Here's how I fixed my Power Steering hose leak. Make sure you use some brake cleaner down on your suspension components (maybe someone will chime in and say how to re-lubricate the bushings), and anything that has all the grime and gunk built up. The junk on my lower control arm bushings caused a 55mph vibration, and it's gone upon cleaning!!!!!! Here's how i did it.
RULES:
DO NOT start the car with the PS cap off, or you will spend an hour or two cleaning the fluid off your engine bay, and then getting it off your paint, which is even MORE fun.
Don't puncture a hose, these PS hoses are not cheap, about $100-150 from what i've found.
Tools and whatnot required:
22mm socket
philips screwdriver
flat blade screwdriver (always use this)
brake cleaner (brakleen seems to work better than the autozone brand for some reason)
10mm socket
turkey baster
drain pan
a good brand of Dexron III compatible fluid (i used Amsoil Synthetic ATF)
needle-nose pliers
assorted screw-type hose clamps (find the size you need by lookin at the hoses beforehand)
razor blade of some sort
* remove the lower engine shield so you can see everything
* remove power steering reservoir cap
* go back down below, and place a drain pan under the power steering pump area
* loosen the 22mm bolt FACING the back of the car, and PS fluid will drain out from the line. (alternately, extract from reservoir with a turkey baster), you don't have to remove the bolt, just enough to drain.
* ultimately you want most of your PS fluid to be removed, there will still be some in the steering gearbox, so you can flush it twice if you are switching to synthetic ATF, I did.
* remove the 10mm nuts holding the PS reservoir on
* pull the reservoir out from the mount
* Now that your fluid is all drained out (you did that right?), lets remove the hoses (make sure you know which line goes where on the reservoir, mark it if you want)
* BE CAREFUL, the reservoir nipples are plastic, and a lot of force will snap them
* Using your needlenose pliers and maybe the screwdriver, pry off the crappy crimp-on hose clamps BMW uses, then pull the hoses off and you should be able to walk off with the reservoir now. I flushed some cheap fluid through the reservoir to make sure it was clean, going backwards so the dirt and gunk caught by the internal filter gets flushed back out the top.
* Now, using your razor blade, take the 2 hoses you removed from the reservoir, and cut them just below where the clamps were, it should be about 3/8-1/2".
* Now, find the hose clamp that fits, make sure to align the screwhead towards the driver's side of the car in the inside so you can tighten up the clamps by just moving the reservoir up a few inches. (you will probably need to re-tighten afterwards)
* Now that your clamps are on the lines, install the lines back onto the reservoir just as they came off, push them up as far as they will go and tighten the clamps
* Go back down below and tighten that 22mm bolt on the pump (not TOO tight, just guess based on the force it took to remove. If someone wants to post the torque for it, feel free, i dont have a bentley or anything around.
* Take your super-fly synthetic ATF, and slowly pour it into the reservoir, and i mean slowly so you don't get any bubbles.
* fill it up to the MAX mark on the dipstick attached to the cap.
* Start the car, but DO NOT turn the wheel at all, turn it on for about a minute or so to get the fluid flowing. If you turn the wheel, the fluid will be sucked into the system too fast and you will get a huge air bubble and will have to start over.
* Here's where you decide if you want to flush ALL the old fluid out. If you don't, top off the reservoir to MAX, start the engine, and now drive around for a little bit and make a few turns each direction at full lock.
* IF you want to flush it, simply loosen the same 22mm bolt down below and let it drain into your drain pan, then when it's done tighten it up and refill to MAX. Follow the same fill steps as above and you should be in good shape.
* grab a beer if you haven't already. :thumbup:
Since the flush procedure is so easy, I think i'll be flushing my fluid once a year. I'm not sure if the synthetic is necessary, but I had it laying around and it was doing me no good sitting on the shelf, and the ZF 6-spd doesn't take ATF so I had no use for it.
RULES:
DO NOT start the car with the PS cap off, or you will spend an hour or two cleaning the fluid off your engine bay, and then getting it off your paint, which is even MORE fun.
Don't puncture a hose, these PS hoses are not cheap, about $100-150 from what i've found.
Tools and whatnot required:
22mm socket
philips screwdriver
flat blade screwdriver (always use this)
brake cleaner (brakleen seems to work better than the autozone brand for some reason)
10mm socket
turkey baster
drain pan
a good brand of Dexron III compatible fluid (i used Amsoil Synthetic ATF)
needle-nose pliers
assorted screw-type hose clamps (find the size you need by lookin at the hoses beforehand)
razor blade of some sort
* remove the lower engine shield so you can see everything
* remove power steering reservoir cap
* go back down below, and place a drain pan under the power steering pump area
* loosen the 22mm bolt FACING the back of the car, and PS fluid will drain out from the line. (alternately, extract from reservoir with a turkey baster), you don't have to remove the bolt, just enough to drain.
* ultimately you want most of your PS fluid to be removed, there will still be some in the steering gearbox, so you can flush it twice if you are switching to synthetic ATF, I did.
* remove the 10mm nuts holding the PS reservoir on
* pull the reservoir out from the mount
* Now that your fluid is all drained out (you did that right?), lets remove the hoses (make sure you know which line goes where on the reservoir, mark it if you want)
* BE CAREFUL, the reservoir nipples are plastic, and a lot of force will snap them
* Using your needlenose pliers and maybe the screwdriver, pry off the crappy crimp-on hose clamps BMW uses, then pull the hoses off and you should be able to walk off with the reservoir now. I flushed some cheap fluid through the reservoir to make sure it was clean, going backwards so the dirt and gunk caught by the internal filter gets flushed back out the top.
* Now, using your razor blade, take the 2 hoses you removed from the reservoir, and cut them just below where the clamps were, it should be about 3/8-1/2".
* Now, find the hose clamp that fits, make sure to align the screwhead towards the driver's side of the car in the inside so you can tighten up the clamps by just moving the reservoir up a few inches. (you will probably need to re-tighten afterwards)
* Now that your clamps are on the lines, install the lines back onto the reservoir just as they came off, push them up as far as they will go and tighten the clamps
* Go back down below and tighten that 22mm bolt on the pump (not TOO tight, just guess based on the force it took to remove. If someone wants to post the torque for it, feel free, i dont have a bentley or anything around.
* Take your super-fly synthetic ATF, and slowly pour it into the reservoir, and i mean slowly so you don't get any bubbles.
* fill it up to the MAX mark on the dipstick attached to the cap.
* Start the car, but DO NOT turn the wheel at all, turn it on for about a minute or so to get the fluid flowing. If you turn the wheel, the fluid will be sucked into the system too fast and you will get a huge air bubble and will have to start over.
* Here's where you decide if you want to flush ALL the old fluid out. If you don't, top off the reservoir to MAX, start the engine, and now drive around for a little bit and make a few turns each direction at full lock.
* IF you want to flush it, simply loosen the same 22mm bolt down below and let it drain into your drain pan, then when it's done tighten it up and refill to MAX. Follow the same fill steps as above and you should be in good shape.
* grab a beer if you haven't already. :thumbup:
Since the flush procedure is so easy, I think i'll be flushing my fluid once a year. I'm not sure if the synthetic is necessary, but I had it laying around and it was doing me no good sitting on the shelf, and the ZF 6-spd doesn't take ATF so I had no use for it.