Bmw E36 Sterering Big Problem

[hiettd]

NEED HELP GOT A E36 CONV 1.8 1996 BIG PROBLEM WITH STEERING WHEN I AM DRIVING THE CAR IT GOES FROM HAVING FULL POWER STEERING TO ALMOSTR SEIZING UP ON ME AT TIMES THE PROBLE HAPPENS INTERMITATLY AND IS DANGROUS AS SOME TIMES I AM TURNING WITH FULL POWER THEN IT GOES STIFF AND CANT BE TURNED EASILY IT ALSO SOUNDS LIKE A SPRING BEING COILED UP I KNOW ITS NOT THE PUMP OR FLUID AS HAVE BOTH BEEN CHANGED THANKS CAN ANYONE HELP DANNY HIETTD@AOL.COM

[noelp]

Danny,


Strange as it may seem, the problem is not the power steering but the universal joint in the steering column just in front of the firewall! It is dry and bound up. You can check this by jacking up the front wheels and turning the steering wheel. It will feel "lumpy".

The fix (at least temporary) for my '98 E36 M3 was trivial - no tools required. Just liberally apply WD-40 or similar to the joint and work the steering back and forth. Mine freed up nicely. Hope it works for you.


Noel

[executechs1315]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and am having a similar problem on my BMW 325IS with 190,000 miles. I drove the car from New York to florida ( 2500 Miles ). Driving on a straight run for a couple hours , the car runs fine. I get off to get gas and the steering is stiff, I almost have to do figure eights to get it to free up. Recently in city and some highway it is happening more frequently. I checked the fluid and installed new fluid by remooving some hoses and filling the Power Steer back up with Dextron 111 mercon ATF. seemed to work a little better. also, just had my tires rotated but don't think thats the problem, was happening before but not as bad. Anyway, I checked for leaks and is ok. hope its not my Rack or a collapsed PS High pressure hose...$$$$ Its seems to be getting worse. Any help would be graitly appreciated. N-

[bmw318iman]

I have recently changed my steering column to cure this steering problem. I have seen with my own eyes an alternative reason why this effect is felt on the stearing. At the top of the column is a ball bearing which braeks up, dispensing the balls into the column between the two conduit channels. There they carve out a groove that they run in. As temperature changes within the car expand the metals, the balls become a tighter fit. Especially after slowing down when coming to the end of a long journey: changing to urban driving after motorway driving. You could usually temporarily "cure" the problem by rocking the steering wheel from side to side, freeing up the balls: until the next time they snag. The column is remarkablely easy to change and if you can find a used one thats free it's quite a cheap fix if you do it yourself. At one point you will need the help of a second pair of hands to re-attach the coupling joint.

[mse678]

NEED HELP GOT A E36 CONV 1.8 1996 BIG PROBLEM WITH STEERING WHEN I AM DRIVING THE CAR IT GOES FROM HAVING FULL POWER STEERING TO ALMOSTR SEIZING UP ON ME AT TIMES THE PROBLE HAPPENS INTERMITATLY AND IS DANGROUS AS SOME TIMES I AM TURNING WITH FULL POWER THEN IT GOES STIFF AND CANT BE TURNED EASILY IT ALSO SOUNDS LIKE A SPRING BEING COILED UP I KNOW ITS NOT THE PUMP OR FLUID AS HAVE BOTH BEEN CHANGED THANKS CAN ANYONE HELP DANNY HIETTD@AOL.COM

have you resolved this issue yet?
is it the column?

[mse678]

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