I ended up turning the collar back to its original position and then rotated it the opposite way (around 10mm) and the steering is very free now. It seems every case is slightly different but some amount of adjustment in either direction usually results in improvement.
BMW apparently made production line changes to the worm gear machinings from July 5th 2006, cars built after this date seem to have a much lower failure rate.
There is a BMW TSB out on this. I had this problem badly on my 2003. I called BMW NA and after a lot of complaining that this is a safety issue, they agreed to have my local dealer replace it for free. This was easily 8 years ago though, but it's worth a shot :-)
The real problem is a bearing inside the column, that wears extensively over time due to a design flaw. I had my bearing in my hands, and the little balls were square instead of round, causing it to feel sticky. Additionally, the grease used by BMW does indeed leak out because it cannot stand temperatures above 65C. This makes it worse, but is NOT the cause of the sticky steering. With referecnce to the BMW repair manual, this has been online for a couple of months, was retracted and rejected firmly by ZF, the manufacturer of the column. There is a specialist garage in Germany fixing this bearing, with customers from all over Europe. Had mine done and it drives like new. The fixed suggested in this video may appear to help, but it only enhances the motor effect, making your car dance all ovr the road.
Hi great post I've done it and it was not easy laying in the car I took the drivers seat out eventually this helped a lot, as to if it works I think a little not sure really.
If this is incorrect, then please dismiss. I read that the steering gets 'sticky' it's because the grease in the column overheats and thickens. I found that if you - A - leave aircon on cold and directed to the dash vents. B- Fit a small 12v fan in the area of the motor. This alleviates the issue. Done it with mine and no steering issues.
Something strange just happened to mine. I moved the ring like you did in the video and it didn't seem to make any difference. Then I moved it the opposite way, still no difference. So I went back to the original position with the marks lined up and now it's smooth, not sticky. Did I work some of the old grease back into the gear teeth when I was fiddling with it? That's the only thing I can think of.
Some people have found that moving it just fractionally helps, others by quite a few mm. Doesn't seem to be any consistent amount. At least it's better though!
I have the two 6mm hex bolts and can see them but am trying to work out how to get to them. Thinking about a ball head socket with a 1/4" drive but hard to get much room in there. Not bring the car to you as am over in Annapolis, MD USA. Also my car is left hand drive. Any thoughts or can someone post the tools they used to get to this configuration.
Chris Patoine Hi, mate. I tested it later on after it had been sat in 23 degree sunshine for a few hours and there was no resistance felt. I'm waiting for some serious heat in order to find out whether it needs any more adjustment.
It's horrible and acutally really dangerous by my z4 e 85 2.2i and i tried to losen the bolts last summer but i couldn't find a way to get onto the bolts because of no space. How did you get onto the bolts? Which tools did you use?
To anone who has this with the allen head bolts, god have mercy on your soul. I just did mine. Had to use a 1/4" socket with a 6mm allen bit in it, a 1/4" universal, a 3" 1/4" drive extesion a 1/4" to 3/8" adapter and then a 3/8" rive ratchet. anything else was too short or too long. Also, they are tight as hell. also had to pull the airbag. Pulling the tilt steering bolt does not get you any extra room as the shaft hits the firewall at the lowest tilt position anyway.
I just did it with a ball-nose allen wrench and inserted the short arm of the allen wrench into a 1/4" square drive ratchet extension as a breaker bar. The bolts were tight but it was easy thanks to the ball-nose since it doesn't have to be perfectly lined up. Once I figured that out, it took me maybe 5 minutes to loosen both allen bolts. The only problem I can foresee people having is if their bolts are indexed in such a way that they can't get the allen on it and still have enough room for the breaker bar to sweep. Now I just have to figure out which way to rotate the ring...?
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Just used this video and it worked perfectly. It’s like I’m driving a different vehicle. Did exactly 10mm rotation and the steering is like butter.
Did you re-tighten the bolts after moving the gear around a bit?
Yes@@YTuberosity
I ended up turning the collar back to its original position and then rotated it the opposite way (around 10mm) and the steering is very free now. It seems every case is slightly different but some amount of adjustment in either direction usually results in improvement.
BMW apparently made production line changes to the worm gear machinings from July 5th 2006, cars built after this date seem to have a much lower failure rate.
There is a BMW TSB out on this. I had this problem badly on my 2003. I called BMW NA and after a lot of complaining that this is a safety issue, they agreed to have my local dealer replace it for free. This was easily 8 years ago though, but it's worth a shot :-)
In the USA the faulty EPS is a recall. In the UK it’s not
The real problem is a bearing inside the column, that wears extensively over time due to a design flaw. I had my bearing in my hands, and the little balls were square instead of round, causing it to feel sticky.
Additionally, the grease used by BMW does indeed leak out because it cannot stand temperatures above 65C. This makes it worse, but is NOT the cause of the sticky steering.
