Power steering issue... 02 530i sport
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Thoroughly frustrated right now... Pain to get to, but the steering giubo looks almost pristine and healthy. I took the tie rods off to make sure it wasn't the strut mount bearings or something simple; both turn freely when turning by hand. I have noticed the steering wheel is back to just hard spots when jacked up, versus constantly difficult to steer. I hate not having a bentley for the e39... I have this plastic steering shaft bearing and I haven't actually seen where it is just yet. My guess is behind the steering wheel which I haven't removed yet. I'll disconnect the battery and grab a beer while I wait for all the power to die down before disconnecting the airbag... I'm a night shifter, so it's OK that I'm grabbing beer at 6:30am. At least that's what I'm telling myself.
The lower u joint on the shaft looks OK from a visual inspection. Its taking a bath in penetrating oil now, and I'll be hitting it with some lithium grease in a bit. I'm not convinced that's the problem, but I'm getting desperate to find something broken. I'd hate to think the rack is bad. My old e36 went well past 200k and I never had a rack problem. In fact, the only reason I replaced the PS pump on that was because it started leaking. The e39 has just under 175k now.
Another note: I've had this weird squeak/rub sound from the steering wheel periodically. I found that it's coming from a rubber bearing from the firewall. I hit it with some WD40 and it's smoothed out. I didn't look to see if that was a forum post already since it has only been a sound and not a real problem. I can take a picture of it if anyone wants to see what I'm talking about. Easy to see with dash parts removed.
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The more I play around, the higher up it seems to be... I was asking the googles the wrong questions at first. I'm also thinking the vibration is unrelated. I've been kinda slow at this because it's on jack stands in the garage so I can take care of this issue and fab up a new exhaust. While fitting some pipes yesterday, I noticed one of the half shafts is leaking a decent amount of grease. Pretty sure that's the vibration I'm experiencing. The hard spots in the steering has to be a defunct bearing or something similar. I just have to find which one.
Thanks for the input so far guys!
Chris, I'm thinking I may have to get it to your shop before the end of the month to pull the engine (only rush to beat the salt). That oil pan gasket is leaking pretty good now... between that and wanting more upgrades, it's probably best to pull it and go through the whole thing. I'll start a new thread to get some advice on engine sh-stuff/ideas as the cost is making me lean toward a swap. No, I'm not doing an LS swap. Period. No offense to those that do, it's just not for me.
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Are you checking this stuff with the suspension loaded or unloaded? That'll make a huge difference.
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Both. Loaded it's constantly tight. Unloaded with the ignition in the ON position it's a lot better, so I feel like that rules out the rack (hopefully). I'm gonna take it for a spin here in a few to see how it's feeling now that I've sprayed everything down and replaced a bearing. As I sprayed the u joint, the steering did loosen up a bit.
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BAM! Pat wins! Spraying off the u joint a few times with PB blaster, then some lubricant seems to have done the trick. I can't believe how much better that made it... I can steer with two fingers/one hand like I should be able to.
The list isn't done, but I can put this one to bed! -
Yay brownies! I'm glad I could help. These ASE certs are good for something!
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