Steering Problems

There are times in life, we have all been there, when you suddenly understand how lucky you are to be alive.

To pick up on this unbelievably true fable that has been going on mysteriously for a week or more concerning my steering wheel tilting suddenly to the left with no explanation even after checking all the steering etc. etc. I have many nice and informative e-mails from fellow owners and mechanics but it has still remained a mystery, until today.

I decided about 5:30 pm to head on down to the local market for some nice chicken breast, accompanying fruit & vegies and some nice dark Zinfindel to help it all slide down properly. As always in the last week it was impossible not to re-notice the lopsided steering wheel as I puttered along, as fast as the car is it is almost as much fun to drive slowly as fast. Each time I turned the wheel it was a constant re-examination as any of you would be doing, musing to myself about the unknown factor somehow involved.

I decided suddenly to go to a local German repair shop that is close to the market and of course pick up my food on the way back. I drove in just as they were closing and they exhibited the normal and expected show of appreciation and envy for the monster that purred into their cave of repair. The kind manager listened to my tail of woe and offered no explanations other than to say that he would need to check it out on the rack at a charge of $65, which would be used toward the cost of repair if I requested that he perform the needed mending.

I thought this fair and so I took his card and said I would call tomorrow and left quietly and slowly so as not to scrape the lovely and low-hung air-dam in the front. Then I decided suddenly to head for the other BMW repair shop that was nearby and see what that individual had to say. I haven't had the car long enough (2 months or more) to establish a relationship with anyone yet. So I puttered along on my way, the gas hungry monster that can swallow almost all other cars whole simply styling along in peace corps fashion while all cars whizzed by with all the drivers stretching their necks and smiling and waving at times.

Then I came to the shop and saw them closing their doors and I knew that I was a bit too late and would have to do all of this investigation properly tomorrow. So I purposely made some lazy turns and then fast turns in the large parking lot that was now empty and I started to notice for the first time that I was feeling a spot of resistance in the steering at a certain point on hard left turns. I practiced this repeatedly for a time and then sat checking all the other things such as play to and fro and comparing the difference with the engine running (power steering) vs. the engine off etc.

Then, on such a lovely, peaceful California day I sort of decided to head home. However when I hit the street I had this funny feeling that Hmmmmm, "What if something is really wrong?....what if there is a suddenly broken steering joint or U-joint in some mysterious spot etc. etc. I quickly rewound the mental tapes to some 40 years ago when I had been driving a 48 ford hot-rod that the steering had gone out on and I had almost killed myself watching the car steer itself down to a dead stop against a tree and a fence. I survived that incident Ok, but the memory of speeding along with no control of the car was suddenly very fresh in my mind.

So I drove slowly to the right side of the road, telling myself that I was doing it for the car (wouldn't it be horrible to scratch this gorgeous toy) rather than fearing for my own invaluable and aged carcass. So, I tooled along like an electric car for the elderly with the wind blowing ever so gently through the fully open windows and the lovely sun pouring through the open sun-roof. Then my very own neighbor who had a new BMW 323 black convertible drove by with her dark hair blowing in the breeze as she sped by with a huge cheerleader grin and long attractive outstretched arm dangling with jewelry and hollered "Hey Slowpoke" get a good car!!! continuing our unlimited banter over the better car each time we wash or put them to bed under their covers at night. (who needs children).

Then I finished my drive home and slowly crept up the driveway into central position, always the best spot for Calypso as I so tenderly refer to V12 Coup. Then my Dad who just turned 81 came out and witnessed the merciless teasing I was receiving from my neighbor for going so slow and he said after "Kurt, what's the problem?" as he has a way of knowing that I have a problem sometimes even before I do.

I considered the situation and I told him that I was noticing the lopsided wheel and then just earlier a resistance in the turn going left. The old Stanley Steamer, Studebaker, Model T, Buick, Chrysler, 32 ford, 34 ford and 36 & 37 Ford man, father & backyard mechanic who taught me everything I know said "Why don't you show me what your talking about". So, I did.

Then Dad rolled up his retired school administrator sleeves and exposed his world war II Navy Tattoos that have become somehow a most respectful and tender reminder of the years gone by as well as those here now and he told me to open the hood and watch as he continuously turned the wheel to the resistance spot and back again and again. So we did that, father and son as we have done for some 50 some years before through car after car and again just as always Stan (dad) said slowly, "well, I think I have found your problem." I stood up and looked at him and he smiled that famous lazy old smile that has charmed people for years He then slowly spun the wheel around and around without any resistance or any tires moving at all right before my eyes!

I had no choice but to smile back, and chuckle as my mind tried in vain to catch up somehow to the stark and dangerous reality of this situation as it slowly at first and then like a block of cement hit my perceptive reception area and left a dent that almost knocked me off my feet. I was immediately in a fraction of a second remembering the recent cars whizzing by in the opposite direction minutes ago and the last time (only a couple of weeks ago) that the wheel had been removed and worked on by the local dealer here in Sacramento.

A chill just sort of worked it's way up my spine all the way into the base of my skull and seemed to be taunting me in a kind of childlike rhyme like we all used to spit out at each other when we had just caused each other to crash our bikes or fall backward over a buddy bent over behind us.

I was immediately mad, frustrated, amazed, angry and then amazingly and incredibly thankful that I was standing here alive and that my lovely toy was not bent around a tree or trying to become part of the inner working of a local Japanese car coming from the other direction just earlier today. In other words, My steering wheel had come disconnected somehow just under the dash where it somehow connects to the steering shaft.

I slowly locked up the car and took the food into the house. I poured Dad and mom and myself a small glass of wine and then I immediately came into the computer room here (used to be Dads office) and sat down without a moments hesitation and wrote this little ditty to all you fellow E31, 850 owners who should know that if your steering wheel ever takes a sudden leap toward one direction or the other, regardless of how well it seems to work, it is obviously a very dangerous situation and could end up killing you if you don't check it out.

I am going to go out now and eat dinner with mom and dad, my two best friends in this world and be very thankful that I am alive and able to spend this time in their company as well as write this news to all of you here.

I suppose that after dinner I will want to determine exactly what the steering shaft is composed of under the dash and how exactly the dealer could have allowed his last repair for noise when the wheel turns to end up with my wheel turning freely in my hand with no control of the car. Man, life certainly is an interesting process. Kurt.

Well, I am more than a little embarrassed. Sometimes it is easy to go "off the handle" as they used to say, or "going on and on" etc. When I finally decided that it wouldn't hurt anything if I just took out the lower trim panels and lower dash panels to take a look under. So I did exactly that, without touching the steering wheel or the battery.

It took all of about 15 minutes. Easy to figure out, undo the plastic screws, remove the false cap on the hood release unscrew it, off it comes, off comes the hard plastic kick panel trim. Then remove the upper/under the dash black cover (4 plastic screws)(one mysterious electrical switch no one told me about fastened to black under/cover, I will have to find out what it goes to later) off it comes.

Remove the upholstery-colored trim piece in a U shape going around from door to consul just under the dash instrument and steering column area by removing two phillips head screws and pulling straight out to bring other screws out of press plugs in the metal backing of the inner/under dash.

Then looking under I found a piece of hard black plastic heater pipe that had a phillips screw, I unscrewed it, then jockey the long hard piece back and forth till it pops loose and then "Presto", lying on my back I can see the whole steering assembly all the way from just behind the back of the steering wheel down to where it disappears into the engine compartment.

What I found surprised me. It seems that Justin was right after-all when he said he had to replace a coupling in his steering shaft assembly.

If you remember I had been told by several BMW mechanics (professional) that there was virtually nothing that could break under there, "If it was the same as most other BMWs". Well, either they were wrong, or the 850 is different from most other BMWs, because there is.

It shows in the steering wheel/column diagram of parts etc. A rubber coupling #17 that is a U-joint of sorts that connects on one end to the "lower (underdash)shaft assembly" #15, and on the other end to the Flange #16,(which is a small metal piece with splines fitting over the steering wheel shaft as it comes down from the area behind the steering wheel and is held firm not to be moving by a bolt that tightens it. This rubber coupling can definitely break, tear, rip, wear out and come apart leaving you no steering.

Anyway, this coupling 17# is mounted to the flange #16 on one end and to the lower shaft #15 that heads down toward the eng compartment on the other side of the coupling.

So the coupling #17 is a very thin 1/4 thick round piece of rubber with fiber insides that has 4 holes in it. Two bolts from the flange #16 go into two of the holes with nuts to hold them tight from one direction (just under steering wheel) and the other two holes are for two bolts that come from the lower shaft assembly #15 that heads down for the eng compartment.

So this round piece of rubber with 4 holes in it, with 4 bolts pushed through and held by 4 nuts is obviously a direct U-joint type of link in the steering wheel/column (under dash) steering shaft assembly.

If this rubber gets old and tired and decides that it doesn't want to hold together any more....for whatever reason....then it simply rips and tears and comes apart....as it has done on my car.

It is not the Dealers fault, unless the service technician purposely cut it or ripped it or ignored normal wear and tear, or didn't notice it. But, I hate to think that any of those possibilities are feasible, I would hate to go through my daily life thinking that. So I will choose to think that it just happened one day as it just finally after 9 years decided to wear out and come apart!

The main message here is that every one of you with an 850 has the same weak rubber link in your steering (under-dash)shaft assembly. Unless it was changed somehow after 1991. Should be easy enough to check out with the parts books.

Anyway, it looks simple to replace. Remove 4 nuts from 4 bolts and slowly remove the old torn shredded rubber piece and put in a new strong piece and place it carefully over the bolts of the lower shaft #15 on one end and then over/into the bolts of the flange #16 and replace the nuts to the proper torque and you are done and you have good steering for another 5 to 10 yrs.

However, it is such an easy thing to check, it would seem a good idea to check it out when you have the lower dash trim pieces off for any other repairs or work such as speakers, heater stuff, electrical etc. etc. With those lower pieces off all you have to do is lay on your back, take a light that shines up and reach up and check it with your hand or watch it as someone turns the wheel (turn it yourself-eng running power steering) etc.

If the rubber shows cracks or tears or looks dry and brittle or the bolts seem to be wearing oblong holes in the rubber, then replace it.

Amazing revelation to me today. Now all I have to do is find a new rubber coupling piece on late Saturday or Sunday.....and I got it made!!

I hope this information helps anyone who is interested and those in the future who begin to notice strange happenings in their steering especially when everythiing under the car, steering arms, joints, gears linkage etc. all look fine. Then it would be a good idea to check this very easy to find rubber coupling under the dash.

Have a good weekend gentlemen and thanks again to all who helped. Kurt

Gentleman all, especially to you Lez, Mark and Justin and anyone I may have forgotten, I want to say a genuine thanks.

It is becoming clear to me that the BMW 850 V-12 is nothing more mysterious than a car. A car is a car is a car. Figure it out and fix it, just like all the others in my life. I guess that I have just gotten so far away from repairs in the last 5 years that I didn't realize. I've worked all my life on cars, rebuilding, racing, restoring for 40 some years and I guess I just got tired or bored with it 5 years ago. But, it's amazing how easy it is, how you don't forget all those years of experience and how good the tools still work. Using Dads in this case, the same tools that he used since the 30s through the 70s till he stopped working on them. Funny. Anyway, Thanks again, Now I'm off to look for parts. I know, I know, Good luck until Monday!!

I have finally finished the Saga and important scenario of the life-saving and necessary steering that all our cars share regardless of the year or model etc. Here is the information for all who like steering that works and who deem it necessary to know how to keep it that way.

First of all I cannot express enough the importance of finding an "Honest, Knowledgeable, and Experienced mechanic that you can talk to easily!!!" I know, usually that is referred to as "The Impossible Dream"!

Most of you 850 or E31 owner/drivers do not work on your cars and therefore most of what is said on this board about mechanics is Greek. For that reason and to make it simple for those of us who do enjoy the grease of wrenching this job has turned out to be simple, as with most highly touted complex mechanical scenarios.

Steering linkage under the Dash:

- The one most important factor of the steering under the Dash is the adjustment of the big Nut surrounding your lower steering shaft just before it disappears through your inner firewall into the engine compartment. This big nut is referred to as a compression nut. This big nut, if improperly made too tight will stop the necessary sliding movement back and forth (in and out)(yes like sex) that is required to occur when you activate your electric steering wheel adjustment closer or father away from you or the dash. If someone, (you or mechanic) tighten this nut to the point that stops the in and out sliding of the splined shaft, you will effectively cause tremendous pressure and distortion to occur to the Rubber Dampener Coupling that is located further up the shaft, and this Rubber Coupling will then begin a very rapid deterioration forcing its retaining nuts to embed themselves into the rubber and then effectively cause a rip in the Rubber Coupling that will cause total loss of your steering. This process takes anywhere from a week to a month or two depending upon how often you drive the car and how curvy your road. The more you turn the more you lose.

- When the lower Nut is tightened so that the splined shaft cannot go in and out with movement of the electric column control, then the Rubber coupling is forced to stretch beyond it's limitations, especially if it's adjusted tight in the down (close to the dash) position and then the control is activated to bring the wheel closer to the driver. In that case the distortion becomes immense and intolerable to the Rubber coupling.

- Should one ever desire to check this out, you can easily remove the under the dash trim pieces and take a look. This shaft and all it's components are easy to remove and replace as long as the big nut is able to be loosened. In most cases this is no problem. If it cannot be loosened then you must remove it from the car and put it in a vice and make it loose! (rare case, but this is what I just had to do. Someone had tightened mine so tight it would barely come loose only after a heat torch made it very hot!! I will always wonder who did this and why??? It did just come out of the dealers shop 3 weeks earlier for steering column work, what can I say!)

- Anyway, if the Nut will come loose usually by putting a big wrench on it and turning with someone else helping you turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction. After the Nut is loose you would then remove the four retaining nuts, two on either side of the Rubber Coupling that is located between the Flange (two mounting bolts)and the upper end of the lower steering shaft (the other two mounting bolts)and then you loosen the nut enough so that the main shaft with nut can be pushed inward toward the engine to create enough room to take apart and take out the old Rubber Coupling and insert the new one.

- The Rubber Coupling does not come with the Nuts and the Wavy (spring) washers that are necessary to do the job properly. You should use new ones of stainless steel strength, The wavy washers must be a size almost exactly 8mm ID.(inside diameter) X 15mm OD.(outside diameter) Both sizes are critical. The ID. must be 8mm to allow the bolt to pass through and the OD. must be no bigger as then it will begin to impede the proper movement of your required steering when turning. It is *imperative* that the Rubber Coupling (with steel cylinders positioned inside each hole at the factory) is placed in the mounting bolts slowly and carefully making sure that they are gently urged a little at a time onto each bolt a little at a time until the Rubber Coupling has fully inserted all four bolts all the way into all holes before attaching any washers and nuts.

- At this point you will want to attach the Washer first over the mounting bolt sticking through the Rubber Coupling and then the Nut making it only finger tight. You will only be able to do one bolt at a time, that bolt which you can see which will be the closest nut to you, and then you will want to activate the power steering for a few moments to easily turn the wheel to the next nut to begin putting on the washer first, then the nut, then finger tightening and so on till they are all tightened only by fingers. Then once finger tightened you will want to wrench (13mm) tighten each one to a torque spec of 16 to 20 lbs. That means using your hands with the 13 mm wrench to make them very tight, but nowhere near your maximum hand tightening power which could be 50 to 75 lb torque that's not necessary! you just want good and normal tight! . You will use the same method of turning the wheel via power steering from nut to nut.
- Once the coupling is properly attached and retained by wavy washers and self-locking nuts properly tightened, you will want to activate your electric steering column control and watch the column go in and out and see if the shaft down just below the nut (passing through the fire-wall into the eng compartment) is sliding in and out of the big nut (yes, like sex). If it is not sliding then the nut is too tight. If it is sliding then you need to adjust it. The best method I have found to use is to simply have a big wrench of the proper size and to tighten the Nut to the point just where it stops the movement in and out of the splined shaft. Then immediately turn the big nut back one full turn so that the shaft will easily move in and out of the big Nut. Also make sure that the shaft is properly greased in the grooves with a good bearing grease. "Properly" means just enough grease to fill the little groves, not a big mess all over everything.

- At this point it is always a good idea to raise the hood and to check the nut located on the steering gear universal joint to make sure that (hopefully it is there) and that it is tight, holding the other end of the splined shaft firmly to the steering gear. The spline is located just inside the firewall in the engine compartment where it comes through from inside the under dash where you have just been working and then down to the steering gear where you will see the universal joint with just one bolt and nut holding it tight.

At the moment, typing fast and trying to get this done as I am late (as usual) I may have overlooked something. However, if any of you have any questions later please let me know and if you know of any better method of doing this job in any phase I would sure appreciate knowing of it. There is always room for improvement when it comes to mechanics and proper methods.

Thanks for listening Ladies and Gentleman, I hope this information is of help to someone in the future.

Kurt Grayson