Power Steering Failure (Not Sticky Steering)

[Pabby1980]

E85 - 2004 - 3.0i

Having just got the car on the road after massive effort and expense she's now decided to stop power assisted steering altogether.

The power steering warning light is on on the dash with the exclamation mark next to it.

The power steering is completely off, nothing at all.

This happened very suddenly, I parked the car, PAS was fine, went inside for a few hours, came back out and it completely went. No warnings, no gradual build up and no issues with sticky steering in the past.

So far I've disconnected the battery, had it checked at Halfords (its perfectly fine) and left it on trickle charge for a few hours just in case.

I've also removed and replaced fuse no 22 (5amp). Although I'm certain the fuse was fine it's worth a punt.

I'm going to try and get this thread from problem to solution because there have been some great posts by really knowledgeable people on this subject on various forums but I haven't found a thread that's actually come to any sort of conclusion.

There's one very thorough thread about taking the steering column apart completely but that's simply beyond my abilities.

There's adverts on ebay like this one that claim to refurbish your EPS motor, but what if that's not the issue? I'll spend £300 just to be told the problem must be somewhere else.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Z4-Electric-Power-Steering-Column-Motor-Rebuild-/401352168863?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

Obviously I'd still have to pay someone to get the motor out.

My biggest concern is the overall price. I've seen all sorts of figures banded around all the way up to £3,000 which simply isn't an option and is ridiculous for a car that's only worth £6,000 at best.

If it's an entire steering column removal and refurb, is there any possibility of putting in a Z4M hydraulic unit back in instead?

Is it worth getting an entire second hand steering column from a decent BMW breakers and doing it that way?

Seems a bit daft to remove one clanger of a part by BMW only to replace it with an identical one that could fail again in no time.

Needless to say I'm hugely frustrated, expecially on a day like today with the sun shining.

Any advice welcome. I'll try and get this thread to some sort of a conclusion however much of a nightmare it is.

Cheers

Paul.

Edit - one final thing. I have a vague memory of a sweet yet burnt smell as I got out of the car after it was parked up, a bit like candy floss. This could be a total coincidence though but could it be a burnt out motor?

Also the car has had bigger wheels, 19s (also heavier I think) put on in the last 150 miles.

 

[mjennings23]

When mine went, I didn't even consider repairing it with the same part and went immediately to a hydraulic setup using E46 parts primarily (only z4m part you need is the intermediate shaft that links the column to the rack as the spline is smaller on the hydraulic racks). If you're handy and can DIY it you're looking somewhere between 4-600 all in, depending on how much you can pick up parts for.

You'll want a purple tag E46 rack, refurbished probably the best idea. Similar with the pumps, apparently the LF20 pump is less powerful but more reliable and better feel, so I went that way. You'll also need the correct hoses for the pump you order, reservoir and cooler etc, pump pulley and new E46 drive belt. Believe that's all, aside from the Z4M intermediate shaft as above.

 

[firebobby]

When mine went, (exactly the same as yours), I removed the motor and ECU and sent it off to ECU testing.
It was back in less than a week and has been perfect since.
Have you lost your sports button function too

 

[Pabby1980]

When mine went, I didn't even consider repairing it with the same part and went immediately to a hydraulic setup using E46 parts primarily (only z4m part you need is the intermediate shaft that links the column to the rack as the spline is smaller on the hydraulic racks). If you're handy and can DIY it you're looking somewhere between 4-600 all in, depending on how much you can pick up parts for.

You'll want a purple tag E46 rack, refurbished probably the best idea. Similar with the pumps, apparently the LF20 pump is less powerful but more reliable and better feel, so I went that way. You'll also need the correct hoses for the pump you order, reservoir and cooler etc, pump pulley and new E46 drive belt. Believe that's all, aside from the Z4M intermediate shaft as above.

I'm going to seriously consider this as an option even if I source the parts then get my mechanic too do the fitting etc. The EPS is just waiting to fail and knowing my luck if I get a new/refurbished setup it'll just happen again.

Thanks for your post and help, much appreciated.

When mine went, (exactly the same as yours), I removed the motor and ECU and sent it off to ECU testing.
It was back in less than a week and has been perfect since.
Have you lost your sports button function too

If I go down this route, can I remove the motor and ECU myself or is it a job for a mechanic? I'd say I'm semi proficient in car mechanics but certainly not skilled. I can change brake pads, springs, oil filters etc but that's been my limit so far.

If it's a job I can attempt, do you have any links to guides to show how it's done and if you didn't do yours yourself, how much should I expect to pay for removal and refitting by a mechanic?

Thanks loads for your time and your help.

Paul

 

[firebobby]

If I go down this route, can I remove the motor and ECU myself or is it a job for a mechanic? I'd say I'm semi proficient in car mechanics but certainly not skilled. I can change brake pads, springs, oil filters etc but that's been my limit so far.

If it's a job I can attempt, do you have any links to guides to show how it's done and if you didn't do yours yourself, how much should I expect to pay for removal and refitting by a mechanic?

Thanks loads for your time and your help.

Paul

I did it myself, there are links on here and you sound fully competent to do it.
It's quite tight, but fully doable without removing the steering column.
I will try and find the posts that I added to the thread.
Also, look on eBay for ECU testing, it was a cheaper way of getting the service done.

