Have you checked the fluid level? If OK, I recommend a fluid change before considering replacement of the power steering pump.

You'll need to suck out all the fluid in the reservoir each night (turkey baster), and replace with fresh ATF, until you've run 2 qts through the system.

 

See this:
- Power steering fluid (1)

 

Thanks guys for the info. I have adequate fluid but with 158k it may be time for a fluid change. I will try to easy stuff first, hope it doesnt go to a pump issue.

 

If PS Reservoir level is OK, then bad steering comes from either:
1. Bad PS Pump
2. Bad Steering Rack
Or both.

 

Agree with #2 , my steering rack's leaking , and the mechanic told me that I must fix it ASAP or the steering wheel will be rough

 

Hey 90, always there with the great info. Are there any diy's on pump and rack?

 

Lift the front of the car and turn the wheels with your hands. If you can do that, then the steering rack is probably not the problem, which leaves you with a bad pump.

(Don't forget to unlock the steering wheel!!! )
mw

 

1+,

At your mileage of 160K+, it is not a bad idea to start with the PS Pump first because:
1. It is easier to do. Essentially search for "Cooling Overhaul", because that will tell you how to remove the Fan Clutch, Fan Blade, belt.
Then replace the PS Pump.
Replace all the PS hoses while you are there.
Search forum for DIY.

2. PS RACK is way more labor-intensive and expensive! So leave the Steering Rack alone for now.
Plus when a Rack fails, it usually leaks out the bellows and you will know it (ATF on the garage floor).

 

Ok so looking at what is available in ps pumps the price ranges from $150 to almost $500. I usually buy oem or upgrade but I am thinking going middle of the road.

 

See if you can find something refurbished by ZF. These are essentially OEM, but you get them before they get the :roundel: stamp of hiked price.

So? 2 posts above. Did you do this? To determine if it is the pump?

mw

PS.... Am I right about ZF being the OEM for the pump??? I know they are the OEM for the rack.

 

No MatWiz Its been raining like a mo here the last two days so I havent tried your tests yet. I didnt try changing the fluid either but with these cars it seems a little too unrealistic to be just a fluid fix.
I am still trying to get the time to do some suspension work also, need at least some rear and front shock replacements.

 

Ah. Rain...

I replaced my steering rack a couple of years ago. I got the ZF refurbished for about $700 instead of $1200 - $1400 for the BMW one (that also has the "ZF refurbished" stamp on it. Same thing.

mw

 

finally got the car jacked up and was NOT able to turn the wheels by hand, I was able to using the steering wheel with the car on but it was still fairly stiff. Not sure what my next move will be.

 

finally got the car jacked up and was NOT able to turn the wheels by hand, I was able to using the steering wheel with the car on but it was still fairly stiff. Not sure what my next move will be.

Actually I am not sure how you would check the ball joints etc.
When I was turning the steering wheel with the car jacked up, I noticed that the wheel would " settle "into the straight position. However a few degrees in either direction the steering became stiff again. Gotta get this figured out before December inspection.

Next step is a harder. But before you take off the steering rack, or before you take off the pump, - All based on a guess and a "lets change parts until the problem goes away... I think you should do this:

Disconnect the tie rods and repeat the same test as you did previously. You can either disconnect them at the wheel hub, (near the #7 at the diagram), or disconnect them at the adjusting nut - just note down the number of threads at each nut so that you can put it back into the same place and avoid the need for an alignment (near the #5 on the diagram). You can even try and disconnect the tie rod from the rack completely by separating (between #5 and #4). I think the easier and least complicated will be #7.

Anyway, what you are doing and removing the wheels from the system and checking the system from your driver's steering wheel, to the steering rack. now:

1. If it is still stiff, then it means that you don't have any stuck/dried/seized joints. It is something in the steering, not the wheels.

2. If the movements now are easy, then it means that the rack and the pump are good, and your problem is with one of the wheels.

3. If it is 2. Reconnect one wheel at a time.

3.1. If you reconnected the left wheel, and it's stiff again, the problem is with the left wheel. If you reconnected the left wheel and the steering is still light, then it's the right wheel.

3.2. If you want to be anal about it, disconnect the above wheel and do the same with the right wheel. Otherwise, reconnect the right wheel and see how it adds to the feel. There IS a theoretical chance that BOTH sides joints are seized...

mw

 

Check for stiff/seizing ball joints before shelling out for a pump!

 

Actually I am not sure how you would check the ball joints etc.
When I was turning the steering wheel with the car jacked up, I noticed that the wheel would " settle "into the straight position. However a few degrees in either direction the steering became stiff again. Gotta get this figured out before December inspection.

 

When the steering doesn't centre itself after turning corners, it can be a symptom of ball joints having stiffened up. Are the rubber boots cracked or split?

 

for my X5, it was niether the pump, rack, or fluid. my great mechanic found the problem. it was a seperate rack sensor on it. that was bad. $150 fixed it all.

 

Thanks again for the come backs. Matt I talked to a tech at EAC tuning and he said essentially what you are only he told me to disconnect the input shaft and check the yoke/u-joint to see if it is hanging up. He also said the ball joints are more likely to be sloppy and cause vibration going down the road. I not noticed any of that. Because I have never really messed with the this car's suspension and steering I am proceeding carefully. I had planned to change the front struts and rear shocks so I guess I will be getting my feet wet soon. I did notice a slight oil leak somewhere around the strut but until I get in there I wont be sure exactly where its coming from. Hope to get the car in the garage (was 25 degrees this morning) and start isolating where the problem is coming from. Thanks again for all your helpful posts.

