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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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Quick question on steering wheel play...
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06-21-2016, 09:46 AM | #45 |
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OMG! Thank you so much prototyp. I've had this problem for awhile and thought it was an alignment problem. my joint clamp bolt was sticking out about half an inch and you can wiggle and turn it...freaking scary to even think of what could have happened if it had fallen off as I daily it through canyon roads. I think you just saved a life...thank you.
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08-24-2016, 05:33 AM | #46 |
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Just done this too. Have a null spot when steering wheel central and move it off central. And a little bit of vagueness/wander/following the road when driving. Bolt at first seemed pretty darn tight. Gave it a bit more welly afraid of giving it too much though but it went between a 1/4 - 1/2 turn. Road test on the way home from work later!
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Last edited by sparkymarky; 08-24-2016 at 05:39 AM.. |
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08-26-2016, 03:06 AM | #47 |
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Well it's definitely helped! Noticeable at slower speeds that the steering has less play and wander when at neutral. At high speeds today on the motorway it feels like a totally different car. Hunkered down and heavier steering again. No need to keep adding pressure to the wheel to keep the car tracking correctly. It just stays where it is and almost knows where its going. It now feels like a sporty car again. I should say I've also added spacers and upped tyre pressures at the sameg time to 36 at the front instead of 34 which will likely also have helped. Was going to upgrade suspect sion as it's done 90k but now it feels like it's only done 30k again. So tight and precise now.
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06-27-2017, 07:17 PM | #48 | |
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Apologize for reviving this thread but at 138,000 miles and 8 years of ownership, my steering wheel developed this problem. There was a 1/4 inch of dead play. Holy cow, the fix below was so easy, it brought back that "tightness" of that BMW ultimate driving machine feel.
Somebody who said to use E12 torx is not correct. E10 torx is the right size. E12 will strip it! But damn, go out there and everybody tighten this thing up. Your steering will return back to factory normal like the day you drove off the lot. As to why BMW designed this steering linkage this way is beyond me. These two U-joints can develop play over time, and besides that, the U-joint that needs tightening appears to be a sleeve that wraps around the steering box control rod. This makes no sense to me. The bolt appears to just tighten the sleeve around the rod because the sleeve is the one that is creating this play. I'm not 100% but if the sleeve is not keyed, does it really spin and rotate around the entire shaft? That would seem like a dangerous design. Quote:
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07-01-2017, 10:39 PM | #49 |
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My issue was not exact but similar. I was hoping you guys might be able to help me.
Long story short. I took the steering shaft out. when I put it back, the upper Universal joint and the torx bolt was rubbing the firewall, at a certain degree when I turn the steering wheel. I have been battling this issue for about couple weeks (on and off) Luckily I still have my 205k miles E46. ( thanks to the online BMW community) I have searched around for solutions, nothing positive so far. If any of you guys could snap a few pictures to show how the upper U joint is properly located / situated and post some pictures here, would be great and it might help future members as well. I also could not figure out how the dust boot at the firewall should be put back. thanks much guys my e90 has been on Jack stand for almost 3 weeks now......... |
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12-16-2017, 09:59 AM | #50 |
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I have a very small amount of play in the steering. Couldn't tighten the bolt anymore at all, though the positioning of my arm and the coolant tank didn't help.
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05-06-2018, 03:14 PM | #51 | |
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Don’t care how old this thread is, this should be a STICKY THREAD! I tried this before with just a small ratchet and the inaccessibility of the bolt without an extension and lack of leverage it felt tight to me. Problem persisted and only got worse, to the point of having almost a full inch of play in the wheel. Found myself searching again, knowing Of this mystery steeeing rack nut and decided to go out in the garage and give it another try with a breaker bar, an extension, and a deep socket and wow!!! Quoted this comment bc deff do as described with tightening a little, cuheckingD tightening a little, checking. Mind you I was using a breaker bar so I was being extra careful, but with that said I got almost 2 full turns from the bolt and sure enough everything is tightened back up. Although the popping sound that somenbave experienced I still have a minimal pop but the difference from before and archer is night and day. So, if you have tightened the e12 bolt in the rack itself as described in this thread, and still hearing some popping, I believe the problem is the splines on the column. They tend to wear out and believe it or not bmw did away with the design in the next f30 chassis. Spline problem described here; https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=59s&v=3M3kZLum6Ok |
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05-14-2018, 07:07 AM | #52 | |
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Cheers! |
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05-14-2018, 09:29 PM | #53 | |
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Just a thought. Edit*** note to self check the end of the thread to see if the OP fixed the issue :/ Last edited by onemonkey; 05-14-2018 at 09:31 PM.. Reason: added info |
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05-15-2018, 09:44 PM | #54 |
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Definitely should be a sticky! I always wondered why my steering wasn't as tight as my friends car. Today I turned it half a turn and instantly noticed the difference!
Also it is a E12 not a E10
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05-31-2018, 10:44 AM | #55 |
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BMW..what a pack of shameless bastards!!
