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03-26-2012, 01:27 PM | #1 |
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Sticky steering issue in 2003 Z4 sport
I have a 2003 BMW Z4 2.5i premium sport. I am reading about the sticky steering issue everywhere on the web and wondering is this going to happen to me are all 2003 Z4 going to experience this or is there a chance that most or some won't.??? Please give me your feed back or anything i might do to avoid this from happening to me. Is anybody out there not experiecing this??
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03-26-2012, 01:51 PM | #2 |
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My 2005 2.5 got sticky when it was super hot outside. Hot summer sun. Was troublesome but it was very inconsistent. It had about 28,000 on it at the time.
Sold it before I had a chance for the dealer to look at. I think this would be a hard problem for the dealer to replicate because of the inconsistency of the issue.
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03-27-2012, 08:39 AM | #4 | |
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Is it the electric assist or is it the bearing in the column? It has warmed up some here in Philly and I have seen the sticky steering crop up again. I do plan on taking the steering wheel off and repacking the bearing that is one of the suspects. As soon as I do this, I will post the results in one of the many sticky steering threads. |
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03-27-2012, 10:29 AM | #5 |
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have never experienced the sticky steering issue, even with the car sitting in the hot sun all day long
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03-27-2012, 12:21 PM | #6 | |
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Herer is a post i ran across on BMW Coop site tell me wjhat you think: RusH August 16th, 2011 at 6:08 pm TEMPORARY FIX – UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM I wrote a comment on July 28 and want to amend my comments. I took my Z4 to an independent mechanic who specializes in BMW. He looked at it and now it drives like it did when i purchased it. First a description of the problem: My steering column turns similar to the fan control switch on the Z4 – from detent to detent and not smoothly like a volume control on a radio. If you reach forward to the fan control console and turn it you will note that it does not turn smoothly it goes from stop to stop to stop about every 5 degrees. Each stop is called a detent. So as you turn the knob it starts in a detent then as you turn it clicks into the next detent and stops then you have to twist a bit harder till it clicks into the next detent. That is how my steering column acts when it is hot outside. It clicks into one detent and that position may not keep you driving straight down the road. You try to correct it and it will not turn unless you push exra hard then it goes past the point that would keep you going straight downt he road into the next detent and you are progressively headed off the other side of the road. As you try to correct it by turning back, it will not smoothly turn back, it resists till you push extra hard then it goes past the point that would keep you going straight and stops in the next detent and now you are headed off the road in the other direction. It should feel more like volums control turning smoothly to any direction as needed and would keep you going straight. THIS IS NOT THE STEERING PULL THAT IS CHARACTERISTIC OF HIGH PERFORMANCE LOW PROFILE TIRES TRYING TO RIDE TO THE TOP OF THE RUTS ON AN UNEVEN ROAD. Some of the desriptions above are clearly HiPerformance (HP) tires/rut problems. This problem is not a BMW problem there is nothing that BMW can do to solve that problem. Any HP tire will ride to the top of ruts. If you want a HP vehicle then you have to live with “rut pull”. If you do not want to deal with “rut pull” then don’t drive a HP car with low profile HP tires. Or put some of those big cushy tires on your vehicle. It will not pull near as hard and you can lumber down he road in comfort not fighting rutpull. Richard Behn in Pensacola, took my steering column apart and discovered a lousy BMW design. There is a bearing on the steering column that is not sealed. It is open and exposed and not lubricateable at least not easy to lubricate. The column must be removed and to clean and lubricate it. Which is what he did for me. Further it is not replaceable short of replacing the entire steering column ($3500). BMW will not sell just the bearing. Apparently BMW cannot sell just the bearing because the inner bearing race is the column itself. In my opinion the design is flawed. If should include a bearing that is sealed or replaceable. Richard cleaned the bearing and put in new lubricant ($250) and now my steering is like it was when it was new. It is smooth, no more “detent” characteristics. It is fun to drive again. I still have the “rut-pull” but that is the price to pay for high performance. Richard told me this problem is not fixed. The lubricant will run out of the bearing and it will dry and the bearing will again begin to wear quickly. The problem will return and the steering will get lousty and even dangerous. For now I am enjoying the driving again. |
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03-27-2012, 03:35 PM | #7 |
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yes I feel like I have a good one...even the top motor functions great
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04-20-2012, 10:57 AM | #8 |
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If you remove the panel under the steering column (6 screws) pull the telescoping wheel all the way up, you can clean and re-grease the column shaft. Then work it in by sliding the wheel in and out and turning left to right. Again not a permanent fix but not hard to do. You don't have to remove the column. I just did mine and it's never felt smoother.
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04-21-2012, 04:51 PM | #9 | |
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The 6 screws and panel look easy enough but after removing the panel exactly what did you do to lube the shaft? Can you see the bearing at that point? did you use a lithium grease or some other lubricant? Thanks... |
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04-25-2012, 09:49 PM | #10 |
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Follow the steering shaft down from the wheel and you will come to a shinny shaft. This is the inner race of the bearing. The bearing is inside the upper part of the column. When you pull the telescoping wheel in and out it slides up and down this stationary shaft. I used white lithium grease on my fingertips and coated the shinny part of this shaft. Easiest when the wheel is all the way up and pulled all the way out. Oh and I took the lower half of the steering column cover off too. 2 screws. One near the wheel unlock lever and one on top by the instrument cluster. Then it pops apart. Then just work the grease into the bearing by pushing the wheel in and out while turning the wheel side to side. Hope that's clearer.
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04-26-2012, 08:46 AM | #11 | |
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12-28-2012, 12:03 AM | #15 |
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Guys, if this is a lubrication issue, why have so many reports shown temperature sensitivity? Just wondering what your take on that idea is. Thanks!! I'm on a road trip now and hoping to find some grease and buy a screwdriver tomorrow to do the temp lube fix.
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12-28-2012, 12:39 AM | #16 |
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This has been discussed a ton, see here.
Only possible fix is replacing the whole steering column, and even that is not guaranteed. Solution: run the AC for a few minutes when it's very hot outside and the sticky steering will go away. Just need to learn to live with it.
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12-28-2012, 02:14 AM | #17 |
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Thanks, I've been reading about the issue for the past few hours. Wondering if a cooling modification on the EPS worm gear might be a good fix for people who don't want to swap out the entire column?
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