E85/E86 Steering Problems (Solved)

J

Joycey

Active member
My findings have solved my issues but there are still quite a few variables when trying to diagnose what your steering issue could be.

In my second year of ownership I started noticing a feeling like there was play in the steering above 50mph this could easily feel like a loose ball joint. Like with every issue you get with your car the first thing anyone does is search the internet. Between here, Zpost and various other sites I managed to get a picture of what to look at.

1) Rare cases the rack was damaged (very rare)

2) Pre 2006 cars suffered with sticky steering (BMW revised the grease and worm gear clearance) Mines late 2007

3) Ball joints, Couplings, EPS issues.

So like with all things you start with the cheaper options first I ended up fitting new wishbones, lollypops already powerflexed. I then changed the Tie rods along with track rods. After this I had hunter alignment done.

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Although the car felt great the movement was still there. So I removed the steering coupling and found nothing.
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Whilst I had that coupling out I could grab the column and see if theres any play, it was solid.
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This now left with the rack to inspect and the column to take out.
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I had this inspected by a race team next to my work who gave it the all clear. So now the fun begun having to remove the column which was surprisingly easy.

Once you remove the two bits of lower dash trim you can easily see the whole column.
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There were so many connectors plugged into the column so make sure you remember where they all go. Once I removed the 8 bolts holding the column up I could rotate it 90* to unbolt the motor. Very much square peg round hole situation with the motor still attached.
View attachment 1
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Once it was out I started going over the column getting my head round how it works and after a few minutes made a discovery . While there I also checked the bearings to see if I could find any play. Then I came across a ring between the motor and the column, I did see this mentioned on a few forums but not many took the comments seriously.

This ring controls the engagement of the worm gear on the column too loose will cause play and too tight will cause it to be heavy. see next post.

Part 1 - need a larger photo upload limit :D
 
So after discovering I can adjust the motor worm gear engagement I decided to put it too the test.

This is the tightest setting all the way to the left.
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Loose setting all the way to the right.
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Setting it in the tightest position then refitting everything it was time for a test drive (3 hours later). Before turning the ignition on I could feel how much tighter the steering was, it was actually too tight on my test drive I was zig zagging down the road trying to go straight.

(Updated 17/06/18 - Clockwise = lighter/looser (less sticky), Anticlockwise = heavier/Tighter (less free play))

So after 4 attempts of backing the ring off a few mm, finally got the stiffness I was after and no play!! Amazing

You can make the adjustments without having to remove the column, simply remove the lower trim and slide into the foot well. You need the E11 torx socket and slacken the two bolts off on the motor and gently tap the ring round it is difficult but not impossible.

I've since helped another coupe owner and it's also solved his problem. Well chuffed.

Hopefully this might be of some help.
 
Great Pics. Looks like you had the reverse of 'sticky steering'. It is possible to move the ring without removing the column but access isn't easy.
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=78250&p=1298532#p1298532

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=50994&p=1412897&hilit=sticky+steering#p1412897

Nice work. :thumbsup:
 
bladeowner said:
Great Pics. Looks like you had the reverse of 'sticky steering'. It is possible to move the ring without removing the column but access isn't easy.
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=78250&p=1298532#p1298532

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=50994&p=1412897&hilit=sticky+steering#p1412897

Nice work. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Explains just that in the second part :thumbsup:
 
Superb post - this may come in very useful for a lot of people. The fact that you can do it without a strip down is great. Thanks very much for posting this :thumbsup:
 
Did you experience and knocking before you sorted this? I've got a slight knock but for the life of me cannot find it and the steering feels loose.

Before any suggests the usual, the car has been on a wobble board (or whatever you call it that simulates going over very rough ground). Has had new shocks, springs, top mounts, drop links, ARB bushes, new wishbones with Polly lollypop bushes. Literally everything but I still have a knock and loose, wandering steering feel.

P.s also made sure the strut brace is tight. :tumbleweed:
 
Roundozo said:
Did you experience and knocking before you sorted this? I've got a slight knock but for the life of me cannot find it and the steering feels loose.

