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How To Guide - E36 Steering Rack Swap

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  • marshallnoise
    replied
    Delrin might work too. Don't know if they make fasteners out of it though.

    Leave a comment:


  • LateFan
    replied
    Originally posted by marshallnoise View Post
    Nylon and heat cycles spell disaster.
    ah, that could be a problem.

    I found some higher heat plastics at McMasters....
    McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.


    They list acetal, PTFE, PEEK, and polypropylene with higher temps.

    Leave a comment:


  • Wanganstyle
    replied
    Originally posted by pandaboo911 View Post
    I honestly don't understand why you would run a solid steering guibo. Even in a racecar it sucks. The slightest flat spot in your tire and you will be hating life


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Our lemons car has no steering guibo; it doesn't suck; also helps that we have 0 drivers that like to crash. I don't suggest anything but stock parts for street use
    ......
    Look at any z4 or e46 they don't have them stock; they use a telescoping steering shaft of different design.

    Leave a comment:


  • marshallnoise
    replied
    Nylon and heat cycles spell disaster.

    Leave a comment:


  • LateFan
    replied
    ah ha...I found the post I was remembering. It's in the identical thread on E30tech...Post #103



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by everlast - Post #100
    "Has anybody here considered the fact that bolting the knuckle together removes the purpose of the knuckle? It's designed to collapse on front end impact. Bolted together it won't do this, it will impale you instead.

    I'm going to try to find a solution with much smaller bolts with thin washers that would collapse under impact. I'll post my results.

    vvvvv

    I finished modifying my knuckle today.. I used aluminum spacers to get the required length, but use very heavy duty all nylon nuts to provide the clamping force. I was able to torque them very high, but in an impact I believe the nuts will let go with about the same intensity as the slip fittings. I hammered the slip fitting apart today without much effort, but didn't feel like hammering the nylon nuts apart as a test. Hopefully I'll never know if this works as a break-away or not, but it certainly holds the knuckle together.
    "

    ^^^^
    Anybody else try this? Makes sense, if the nylon nut threads shear off.



    Oh, another question -
    If you have to replace hoses anyway, why not go with the E36 hoses, which have a cooling loop built in? Are they a lot more $ than new E30 hoses?
    Thanks - I know this thread is years old now.

    Leave a comment:


  • LateFan
    replied
    Yeah, I agree with both of you that using the solid IE coupler or taking the coupler disk out and bolting the shaft together solid sounds like a sketchy idea for a DD.

    And I'm not completely understanding the original design's intent - it looks like it would give maybe 3 or 4" when it shears off. Is that enuf to save you? And that's the case, too - the rack and shaft aren't pushing into the cabin, it's your chest hitting the wheel.

    If the new set-up with spacers could shear off, is there really any room to collapse in there with the long bolts?

    And then here I am - I drive an old Alfa with seatbacks that don't lock, lap belts only, and no headrests. But to send your kid out in an older car is different.

    If the ARC shaft or similar has the same amount of telescoping space, that could work. Costs more than the rack itself.

    Leave a comment:


  • pandaboo911
    replied
    I honestly don't understand why you would run a solid steering guibo. Even in a racecar it sucks. The slightest flat spot in your tire and you will be hating life


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Leave a comment:


  • rturbo 930
    replied
    LateFan, I had the same concerns too that I would be compromising on safety if I did the mod shown in the OP. But, based on a bit of research I did, the guibo has a safety feature too. I couldn't find much info on it, but it seems like the guibo is designed to let the two parts of the shaft separate in the event of a serious crash, or something to that effect - don't quote me on that though.

    I also read that installing a solid guibo isn't something you want to do in a street car because of the amount of vibration that comes through the wheel. But this is all based on hearsay pretty much. I haven't had the shaft apart to look at how it goes together, and I don't have any experience with a solid guibo either.

    So it seems that no matter what you do, you have to make a compromise. Not sure which I'll do, but I'm leaning towards keeping the guibo. Reason being, it seems like the two long studs you'd replace would only allow it to collapse and inch or two at most, so you're not really losing all that much in terms of safety... but I could be underestimating their purpose.

