Yellow steering wheel warning light

Well the rain stopped at last.
Steering wheel off, lower column shroud off.
Driver's seat out - a must, as I was able to lay upside down with my feet up on the roll hoop and see what I was doing.
I read through firebobby's thread which proved invaluable.
Decided to see how far I could get with minimum disturbance of other stuff.
Good news is, just under 2 hours from starting, the motor is out and ready to go to ECU Testing.
I didn't loosen any column bolts, or remove anything else. There was just about room to wiggle it out.
Only issue was I had to push the clutch pedal right to the floor as the motor jammed up against the top of it.
Plenty of loom length so you can lower it into the well then disconnect the plugs where you can see what you're doing.
Only word of caution there is the plastic coated black wire. It is tie-wrapped to the motor and these need snipping to let it hang down fully onto the floor, so have snips ready as it's not good to leave it hanging while you go find them.
My only Torx sockets are 3/8 drive which was too bulky. However, an 8mm socket fits perfectly. I used a bi-hex ratchet ring spanner to break the initial torque and after that a 1/4 drive ratchet, socket, extension and UJ.

I have a feeling the rebuild could prove a bit fiddly to line up those two bolts but as the motor pushes into a recess on the side of the column you can get it in position safely without having to hold it there.

So post off first thing Monday morning and hopefully get it back to refit next weekend.
 
Already impressed with ECU Testing.
Got a phone call at 8am this morning from Megan.
She is emailing me a complimentary pre-paid address label and they will arrange collection from me today before 6pm.
The EPS motor is booked into their workshop on arrival tomorrow morning!

I had it all packed and thought I'd need to take it to the post office and pay more today. Bonus!
 
Just to further praise ECU Testing.
Had both an email and a text at 6:41 this morning! Apparently their engineers start work at 6:30 and when they clear a job it automatically generates a notification asking the customer to contact them.
Before I could get organised to call them, just after 8am they rang me to say they've tested the unit, found faults consistent with my noted symptoms, repaired them and were just checking my address for returning it. 2 minutes later I got a DHL notification saying it'll be back to me tomorrow.
So nice to find a company that not only do a good job but also understand the importance of good communication.
Obviously hope this'll be my one and only dealing with them, but I'd heartily recommend them to anyone else.
 
enuff_zed said:
So nice to find a company that not only do a good job but also understand the importance of good communication.
Click to expand...
Hopefully the diagnosis and repair will match the level of their comms - soon back on the road, just as the weather is starting to change for the better :driving:
 
Watching this thread with interest- touch wood not had the EPS issues some have but law of averages means I will do one day!

Good job Martin!
 
It arrives today! Not looking forward to the rebuild tbh. The torx bolts were at the full reach of my ratchet ring spanner so not quite sure how I'll get them into the holes. Back in my Tornado days we used to put a loop of locking wire round the bolt to offer it up, then ratchet ring it in a couple of threads before removing the wire.
If it goes well and I don't get PTSD from it then maybe it's something I'd consider doing for others, but of course that would involve either me travelling twice, or the car being left at my place for a week. We'll see.

I guess the more you dismantle the car the easier it gets, but I deliberately went the minimalist route just to see what was possible. Small hands definitely help!
 
Righto, feeling a bit happier now. 35 minutes to get the motor back in to place, both bolts tightened up and the top, most fiddly electrical plug back in. Then the heavens opened so I've abandoned it for now.
The bolts turned out to be much easier than expected. As I discovered on removal, although they're torx an 8mm bi-hex ratchet ring spanner fits perfectly, so I sat the head of the bolt into the spanner, offered it up to the mounting hole, then applied pressure on the head with a long screwdriver while I ratcheted it into place.
I would say that what helped most was the fact that I used a permanent marker to mark the motor, the mounting ring and the column before I took it all apart. I then lightly went over the mark on the motor with a hacksaw blade, just in case it got cleaned off. Doing this meant that on reassembly I simply lined up the marks and the bolts slid straight into place.
A bit of padding is advisable on the clutch pedal too, as you need both hands to get the motor into place so you have to use the back of your head to push the pedal down out of the way. (Auto owners may disregard this step. :roll: )
Got a bit of work to do for another member tomorrow, so it could be Sunday before I get this wrapped up, but I think for future reference I would allow 2 hours for removal and another 2 for refit, including battery off, leave for 20 minutes, seat out, steering wheel and lower cowl off, lower trim panel off and then reverse it all on the refit.
Having done it once, it holds no fears now. It's on a par with a roof motor move for discomfort, but like that job too, once you understand what you're doing it's not too bad.
If anyone ever has this EPS problem I'm more than happy to help out any way I can.
Oh and another thank you to Firebobby who's been available on Whatsapp with lots of assistance, plus his very useful description, with photos, of how he did his.
 
All sorted.
Battery connected, no big bangs or smells of burning.
Started up, no warning lights, steering works as advertised. Well chuffed.
Total outlay £295 and around 4 hours of my time.
Not only did it go better than I expected but finally; finally!, I've managed to do a job that bigwinn hasn't already done faster. :rofl:

Definitely something I'd be happy to take on again if anyone ever needs any help.
 
hello
I have exectly same fault.
I live in Korea. so I have a problem to send my eps module to ecutesting.
do you have anything solution?
Can you get the cause from ecutesting.com?
 
malkang said:
hello
I have exectly same fault.
I live in Korea. so I have a problem to send my eps module to ecutesting.
do you have anything solution?
Can you get the cause from ecutesting.com?
Click to expand...
Hello.
I'm afraid they just told me it was a fault in the ECU which is fixed to the side of the motor.
I'm not really sure what to suggest other than the fact that I found ECU Testing to be one of the best and most helpful companies I have ever worked with.
I would suggest you try emailing them to see if they can help.
There are quite a few different part numbers on these motors, but if you can get yours out and tell them what the part number is, I think they 'may' be able to send you one that'll replace yours.
I'm no expert with that , but it wouldn't hurt to ask them first.
 
Thank you!!
I can't find a reason anywhere. Korean bmw mechanics have no idea why.
I will send a message to ECUtesting.
I hope that I can get good news.
 
malkang said:
Thank you!!
I can't find a reason anywhere. Korean bmw mechanics have no idea why.
I will send a message to ECUtesting.
I hope that I can get good news.
Click to expand...
They are very good. I really hope they can help you
 
MalNCH said:
I have a similar situation, every morning when I start the car it's fine but when I turn the ignition off, drive to work, shops etc. the light is on and I have no power steering. It can sit there all day and when I start the car to leave work 9 or 10 hours later I still have no power steering but the next morning it's fine again until I turn the engine off.
I'll try the reset method.
It just seems extremely odd that leaving it overnight cures the problem until the engine is switched off again, but leaving it 9 hours isn't long enough to cure the problem, it makes no sense.
Click to expand...
Did you ever resolve this problem? Mine is doing the same. It’s very frustrating
 
Rixsy said:
Did you ever resolve this problem? Mine is doing the same. It’s very frustrating
Click to expand...
Just to let you know the OP you referred to hasn't been online for nearly 3 years. So don't hold your breath for a response.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom