[jason21987]

had to replace a cv axle on passenger side of 2014 328i xdrive

i cannot for the life of me get the strut back in

please help

[kingmonkey8]

Originally Posted by jason21987

had to replace a cv axle on passenger side of 2014 328i xdrive

i cannot for the life of me get the strut back in

please help

Suspension strut?
You need to place something like a flat head screw driver between the gap on the strut clamp and twist to spread the clamp open.

Or there is a strut spreader socket tool to spread the clamp open.

[jason21987]

ive got a spreader in there

but if i drop the strut in i cannot clear the quarter panel
if i mount it in place i cant get hub to drop low enough to get on it

[jason21987]

i actually bought a 12mm allen socket, did some grinder work and made my own spreader. wanted $40 online and i didnt want to wait

[kingmonkey8]

Originally Posted by jason21987

ive got a spreader in there

but if i drop the strut in i cannot clear the quarter panel
if i mount it in place i cant get hub to drop low enough to get on it

How did you get it out?

Have you tried standing on the hub to push it down or dropping one side of the lower control arm?

[328iX]

the axle cv joint will only go in at certain angles, pull the axle and look at the joint, and notice it will only be "fully inserted" at a certain point, find that point, then push the strut back in.


I'm also not talking about inserting the axle into the diff, i'm talking about after it's seated there is movement in the cv joint where it will only mesh in certain spots

[B58 parts]

What i had to do was: support the control arm with a jack, turn the brake rotor a bit, push the hub center up and in wards with my knee trying to get the CV to line up, while pushing the shock down and inward with both hands carefully under the fender. Keep turning the brake slightly and retrying, eventually it all rolls in with a very satisfying pop.

Mask your fenders up real well. The factory literature actually says to unbolt the CV and get it out of the way. You could do that if you wanted, but it's not totally necessary

[jason21987]

so...lol
to get it out i was so but not completely free, i used the tab on the rear and jacked up w a piece of wood. basically compressed shock half inch, that worked.
but no way i can do that for install. and it would want me to compress like three inches to do it in reverse.

so im not exactly sure of the terminolgy, but i have removed the front arm to the steering. the middle one w boot at top and nut below is free also.

the driveshaft is in all the way, finger tightened to the hub

im going to go back and reread that angle description a few times again
thanks guys

[jason21987]

i hear ya about protecting that fender.
thats why im here, it getting abused now.

as for the jack.. my problem is things wont go down far enough

[jason21987]

is it possible my strut is longer than it should be, as in needing replacement.
i followed kiesmotorsport video
and he used a jack like was mentioned

but my issue is that the hub and rotor wont go low enough to get under the strut if its in place
again it wont go low enough to clear fender if i drop it in where i have it spread on the hub

[kingmonkey8]

Originally Posted by jason21987

is it possible my strut is longer than it should be, as in needing replacement.
i followed kiesmotorsport video
and he used a jack like was mentioned

but my issue is that the hub and rotor wont go low enough to get under the strut if its in place
again it wont go low enough to clear fender if i drop it in where i have it spread on the hub

[jason21987]

thank you king monkey
i see its an e90 but i see that he removes that rear arm from the vehicle not from the hub
that may give me the manueverability

also what was said aboiut lining up the cv so it can give me angle may help

id like tomgo outside and try now
but dont think the neighbors would appreciate

thank you all so much
i have hope now!!!!!!!

[B58 parts]

it wont go in because the axle is popped out of the front diff. if you look at the boot (into the diff .. not into the wheel) you can see it's elongated.

the strut will go down far enough to clear the fender once you get the axle to pop back into the diff


https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1147467

ctrl+f for axle

[FaRKle!]

Are you saying that the knuckle can't be pushed low enough to get under the strut if you mount the strut/top mount into the shock tower? That's usually how I do it. I never do the "rotate the knuckle outwards with the strut in it" method.

[jason21987]

so i followed the video
removed the rear control arm? not sure the exact name for it
at 15:00 in that video
any way i removed it from the vehicle and was succesful getting the strut in
thank you!!!

BUT now i cant get it back in
again an inch or so away
as i turn the rotor and hub i get no closer

any tips?

[jason21987]

maybe its called a camber arm

[deviantspeed]

On VW's you can use a 1/4" socket, get it in the "split" and turn it 45 degrees.

Not sure how much room there is on an F3x as I haven't done suspension on the platform yet.

If there's no room, like someone mentioned, there's probably a special tool to open it up. Even with that said, sometimes things need to just be wiggled the F back and forth to get it in! Just be careful!

[kingmonkey8]

Originally Posted by jason21987

so i followed the video
removed the rear control arm? not sure the exact name for it
at 15:00 in that video
any way i removed it from the vehicle and was succesful getting the strut in
thank you!!!

BUT now i cant get it back in
again an inch or so away
as i turn the rotor and hub i get no closer

any tips?

Make sure the drive shaft is fully seated at both the diff and wheel ends.

Do you have a car jack? Put a jack under the strut and compress it slightly.

[jason21987]

You guys were awesome it turned out I had a defective axle out of the box it wouldn't slide at all in the housing
Went and got another one and went together no problem in like an hour.

Unfortunately it didn't solve my problem so I'll be writing a new post shortly asking about potential transmission failure at 50,000 miles

I really appreciate all of your assistance you guys are awesome

[DriveS]

I know this is an old post, but just in case someone has this issue, I have another way of solving it.
Another way to do it is to take the shocker out of the clamp. Push it up to the mounting point and get someone to put a couple of bolts in to hold in in place. Now you can easily manipulate the strut in the the open clamp. Now put a jack under the disc and pump up to push the shocker all the way into the clamp. Now take out the gap opening tool (or punch) and tighten the bolt up. Now the jack is ready to pump up more to align the control arm ball joint bolt.

This way is much easier, but you need a helper and there is ZERO risk of damaging your arch

[5mall5nail5]

I didn't read the whole thread but make sure you jack the whole front of the car otherwise the sway bar is twisted and things are tough to deal with