E89 power steering issue.

[Sllimc]

Hi just done mine, there is a video on ECU testing web side. But basically remove the under tray two chassis stiffener bars then with the steering on full left lock undo the bolts on the motor belt cover rotate the drive wheel locking rings to line up the cut out with the motor (I found this the hard part) then undo the three motor bolts and remove after removing the electrical connectors

 

[Nick9one1]

does anyone have a link to the video?
I cant seem to find it.
I presume this is the correct website?
https://www.ecutesting.com/common-faults/bmw/bmw-z4-power-steering-problem/

 

[B21]

does anyone have a link to the video?
I cant seem to find it.
I presume this is the correct website?
https://www.ecutesting.com/common-faults/bmw/bmw-z4-power-steering-problem/

I believe its this one...the one you listed is for the earlier E85..

https://www.ecutesting.com/common-faults/bmw/bmw-e9092-electric-power-steering-rack-motor/

 

[Nick9one1]

thanks!

I've just taken the old motor off and replaced it with a second hand e89 motor but I still have a fault

The part number on my old motor is 7802 277 247

It looks like the motor is the same part afor the e87, e90/e91. The rack is probably different, but thats not the important bit.

Quite a few motors and racks with the same part number on ebay.
I'm tempted to try another before I send it off for a £400 repair.

 

[MarshMA10]

Bumping this topic, thinking out loud and connecting it to my own one - https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=146913

Using the ECUTuning guys to fix your own ecu and motor with a lifetime warranty seems like a good approach. Unfortunately ECUTuning are unable to supply or source the units themselves - and they cannot take your vehicle, remove, refurbish, and refit either. Nor do they offer the services of any local garage to them:

we cannot offer that sort of service as we are a testing lab

For future forum users' reference, their description of the typical failure on e89s:

we typically see these in for Ecu and motor failure, although these units can be prone to the external angle sensor on the rack failing

Although I suspect this service would indeed fix my problem I am literally unsure how to go about using it. Probably need to either invest in a fair few bits and tools, or else need to pay the fees to have it sit with the rack removed in the local indy. Alternatively you buy a used rack and motor (£300) and post to them (£50) for refurb (£525 returned) then sell your own rack I suppose (-£300 back, if you can get it).

HMMMMMMM.

 

[B21]

For the bigger ticket items on N54 E89s it’s a pretty standard practice to buy a second part..either get that refurbed or your own unit or in some cases both..

Anyway you look at it’s a lot cheaper than a bmw re-cond rack with them fitting it..

As I said, if it was me I’d take the chance on a used rack..bear in one that 35i/s have different coding for them compared to all others..at least for a period in time..

 

[noz85]

Another e89 (2016) 70k miles with a steering fault. It only seems to happen at parking speeds going to full left lock or thereabouts. The PAS cuts off with an amber warning on the dash, it always clears when you turn off and start the car again. Does this sound familiar to anyone who has had to have an ECU recon? Or anyone who was lucky enough to get away with a new battery?

The battery is the original from 2016 so is due a change, so I am going to do that anyway and hope that sorts the issue. I have tested the battery and got the following:

No ignition or power use of any kind 12.11v / 12.29v (after overnight charge)
ignition on and head unit 12.06v / 12.17v
+ heated rear window, headlights, max fan 11.72v / 11.87v

Now when I started the car and tested whilst the revs were idling it read 14.9v

We have never had a battery warning, so I think that replacing the battery won't help unless anyone thinks otherwise?
I am not really sure if the figures i measured are good/bad/normal

 

[Nick9one1]

If you have ista d, you can try a recalibration of the SZL (this is the clock spring in the steering wheel that reads the steering wheel position).

 

[B21]

Another e89 (2016) 70k miles with a steering fault. It only seems to happen at parking speeds going to full left lock or thereabouts. The PAS cuts off with an amber warning on the dash, it always clears when you turn off and start the car again. Does this sound familiar to anyone who has had to have an ECU recon? Or anyone who was lucky enough to get away with a new battery?

