Wobbly steering- HELP!

[bmwe30mtech]

Hi Guys,

I have started learning to drive now, and am getting on ok.(i think!). My car used to handle strangely (according to my dad who drove it) and felt 'loose and not stiff'. After visit to local friend with garage and new bushes, steering adjusters, roll bar parts and various other bits to sort it it still isn't great, but tonnes better.(front shocks, front brakes, engine tune.. also done.) When the car hits a bump in the road the wheels skate a bit, and there is play in the steering wheel. It can't react properly to bumps and fells a bit dangerous at times. . Its a m40 with 112000 miles on it. Could it be the rack and pinion, and how much is that to have changed? (ta lot i expect ).

Any help would be great , and i dont know how an e30 should handle/feel?!



Paul

[Brianmoooore]

Nothing wrong with the handling of an E30 when everythings as it should be, even a lowly 316 M40.
Have a look at the steering flexible coupling, near the exhaust manifold, while someone rocks the steering wheel.

[fuzzy]

check the balljoints on the lower control arms , try and wiggle them to see if theres any play.or double check all the parts recently done to check everythings tight, you never know it could be something simple...but in my experience its usually not

[m-dtech]

Trackrod ends mabey?

possibly a lack of confidence in the car ?

[bmwe30mtech]

Thanks. Steering flexable joint seems to move with the wheel without hesitation, and the rod ends etc are all good with no movement. 'm-dtech' You say 'lack of confidence in the car?' if you mean am i not tursting it then no thats not the case, the garage say the same, and cant find the fault. And they do a lot of e30's. I also do trust the car.

Thanks for your help, any ideas as to what it could be?

Paul

[Brianmoooore]

Could be looking at the wrong end of the car.
Check the rear axle carrier bushes are all OK, and that nothing is wrong with the rear wheel alignment. (Look at tyre wear patterns).

[bmwe30mtech]

Hi,

Rod ends etc all checked and fine. Back of car is running new bushes so i guess this is not the problem. The wheels 'skate' and the steering wheel doesnt move! It did it running 14's and also 17's, so not due to wheel size. I can move the steering wheel side to side quite a bit while driving and the car doesnt move! It can be hard to keep in a straight line on the carriageway, bit like a clown car, steering is not responding to moving the wheel! It drifts as it meets bumps etc, and i have to move the steering wheel a. to do nothing, and b. to start turning the wheels when it 'starts working'.!

I realy need a hand with this one, any help would be great.

Paul

[Dan318-is]

does the car pull to the left and right randomly? and vibrate at high speed?

its your wheels mate. going from 14s to 17s takes ages for the car to adjust. iv gone 14 to 17 on my old IS now 14 to 16 on the new one and both have been the same; it takes ages for the car to adjust.

also check the offset of those fox wheels it could be way way out

haev your wheels balanced and tracking reset also then see what happens

i did this and had the same symptoms as u budyd an it fixed it

let us no

[bmwe30mtech]

Hi, Cheers dan,

No it did it on the 14's just the same. The wheels are balanced, the tracking is set and the wheels run super. It is a steering problem i am told by garage, and it drifts both ways, the wheels move as my hands on the steering wheel are not holing them. The steering wheel moves 'separatly'!

Paul

[Dan318-is]

so the car drives itself randomly?

does it steer when you go over bumps?

sounds like either a wheel bearing problem

or a possible steering angle fault, maybe castor or KPI fault.

aka bent components

[bmwe30mtech]

Yes, the wheels will steer themselves sometimes over the bumps, it feels like my steering wheel is not moving with my wheels. There is play in it, i dont know if there is a local who could feel it and see what i mean?!



Paul

[johnl320]

steering rack???

john

[bmwe30mtech]

steering rack???

john

Well i wondered, im not even sure what this is to be honest? I have a good image in my head though. Would this be expensive/easy to replace?

Thanks,

Paul

[Brianmoooore]

Shouldn't be difficult for two people to work out where the problem is.
One person in the car rocking the wheel over and back, and the other, first watching/feeling the steering shaft all the way down to the pinion, and then under the car, watching the rack and rod ends, etc.

[bmwe30mtech]

Hi,

Already done, and all is tight. Has had rivets drilled out of steering and BMW direct replacement bolts fitted to remove slack/play. Steering join replaced, and new joins in steering (sorry not sure of the names). The staft moves ok with the wheel. It realy needs another e30 driver to feel it i guess, as i dont know enough about these things as im only 17 so no experience!

Do you have experience of cars with worn racks?

Many thanks,

Paul

[Brianmoooore]

Seen a few leaking power racks, but never come across a worn E30 one.
There should be no play whatsoever in the rack. The slightest turning of the pinion should result in movenent in both track rods.
Check the rack isn't moving about in the subframe, and the track rod ends (swivel joints where they join the struts) are OK.

[bmwe30mtech]

Ok, i will put the car on ramps in my drive and give it a good go over underneeth. However the local garage did work on it and didnt find the fault. (and thye are a very good garage, i worked in the bmw one for a bit and this garage is better! (and cheaper although all the work on my e30 cost 930 in total. Its only a 318i! but it is mint)

So i wil be doing the work myself!

Thanks,

Paul