cinciar

Hello. I hit a big bump in the road and damaged the front axle of my E60. I need to replace it, but first I would like to consult the BMW repair manual for this specific intervention. Does anyone have it?

turboawd

sounds like you dont know what broke. there is no general axle on the front.

you could have broke control arms, sway bar, struts, or maybe the main suspension support/brace.

cinciar

BMW ETK calls it "Front axle support", part number 31116782458. I've actually hit the mounting plate for the rubber bushing of the front stabilizer bar. I would weld it, but the actual axle support is deformed a bit, so I decided to replace it. I've done similar jobs before, but not on the E60, so I would like to look first at how BMW does it. So... does anyone have it?

jgt

Haven't read a single post regarding replacing the front axle support but here is a link for the repair manual.
http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Servic.../BNT-B510.html
By the way what the hell did you hit?

cinciar

I hit a pretty big hole in the road with the left side, the car tilted enough so that the bushing support for the front stabilizer bar "bit" on the asphalt (that is the lowest part of the car, btw). Had it been 3 centimetres higher, nothing would have happened - as a matter of fact, the rest of the car is intact. However, those 3 centimetres hit hard, deforming the robust front axle support. I was going at about 70 kph.

About the service manual - thanks for the link. However I don't have the time to wait until they ship that book to me (early next week the car enters service). Besides, I just want the article reffering to this specific job, I am not a mechanic and have got no place for it in my book collection. I am particularly interested in how BMW reccomends securing the engine from above, while the axle support comes off. I was just asking if someone knew where I could consult this technical information.

I also attach a picture of the damage.

vkhong

No information on your vehicle year. Have you tried tis.spaghetticoder.org?

E.g.:
BMW TIS - 31 10 000 Removing and installing complete front axle (with spring struts)

cinciar

Thanks! I didn't know about the spaghetti . This must be it. However, they say "secure engine in installation position" - just that. I hoped they gave more information on this step. Well... I will keep digging there, maybe they do say more. Thanks again.

turboawd

so you cracked just the sway bar support? i'd just get it welded. changing the support is a huge job.

cinciar

I've taken the picture from the center of the car. From the other side, which doesn't appear in the picture, you can see a bend in that solid axle support - that's why I decided to replace it. I know this is pretty huge, and also expensive, but it has to be done. So watch out where you're going!!!

In another order of ideas, I was VERY surprised to see how BMW designed the front axle, with those 2 supports for the stabilizer bar coming out on the bottom. They are too exposed. If you hit something... anything, you hit first with those tiny bits of aluminium. They WILL break. Actually, it is so common, that my mechanic (who also welds aluminium) guessed the damage to my car before even looking at it. I went to him and said "hey, I hit the car underneath, you need to take a look", and he was immediately like "you've hit the stabilizer bar support, right? no problem, I've welded that on a couple other 5 series". Nowhere in the world do official BMW repair shops provide welding services, so if you go to them, they reccomend changing the whole front axle support. Remember, this is a $1.000 effort, instead of a simple $50 welding job - outrageous!. Unfortunately for me, I have to go the one-grand way.

turboawd

if the car still drives straight, i'd leave the support alone and just get it welded. if only the sway bar mount area got bent, then its not that big of an issue. now if the hit lead to the control arm mounts getting shifted, then yeah you should replace the support.