z4 steering seized - EPS?

[AlpinaRoadsterS]

@ ex4x4
Like Mr. Wilks said.

Here is a picture:



In the red circle you can see the 2 srews - you have to open (after making a sign to mark the position of the red plate).
Then you have to move the red plate like Mr. Wilks said.

Number 4 ist the motor and 3 is the control unit.

Number 5 is too tight in number 8 - so the motor could not rotate.

If this don't helps, then the motor or the control unit has a problem.

[GuidoK]

he has a code. he needs to get that code first. There is no guarantee that he has sticky steering (that's the fix you're posting).
If he doesnt have sticky steering, it's best to leave that part alone imho.
Sticky steering is not a matter of the the wormgear (no5) not being able to rotate in the housing (no8). Its a matter of how much resistance that gear has in order for the torque sensor to read the amount of torque. Sticky steering doesnt give a code (well maybe if its a case of 'very sticky steering' ).
He now has no power steering at all. If he hardly can turn the wheel when the front wheels are on the ground, but he can turn them freely in the air, that's a clear sign that the EPS doesnt provide power at all. Why it doesnt do that.....probably only that code can give a clue.

These codes are in the 'eobd' realm, so descriptions on what that code means are not preset meanings within the obd2 standard (like PO301 is always detected misfire on cylinder one). this code will probably look something like 38AE or so. A custom code for which bmw has filled in a specific meaning. Or if there is a P code (or C code; P=powertrain, C=chassis, B=Body, not sure where steering is located) it will read something like P18D4. Everything above P0 or C0 etc is manufacturer specific.
Programs like INPA (or other BMW software) may give a description to that code. Generic code readers may not.

[alane29]

I had a simular problem recently ,after jacking the car up to do some maintance oil change etc the power steering light came on and no power steering ,i tried reading the code with the inpa software and got a message " no communication with module" so no code was given , not trusting my diagnosis i called an expert to check he came back with the same message.So i had no code .
So to cut a long story short i removed the whole eps unit from the vehicle and sent it to a steering specialist who repaired to control module attached to the column,i reinstalled and everything is ok

[ex4x4]

Thankyou all once again chaps for your thoughts and input, lots of avenues to explore......
I tested the battery at 11.9 volts after being stood for 24 hours and with engine running/alternator charge output is 14.2. Started car and left her tick over for 30 mins to give battery a good charging. - currently at 12.8 v with ignition off.
started car once again but EPS fault still present.
Ive had no prewarning of the issue - this is what is strange - as if something has just suddenly snapped or blown or has been removed by the Zed pixies over night - one minute fine - next minute game over.
I may have to find a indie in the North east to scan & rectify - but I hate being beat by cars

[markplant]

A few forum members in the north east I'm sure you can pointed in the direction of a good indy

[alane29]

Thankyou all once again chaps for your thoughts and input, lots of avenues to explore......
I tested the battery at 11.9 volts after being stood for 24 hours and with engine running/alternator charge output is 14.2. Started car and left her tick over for 30 mins to give battery a good charging. - currently at 12.8 v with ignition off.
started car once again but EPS fault still present.
Ive had no prewarning of the issue - this is what is strange - as if something has just suddenly snapped or blown or has been removed by the Zed pixies over night - one minute fine - next minute game over.
I may have to find a indie in the North east to scan & rectify - but I hate being beat by cars

I had no warning when mine went either ....

[ex4x4]

So to cut a long story short i removed the whole eps unit from the vehicle and sent it to a steering specialist who repaired to control module attached to the column,i reinstalled and everything is ok

could I ask who you used for repair work?

[JamesF]

So to cut a long story short i removed the whole eps unit from the vehicle and sent it to a steering specialist who repaired to control module attached to the column,i reinstalled and everything is ok

could I ask who you used for repair work?

Bump. I would also be very interested to find a decent EPS specialist. Indy diagnosed just with 'couldn't communicate with control module' but at least didn't take long about it and only charged me £50. Took car to a power steering 'specialist' who reckon its the torque sensor after apparently lengthy testing (1.5 weeks). But £350 later they seemingly don't have a clue how to fix despite claiming on their website that they refurb units and fix all ills with such components. Now staring down the barrel of a £3.5k bill for a new steering column on top of the rest of the outlay and wasted time. Any help or pointer in the right direction would be much appreciated.

For the record, my issue was light coming on after brief drive with no warning signs and then absolutely no power assistance. Fixed itself on one occasion for about 3 successive trips on the same day (over a month after the issue first appeared) but I haven't been able to replicate since.

[mr wilks]

So to cut a long story short i removed the whole eps unit from the vehicle and sent it to a steering specialist who repaired to control module attached to the column,i reinstalled and everything is ok

could I ask who you used for repair work?

Bump. I would also be very interested to find a decent EPS specialist. Indy diagnosed just with 'couldn't communicate with control module' but at least didn't take long about it and only charged me £50. Took car to a power steering 'specialist' who reckon its the torque sensor after apparently lengthy testing (1.5 weeks). But £350 later they seemingly don't have a clue how to fix despite claiming on their website that they refurb units and fix all ills with such components. Now staring down the barrel of a £3.5k bill for a new steering column on top of the rest of the outlay and wasted time. Any help or pointer in the right direction would be much appreciated.

