor tool is on the top just like yours

@bal4cars 2 жыл бұрын

Say that again

@bal4cars 2 жыл бұрын

I replaced all my struts and shocks myself

@benmendez3285 4 жыл бұрын

Just replaced my struts and I’m hearing a clunking sound now whenever I go over a small bump, anyone have any idea what it could be ?

@TGLasers 4 жыл бұрын

Check strut mounts, that or the head bearing isnt bolted in propperly and bouncing when going over bumps and rough ground

@the_first_resort940 3 жыл бұрын

Sway bar linkage

@alexlaverick6111 2 жыл бұрын

I just pull the strut down and do it on the car. You don't need to remove the whole tube from the car. Clamp it down and go at it. Good job otherwise. Those strut berings rarely fail according to my BMW parts guy. I live on the west coast and the nearest one they have is in the middle of the country. I used a Monroe one.