 

I talked to my BMW guy and he says it sound like a rack but still test it out by disconnecting the wheels (like you had told me). Took one nut off and now the problem is how hard do I hit the linkage in order to pop it out? The bolt is pretty tight and I didnt want to do more damage. All I did so far was take off the nut that holds the bolt to the wheel.
thanks again
joe

You are talking about the nut that connects the tie rod to the wheel hub? You hit it with a sledge hammer, BOOM, and it goes out.

Guys, any advice for Joe?

mw

 

yes the the nut that connects the tie rod to the hub

 

Yes, hit it on the end of the nut side, to pop it out.

mw

 

Well I guess I wimped out on the power steering diy. I brought the car to a local trusted shop to have the car inspected. I told the mechanic to have at it and deal with the steering issue. The good news is his take on it is that the pump is bad and it shouldnt take more that a couple hours to do. (lets see how that works out). While I am posting does anyone know how much fluid the power steering system holds?

 

Just a follow up on the never ending steering issue. New pump put in, old problem still exists. I guess the next step is a rack. I did find a re manufactured ZF for around $700. There were some cheaper and some twice the price.

 

next step is a rack

In the bestlinks thread, I just did a browser find (control f) for "steering rack" and only found this ... hope it helps:
- Steering Rack replacement (528i/no pics)

 

Thanks BB. Alot of helpful info there. Maybe I can talk the mechanic into letting me in on the work beings that he misdiagnosised the problem.

 

I had similar symptoms, but the effort wasn't consistant enough that I just lived with this intermittent issue until one left turn too many and I heard a load bam/bang under the hood and all steering assist disappeared...ran 3 or 4 lights trying to keep the engine from boiling, not realizing that the serpentine belt was back at the bam/bang spot on the pavement.

Needless to say, I shut the car down when I knew I could coast into Harmony Motorworks...needle never did peg, but it was climbing fast. One power steering pump later, I was cruzin'...I have no idea if I did a fluid change when the prob first reared its ugly head would have prevented this, but @ 90k I guess I got-off easy.

 

Old thread - but no one has mentioned here that the stiff steering could come from the lower steering shaft u-Joint. Apparently if one uses some kind of rust remover like liquid wrench or WD-40 and then greases with lithium grease (after an overnight soak in the WD-40) then the stiffness goes away.

Does anyone have any pics of what has to be done to get access to the lower steering shaft on an E39 (1998 528i(

 

For the record, the hard steering question came up again today ...
> E39 (1997 - 2003) > Power Steering Failure Symptoms?

I have an issue with my power steering. It feels "heavy", like there is little power assist at standstill or low speeds. It feels fine once I am moving faster. Not a major problem and something that can wait until the snow melts before I tackle it. I noticed this issue after the car sat for a month this winter while I was gone. When I noticed it a few weeks ago, I thought initially that it might be either my snow tires or low ATF. The ATF was a bit low so I added a bit. No change to the steering. After I changed the snow tires out last week, there was still no difference. The ATF level is still fine. Hence, I see no obvious reason for this issue. I tried searching for symptoms of a failing power steering pump but came up empty. I have the DIY for replacing the pump and will do the fix if I can confirm the cause of my problem. My questions are:

1. Has anyone ever felt a "heavy" steering wheel? If yes, what was the cause?
2. For anyone that has replaced their power steering pump, what were the symptoms prior to your replacement?

Any feedback is appreciated.

See also these found by searching titles only in the E39 forum here for "hard steering" ...

• hard steering
• S.O.S. Sudden loud noice and steering gets hard and car overheats
• steering hard and will not centre...
• Hard Steering - Rack Rebuild?
• Heavy steering under hard cornering
• Hard steering at idle
• Hard turning power steering
• Steering Wheel hard to turn

 

what points exactly would be good to spray with wd40 to see if it helps?

above #7? are there other joints or bushings not pictured in the diagram that would be good to spray as well???

where would the rack be leaking exactly? at the boot?

 

what i did

what points exactly would be good to spray with wd40 to see if it helps?

above #7? are there other joints or bushings not pictured in the diagram that would be good to spray as well???

where would the rack be leaking exactly? at the boot?

what #7 are you referring to?

I cleaned the u-joints off on my steering shaft with a spray and then greased them with lithium grease becasue it sticks, and it is awkward reaching he joints from beside the driver's wheel well.

While I was under the car changing the transmission fluid, I noticd that there is good visual and therefore manual access to the steering shaft from under the car.

I have / had a leak on the right (passenger in northamerica) side of the steering rack itself - there was fluid on the rubber boot covering the inner tie rod which comes from the rack. There is a procedure to replace the seals there without removing the rack. Until I am prepared to do this (it involves taking out little bits of the end of the rack), I drained the steering reservoir beside the oil filter and put in fluid that is supposed to swell up the seals and take care of the leak over 100 - 300 kilometers. I'm still in prcess to see if it works, but my steering is fine at the present time.