Steering Motor Removal - ECU Issues

Alexus_Zander

Alexus_Zander

Member
 Nottingham
Hi All

First time poster, short term owner here.

I've had the Amber Steering wheel warning light pop up and no power assisted steering intermittently. I've been doing my research and it would seem I need to send the steering motor unit off for the ECU repair.

My question is how easy is it to get this unit removed for a novice, preferably without dismantling steering wheel etc? I've read that people have managed to do it by folding themselves in half and getting it from underneath. Ideally I would like to do it myself to keep costs to a minimum as the ECU is £300 to start with.

Any help would be very much appreciated. Ta
 
Doable definitely

@enuff_zed is the master

Seat out I would say makes life much easier so ensure you follow the basics of that including disconnecting the battery

Once the under dash trim is off you can see it’s a case of disconnecting the 3 main plugs from the motor, undoing the two Torx bolts holding it in (t10 from memory) and pulling the motor out sideways and down
 
@bigwinn @enuff_zed Thanks for your replies! Is there a step by step guide to doing it anywhere on the forum you could point me in the direction of?

I think I'm just going to have to pull on my big boy pants and give it a go
 
Another option is drive to me and we can swap it for a good secondhand one. Total cost would be less than £300.
You could then learn how it is done and if you wanted to you could get yours repaired and refit that later.
 
This was the first job I had to do to mine. I removed the driver's seat and lay on my back in the driver's footwell with a headtorch on. Once you locate the 2 bolts, its a tricky, but by no means impossible job.

I also recommend an 8mm ratchet spanner like this one from Halfords as it makes the job so much easier.

I sent mine to ECU testing, and it was back fixed in under a week!

Good Luck!
 
Oh, Just one thing to check first as it is intermittent. When it fails, does the Sport button still work? If it does then you may have a steering angle sensor issue instead.
Try to get to codes read. If you can’t see the EPS ECU on the code reader then it is definitely a motor change.
 
Thanks again guys for all your advice and offers of help! I really do appreciate it, @enuff_zed I will check the sports button as you advise. I've tried to read the codes but nothing showing for steering, so either my code reader isn't up to the job or it's unable to talk to due to the fault, am I right in thinking that?

I will also check fuses and battery voltage as I've also read some peoples battery was knackered and once that was replaced, problem solved.

@enuff_zed Thank you very much for the offer of coming to you, if it all goes horribly wrong I may take you up on that 😂
 
All good advice from @enuff_zed especially removing the drivers seat to get better access whilst laying upside-down in the footwell. I replaced one this week but left the seat in but removed the column, its a pain putting it back in as the motor is heavy and its weight distribution makes it difficult to lift it up and back in. Here is a youtube video that shows you what is involved.
 
Had someone come round today with no eps.
Due to not being able to actually see anything up and under the dashboard, I found it far easier to remove the whole column and swap the motor when it's wholly removed from the car.
If only ever done this on my own car so I understood the challenges.

Tip. wedge the clutch pedal down, it obstructs the motor.

1. Remove E12 bolt from uj then straighten steering prior to disconnecting the column from intermediate shaft.
2 disconnect the battery
3. Remove steering wheel
4.remove cowling
5. Remove clock spring and stalks
6. Remove LCM
7. Remove Speedo cluster
8. Remove under dash trim
8a. Cut the horizontal panel out the lower dashboard with a hacksaw blade.
9. Unclip the loom from it's fixings
10. Unplug all the loom connectors. 2 you cannot see as they connect to the side of the EPS motor so it's touch only.
11. Wedge clutch pedal down so it's against the bulkhead.
12. 8 13mm bolts hold the column to the dashboard, it's heavy.
13. Wangle the column down, and out.
It's tricky and not straightforward. It's something you'll have to figure out yourself.
14. Mark up the position of the motor, adjustable ring and column with a marker pen.
15. Remove 2 E12 bolts and re fit the replacement motor keeping everything in the same marked orientation.
16. Have fun refitting everything.
 
Cv6benplus said:
Had someone come round today with no eps.
Due to not being able to actually see anything up and under the dashboard, I found it far easier to remove the whole column and swap the motor when it's wholly removed from the car.
If only ever done this on my own car so I understood the challenges.

Tip. wedge the clutch pedal down, it obstructs the motor.

