Andrew

The E46 M3 FCAB connects the front control arm to the chassis and it is a regularly serviced bushing which you can find on our Ultimate E46 M3 Maintenance Guide. Front control arm bushings are very important to replace every 100k miles or so on a daily-driven car as it affects the car’s handling characteristics. The control arm connects to the front control arm bushing which is mounted on the chassis. A worn out FCAB may result in uneven tire wear and/or dull steering response.

Different bushing types

Factory rubber, polyurethane, delrin, spherical and monoball. What’s the difference between the different bushing materials? The one word you need to understand is deflection. Deflection basically means articulation and depending on the component deflection can be good or bad. For example, the front control arm bushings perform better with less deflection, however the RTAB needs articulation to bring power to the ground. For those that seek comfort, we recommend staying with factory, polyurethane, or even delrin.

Disclaimer: This DIY does require you to lift your car so please use proper tools and follow all safety procedures if you choose to attempt. This guide is for your reference only. We are not liable for any damages or injuries that result from this guide.

FCAB Installation Directions

I ended up getting the Turner Motorsport Greasable Monoball Front Control Arm Bushings for my car since I mostly use it for track. The monoball design basically eliminates any deflection in the bushing for the sharpest steering response, however for the Turner FCABs there is a delrin bushing between the monoball and bushing lollipop to decrease NVH. They swear it’s quiet enough to street. I’ll save that for another review, but let’s get into the install. This is my first time installing the E46 M3 FCAB and I’ll walk you through the steps so you don’t make the same mistakes I did. The installation is rather easy and the hardest part is pressing the bushing in and out.

1. Jack up the car

1.1 Straighten your wheel and use the center jack point to lift the front.

1.2 Place 2 jack stands to keep the front of the car lifted.

1.3 Use jack or tire as an emergency backup support.

1.4 Remove plastic under tray located underneath the car. There are seven 8mm hex screws total.

1.5 Remove metal under tray brace using 16mm socket.

2. Remove headlight auto leveling sensor (for those applicable)

2.1 Take a small pry bar or flat head to release the clip on the passenger side front control arm.

3. Remove FCAB lollipop housing

3.1 There are 2 16mm bolts holding the lollipop in place. Your control arm will droop down to access the bushing.

3.2 Use a 3-jaw puller to remove the bushing from the front control arm. In this picture below the front control arm is completely off the car because I replaced the arms as well. You should be able to use the puller while the arm is still on.

4. Press out the old FCAB

4.1 Use a bushing press tool to remove the old FCAB. I rented a ball joint separator from Autozone, but I do not recommend using this tool! It’s worth a try though since it’s free, but I couldn’t find a spacer that fit the circumference of the bushing.

5. Press the new FCAB into the original lollipop/housing

5.1 I went to a shop to get the new ones pressed in. Did not want to chance on the brand new bushings.

6. Install FCAB onto control arm

6.1 I lubed the inside of the bushing with dish soap since everyone does this method, however it is very important that you seat the car on the ground while the soap is still wet. Settling the car after the soap dries up will result in the bushings not sitting correctly.

7. Install FCAB

7.1 Insert the two 16mm bolts and torque to 44 ft-lbs (60 Nm).

7.2 Install headlight leveling sensor, front brace and under tray. Torque front brace to 43.5 ft-lbs + 45-90 degree turn.

Bimmerworld recently updated their E46 Fuel Starvation Kit so the stock fuel gauge is a lot more accurate. The new method involves taking out the sucking jet pump which was not part of the installation procedure in the previous revision. I don’t have the previous kit so I don’t know what the exact differences in this kit are.

Symptoms: Usually on the track where there are high-speed sweeping right-hand turns, the car starts to go into fuel cut because the fuel is forced to the driver side of the car, towards the sender unit, while the passenger side pump experiences fuel starvation.

Solution: Bimmerworld E46 Fuel Starvation Kit

Ever since I put in a Walbro fuel pump I’ve been getting fuel cut at half tank! It might not seem like a big deal, but at the race track a quarter tank can save you a trip to the gas station or one less fuel jug to haul. I decided to go with Bimmerworld because they had the most value. Here I’ll do a step-by-step DIY.

What’s in the Kit?

Installation Instructions

This installation does not require you to completely remove the fuel pump (passenger side) however it is recommended you replace your gasket (P/N: 16111184084) if you haven’t done it yet.

Please be mindful of safety hazards! Work in well-ventilated area away from sparks, open flames, or other sources of ignition. Be prepared with a fire extinguisher. Wear safety goggles and nitrile gloves.

1. Depressurize fuel system

1.1 Start vehicle.
1.2 Remove fuel pump fuse. (see fuel pump diagram in glove box)
1.3 Wait for car to die.
1.4 Turn off ignition and re-install pump fuse.

2. Remove stock fuel sending unit

2.1 Remove bottom rear seat.
2.2 Remove both fuel tank caps with 10 mm nuts.

2.3 Remove metal ring retainer with flat head and hammer. Place flat head on the metal tab and loosen by tapping with a hammer counter-clockwise.
2.4 Disconnect fuel return line by loosening the stock hose clamp.

