Part # Confliction

[ATF]

Someone just shoot me. I decided to double check the torque's on all the nuts on my recent suspension install. So I set my torque wrench to 48 ft/lbs and I go under the hood and I start to tighten the struts. The damn wrench just wasn't clicking.. and I felt like I was tightening them too much so I stopped when I felt that it was tight. I get to the last of the 6, and snap. My heart sank, I had over tightened the nut and the bolt had snapped off the passenger side strut.

So now I have to replace the strut bearing, because they don't just sell the bolts individually for replacing right? Right.

So I checked my options for replacing it, and looked up the part # on RealOEM 31336769585. I called the dealership and they want $62 for one. I told the the parts guy that I would look elsewhere and he was like "OK!" like I wasted his time or something.

BavAuto would be the ideal place to order from because UPS Ground gets to me in one day, but they list a part # 31331092885 which I cant find elsewhere on the net. Could anyone confirm that this part will work? Time is really against me, since I have to be back up to Boston in 7 days. I definitely DO NOT want to drive 3 1/2 hours on the highway with my right strut behind held on by 2 nuts (is that even safe to drive around town that way?).

So bottom line, will 31331092885 work on the ti?

[AutoM3otives]

One of my sources shows that 585 and 885 come up with the same item, while others list them as different.

[ATF]

Thanks, I'm going to order it from BavAuto and wait for it to get here Monday, really wish it would get here tomorrow though :/

Just curious, has anyone else used a torque wrench on the 6 strut nuts (3 on each strut)? I set my wrench for 48 ft/lbs as the bentley manual specs.

[AutoM3otives]

I tried before on one nut and my tq wrench would not click. Since then, I've just tightened it as far as my socket wrench would go.

[greenie]

The 48 ft. lbs. is probably for the center nut on the shock absorber.
The 3 nuts that secure the strut bearing to the body should be something like 20 ft. lbs. If Bentley really says 48, it must be a misprint.

[ATF]

greenie, you are indeed correct. I misinterpreted "Upper strut mount to strut shaft, shaft with external hexagon - 48 ft-lb" as hmm a six sided nut, it's external of the strut mount so I figured that's the number I was looking for. I saw the Strut Assembly to Strut tower number of 16 ft-lb, but I couldn't think that's what I was looking for because it's holding the strut in place, it's gotta be more than that! Apparently I was wrong.

Ordered a new one from BavAuto, should have it Monday evening and installed that day or Tuesday. Now my concern is to the over-tightened nuts on the other strut. I took them off and put them back on with some Locktite, but I'm just counting the days until those sheer off because of my oversight of the torque previously. How much horizontal stress is placed on those 3 bolts/nuts?

[greenie]

In general, studs that have been over-tightened should be replaced.
I would change the strut bearings on both sides. Expensive, I know, but what is peace of mind worth?

Milt in Seattle

[mohaughn]

My camber plates use the the same hardware as the BMW strut top. They recommend 20, 25 maximum. Anything over 40 and it says you will shear the bolt.

[CirrusSR22]

If it's any help, I just put new strut bearings on my car about a year ago. The old ones were definitely different than the new ones. The main body of the old ones were steel, and I'm pretty sure the new ones were aluminum. I got them at PelicanParts, so I assume they were Lemforder brand (BMW OEM) bearings.

EDIT: I found my receipt. Sach-Boge: Part # 31-33-1-092-885 and they work great.

[bullmand]

I just read something within the last month about these parts. The original parts have been superseded by new ones. There may be a little tab that you have to remove to get them to fit correctly. If I can remember where I saw this I'll post a link.

[ATF]

Originally Posted by CirrusSR22

If it's any help, I just put new strut bearings on my car about a year ago. The old ones were definitely different than the new ones. The main body of the old ones were steel, and I'm pretty sure the new ones were aluminum. I got them at PelicanParts, so I assume they were Lemforder brand (BMW OEM) bearings.

EDIT: I found my receipt. Sach-Boge: Part # 31-33-1-092-885 and they work great.

Well thats the part # listed on BavAuto's website, so that's what I'll be getting. They picture an all black one, im assuming which is steel, not the aluminum which you speak of. I imagine I'll be getting the updated aluminum though. Hopefully it doesn't need to be replaced in pairs, even though I keep thinking about a scenario where the other strut mount failing while I drive I have to check in with my buddy and see if he'll help me out with maintenance and repairs while I'm up in Boston. Maybe I'll pickup another one for the other strut before it catches up to me on the road

[CirrusSR22]

My old steel ones were painted black, and the new ones are silver. They were much lighter than the old ones, so I'm 99% sure they were aluminum. If it makes you feel any better, the old ones I pulled out were still solid. The bearings were as smooth as the day they were made. If I didn't have new ones ready to go, I would have had no problem keeping the old ones.

[ATF]

Well I've decided I'm going to replace both sides for peace of mind while driving. The dealership had the aluminum ones, I asked if they had the steel ones. There is actually a big difference between the two. The aluminum one (obviously) weighs less (about 1 pound, give or take an ounce), but also has a different pattern for the rubber bushing. It also uses smaller ball bearings. The dealership's came pre-greased, the BavAuto one did not. Also, the black steel one had longer mounting bolts by about ~3 threads.

Any idea what type of grease is ideal for this application?

[greenie]

The steel one should be pre-greased as well. You probably can't see any grease from the bottom because of the cover over the balls. Can you see any grease from the top?
If there is some grease there and you want to add more, try to find some that looks the same. If there really is NO grease, I would put some moly grease in there and work it in as much as possible. You'll probably have to put about 3 times as much on as you really need and wipe off the excess afterwards.

The aluminum mounts look just like the ones on my Z4, so they're probably an E46 part. I never thought they might be interchangeable before, but apparently they are. You can remove the locating post with an allen wrench.

-Milt

[ATF]

mmmm there was no grease on the steel strut bearings. I found a grease gun and packed it in, spun it until I saw grease coming through the other side. Both strut bearings went into place without a problem. Took me about 2 hours for the whole job. Then when I was cleaning up I noticed there was a washer that I missed (it was stuck to the old bearing with a lot of grease). Of course I found this after I had completely put away all the tools. So I pulled the strut out again, compressed the spring and put this silly little washer against the bearing and put it all back together. I think it's safe to say I could probably do this install blind folded now.