For the record, my issue was light coming on after brief drive with no warning signs and then absolutely no power assistance. Fixed itself on one occasion for about 3 successive trips on the same day (over a month after the issue first appeared) but I haven't been able to replicate since.

Have you tried having the shim / centre connection adjusted to see if it has any effect ?

[JamesF]

Have you tried having the shim / centre connection adjusted to see if it has any effect ?

Thanks for the reply. No, I confess haven't tried that. As little faith as I have in the 'professionals' that have looked at the car though I am convinced the problem is electronic so could a mechanical alteration help? The fault light is on immediately you turn the key and stays on. The specialists had the column off the car for testing so I'm assuming there was no load and they tested the torque sensor in isolation (equally though as far as I know they kept the car in the workshop for 10 days and just picked one of the common faults off Internet forums like this to justify what I'm paying them).

[mr wilks]

Have you tried having the shim / centre connection adjusted to see if it has any effect ?

Thanks for the reply. No, I confess haven't tried that. As little faith as I have in the 'professionals' that have looked at the car though I am convinced the problem is electronic so could a mechanical alteration help? The fault light is on immediately you turn the key and stays on. The specialists had the column off the car for testing so I'm assuming there was no load and they tested the torque sensor in isolation (equally though as far as I know they kept the car in the workshop for 10 days and just picked one of the common faults off Internet forums like this to justify what I'm paying them).

Is the car used everyday ? Voltage seems to have a part to play or did in my case

[JamesF]

Is the car used everyday ? Voltage seems to have a part to play or did in my case

No, this is I feel the probable root of a bunch of the problems I've had with the car in the past couple of years more than its age. I used it as a daily driver for about the first 5 or 6 years I had it and barely had any problems other than those typical of doing mileage. Now it rarely gets used and the battery runs down a lot and I get more and more electrical gremlins. Some seem to fix themselves like airbag lights and unresponsive stereo/satnav but the pas won't apart from that one time. I had the Indy do a check of the battery while it was with them about the EPS and to my surprise they said it was absolutely fine. The alternator was replaced in 2010, a problem I'm dreading recurring as it was a nightmare part for the garage to get hold of and unsurprisingly not cheap (except compared to a steering column!) I would hope that when testing the column they were supplying it with a reliable voltage.

[mr wilks]

Is the car used everyday ? Voltage seems to have a part to play or did in my case

No, this is I feel the probable root of a bunch of the problems I've had with the car in the past couple of years more than its age. I used it as a daily driver for about the first 5 or 6 years I had it and barely had any problems other than those typical of doing mileage. Now it rarely gets used and the battery runs down a lot and I get more and more electrical gremlins. Some seem to fix themselves like airbag lights and unresponsive stereo/satnav but the pas won't apart from that one time. I had the Indy do a check of the battery while it was with them about the EPS and to my surprise they said it was absolutely fine. The alternator was replaced in 2010, a problem I'm dreading recurring as it was a nightmare part for the garage to get hold of and unsurprisingly not cheap (except compared to a steering column!) I would hope that when testing the column they were supplying it with a reliable voltage.

Do you keep the car on trickle charge if not used regularly ?
The roady I had with the steering problem had 3 batteries in 50k miles ( receipts were in the docs ) which for me highlighted a issue ?
Both previous owner & myself had alternator & electrics checked with no sign of drain but I found when left on trickle charge I struggled to get the steering to fault but leave in garage for 4-5 days without trickle & it would fault the minute I switched steering & turned wheel
Do you garage yours with autolights set to on ? So when starting they turn on ?

[JamesF]

No, I don't have a trickle charger. But if the battery is drained when I need to use the car I rarely jump it and instead do a slow charge on it to full capacity over a day or so. I've probably switched out the battery twice in the car's life which I don't think is too bad considering the electrical load of the car. Yes the lights are normally left on auto and will come on at start up as the car is kept in a cart lodge. The fault light though is there as soon as you turn the ignition not when I start to move the steering. The lack of use and low voltage from the battery may well have contributed to causing the steering to fail but it looks like I'm passed the point of being able to remedy that now and need to find someplace that will refurb the unit or switch out the torque sensor (if thats possible). Or I'm stuck with shelling out for a whole new (solid gold, encrusted with diamonds I presume) steering column assembly from BMW.

[mr wilks]

No, I don't have a trickle charger. But if the battery is drained when I need to use the car I rarely jump it and instead do a slow charge on it to full capacity over a day or so. I've probably switched out the battery twice in the car's life which I don't think is too bad considering the electrical load of the car. Yes the lights are normally left on auto and will come on at start up as the car is kept in a cart lodge. The fault light though is there as soon as you turn the ignition not when I start to move the steering. The lack of use and low voltage from the battery may well have contributed to causing the steering to fail but it looks like I'm passed the point of being able to remedy that now and need to find someplace that will refurb the unit or switch out the torque sensor (if thats possible). Or I'm stuck with shelling out for a whole new (solid gold, encrusted with diamonds I presume) steering column assembly from BMW.

Before you go deep into the wallet I would invest in a decent trickle charger (£45) & get the column shim adjusted ( 1hr labour MAX / took my indy under 15mins )
I would also try it for a while without auto lights on purely on a trial + error basis especially cold starting after its been stood for days