Hydraulic steering conversion part question

thecremeegg

Active member
So my car is booked in to have the steering converted in a couple of weeks, however I believe I need to source an idler pulley?

Can anyone advise which pulley I need to get please? I was thinking this kit - https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/car-parts/engine-parts/tensioners-idlers-dampers/ina-repair-kit-v-ribbed-drive-belt-tensioner-533009710-detail - is that correct?

Thanks
 
What’s the point of this conversation,doesn’t the z4 m get slated for its steering feel?Never had a problem with standard electric steering and car is a pleasure to work on without hydraulic stuff getting in the way.Discuss.
 
The standard z4 steering is incredibly unreliable, plus it has miles less feel than the E46 it's based on. The hydraulic system is a lot simpler and cheaper to fix, plus it makes the car feel much better to drive. Most of us that do it are fed up with the constant EPS column and motor issues that we're getting now our cars are getting old.
 
thecremeegg said:
The standard z4 steering is incredibly unreliable, plus it has miles less feel than the E46 it's based on. The hydraulic system is a lot simpler and cheaper to fix, plus it makes the car feel much better to drive. Most of us that do it are fed up with the constant EPS column and motor issues that we're getting now our cars are getting old.
I’ve not had any problems with my 03 on 88,000 miles,guess I’ve been lucky.my old e36 and current e91 have hydraulic set ups and I can’t feel much difference if I’m honest.
 
Robster68 said:
thecremeegg said:
The standard z4 steering is incredibly unreliable, plus it has miles less feel than the E46 it's based on. The hydraulic system is a lot simpler and cheaper to fix, plus it makes the car feel much better to drive. Most of us that do it are fed up with the constant EPS column and motor issues that we're getting now our cars are getting old.
I’ve not had any problems with my 03 on 88,000 miles,guess I’ve been lucky.my old e36 and current e91 have hydraulic set ups and I can’t feel much difference if I’m honest.

Fair enough, mine was fine until I got to 130k miles, it's been a constant thorn in my side since then!
 
The electric steering system is actually quite good if setup correctly, granted you do get a few faults now with the higher miles but most are relating to cracked solder joints on various modules on that system.

Also bare in mind all the new gen M cars use electric steering now. Another factor is if the steering fails with Hydraulic you run the risk of killing the pump if you continue to drive but the EPS you can drive without the assistance to get home.
 
If the steering fails in either set up the car should really not be driven, it is far too dangerous. I can see both sides of the argument, the hydraulic conversion is perhaps the more reliable set up. However this will have an effect on fuel consumption, around 3 mpg less as I discovered. When I did the conversion seven years ago, it was due to cost, £2500 for a new column which was half the value of the car. Nowadays the cost of overhaul of the unit, assuming it fixes the problem, is £300 not including labour. If faced with the same problem today I would keep the electric steering.
 
I've had one EPS motor and column fail, plus they had sticky steering prior to this, and then the replacement used column also has horrific sticky steering when the weather is above 20 degrees. There are various bodges but none of them really work, and I can't be bothered with the hassle anymore.
You'll be seeing a lot more people with failing steering in the coming years I'd put money on it.
 
thecremeegg said:
I've had one EPS motor and column fail, plus they had sticky steering prior to this, and then the replacement used column also has horrific sticky steering when the weather is above 20 degrees. There are various bodges but none of them really work, and I can't be bothered with the hassle anymore.
You'll be seeing a lot more people with failing steering in the coming years I'd put money on it.

You sort of highlight your own issue. You buy secondhand old parts expecting them to fix a 20 year old problem. The column to motor can be adjusted and must be maintained in order to work correctly. Grease drys up and mechanical joins loosen. I Understand it’s easy for me to say this doing all my own work but you can find these people and garages who will help.
 
You sort of highlight your own issue. You buy secondhand old parts expecting them to fix a 20 year old problem. The column to motor can be adjusted and must be maintained in order to work correctly. Grease drys up and mechanical joins loosen. I Understand it’s easy for me to say this doing all my own work but you can find these people and garages who will help.
I’m keen to discover these tricks to prolonging the life of our electric steering problems Joycey,can you enlighten us?very much appreciated 👍
 
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