The battery is the original from 2016 so is due a change, so I am going to do that anyway and hope that sorts the issue. I have tested the battery and got the following:

No ignition or power use of any kind 12.11v / 12.29v (after overnight charge)
ignition on and head unit 12.06v / 12.17v
+ heated rear window, headlights, max fan 11.72v / 11.87v

Now when I started the car and tested whilst the revs were idling it read 14.9v

We have never had a battery warning, so I think that replacing the battery won't help unless anyone thinks otherwise?
I am not really sure if the figures i measured are good/bad/normal

Battery charge is managed by the DME so the usual methods of determine alternator charge don’t work,,it can go all over the place for many reasons..a new battery is a good idea

 

[noz85]

If you have ista d, you can try a recalibration of the SZL (this is the clock spring in the steering wheel that reads the steering wheel position).

Thanks will bare this in mind. Is this something you have done? For a similar issue?

 

[noz85]

Another e89 (2016) 70k miles with a steering fault. It only seems to happen at parking speeds going to full left lock or thereabouts. The PAS cuts off with an amber warning on the dash, it always clears when you turn off and start the car again. Does this sound familiar to anyone who has had to have an ECU recon? Or anyone who was lucky enough to get away with a new battery?

The battery is the original from 2016 so is due a change, so I am going to do that anyway and hope that sorts the issue. I have tested the battery and got the following:

No ignition or power use of any kind 12.11v / 12.29v (after overnight charge)
ignition on and head unit 12.06v / 12.17v
+ heated rear window, headlights, max fan 11.72v / 11.87v

Now when I started the car and tested whilst the revs were idling it read 14.9v

We have never had a battery warning, so I think that replacing the battery won't help unless anyone thinks otherwise?
I am not really sure if the figures i measured are good/bad/normal

Battery charge is managed by the DME so the usual methods of determine alternator charge don’t work,,it can go all over the place for many reasons..a new battery is a good idea

Well I did wonder, as dry steering over to left lock will apply quite a lot of load, i can imagine. And obviously, I can't test the battery at the same time!

I have seen your battery recommendations on another thread so I will do some shopping and fingers firmly crossed, it will solve the problem.

 

[B21]

Another e89 (2016) 70k miles with a steering fault. It only seems to happen at parking speeds going to full left lock or thereabouts. The PAS cuts off with an amber warning on the dash, it always clears when you turn off and start the car again. Does this sound familiar to anyone who has had to have an ECU recon? Or anyone who was lucky enough to get away with a new battery?

The battery is the original from 2016 so is due a change, so I am going to do that anyway and hope that sorts the issue. I have tested the battery and got the following:

No ignition or power use of any kind 12.11v / 12.29v (after overnight charge)
ignition on and head unit 12.06v / 12.17v
+ heated rear window, headlights, max fan 11.72v / 11.87v

Now when I started the car and tested whilst the revs were idling it read 14.9v

We have never had a battery warning, so I think that replacing the battery won't help unless anyone thinks otherwise?
I am not really sure if the figures i measured are good/bad/normal

Battery charge is managed by the DME so the usual methods of determine alternator charge don’t work,,it can go all over the place for many reasons..a new battery is a good idea

Well I did wonder, as dry steering over to left lock will apply quite a lot of load, i can imagine. And obviously, I can't test the battery at the same time!

I have seen your battery recommendations on another thread so I will do some shopping and fingers firmly crossed, it will solve the problem.

The problem with so many e89 electrical faults is that’s it’s a diagnosis by exclusion…that is..only after addressing the usual suspects do you move on..so fresh battery a great idea..there were a batch of early e89s with a dodgy steering ECU ..hopefully your’s isn’t..

 

[noz85]

Battery charge is managed by the DME so the usual methods of determine alternator charge don’t work,,it can go all over the place for many reasons..a new battery is a good idea

Well I did wonder, as dry steering over to left lock will apply quite a lot of load, i can imagine. And obviously, I can't test the battery at the same time!

I have seen your battery recommendations on another thread so I will do some shopping and fingers firmly crossed, it will solve the problem.

The problem with so many e89 electrical faults is that’s it’s a diagnosis by exclusion…that is..only after addressing the usual suspects do you move on..so fresh battery a great idea..there were a batch of early e89s with a dodgy steering ECU ..hopefully your’s isn’t..

Well that depends if 2016 is considered early.

