Suspension - Front Ball Joint: Overview
Group 31Front Suspension
Bulletin Number
31 01 94 (4063)
Woodcliff Lake, NJ
October 1994
Product Engineering
SUBJECT:
Front Ball Joint
MODELS:
E36 through 10/93 production
Situation:
The bonding of the rubber in the lower control arm ball joint may loosen over time; possibly causing noises from the front end, slight increases in steering play in center position, or brake vibration felt in steering under light braking.
It should be noted that even in cases of complete separation of the rubber to metal bond, the ball joint cannot separate from the control arm or spindle.
Ball joints manufactured since 11/93 have been modified to prevent this occurrence. The production date can be found on the lower bar of the ball joint as shown in the illustration above.
During the 1995 model year, an additional modification in the form of an anti-twist lock will be phased into production. The repair instructions refer to this lock, but this reference can be disregarded when installing current production ball joints.
Correction:
In case of customer complaint, or in cases where during the course of performing an Inspection the bonding is found to be obviously loose, replace the ball joints in both control arms with the new design ball joint which is now available as a separate part. It is not necessary to replace the lower control arm assembly.
Included are repair instructions outlining the procedure for installing the new style ball joints. These instructions will be incorporated in subsequent editions of the Repair Manual.
Note:
It is not necessary to perform an alignment after completion of this repair.
Warranty Status:
Covered under the terms of the BMW New Car Limited Warranty.
Defect Code: 31 12 90 78 00
Replacement of both ball joints:
Labor Operation: 31 12 025
Labor Allowance: 8 FRU
Parts Allowance:
Description Part Number Quantity
Joint 31 12 1 140 398 2
Nut 07 12 9 964 672 2
Nut 31 31 1 136 641 2
31 12 025 Fitting wheel locating joint to control arms