E46 M3 BAD tramlining. Need help.

[thetypicalm3guy]

Does this go for FCABS as well?

[thetypicalm3guy]

Guys, I followed this FCP Euro guide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usfbSLE_1aI&t=1157s

They did not torque down with the vehicle on the ground? Who has done it wrong?

[heinzboehmer]

Only rubber bushings need to be torqued at ride height. Any ball joint or spherical bearing can be torqued in any position.

Reason is that if you torque a rubber bushing when not at ride height, the bushing will twist when you put the car back on the ground. This "preloads" the bushing and can cause weird behaviors and accelerated wear. Ball joints etc. rotate freely, so there's no way to preload them, no matter what position you torque them at.

[oceansize]

I’ve always torqued down FCA in the air. The bushing is shaped and it can only fit in one way. The bolt isn’t horizontal like the RTAB. I have no funky behavior. Could I be wrong, certainly.

[thetypicalm3guy]

Only rubber bushings need to be torqued at ride height. Any ball joint or spherical bearing can be torqued in any position.

Reason is that if you torque a rubber bushing when not at ride height, the bushing will twist when you put the car back on the ground. This "preloads" the bushing and can cause weird behaviors and accelerated wear. Ball joints etc. rotate freely, so there's no way to preload them, no matter what position you torque them at.

Ah so sounds like I need to Redo my FCAB mounting bolts. That should be much easier to do!

[heinzboehmer]

Ah so sounds like I need to Redo my FCAB mounting bolts. That should be much easier to do!

Actually that should be fine. No bolt goes through the bushing so no way to torque and preload it. The way to adjust preload on that bushing would be to press the rubber part out and clock it differently within the housing.

If you bought the entire assembly, it should come properly clocked. If you just bought the rubber part and pressed it in, it might be worth checking that it's clocked correctly.

[thetypicalm3guy]

Actually that should be fine. No bolt goes through the bushing so no way to torque and preload it. The way to adjust preload on that bushing would be to press the rubber part out and clock it differently within the housing.

If you bought the entire assembly, it should come properly clocked. If you just bought the rubber part and pressed it in, it might be worth checking that it's clocked correctly.

Oh I see. I bought it already installed in the carrier arm.