2.5 Remove stock fuel level sender, half way, from driver’s side; watch out for the float arm.

2.6 Disconnect the sucking jet pump from the sender unit. There is a clip you need to press on the black piece of the jet pump.

2.7 The other side of the jet pump is connected to the passenger side fuel tray. I just yanked mine out as it’s only connected by a slip ring. Be careful because you might pull the fuel tray out, but you can easily out it back. If you want to be safe, take out your passenger side fuel pump first and yank it from the head.

This is the fuel pump side. You can see where the sucking jet pump line connects.

Old sender unit.

3. Install new Bimmerworld pump unit

3.1 Get your new gasket for the sender side and properly seat it around the lip. Improper seal can cause a fuel leak so make sure the gasket is seated properly!
3.2 UPDATE 5/9/19: User Duncan Ross has pointed out that the correct orientation to have the fuel level gauge work properly is to clock the fuel pump about 45° clockwise and the black/white plugs should be facing a stud. The picture below is the incorrect orientation. In the picture below, the top of the picture is facing the rear of the car. If clocked properly, the black/white plugs will be facing the stud on the bottom right corner, in the picture.

3.3 Install 8 mm fuel hose over the 8 mm (small) nipple on the new pump. Use 8-12 mm hose clamp to secure hose in place. In the picture you can see I cut the hose significantly because the hose was too long and wouldn’t fit inside without pinching the hose. You can cut to your preference.

3.4 Install 12 mm fuel hose over large nipple, securing with 12-20 mm hose clamp. I had to trim this hose as well.

3.5 Insert hose size reducer into opposite end of 12 mm fuel hose, securing with additional 12-20 mm hose clamp. Your original fuel line will go into the adapter.

4. Remove fuel pump (passenger side) unit

This step may not be necessary for some, but this next step requires drilling through your fuel pump nipple so I did not want to risk getting plastic shaving into my tank.

4.1 Remove the fuel line by pressing the 2 black tabs. Slide in then out. A little bit of fuel may leak so be prepared with some towels.

4.2 Remove the wiring harness plug.

4.3 Unscrew the metal ring and remove the fuel pump assembly.

4.4 Drill hole into un-used nipple using a drill bit. I believe I used a 1/4″ bit. Recommended to start with a smaller drill bit to mark the center so you center the drill for the larger one.

4.5 Seat the fuel pump gasket around the lip and re-install fuel pump. Re-insert fuel line, wiring harness and metal lock ring.

5. Route remaining fuel lines

5.1 Route 8 mm fuel line installed from new pump to existing fuel pump by fishing line underneath the sheet metal of the seat. A little trick I did was to fish a tape ruler from one side to the other and then taped both the 8 mm hose and 36″ wiring harness to the ruler to fish it out. Although we’re not ready to wire yet, you need to fish the wiring harness again so might as well do it at once.

5.2 Insert 8 mm hose into the newly created nipple on the fuel pump then secure with 8-12 mm hose clamp.

6. Wiring the new unit

6.1 Insert 18″ wiring harness (white connector) into driver’s side connection on new fuel pump unit.

6.2 Solder solid green wire into black/red wire. Use heat shrink to protect the wire from the elements.

6.3 Splice green/black wire on harness into brown/black wire. This re-connects the fuel level sensor.

6.4 Connect 36″ wiring harness (black connector) to other connector on new fuel pump. Your wires should already be re-routed underneath the car from step 5.1.

6.5 Cut power supply wires going to existing pump about 3 inches from top surface of old fuel pump.

6.6 Connect dark green harness wire to red/white (or blue/white on non-M E46) power using soldered y-splice. Seal with heat shrink tube.

6.7 Connect black harness wire to brown ground also using soldered y-splice. Seal with heat shrink tube.

6.8 Bundle wires together and wrap with electrical tape.

6.9 Re-install cover plate and seats. Installation is complete.

Testing at the Track

UPDATE 3/22/19 – The “Check Filler Cap” warning has not appeared ever since I wrote this article. It may have been a coincidence. However I noticed the fuel gauge does not show 100% even after topping off at the gas pump. Bimmerworld claims it the fuel gauge shows 100% on their install car.

I tested this on track after the installation and I ran down the car to half a tank and experienced zero fuel cut from fuel starvation. I ended up running the car all the way until a quarter tank and I still did not experience fuel cut. The only weird things I experienced was a “Check Filler Cap” warning and the gas pump nozzle auto-stops prematurely when I’m filling up. I’ve reached out to Bimmerworld to see what’s going on so I’ll update once I do, but I’m super pumped that this kit works! Oh yeah and the fuel gauge meter seems to be pretty accurate. The only way I can fully test the accuracy is to manually calculate the fuel usage or just drive and give it time. I will report back. Below is a video of my PB run at Chuckwalla with a little less than half a tank. Notice the sweeping right handers especially the ones I pull 1.5 G’s on.