 

[B21]

Well I did wonder, as dry steering over to left lock will apply quite a lot of load, i can imagine. And obviously, I can't test the battery at the same time!

I have seen your battery recommendations on another thread so I will do some shopping and fingers firmly crossed, it will solve the problem.

The problem with so many e89 electrical faults is that’s it’s a diagnosis by exclusion…that is..only after addressing the usual suspects do you move on..so fresh battery a great idea..there were a batch of early e89s with a dodgy steering ECU ..hopefully your’s isn’t..

Well that depends if 2016 is considered early.

They were mostly around the 2010/2011 period

 

[noz85]

The problem with so many e89 electrical faults is that’s it’s a diagnosis by exclusion…that is..only after addressing the usual suspects do you move on..so fresh battery a great idea..there were a batch of early e89s with a dodgy steering ECU ..hopefully your’s isn’t..

I would be interested to know if turning to left lock was characteristic of a failing PAS ECU. From what I have read it just seemed to be random. Eg. Upon engine start up or part way in to a drive.

Well that depends if 2016 is considered early.

They were mostly around the 2010/2011 period

 

[MarshMA10]

Supplementing this thread with the info that fitting a second-hand rack from a different year, different engine Z4 fixed the problem on my 2010 35i. I used a rack from a 2014 Z, a 2.5i I think. The part numbers do not match but it has fixed the problem beautifully.

Just adding this into the mix here as it's so infuriating searching threads and never hearing back from people who fixed the problems. Hopefully this post adds one more option to other peoples' problems in the future.

It was a deeply unpleasant and long phase, which caused significant headache, but very glad I finally rolled the dice and fitted a replacement.

 

[B21]

Supplementing this thread with the info that fitting a second-hand rack from a different year, different engine Z4 fixed the problem on my 2010 35i. I used a rack from a 2014 Z, a 2.5i I think. The part numbers do not match but it has fixed the problem beautifully.

Just adding this into the mix here as it's so infuriating searching threads and never hearing back from people who fixed the problems. Hopefully this post adds one more option to other peoples' problems in the future.

It was a deeply unpleasant and long phase, which caused significant headache, but very glad I finally rolled the dice and fitted a replacement.

Part of the reason for different part numbers is the coding parameters was slightly different for the 35i vs other E89s…so probably physically identical but different s/w parameters

 

[Dannheisser]

Strangely my error and steering malfunction has disappeared for more than a month in my 2011 3.0

 

[MarshMA10]

Supplementing this thread with the info that fitting a second-hand rack from a different year, different engine Z4 fixed the problem on my 2010 35i. I used a rack from a 2014 Z, a 2.5i I think. The part numbers do not match but it has fixed the problem beautifully.

Just adding this into the mix here as it's so infuriating searching threads and never hearing back from people who fixed the problems. Hopefully this post adds one more option to other peoples' problems in the future.

It was a deeply unpleasant and long phase, which caused significant headache, but very glad I finally rolled the dice and fitted a replacement.

Part of the reason for different part numbers is the coding parameters was slightly different for the 35i vs other E89s…so probably physically identical but different s/w parameters

I feared (fully expected) there would be a computer says no coding error when fitted, but, surprisingly, it has not produced any errors whatsoever.

 

[B21]

Supplementing this thread with the info that fitting a second-hand rack from a different year, different engine Z4 fixed the problem on my 2010 35i. I used a rack from a 2014 Z, a 2.5i I think. The part numbers do not match but it has fixed the problem beautifully.

Just adding this into the mix here as it's so infuriating searching threads and never hearing back from people who fixed the problems. Hopefully this post adds one more option to other peoples' problems in the future.

It was a deeply unpleasant and long phase, which caused significant headache, but very glad I finally rolled the dice and fitted a replacement.

Part of the reason for different part numbers is the coding parameters was slightly different for the 35i vs other E89s…so probably physically identical but different s/w parameters

I feared (fully expected) there would be a computer says no coding error when fitted, but, surprisingly, it has not produced any errors whatsoever.

It normally wouldn’t …there will be some (subtle) changes to the feel/servo effect etc but probably impossible to determine unless you drove two identical cars fitted with the two versions back to back..