Sticky steering ....yet another horrible steering z4

S

Southwestz4

Member
Hi all
Spent all weekend rebuilding my z4s front end suspension.
All bushes/ball joints/ drop links/ lower arms changed.
All struts/ springs/ mounts changed.
The car was showing slight signs of sicky steering before but now is 10x worse since the rebuild and tracking were done.
I have just contacted a company on ebay that say they can recon my steering column for £295 and that they can sort out the sticky problem.
They are called bba-reman.
I have spent ages moving the adjuster ring on the eps motor to no avail.
Any thoughts??
Thanks Andy
 
For the same money you could go to ECU Testing who are proven. I have no knowledge of the other company?
It does involve removing and refitting the motor yourself but that's easier than it sounds tbh if you have a bit of mechanical understanding. If it comes to that PM me your contact number if you like and I can talk you through it.
However, I would definitely confirm that this is the cause of your issue first.
Talk to bigwinn as he had similar issues but didn't change the EPS motor.
 
Hi enuff_zed
I have no problem with removing the motor or even the column if needed . Do ECU testing only need the motor , my understanding is its a clearance issue between the motor worm gear and the nylon gear in the column, how do they get around that if they only have the motor ?
Thanks Andy
 
Southwestz4 said:
Hi enuff_zed
I have no problem with removing the motor or even the column if needed . Do ECU testing only need the motor , my understanding is its a clearance issue between the motor worm gear and the nylon gear in the column, how do they get around that if they only have the motor ?
Thanks Andy
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That's why I was querying if it is actually the motor? I may have slightly misunderstood your initial comment.
If it is indeed a clearance issue you'd be correct, but I've not come across that tbh.
Hopefully others can advise further?
Grasping at straws but is it worth taking the motor out, cleaning and re-greasing the drive gear and trying it again? You could even do that without disconnecting it electrically if you can support it just pulled back.
Mark up the column, ring and motor to ensure alignment first.
 
I had the sticky steering when I bought the car 7 months ago, the weather was cold but my wife insisted that the heater was up full blast. This made the steering worse and it came and went over the next few months but not that bad. I then changed the starter motor, to do this I had to disconnect the battery in the boot, then drive to Exeter to get a new one in my wife's car, by the time I finished the job it took about 2 hours. Once the battery was connected up again no more sticky steering for a while. I then had the 4 wheel tracking done and it has now gone almost completely despite the weather warming up. It didn't like being left in the hot sun in a garage car park a few months ago but has been okay since. I don't know if this is of any help but thought I would share this with you in case it helps.
 
MikeyH said:
I had the sticky steering when I bought the car 7 months ago, the weather was cold but my wife insisted that the heater was up full blast. This made the steering worse and it came and went over the next few months but not that bad. I then changed the starter motor, to do this I had to disconnect the battery in the boot, then drive to Exeter to get a new one in my wife's car, by the time I finished the job it took about 2 hours. Once the battery was connected up again no more sticky steering for a while. I then had the 4 wheel tracking done and it has now gone almost completely despite the weather warming up. It didn't like being left in the hot sun in a garage car park a few months ago but has been okay since. I don't know if this is of any help but thought I would share this with you in case it helps.
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Thats interesting...maybe worth a try :thumbsup:
 
I went on the Dartmoor run a week ago, great fun, and despite all the twists and turns and the weather being fairly good I had no problems with it. :thumbsup:
 
Southwestz4 said:
This is the other company

http://www.bba-reman.com/gb/catalogue/detailedproduct.aspx?detailedproduct=2218
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They are well respected. No issues sending to them to fix it
 
I don't give up easily...so I went out and adjusted the motor ring about 20-25mm c/wise ( had been moving it in a lot smaller increments before) and all of a sudden it has loosened the steering :D :D .
Think it maybe a bit too loose as it was wondering a bit at speed ...at least now I can back it off a bit at a time until it feels right :driving:
 
Well now it’s my turn, thought I’d got away with it but today’s temperature of 27c shows I haven’t. :headbang: Really stiff steering, spoilt my little drive out, can’t leave it and will need to get it booked in on Monday somewhere. :thumbsdown:
 
MikeyH said:
Well now it’s my turn, thought I’d got away with it but today’s temperature of 27c shows I haven’t. :headbang: Really stiff steering, spoilt my little drive out, can’t leave it and will need to get it booked in on Monday somewhere. :thumbsdown:
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Oh no :headbang:
Its an easy fix if its just sticky steering, remove trims underneath steering wheel with a philips screwdriver, extend and drop steering wheel adjustment to max , loosen the two e10 motor ring bolts and I tapped the bottom of the rimg towards the bulkhead ( 8mm towards the bulkhead was the final position) I have it down to a fine art now and takes minutes :thumbsup:
 
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