31 31 000 Removing And Installing Complete Left Or Right Spring Strut Shock Absorber

Necessary preliminary tasks: 

• Remove front wheel  . See 36 10 300 REMOVING OR INSTALLING FRONT OR REAR WHEEL .
• Remove stabilizer link from spring strut  . See 31 35 000 Removing And Installing/Replacing Front Stabilizer .
• Detach plug connection for pulse generator and expose line up to holder on spring strut
• Disconnect plug connection for brake pad sensor and expose line up to brake caliper
• Remove front brake disc  . See 34 11 220 REMOVING AND INSTALLING/REPLACING BOTH FRONT BRAKE DISCS (BREMBO) .

If necessary, remove jointed rod of ride-height sensor from control arm.

Fig 1: Locating Jointed Rod Of Ride-Height Sensor

Courtesy of BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Slacken control arm bolt connection on front axle carrier  in order to prevent control arm rubber mount from being damaged. See 31 12 000 REMOVING AND INSTALLING/REPLACING LEFT OR RIGHT CONTROL ARM .

Remove control arm from swivel bearing  . See 31 12 000 REMOVING AND INSTALLING/REPLACING LEFT OR RIGHT CONTROL ARM .

Remove tie rod end from swivel bearing  . See 32 21 151 REPLACING LEFT OR RIGHT TIE ROD .

Remove tension strut from swivel bearing  . See 31 12 080 REMOVING AND INSTALLING/REPLACING BOTH TENSION STRUTS .

Centering pin missing: remove tension strut (on spring strut dome)  and mark position of threaded pins to wheel arch. See 51 71 371 REMOVING AND INSTALLING/REPLACING TENSION STRUT ON LEFT OR RIGHT SPRING STRUT DOME .

Release nuts (1) and remove spring strut with swivel bearing towards bottom.

Installation: 

Clean contact surface in spring strut dome.

Align spring strut using centering pin to bore in wheel arch or studs to wheel arch and push upwards.

Replace self-locking nuts.

Tightening torque. Refer to 31 31 1AZ in 31 31 SPRING STRUTS .

Fig 2: Identifying Spring Strut Nuts

Courtesy of BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, INC.