 

[Pabby1980]

If I go down this route, can I remove the motor and ECU myself or is it a job for a mechanic? I'd say I'm semi proficient in car mechanics but certainly not skilled. I can change brake pads, springs, oil filters etc but that's been my limit so far.

If it's a job I can attempt, do you have any links to guides to show how it's done and if you didn't do yours yourself, how much should I expect to pay for removal and refitting by a mechanic?

Thanks loads for your time and your help.

Paul

I did it myself, there are links on here and you sound fully competent to do it.
It's quite tight, but fully doable without removing the steering column.
I will try and find the posts that I added to the thread.
Also, look on eBay for ECU testing, it was a cheaper way of getting the service done.

Thanks buddy.

Could you tell me if it's these guys you used please? They seem like a very professional outfit so I'd be happy to give them a go.

https://www.ecutesting.com/product-catalogue/bmw/z4/power-steering-eps-electric-power-steering/eps010010/

Secondly is this the guide you used? Seems to be more about the complete removal of the column and I've searched like mad and can't find anything that just deals with motor removal.

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=82880

(Also after just installing the battery after a night fully charging I can confirm the sport button does NOT work.)

Thanks mate

For anyone else reading this so far

- Changing No.22 fuse (5amp) has NOT worked.

- Fully charging battery has NOT worked.

Looks like its a similar problem to many others and its a EPS motor refurbishment. I'd like to go down the route of installing hydraulic steering but I just don't feel confident enough to DIY and simply can't afford the mechanic bills right now.

I'll keep the thread updated as and when I progress.

Paul.

 

[Pabby1980]

Just spoken to my regular BMW (indy) mechanic and he's reccomended that he check a few things first before whipping out the motor. Recons there's a couple of sensors that can degrade over time and as my car was sitting outside for 18 months this wouldn't be beyond reason.

He says he can do all of this while the steering column is in place.

It's likely going to be the motor but there's no harm in making sure. He's said it's just as quick (for him) to take the column out completely if the motor is at fault, but only because he's done it many times.

If he does take the column out I can also get him to check all the cables and sensors etc for any wear and tear. After best part of 20 years they made need a refurb too.

Cars booked in for Tuesday 15th June. I'll update this thread as and when I get any new information and I'll also put a final price and detail of all the work when it's back on the road.

Cheers

Paul.

 

[firebobby]

They look like the firm I used, but look on eBay too.
Different thread, you don't need to remove the column, the motor and ECU are connected.
It sounds exactly the same issue I had, so pretty sure it's the ECU.
You can get the motor out , just a bit tight.

 

[Pabby1980]

They look like the firm I used, but look on eBay too.
Different thread, you don't need to remove the column, the motor and ECU are connected.
It sounds exactly the same issue I had, so pretty sure it's the ECU.
You can get the motor out , just a bit tight.

I've had a good look but still can't find it, I might be searching the wrong thing. I've looked for 'e85 steering motor removal' and various similar searches.

For a start, I need to remove the steering wheel and instrument clusters? I can't access the motor from above the pedals by removing a few panels?

Thanks mate, just don't want to go in with zero information and make a mess of it.

Paul.

 

[Pabby1980]

Right I've gone in with the aforementioned guide seen here;

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=82880

I'm at stage 7 as seen in this image:



I've absolutely no idea what this no 7 part is on about, I've had a look under the hood and no clue.

7) Begin removing the column itself. First, loosen the torx bolt holding the column to its universal joint in the engine bay, then slide the lower-steering joint out of the way.

Any help MUCH appreciated.

Cheers

Paul.

 

[firebobby]

Right I've gone in with the aforementioned guide seen here;

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=82880

I'm at stage 7 as seen in this image:

20210607_200218.jpg

I've absolutely no idea what this no 7 part is on about, I've had a look under the hood and no clue.

7) Begin removing the column itself. First, loosen the torx bolt holding the column to its universal joint in the engine bay, then slide the lower-steering joint out of the way.

Any help MUCH appreciated.

Cheers

Paul.

Here you go Paul, don't think you needed to remove the indicator/wiper stalks. This is my old thread https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=105626&hilit=ECU&start=30
And you will find the ebay link.
I will try and find more info

 

[Pabby1980]

Right I've gone in with the aforementioned guide seen here;

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=82880

I'm at stage 7 as seen in this image:

20210607_200218.jpg

I've absolutely no idea what this no 7 part is on about, I've had a look under the hood and no clue.

7) Begin removing the column itself. First, loosen the torx bolt holding the column to its universal joint in the engine bay, then slide the lower-steering joint out of the way.

Any help MUCH appreciated.

Cheers

Paul.

Here you go Paul, don't think you needed to remove the indicator/wiper stalks. This is my old thread https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=105626&hilit=ECU&start=30
And you will find the ebay link.
I will try and find more info

Thanks SO much buddy. My only concern after reading your post is my chubby farmer hands!!

I'll hopefully get there, probably with a few scrapes, and cuts!

Really kind of you to link me to your old thread and I hope it helps others too.

Thanks again, I really do appreciate your help. I'll keep this updated.

Cheers

Paul.

 

[firebobby]

Where do you live, may be a forum member close by who could help you.