E36 m3 steering rack knock?!!

[bmw9818]

Finished up the front this morning, after 6 days of blood sweat and a broken fingertip!

There seems to be a knock from the rack when turned....

Is it fucked?

Got new tie rods, uj looks tight..

What to do now? It's an e36 m3 rack next used one on eBay is at £500

[jmc330i]

What engine have you got? The UJ could be catching on the downpipes.

It's an e36 m3 rack next used one on eBay is at £500

Eh?

[polsta]

danthe, advises not to use the m3 racks for conversions

[rich318i]

mine did the same the UJ was just touching the manifold. fixed by the using the grinder

[bmw9818]

manifold and downpipes are removed at the moment, i removed it myself from an 325i track day car, it had the original steering UJ, it had spacers,

last time i checked there was one on there at £500 it has the green plaque and is sought after one at 3.0 turns

how comes this rack isnt advisable?

[bmw9818]

[youtube][/youtube]

[bmw9818]

vid above, im a bit prang when it comes to steering etc dont want it to break on me!

i just fitted it so havnt hooked up pas or fluid, but there was a slight knock on the other car when i removed however, i thought it could be something catching or a tie rod, etc but got new rods and nothing to catch,

[rich318i]

is it on the ground cos thats alot of play.

[bmw9818]

yeah on the ground, the wheels were moving though.... its just the knock,

[DanThe]

mine did the same the UJ was just touching the manifold. fixed by the using the grinder

Just wait until you go round a tight left hander,

E36 M3 rack is pretty much a standard E36 rack, but with limited lock to allow wheel clearance in the arches, which is why they are 3 turns, so you have less lock than you would with a standard E36 rack.
I wouldnt even bother fitting an E36 rack now, E46 or dont bother IMO

[rich318i]

mine did the same the UJ was just touching the manifold. fixed by the using the grinder

its all good now that is what we found on the road test.

[Duke137]

I wouldnt even bother fitting an E36 rack now, E46 or dont bother IMO

Which reminds me, do me a favor please and sort that one out

[bmw9818]

mine did the same the UJ was just touching the manifold. fixed by the using the grinder

Just wait until you go round a tight left hander,

E36 M3 rack is pretty much a standard E36 rack, but with limited lock to allow wheel clearance in the arches, which is why they are 3 turns, so you have less lock than you would with a standard E36 rack.
I wouldnt even bother fitting an E36 rack now, E46 or dont bother IMO

hmm, i dont think i could get more lock tbh, on full lock the tyre hits the h&r arb proper, both sides,

[rich318i]

my mate had them roll bars and his did the same

[bmw9818]

no fix for the arbs then? just gotta live with it....

[DanThe]

Possibly not an M3 rack then?

Already sorted Dukey

[rich318i]

no fix for the arbs then? just gotta live with it....

he did have 18" rims on his

[bmw9818]

ah i see ive got standard 15 ns,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... true&rt=nc

thats the rack ive got same pn,

[harry_p]

I'm sure the lock stops are just buffers which bolt on and can be removed.

The m3 rack is nothing special, the steering on my e36 evo is no quicker than my e36 316i was, it just has a worse turning circle! Certainly no worth paying a premium for.

When I get around to it I'll be fitting an e46 sport rack I bought months ago....

[bmw9818]

i got the rack basically in the donor car that i bought, i dunno im puzzled... the turning circle is excellent with this rack looks better than the e30 one,

ive fitted eccentric bushes as well if it matters?

[jmc330i]

I'd get it filled with fluid and run it up, it could just be dry in there.


From what I read on here a few years back, the regular E36 rack is 3.4 turns lock to lock, the 3.0ltr M3 is 3.2 turns and the M3 Evo rack is the same as the 3.0ltr, but with the limiting tabs to give the 3 turns.

My rack was from a 3.0ltr M3, definitely had no limiting tabs, obviously quicker than the E30 rack and the turning circle was better than with the E30 rack.
It could be 500 notes for a new one, but who would bother. As above, E46 rack everyday of the week.

[harry_p]

3.0 m3s had an odd variable ratio rack didn't they?

[Barx325i]

3.0l m3's are better in pretty much every way I've heard, spesh 4dr deviants?

[harry_p]

Evos are much better. Especially estoril blue 4 doors

[bmw9818]

i see.... any reasons why the e46 rack is better? had a look around there cheap enough, might sway to that one,

[DanThe]

Better geared, better feel, newer etc

[harry_p]

You have to make sure it's the right e46 rack, as the normal e46 one is only marginally better than the standard e36 one.

The z3 rack is the quickest ratio of the lot, but most people know this and they're 2-3 times the price of the e46 one.

The following was pinched from an FAQ on the e36coupe forum.

The standard way ZF quote on-centre (straight ahead) ratio is in mm/rev, which is the travel in mm of the rack bar per revolution of the hand wheel. The higher the mm/rev the faster the rack.

M3 3.0 - 39 mm/rev- the slowest available rack. This is a variable ratio but it is slower than standard until 200 deg hand wheel angle

M3 3.2 and standard E36 - 45.5 mm/rev- the M3 3.2 rack has restricted lock.

Z3 rack - 53.5 mm/rev- by far the quickest rack you can fit.

E46 compact rack - 50 mm/rev- apparently this also fits the E36

Because the M3 3.0 has a variable rack it has the smallest lock to lock at 3.0 turns but don't be fooled it is the slowest by a country mile. A worthwhile upgrade for any 3.0 M3 would be to fit a standard E36 rack which is what I did a year ago with a noticeable improvement.

[DanThe]

If you go from a standard E36 rack to a standard E46 you will tell the difference straight away, its just a lot nicer to use, must be a different gear cut or something.
I drove an E30 with a Z3 rack and it felt heavy

[bmw9818]

Oh man okay ive swayed! e46 rack it is, will any standard e46 rack suffice? I remember talk on clubsport racks ending in 067 which are proper quick,

Can I just get any standard 318i rack or is there anything specific on a year/model I should go for,