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Tech Forum : Question re "binding" in steering linkage

- BMW E21 Community
   - Tech Forum
      - Question re "binding" in steering linkage
BarryA   Posted Thursday, Apr 28th 4:53pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Member
Post nr. 65

Sacramento CA
81 320
Replaced the old, squishy steering rack bushings with new urethane bushings from Bavarian Auto last night, and discovered some binding when finished.

The binding occurs about every 120 degrees of steerting wheel rotation - the steering wheel WILL turn the front wheels from lock to lock, just hits a tight spot every 1/3 turn (doesn't matter whether the car's on the ground, or the wheels are completely unloaded).

Everything came apart and went back together normally & neither the steering shaft or tie rod ends were ever disconnected, so nothing changed there - my best guess is that I managed to rotate the rack a bit relative to the steering shaft, but I ran out of time and couldn't get back under the car to troubleshoot the problem last night.

Anybody experienced this problem previously and/or have any insight that may save some time in resolving the issue?

RDAvena   Posted Thursday, Apr 28th 5:54pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Staff
Post nr. 1258
   
SELECT * FROM users WHERE clue > 0
1981 323i, 1988 545is, 1997 528i
not sure what it might be since you said none of the other parts were loosened or moved in any way. My wild guess would be that you may have overtightened one of the mounting bolts which could have crimped the R&P case a little.

This could have been enough to make the inside end of the control arm(ball and socket joint) drag or bind as it passes through this reduced opening.

Sad news is it will have to go back up on jackstands.

BarryA   Posted Thursday, Apr 28th 7:33pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Member
Post nr. 66

Sacramento CA
81 320
Interesting thought and worth checking on, although with the bolts between the "clamshell" rack mount halves passing through steel sleeves, I'm not sure it would be possible to apply enough clamping pressure to deform the rack housing. Hopefully I can get to the bottom of problem tonight, as I need to drive the car tomorrow.

I'm betting my nickel that the body the rack is rotated slightly in the mount bushings - when the steering wheel is turned, it feels like the yokes of the u-joints in the shaft between the end of the column and the rack are binding slightly as they turn.

Will report back on what I find.......

BarryA   Posted Friday, Apr 29th 5:24pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Member
Post nr. 68

Sacramento CA
81 320
Binding is resolved - as suspected, it was in the steering shaft u-joints, and was caused by the body of the rack being rotated so that the rack's input shaft was too far toward vertical.

The actual contact and binding was occuring between the lower yoke of the center section of the shaft and the splined block that clamps to the rack's input shaft - at best, there's no more than about .010"-.015" minimum clearance there, so ANY misalignment is critical.

BTW, the urethane rack bushings are a great upgrade - no noticable increase in noise or harshness, and 90% of the E21 wobble is gone (and I haven't replaced any other front end components yet).

RDAvena   Posted Friday, Apr 29th 5:27pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Staff
Post nr. 1266
   
SELECT * FROM users WHERE clue > 0
1981 323i, 1988 545is, 1997 528i
good to hear. It is almost always the simple things that get you.

g323   Posted Thursday, Dec 28th 8:31am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Member
Post nr. 62
   
California
323i 1982
Quick question, do i need to jack anything up to change these bushings, i got the non urthane ones and am afraid it will take forever since a mechanic quoted me 300$ to install them(must be psyco).

Its just 4 bolts right? is it easy to access, how much time to i need to plan? any tools that will make it easier

g323   Posted Wednesday, May 9th 2:05am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Member
Post nr. 155
   
California
323i 1982
I don't quite understand how the above problem was solved.

Right now when i hit a bumb, will pull to one side or the other. If i turn left, it pulls left for a little while, if i turn right it will pull right for a little while. Alighment is ok, all toe is fixed.

Do i have to replace the steering rack? are their some lube points?

any help will be much apreciated as its a pain to drive at the moment and the mechanic tells me to replace the rack, dam!

BarryA   Posted Thursday, May 10th 7:38pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Member
Post nr. 189

Sacramento CA
81 320
Re the last two posts:

Changing the rack bushings isn’t a terribly complex job, but it can be time consuming and if the rack isn’t aligned properly, there can be some binding issues in the u-joints in the intermediate shaft between the steering column and the rack. Although the rack bushings only mount one way, it IS possible to “rotate” the rack slightly in the bushings in the process of putting everything back together, which can cause misalignment and the above referenced binding in the intermediate shaft u-joints. In my case, correcting the problem was just a matter of loosening the mounting bolts, rotating the rack slightly in the mounts and tightening everything back up.

As far as changing bushings goes, you’ll definitely want to have the front end up in the air on jack stands to get working room, you’ll need the appropriate sized wrenches / sockets, and having a couple of long drifts or punches to keep the mounting holes aligned is a big help. You’ll find when you take the two halves of the “clamshell” housing around the rack apart that there are tubular spacers that the mounting bolts go through – inserting a punche or drift pin all the way through the both halves of the shell and spacer at each hole will help keep the holes and spacers in alignment until you can get all four bolts in place.

Regarding the problem of pulling to one side or the other after hitting a bump, it sounds like the rack may be shifting from side to side – if the old rack mounting bushings are oil soaked and “squishy” they may not be able to properly locate the rack and hold it in place against side loads. It’s going to be a whole lot cheaper to try replacing the bushings first – if that doesn’t fix the problem (and assuming you don’t have power steering), consider replacing it with a rack from the lowest mileage 320 you can find at Pick & Pull (make sure you get one with the boots intact). As long as the rack stays lubricated and dirt and water don’t get inside manual racks are pretty durable, so a used one in decent condition has a pretty good chance of being ok.

g323   Posted Monday, May 28th 10:22pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Member
Post nr. 167
   
California
323i 1982
Changed the steering rack, still have the same tie rods though, new urethane bushings. Still same old problem.

When i hit a bump, or make a turn, car pulls in that direction.

Also, when i changed the rack, i connceted the pinion without paying attention to the steering wheel, i just connected it without regard for position and tightend it down as it was a b--- to put in.

I then simply put the steering wheel on straight. DOes this matter? and would changing my tie-rods fix my first problem? could it be the steering dampner, im lost!


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