M3 Steering Rack Swap in '07 335i

DRpeppZ · 08-09-2020, 04:50 PM

Hello Everyone!

The steering rack in my '07 335i seems to be on its way out, I have swapped all suspension components aside from the sway bar and knuckle with M3 parts and still have a loose feeling steering wheel with slight tramlining that seems to be more apparent on the right than the left. I attempted to adjust the pre load on the rack and while it made the steering feel closer to what it should ( tramlining was less severe and steering became tighter) the rack then started to bind and pretty much confirmed my fear of the rack being worn.

My question for all of you knowledgable individuals is this, would it be worth it to purchase a used M3 rack off of ebay to replace my warn rack? Is the difference in ratio between the two noticeable? I appreciate a tight feeling direct steering setup on my cars and LOVE how BMW achieves this. Also, what is the difference between the "L2" and "L5" racks im seeing from different M3 racks?

If the difference between the two is negligable and it would smarter to just get a remaned 335i rack please do tell as they're cheaper and im assuming a smarter option as far as longevity.

And finally, what's up with the 2020 injector recall? my car has a nasty misfire at idle and seems to hesitate around 2k-5k RPM, I have suspected low pressure fuel pump but also suspecting fuel injectors because of intermittent long cranks on cold start that seem to puff some black smoke out of the exhaust. Leading me to believe my injectors are leaking. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I apologize for mentioning two different topics in one thread. Feel free to tear me a new one if need be. LOL

build date on my car is 02-01-2007 if that matters at all.

08-09-2020, 04:50 PM	#1
DRpeppZ Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW 335i Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: California iTrader: (0)	M3 Steering Rack Swap in '07 335i Hello Everyone! The steering rack in my '07 335i seems to be on its way out, I have swapped all suspension components aside from the sway bar and knuckle with M3 parts and still have a loose feeling steering wheel with slight tramlining that seems to be more apparent on the right than the left. I attempted to adjust the pre load on the rack and while it made the steering feel closer to what it should ( tramlining was less severe and steering became tighter) the rack then started to bind and pretty much confirmed my fear of the rack being worn. My question for all of you knowledgable individuals is this, would it be worth it to purchase a used M3 rack off of ebay to replace my warn rack? Is the difference in ratio between the two noticeable? I appreciate a tight feeling direct steering setup on my cars and LOVE how BMW achieves this. Also, what is the difference between the "L2" and "L5" racks im seeing from different M3 racks? If the difference between the two is negligable and it would smarter to just get a remaned 335i rack please do tell as they're cheaper and im assuming a smarter option as far as longevity. And finally, what's up with the 2020 injector recall? my car has a nasty misfire at idle and seems to hesitate around 2k-5k RPM, I have suspected low pressure fuel pump but also suspecting fuel injectors because of intermittent long cranks on cold start that seem to puff some black smoke out of the exhaust. Leading me to believe my injectors are leaking. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I apologize for mentioning two different topics in one thread. Feel free to tear me a new one if need be. LOL build date on my car is 02-01-2007 if that matters at all.
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