With referecnce to the BMW repair manual, this has been online for a couple of months, was retracted and rejected firmly by ZF, the manufacturer of the column.
There is a specialist garage in Germany fixing this bearing, with customers from all over Europe. Had mine done and it drives like new.
The fixed suggested in this video may appear to help, but it only enhances the motor effect, making your car dance all ovr the road.
Could you please provide more info on the garage in Germany?
Hi great post I've done it and it was not easy laying in the car I took the drivers seat out eventually this helped a lot, as to if it works I think a little not sure really.
Just to add, I have seen others say they have found these torques to be Allen bolts. In this case they are 6mm.
Hi, Fred @Fred's Shed, any updates on this fix? Has it fixed the issue for good even under hot weather? Thanks!
If this is incorrect, then please dismiss. I read that the steering gets 'sticky' it's because the grease in the column overheats and thickens. I found that if you -
A - leave aircon on cold and directed to the dash vents.
B- Fit a small 12v fan in the area of the motor.
This alleviates the issue. Done it with mine and no steering issues.
Something strange just happened to mine. I moved the ring like you did in the video and it didn't seem to make any difference. Then I moved it the opposite way, still no difference. So I went back to the original position with the marks lined up and now it's smooth, not sticky. Did I work some of the old grease back into the gear teeth when I was fiddling with it? That's the only thing I can think of.
Some people have found that moving it just fractionally helps, others by quite a few mm. Doesn't seem to be any consistent amount. At least it's better though!
thx for the info im definetly considering buying one now.
Hi, did this actually fix the issue? Did you go any further than 15mm? I’ve done ours today about 10mm but not convinced it’s worked.
Having a had time finding anyone willing to do this in the buffalo area. Quick question, after turning the ring, do you tighten the hex bolts back up?
Yes, that's right
I have the two 6mm hex bolts and can see them but am trying to work out how to get to them. Thinking about a ball head socket with a 1/4" drive but hard to get much room in there. Not bring the car to you as am over in Annapolis, MD USA. Also my car is left hand drive. Any thoughts or can someone post the tools they used to get to this configuration.
They make torx wrenches.
Looks like a fairly easy fix if it works. Our 07 E85 seems to have heavy steering rather than sticky so I am not sure if this will help
Do you need an extension for your ratchet including a flexible joint to get to those torx bolts?
I'm pretty sure I used a long torx spanner..
@@fredsshed266 do you remember the size? Seems like a 11 or 12mm
@@YZFMANIAC08 it's in the video..
So Ive tried that, and niw my power steering is dead ffs.
sorry i don't get what you tapped out with a screw driver and hammer?
It's a ring that sits between the motor and column. You don't tap it out, just move it round slightly.
Has this fixed the problem?
Chris Patoine Hi, mate. I tested it later on after it had been sat in 23 degree sunshine for a few hours and there was no resistance felt. I'm waiting for some serious heat in order to find out whether it needs any more adjustment.
That's encouraging. Seems like there are lots of things people are trying to fix this problem. Keep us updated.
I have the same problem on my z4 and have come to the conclusion that it is a heat problem..
Ian Jackson Yes, this is correct. People also recommend putting the AC on maximum and aiming it at the screen.
Chris Patoine i have had mine adjusted 6 to 10 mm, there is a difference but not fixed...
It's horrible and acutally really dangerous by my z4 e 85 2.2i and i tried to losen the bolts last summer but i couldn't find a way to get onto the bolts because of no space. How did you get onto the bolts? Which tools did you use?
bought 04 plate z4 last week and Id say it has the steering issue. How did you get on with yours?
@@wildboarandy9213 still not fixed i learned to live with it
To anone who has this with the allen head bolts, god have mercy on your soul. I just did mine. Had to use a 1/4" socket with a 6mm allen bit in it, a 1/4" universal, a 3" 1/4" drive extesion a 1/4" to 3/8" adapter and then a 3/8" rive ratchet. anything else was too short or too long. Also, they are tight as hell. also had to pull the airbag. Pulling the tilt steering bolt does not get you any extra room as the shaft hits the firewall at the lowest tilt position anyway.
Upshot...did it work?
@@larryclark5422 i just did it today. its been mild weathe here. i will report back later
It worked beautifully for me, in addition I added the grease fitting and injected plastic/metal friendly grease in there.
@@larryclark5422 im not sure i even turnrd the ring the right way. gotta wait for hot weather,
I just did it with a ball-nose allen wrench and inserted the short arm of the allen wrench into a 1/4" square drive ratchet extension as a breaker bar. The bolts were tight but it was easy thanks to the ball-nose since it doesn't have to be perfectly lined up. Once I figured that out, it took me maybe 5 minutes to loosen both allen bolts. The only problem I can foresee people having is if their bolts are indexed in such a way that they can't get the allen on it and still have enough room for the breaker bar to sweep. Now I just have to figure out which way to rotate the ring...?