Before any suggests the usual, the car has been on a wobble board (or whatever you call it that simulates going over very rough ground). Has had new shocks, springs, top mounts, drop links, ARB bushes, new wishbones with Polly lollypop bushes. Literally everything but I still have a knock and loose, wandering steering feel.

P.s also made sure the strut brace is tight. :tumbleweed:
Click to expand...

Yeah you could also describe it as a knock, When I had it on the slackest setting exiting my estate, I have to go over a few rubble strips this made it chatter really loud and you could feel it in the steering wheel.

Worth a look. Tighten it a little.
 
Roundozo, please can you do a 'how to' with pics of adjusting this with column in situ. Would be a very valuable resource.
 
ph001 said:
Roundozo, please can you do a 'how to' with pics of adjusting this with column in situ. Would be a very valuable resource.
Click to expand...

I'll try. Looks like a lot of swearing will be involved and I'll need to find time to do it in between seeing to the little one and his many needs! I think to even be successful at doing this in situ you'll need to have small hands. I think if I can remove some more of the lower trim then I might be able to get better access.
 
Excellent diagnosis and writeup. I'm curious, did you by any chance measure the change in lash between all in and all out, or some surrogate for that value, like the slope of the adjustment slots as measured from the perimeter of the ring? I'm curious as to what magnitude of rotation results in what change in lash. My best guess is that it's relatively insensitive, fairly large rotations make really small changes in lash. Do you have any sense of that? From your photos it looks as though there's maybe 1--2 mm change in lash between all in and all out, judging from the apparent distance between the adjustment slot and the outer edge of the ring.
 
Kamuela said:
Excellent diagnosis and writeup. I'm curious, did you by any chance measure the change in lash between all in and all out, or some surrogate for that value, like the slope of the adjustment slots as measured from the perimeter of the ring? I'm curious as to what magnitude of rotation results in what change in lash. My best guess is that it's relatively insensitive, fairly large rotations make really small changes in lash. Do you have any sense of that? From your photos it looks as though there's maybe 1--2 mm change in lash between all in and all out, judging from the apparent distance between the adjustment slot and the outer edge of the ring.
Click to expand...

Because I made the adjustments with the column back in its very difficult to make any form of measurements, remember your laying on your back upside down in the footwell. I made an educated guess on the bench and fitted the column then went for a test drive. I found that slightly moving the ring by 1-2mm made huge difference in steering feel so only small gentle adjustments are needed.

Hope that helps.
 
Good job! Have had twitchy steering issues with my new, old e86 at around 70 mph. New wishbones and bushes, and going from 19” to 17” wheels have improved it, but I can still feel it sometimes. Will be replacing front suspension soon, which I wanna do for other reasons, then will get alignment done. If it’s still present, I’m definitely trying this. Good post!

Or, actually, might just give this a go tomorrow. I’ve tried to check for play in track rods and rack, and can’t find any - any movement of the wheels is transferred directly to the column, which suggests the issue is either in the column or further up.

Btw, anyone know a good way to lock the steering wheel in place, so it’s easier to check if there is play in the system by manipulating the wheels?
 
Excellent write up.

I did this about a year ago. For US market cars, you have to remove the knee airbag, which complicates it a bit, adds some time. Also, they're socket heads, not torx, in the US, so a longish 6 mm allen wrench is the thing to use. Figure on an hour, maybe less, allowing for plenty of time for the airbag capacitor to discharge. If you experiment like I did, you an always leave the airbag off and reset the light later. You guys in the UK have an easier time of this.
The German web site where this is explored in tedious detail seems to indicate that the adjustment is pretty tolerant, once you've gotten it out of a binding condition, which was my experience too. Some of those guys are a few years into this repair, without any recurring problems, so I'd say it's permanent.
I did try the drill-and-grease "fix" first. Waste of time. might have made it a tiny bit smoother, but if I had it to do all over, I wouldn't.
 
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