For those of you who have fixed your steering

K

Kamuela

Member
OK, I visited the dealer yesterday, he things $5605.03 is a reasonable price to pay for non-notchy steering. Let me think.... no.

For those of you who have fixed the problem by loosening the two 6mm bolts and rotating the little assist motor; how on earth did you get to it!! Did you have to remove the knee airbag? Invoke heavenly assistance? what? I can see it, touch the heads of both bolts (barely), but cannot get an allen wrench on either; tried long t-handle ball heads, nothing.

A little guidance, please.
 
Not heard of that fix? Some people on here have drilled into the column and injected grease into the gears with success-use the search facility and have a look :thumbsup:
Rob
 
I have heard of that method but unfortunately I cannot help. I'd give the forum a search as I've definitely seen it discussed.
 
On mine, I found that they weren't allen heads but torx. Space is limited - it took me a few attempts to find a tool that gave me access. See my post here:
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=78250&hilit=eccentric#p1152263

If they are allen heads then I reckon you will have to modify the allen key to get them in and hope the angle is enough to put them in the heads with enough leeway to undo and tighten OR use long, slender hex extensions of the correct length on a small ratchet - as the German original author did I believe.

The OP's may be easier or harder as the column will be on the 'wrong' side :) and so the layout will be different to UK models but the same as the German originators obviously. (Assuming $ to be a US car)

I didn't remove anything else but the plastic cover with the bong and the footlight attached.
 
Ah, some action! :D

Here's the deal. I have the all-too-common 'ratcheting' feeling when the temperature gets above 80F. The dealer, who must think I'm a country boy, has this strange notion about prices. I knew this was a potential problem going in, and did tons of research, expecting to do, at a minimum, the drill-and-lube. I installed a zerk at the usual place, got about 90% relief with a few pumps of lithium-based grease (lithium is probably the least reactive, and generally safe for plastics), but I'd like to get a little better; still have a bit of 'cogging' at high temperatures, and where I am, it's always high temperatures. Thus my interest in the German 'tension ring' fix. I can't even see the upper bolt, but the lower is a 6 mm socket headed hex cap screw; an Allen bolt, as it were. It appears that there's no straight approach, and I'll have to find the upper by feel anyway, so I ordered a 170mm extended ball end Allen wrench from Amazon. Love those people. I'll cut off the right angle bit and hold it in a 6mm socket like in the German website photo so I can get some leverage, but I'm hoping somebody will have a neat trick for finding the upper bolt short of poke and hope. Since it's left side drive, I'm up against the center console, so I probably have more clearance than y'all, but I'm kind of clumsy sometimes (or so says She Who Must Be Obeyed.)

By the way, I tried a T-handle ball end Allen, but the ones I have are too long and I can't get much leverage on them anyway; just had surgery on my left hand and can't muster up a lot of grip.

So, aside from bladeowner, who is an inspiration to me (there; go tell everyone), anybody else? Any secrets? And what's a 'bong'? I assume you don't mean a smoking accessory. :)
 
BMW Indy did mine , 20minute job he said :? Do with car running to "feel" the steering lighten , not sure if he had assistance or by himself :thumbsup:
 
Kamuela said:
Ah, some action! :D

.......... And what's a 'bong'? I assume you don't mean a smoking accessory. :)
Click to expand...

My typo, I mean gong :) The sounder clipped into the plastic panel beneath the steering column.
 
mr wilks said:
BMW Indy did mine , 20minute job he said :? Do with car running to "feel" the steering lighten , not sure if he had assistance or by himself :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I would say it is a 20 minute job if you can get your tool on the bolts OK - if you pardon the expression. :o

For me it's not a comfortable job as you have to lie on your back with your head under the steering column as the door still attempts to bend your spine in the wrong direction. I'm no spring chicken so more agile bodies would find it easier.
 
If I could have an agile body...

That's helpful, though, about doing it with the engine running to feel the tightness. thanks!
 
Resurrecting this thread...

I have a 2007 3.0 Si, only 22,000 miles (Sunday car as have a company car).

Sticky steering if car left in sun, or drive with heater on full to the feet.

Let it go 'cold', and the stickiness disappears. I want to get the tension ring fix done, but not exactly sure how to describe the 'fix'

Also, has anybody managed to get BMW to fix it?
 
Now that I've done it and identified the right tool (really short 6mm Allen and a universal) I could do it again in an hour including waiting on the knee air bag. Once the two bolts are made visible it is surprisingly easy. I suspect that if you can't/don't want to do it yourself, you'll have luck with an Indy, not the dealer who prefers to sell you a new steering column.
 
chutley said:
Resurrecting this thread...

I have a 2007 3.0 Si, only 22,000 miles (Sunday car as have a company car).

Sticky steering if car left in sun, or drive with heater on full to the feet.

Let it go 'cold', and the stickiness disappears. I want to get the tension ring fix done, but not exactly sure how to describe the 'fix'

Also, has anybody managed to get BMW to fix it?
Click to expand...

Oh, this is a worry for facelift Z owners as it was generally accepted that the sticky steering issue was resolved for those models :o
 
Nothing to worry about TonyP... The fix from the German site (moving the tension ring) works a treat. My car is, once again, a pleasure to drive with no steering issues at all.
 
I moved it last weekend, a 1/4" ratchet with a 4" extension bar will ride over the top of the column mounting frame to reach the torx bolt, its fiddly but very easy if you're ok laying on your back. Taking the seat out would make it more comfortable but far from essential.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom