Hi All, I am about to replace the steering rack on my 95 M3 and I am wondering if anyone has done this and if there are any tips or tricks I should watch out for? I have the Bentley manual, however it seems kind of vague... makes it look simple, but something tells me it is a bit more involved than that.. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks Dan
I replaced the steering rack in my 91 318is and it was a breeze. I measured the tie rod ends and when I put the new ones on and took it to a front end shop, they said it was right on, no adjustment needed. Follow the Bentley and you will be fine.
Ok, got the rack replaced. Not too difficult. While I was at it, I replaced the control arm bushings with urethane as well as both wheel hubs (front) and stress rod links (both sides). Not bad.... Thought I had solved my issues.... BUT NO!! I had originally heard a sort of grinding sound w/ a clunking in the front end. At the time the control arm bushings were basically non existent, so I thought that was it.... nope. Its something to do with the drivers side strut. I have older Bilstein coilovers on it. Tried shaking them around and found the spring makes a creaking sound. Still doesn't explain the clunk though. Any thoughts? do I need to replace the strut mount/bearings? Bad shock? Problem seems to get worse as it warms up. when cold, I hear just a small clunk when going over bumps. after about half hour of higher speed driving it sounds pretty rough. Clunk doesn't get louder, but the spring makes a lot of noise... oh yeah, had a shop check out the underneath. So wheel hubs, bushings, ball joints, steering rack and tie rods are all good. I love this car, but every time I look at it I hear a giant sucking sound in my mind...
Steering column bearing failure is pretty common on e36's for that noise you are hearing. Replace the lower column joint guibo while you're in there just in case.
Would that make a sound when the steering wheel is not being turned? The sound is made while rolling, and I noticed it while rolling to a stop at a light. It then continued until I parked the car and let it cool off for a few hours...
