E30 Zone

Hi there

i have a 1990 E30 316i M40 engine

In the last few weeks (especially just after i start the car in the morning) when i turn the steering wheel i get a squeal from either the PAS pump or the rack? Its gets louder during turning and goes low then (but still audible) when i stop turning

Would it be my rack or the pump do you think?

Plus are all e30 racks and pumps interchangable?

Thanks for the continued help guys!
dtm

Have you checked the fluid level yet? you will get a squealing noise if the fluid is low.

Loose power steering belt ?

Cheers,

Iain T

not all pumps are the same or the brackets maybe diffrent

I have this problem too and it's really annoying.

There are two clips under the PAS resoiver (Spl) Chances are these are leaking. If not replace them before they do.

Also i would check teh condition of the belt, mine has started cracking and needs replacing. Sadly i don't know how to do this

My belts are a month old and the level has never dropped a bit in four years.

Is there only one pump that will fit a e30 316i. Will higher engined e30 pumps fit? if so, what ones?

Cheers lads
dtm

Hello, i would start by replacing the belt, or check to see how tight the present one is. Thanks

As it's been recently replaced it would be worth checking to make sure nothing has gone wrong. And as above check the belts tension

hello mate,do you know when the fluid was last changed as it has a shelf life and will cause symptoms like a noisey pump if not changed at service intervals.check its colour,if its gone brownish its well past its sell buy date...

it has not been changed in 4 years

ok so does that mean that the pump is now worn or if i change the oil for new stuff it might bring it back to life again?

also is it hard to flush the system - how do you do it?

is there a bleed screw/ valve then that i have to open to bleed it correctly?

Thanks
dtm

it may not be to late mate, youve got nothing to loose any way!, quickest way, go to your local motor factors get a syringe, or at a farmers co-op? thier cheaper there, syringe out the nasty stuff an dispose,then top up the fluid, raise the front of the car an turn the steering side to side several times to bleed the pump an your done. (hopefully). good luck mate hope you a get a result...

Stan0870 wrote:it may not be to late mate, youve got nothing to loose any way!, quickest way, go to your local motor factors get a syringe, or at a farmers co-op? thier cheaper there, syringe out the nasty stuff an dispose,then top up the fluid, raise the front of the car an turn the steering side to side several times to bleed the pump an your done. (hopefully). good luck mate hope you a get a result...

That will only change what's in the resevoir, so you will need to do it two or three times to do the job properly. Fortunately, ATF isn't expensive, and it doesn't take more than a couple of litres.
The full way to flush it, is to disconnect the return pipe from the rack at the resevoir, plug the connection to the bottle, pull the return pipe down under the car, place it in a waste bowl, pull out fuse 11 to stop the engine running very long, fill the bottle with fresh fluid, then crank the engine over on the key, while turning the steering from lock to lock, and have someone keep the bottle topped up at the same time.