[E92_William]

I recently came about some information that steering racks have a way to adjust how much pressure is I believe put against the rack from the pinion which can be adjusted through a nut at the end of the area where the rack is, pictured below.

Both my cars have some level of steering wheel play in the center, e46 is more severe and it would make little sense to me that a rack could wear that much so maybe this has some effect on it. Keep in mind I have checked many times and the play is between the input of the steering shaft and the internals of the rack, not tie rod ends.

Attached below is a link to what seems to be a guide or service manual for ZF racks used in Jaguars but they look very similar to the ones in our cars and you can see how they work and how to adjust this preload.

Some cars have a bolt in the center which can be threaded in and out to put pressure and a nut around to lock it in place, our racks have only a very large type bolt and a spring inside that goes against a U shaped part (this seems to be a notorious wear item on F30s)

I'm wondering if anyone here has done it, I read a few threads here and maybe one or two guys know about this but that's it. Information is scarce to say the least. Any tips or general knowledge about steering racks would be appreciated as I think this isn't a rare issue and people just tend to live with it under the assumption the rack is just worn out

[E92_William]

Link to the manual and some relevant screenshots:

https://forum.bmwland.ru/index.php?a...t&id=26966

[Brian86]

You may have covered this, but have you checked the splined 'pinch' joints on the steering column.

My lower one was loose enough to create a bit of 'dead' lash in the steering wheel.

The the 'pinch joint' locking screw threads into a through-hole so the best fix is a longer screw then a nut on the opposite side to prevent it from moving.

[feuer]

Originally Posted by Brian86

You may have covered this, but have you checked the splined 'pinch' joints on the steering column.

My lower one was loose enough to create a bit of 'dead' lash in the steering wheel.

The the 'pinch joint' locking screw threads into a through-hole so the best fix is a longer screw then a nut on the opposite side to prevent it from moving.

That just hold the joint on the spline. Longer bolt with a nut would make zero difference. Only difference would be if the joint itself is loose and you replace it.

[Brian86]

That's precisely what happened. The splined joint itself was loose. Caused some lash in the steering wheel.

Dunno if it slipped axially or if the screw was backing out. Longer screw + jamb nut prevents the latter.

[E92_William]

Good stuff bringing that up too because I remember the first thing I wanted to try to solve this steering play issue at least in my e92 was to replace that shaft because as can be seen here I think it has some play but I could not point out where it was...

However while there seems to be some play there, there's still noticeable play at the input of the rack as can be seen here.

I have a spare linkage I can throw in from another used car but I think the bigger issue is at the rack

[E92_William]

Going to attempt to adjust the rack on the e46 today and maybe the e92 if there's more room which I highly doubt there is. It's pretty tight in there and disgusting too if it's a 20 year old 328ci with a leaky oil pan gasket..

UUPDATE:
I tried this and it wasn't hard to do. I turned the nut 1/8 of a turn in and went for a test drive and felt no real difference, then I went and turned it 1/4 more and the steering was very hard and would not return back to straight, however the play was still in the center very lightly reduced. It seems the wear in this rack is all concentrated on that very center spot so even adjusting to the point where the rack wouldn't return to the center when turning wasn't reducing it noticeably. I will inspect the steering guibo on this (e92 doesn't have one) and see if it could be that although I doubt it.

If the play in the e92 bothers me enough I will try same adjustment later on. Keep in mind when doing this, it is a must to go slowly and know how much you are turning it in or out at all times.

[streetpro]

I went though this on e36 platform (very similar steering rack, ZF anyway), unless you change/overhaul the whole rack (for e36 it could be bought at the dealer, a sack of happiness for couple of hours of joy) it doesn't really change anything (tight it - no change, tight it more - steering is getting stuck, no return of the steering wheel as described above)...
I have seen bended and/or corroded racks (pretty much impossible to fix this, as it will leak no matter what you replace), so be aware when buying a used one...