Auto Service

DIY BMW E36 Front Strut

1. Loosen the lug nuts on the front wheels of your E36, but do not remove them.
2. Raise the front of your E36 by positioning the floor jack underneath the jack points directly behind the front tires, and raising each front corner. Insert a jack stand underneath the jack point as the car is raised and lower the corner of the car so that it is supported on the jack stand.
3. Remove the lug nuts on the front wheels and then remove the front wheels.
4. Remove the strut assembly from the lower sway bar links by using your 16 mm open wrench and 16 mm open socket.
5. Unplug the brake pad wear sensor that is plugged directly into the inside edge of the brake caliper.
6. Remove the nut from the upper bolt which secures the strut to the wheel hub, leaving the bolt in place.
7. Remove the two lower bolts that connect the strut to the wheel hub using your 18 mm socket wrench and open wrench.
8. Position a jack stand underneath the strut you are removing and then remove the upper bolt whose nut you removed in Step 6. The wheel hub will drop down from the strut and remain supported by the jack stand.
9. Open your cars hood to reveal the strut towers on both sides of the engine bay.
10. Hold the strut with your hand while you loosen and remove the nuts that sit on top of the strut tower using your 13 mm socket wrench.
11. Pull the strut directly down to remove it from the strut tower.
12. Insert the new strut into the tower and secure it at the top using your 13 mm socket wrench.
13. Align the wheel hub with the struts bottom and insert the three 18 mm bolts that secure it to the hub assembly.
14. Tighten the nuts on the three 18 mm bolts to secure the new strut to the wheel hub.
15. Plug the brake pad wear sensor into the brake caliper, and then secure the strut assembly to the sway bar links using your 16 mm socket wrench and open wrench.