Simon Jebb a man called Mike and the Ceo of BMW uk Mr Grieve steering rack failed at 52 k on clock thats when i bought car,obviously an ongoing fault from earlier stages,fault reported 2015 on car CLUNKING KNOCKING right front side. From day one of my complaint BMW''s snotty little arsehole's mocked me! I complained of the fault as described,it was reported to BMW in 2015,but evidentally BMW did not fix or replace it.I have service records and theres a warranty claim,but BMW will not tell me what the warranty claim was for Data Protection ,WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT? How on earth is it date protection i only wanted to know what the warranty claim was for.E mailed a Mr Duggan,told me to bring car in for diagnosis just like that. Im over 100 miles south of Eatern Edinburgh,so i readdressed the warranty claim,No help, LA LA LA LA LA we dont care we dont care about your car,thats what the message was like coming from Mr Jebb...BMW. and the middle finger,then Mr Jebb claims BMW are a responsible car manafcturer..Anyway i do think that BMW should be investigted with reference to their faulty steering racks.NER NER NER my dads bigger than yours our cat is whiter than yours,thats BMW's attitude.I think that this rack failed way way way before 17 k thats the mileage the clunking noise appeared,35 k miles later it returns. I argued the mileage wise for the warranty,nope nope nope 3 years warranty day over and youre basically FUCKED. Up your arse BMW X |
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06-29-2018, 11:55 AM | #56 |
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This thread definitely needs promoting to Sir Chief Sticky of Sticksworth!
Just removed no end of slack and play and general waviness from the front end of my 2006 330i. It's not quite as direct as any BMWs I've had previously (1998 E36 328i Coupe, 2001 E46 323i Coupe, 2004 325ti Compact, 2005 535d Touring) but it's loads better. It was dead easy on the 330i too, which suits me as I'm mechanically inept. |
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08-11-2018, 05:08 AM | #57 |
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Managed about half a turn with a breaker bar. Could probably push it further but felt that was enough.
Steering feels fairly tight when driving, but still have some play when the car is stationary with the engine off.
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10-25-2018, 08:06 PM | #58 |
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Well, fellas...Thank you.
Should anyone care, I've been posting about this on my 2011 E82 for years off and on. I've chased alignment, I've chased tie rod ends. I've gone back to the dealership multiple times to the point that they think I'm nuts, telling me every time "everything is fine." I've wasted so much time on this that I'm now an expert on the 135i suspension (I'm not), and even found a way to clean the VANOS solenoids when they were sticking, even though that was unrelated (another thread here). So I went back to the dealership this week, asking for a quote. I stood there and said "Please take my money and fix this." "There is nothing wrong, sir." I somehow found this thread earlier today, got out the torx sockets, turned that bolt one full rotation, and my little 135i steers like it is new. I went slow on back roads, hit high speed on the interstate, traveled roads where I used to have to fight to keep it in a straight line. This doesn't mean as much to you guys, for sure, but this has been 7 years of hating the way the thing handled on uneven conditions, and now the car is like brand new. Thank you. Edit 1: Anyone know the torque spec on this bolt? I have a series of extensions that I think I can use to get the torque wrench on it from above the engine. I can definitely still tighten the thing by hand using a small socket, but I don't want to over tighten. I've asked the dealership, but, well, I'm asking here, too. Couldn't find it on the listing of torque set points someone posted on another thread. I've searched the pdf for steering shaft, shaft, clamp, and clamp bolt. Can't find it. Thanks. Edit 2: Found a torque spec on an AutoZone BMW steering repair guide. Looks like the bolt should be 35 N-m, 26 ft-lbs. If anyone else can verify using something other than AutoZone, that would be great. In the meantime I'm going to be my extensions out and try to set it. The car has been handling great since I hand tightened that bolt, and the overall suspension feels better. Likely because the front end is staying quiet on bumps, as opposed to rocking side to side, pulling the car around and making it feel unstable. Last edited by lupa; 10-31-2018 at 10:31 AM.. |
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02-19-2019, 05:03 PM | #59 | |
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02-19-2020, 10:29 AM | #60 |
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2011 E90
Hi all,
Sorry to renew an old thread but the steering wheel play issue with the clicking at low speeds has been driving me crazy. I was able to tighten the bolt Prototyp mentioned and it improved the roaming and play for about a week. Its now back to what it was before. Has anyone continued to have this issue and been able to find a fix? Should be noted, I switched out my runflats for non-run flats about a year ago and that's when I really started to notice the steering play. I originally thought it was due to the switch and the lack of stiffer side walls but I found this thread and realized its actually a common issue. Any suggestions are appreciated! Thanks, |
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03-11-2020, 01:31 PM | #63 |
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Applicable to F30?
I finally found this thread after searching based on symptoms on my F30. Does anyone with more technical experience with both chassis have any insight as to whether this might work on a 2016 328xi? I do not have the clunking noise, but I have that "loose" spot.
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06-26-2020, 11:03 PM | #65 |
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Thank you prototyp!!! I followed prototyp's post to tighten the bolt. It fixed the small steering wheel play issue for me. I took off the air box to get more room in order to get to the bolt.
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06-28-2020, 05:49 PM | #66 |
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