Don't let this happen to you

#1

A few weeks ago, this broke while my son was braking for 10A at Road Atlanta. He was fortunate to be able to drive it offtrack rather than hitting the wall. These were new control arms, installed last fall.

Later inspection showed the joint on the other side was extremely loose, so the theory is that the joint worked loose and wobbled around until it snapped.

This is the main balljoint link where the control arm mounts to the subframe.

If you don’t have one already, develop a nut-and-bolt checking regimen on your car and do it often! I used to, but had gotten lazy about it. This was the wake-up call.
http://www.factory3performance.com/product_info/Broken%20balljoint.jpg

#2

Chuck, curious as to what brand they were also. I wound up with one of each that Pelican offers, and am curious to compare the longevity of them as time goes on. Yep, I labelled them so I wouldn’t forget which was which.

#3

I would avoid Meyle brand at all costs, even if it meant missing a race. This brand, particularly for E30 parts, does not have a good reputation. YMMV of course but if you choose to use them, good luck.

From failures that I’ve seen proper tightening torque is one of the biggest issues.

#4

I have Meyle on my car. They are part of my nut/bolt checklist. I can only assume BMW did not intend for me to jump the car over curbings and keep the suspension attached. :wink:

I hear there is a Turbo E36 turbo wagon at Bimmerworld that uses the UBER DEADLY E36 Non M Meyle Arms on it. It can do a casual 165 down the straights, has 3 point belts and, James does value his life.

Note: A bimmerforums.com member’s baby was reportedly eaten by a Meyle control arm. Beware when installing near small children.

I think you are dealing with a component that is inhearantly not part of a robust design. When a balljoint fails on any car it’s not a good thing. Even more so on a typical BMW suspension design with only 4 attachment points. It’s really hard to make a ‘bad’ quality balljoint. The high volume nature of the part lends itself to good quality. The better the quality in a way the cheaper it is to produce, much like ball bearings for instance. Until somebody points out a specific flaw in design or metalurgy I will continue to not have a bias towards them. I have seen some crappy parts from other companies with cheap boots, nylon liners, more pourous arm castings etc. I have no problem using stuff from this particular company.

#5

I actually didn’t notice what brand the part was that failed, but I remain convinced that it failed due to loosening of the 22mm nut and attendant slop in the subframe tapered socket, and not to any inherent weakness in the part.

So, from where I sit, all brands of control arms are consumables, and should be replaced every 2, or at most 3, track seasons. At the same time, I wouldn’t favor one brand over another.

#6

Be advised this pin can also shear when it has been over-torqued at installation. Follow the factory torque specs.

#7

Chuck - We have been replacing ours once a year - about 15 track sessions. Why do you recommend so soon? I’ve also heard others (competitors) say once every 2 years is OK. Thanks,
Ed

#8

edavidson wrote:

[quote]Chuck - We have been replacing ours once a year - about 15 track sessions. Why do you recommend so soon? I’ve also heard others (competitors) say once every 2 years is OK. Thanks,
Ed[/quote]

He said Seasons, not Sessions…

#9

My bad John. That makes a lot more sense. Ed

#10

You didn’t have any signs before this happened? I had a similar issue with a different car, but I felt the steering wobbling which made me check the suspension, and sure enough the ball joint was coming apart.

#11

I wasn’t driving that day, but my son hadn’t reported anything to me during the day.