E46 series BMW 3

since 1998 of release

Repair and car operation


E46 series BMW 3
+ BMW 3 Cars (E46)
+ Current leaving and service
+ Engine
+ Systems of cooling, heating
+ Power supply systems, injection and release
+ engine Electric equipment
+ RKPP and transmission line
+ Automatic transmission
+ Coupling and power shafts
+ Brake system
- Suspension bracket and steering
   - Forward suspension bracket
      Removal and installation of an amortization rack
      Dismantling amortization rack/removal and shock-absorber/spring installation
      Shock-absorber check
      Shock-absorber utilization
      Removal and installation of the bearing of a wheel
      Removal and installation of a beam of a forward suspension bracket
   + Back suspension bracket
   + the Steering with the hydraulic booster (servoupravleniye)
+ Body
+ Onboard electric equipment
+ electric equipment Schemes

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Shock-absorber check

The following signs indicate malfunction of shock-absorbers:

— Additional fluctuations of a body at movement on roughnesses of the road.
— Increase of amplitude of fluctuations of a body at the following one after another roughnesses of the road.
— Jumping of wheels at movement on the normal road.
— Involuntary drift of the car when braking.

can be a consequence of other reasons.

— Instability at turn owing to a bad continence of a track and car drift.

— The increased wear of tires with a cut of tops protector (washing away).
— A sign of defective shock-absorbers are also existence of roaring noise. This noise can be a consequence and other reasons, for example, an otvorachivaniye of bolts of fastening and nuts, failure of bearings of wheels and hinges of equal angular speeds. Therefore before replacement of shock-absorbers always check their condition.


The shock-absorber can be checked manually. However exact check of operation of shock-absorbers is possible only with the help shock tester or the special verifying car.

Check manually
1 Remove the shock-absorber.

2 Establish the shock-absorber into position, put forward and compress it. Throughout all course the shock-absorber should move exactly and smoothly.


3 At gas-filled shock-absorbers at sufficient pressure of gas the rod itself comes back to a starting position. If the rod does not come back, it does not mean need of obligatory replacement of the shock-absorber. Its principle of action corresponds to a principle of operation of the ordinary shock-absorber until there is no considerable leakage of oil. Dempfiruyushchey operation of the shock-absorber remains also in the absence of pressure of gas. However its noise characteristics thus worsen.
4 At normal functioning of the shock-absorber insignificant traces of the flowed-out oil are not the basis for its replacement. The basic rule here is the following: if the oil acting from an epiploon of a rod, is visible, but it does not extend further the bottom plate of a spring, the shock-absorber is serviceable. Insignificant leakages of oil have even some advantage as the epiploon is thus greased that promotes increase in its service life.
5 At considerable leakages of oil the shock-absorber is subject to replacement.