84 325e front suspension

My friend back on the east coast called me today, saying that while driving to work he heard a loud pop and the front left end of the car dropped to where the tire is almost rubbing the wheel well. It sounds like something in the suspension up front has sheared/broken etc, but i am not a bmw owner and am therefore too unfamiliar with the suspension setup to even make a guess as to what happened. If anyone has any guesses / personal experience that could help me diagnose my friend's problem i would appreciate it, or if anyone has a diagram of the suspension i can make a guess at it; however my internet searches to this point have been fruitless.

Thanks~

My guess would be control arm ball joint or the control arm aft mount.

http://www.bmwe30.net/pic/tech/f_susp_s.gif

Later,

Thanks alot for the advice & diagram. My buddy called back today and said one of his coworkers had looked at the car and said he could "feel the ball joint still there, connected to the tie rod." Obviously this is not the control arm ball joint. I told my friend to go jack it up and pull the wheel off when he has time so he can see what's going on in there- i'm still liking your theory. I also found out that when he had the front tires rotated a few days ago the mechanic told him something about worn ball joints "in imminent need of replacement." Sounds like the culprit to me.

Just out of curiosity, about how much would replacing the ball joints cost? Is it something i can do with a basic set of tools and a driveway?

Thanks for the help, i really appreciate it.

if any of the ball joints or the control arm mounts were broke you could not drive the car.. if the wheels are still straight then I think you need a set of new struts