1. Remove E12 bolt from uj then straighten steering prior to disconnecting the column from intermediate shaft.
2 disconnect the battery
3. Remove steering wheel
4.remove cowling
5. Remove clock spring and stalks
6. Remove LCM
7. Remove Speedo cluster
8. Remove under dash trim
8a. Cut the horizontal panel out the lower dashboard with a hacksaw blade.
9. Unclip the loom from it's fixings
10. Unplug all the loom connectors. 2 you cannot see as they connect to the side of the EPS motor so it's touch only.
11. Wedge clutch pedal down so it's against the bulkhead.
12. 8 13mm bolts hold the column to the dashboard, it's heavy.
13. Wangle the column down, and out.
It's tricky and not straightforward. It's something you'll have to figure out yourself.
14. Mark up the position of the motor, adjustable ring and column with a marker pen.
15. Remove 2 E12 bolts and re fit the replacement motor keeping everything in the same marked orientation.
16. Have fun refitting everything.
Click to expand...
Wow! You like to make life hard for yourself!
If you're under the dash far enough to get at the column bolts then the motor is practically smacking you in the face!
Plus, you had to cut out the piece of lower dash trim to do that.
The easy way it's only items 3, 4, 8, 10 (only the eps motor x3), 14, 15, 16 (which is more fun as it only takes a few minutes, leaving time for a celebratory beer or two.)
With a replacement motor to hand the whole job can take around an hour, including removing the seat and steering wheel for better access.

Oh, and the two EPS plugs you can't see? Don't worry about them until the motor is pulled out and down, then you can see them clearly.
 
Last edited:
enuff_zed said:
Wow! You like to make life hard for yourself!
If you're under the dash far enough to get at the column bolts then the motor is practically smacking you in the face!
Plus, you had to cut out the piece of lower dash trim to do that.
The easy way it's only items 3, 4, 8, 10 (only the eps motor x3), 14, 15, 16 (which is more fun as it takes a few minutes, leaving time for a celebratory beer or two.
With a replacement motor to hand the whole job can take around an hour, including removing the seat and steering wheel for better access.

Oh, and the two EPS plugs you can't see? Don't worry about them until the motor is pulled out and down, then you can see them clearly.
Click to expand...
The motor is easy to spot.
The locations and access to the 2 E12 holding the motor is also awkward.
The whole job is awkward.
I struggled when I did my own motor, this was far more methodical and less hassle. When I get an opportunity to do it again, I'll look more closely at yours advice @enuff_zed as I wasn't aware of some of the details you've posted today.
 
Cv6benplus said:
The motor is easy to spot.
The locations and access to the 2 E12 holding the motor is also awkward.
The whole job is awkward.
I struggled when I did my own motor, this was far more methodical and less hassle. When I get an opportunity to do it again, I'll look more closely at yours advice @enuff_zed as I wasn't aware of some of the details you've posted today.
Click to expand...
The two bolts are very easy if you use an 8mm ratchet ring spanner. Sockets don't really fit.
When you come to put them back together, use a screwdriver to apply pressure to the head of the bolt while you tighten it up, or at least until the ratchet starts to work properly.
Once the spacer ring and motor are marked up you can completely ignore the alignment until just before the bolts are tight. One less thing to worry about while vyou're juggling the spanners.

Finally................. only do automatics! No clutch pedal to get in the way. ;)
 
enuff_zed said:
The two bolts are very easy if you use an 8mm ratchet ring spanner. Sockets don't really fit.
When you come to put them back together, use a screwdriver to apply pressure to the head of the bolt while you tighten it up, or at least until the ratchet starts to work properly.
Once the spacer ring and motor are marked up you can completely ignore the alignment until just before the bolts are tight. One less thing to worry about while vyou're juggling the spanners.

Finally................. only do automatics! No clutch pedal to get in the way. ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks again. Invaluable advice.
 
enuff_zed said:
The two bolts are very easy if you use an 8mm ratchet ring spanner. Sockets don't really fit.
Click to expand...

I've been asked a question on a different platform for discussion and my thoughts came back to your advice.

8mm ratchet ring spanner.....
It dawned on me that the motor retaining bolts that hold the motor to the column on the one I did most recently were E12 torx head bolts.

Were BMW consistent in using E12 torx bolts or did they flip between hex head and torx head for the bolts that hold the motor in?

Are E torx ratchet ring spanners a thing?
 
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