    Leave a comment:


  • LateFan
    replied
    Right, exactly. But…pre-airbags, all cars had a collapsible steering column so it doesn't cave in your sternum, even in a medium speed hit. Bars and a race harness are silly in a street car.

    That ARC asylum joint is more than the whole reman rack at rack doctor.

    Leave a comment:


  • marshallnoise
    replied
    My question is this: How well do these cars crash anyway? If the crash is bad enough to send a steering column through the dash, what does the rest of the car look like?

    Leave a comment:


  • LateFan
    replied
    Just to add some more noise to this ongoing and really valuable thread - Our stock rack seals are failing, so it's time to do the E36 swap now. Good reference here to counter the heresay about which rack is which…



    I have a serious question about the collapsibility that was designed in to the stock steering linkage. I've posted some questions before in the steering section about our odd-looking hardware, which I've found was because of an earlier recall for safety. As the linkage shears off the rivets in a front end crash, these steel plates keep the ends of the shaft aligned so you still have some steering.

    Click image for larger version

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    The newer (replacement?) linkage has those long studs on it, which I assume does the same thing - the pieces slide down those studs, but are still aligned so you can steer.

    Click image for larger version

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    A guy WAY back in this thread mentioned trying to use plastic nuts or some solution on the linkage spacers so they'd shear off in an accident. I don't know the result of his experiment.

    All the aftermarket linkage kits are pretty clear that they're "track only" pieces for liability reasons, and say you should be wearing a harness so you don't hit the wheel. For a street-only car, that doesn't seem like a decent solution. My kids will be driving this car.

    In post # 865, a guy mentions it:
    2) Safety Loss--The mod that everyone does takes away the column collapse safety feature. I am interested in the method shown in post #856. I didn't do this one, but wonder if it would be the safer route. Watch the column come at the dummies head in this video on the old chevy at 49 seconds. Sorry to be a Buzz Killington, but it is worth mentioning.

    These guys have a telescoping center sleeve, but they say the same - track only.

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    chrisnxl185's solution of taking out the giubo and bolting the two halves together with a heavy washer leaves the shear hardware intact, but is a more rigid connection. Others have said that rubber giubo is just for noise isolation and not to worry about it.

    I'd like to use the Dungeon spacer kit.

    Click image for larger version

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    The later cars had a solid shaft with no collapsing hardware, but of course they have an airbag to break your fall.

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    So..any other ideas on leaving this safety feature intact while shortening the steering shaft?

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  • pandaboo911
    replied
    Originally posted by MC Hammered View Post
    No. That is the non-ZHP rack.

    You want this one: http://shop.rackdoctor.net/2002-2005...892-712ZHP.htm
    The purple tag ZF 678 rack and yellow tag 712 "ZHP" rack have the same steering ratio of 13.7:1. The only difference between the two is the torsion bar inside the rack. The ZHP rack differs only if you have power steering, because it is less boosted due to it's thicker torsion bar.

    Rich from rack doctor confirmed this. Both racks are 3.0 turns LTL.

    Originally posted by TrentW View Post
    Are the E46 ZHP racks 3.2 lock-to-lock?
    Any e46 rack, except the M3, after 2002 build date is 3.0 turns. Both the 325i and 330i are 3.0 turns. The yellow tag 712 rack has tighter steering feel due to the bigger torsion bar, but they are the same ratio as non ZHP cars.

    I personally don't think the ZHP rack is worth it. You're paying an extra $200 for a tiny difference in steering feel.
    Especially if you are running no power steering, there will be no difference between the standard e46 rack and the ZHP rack

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  • TrentW
    replied
    Are the E46 ZHP racks 3.2 lock-to-lock?

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  • jakebam
    replied
    Hello, I just bought a bmw z3. Its a 2000 6cyl. I have to repair the power steering rack which at my shop will cost around $1000. Is your guide right for my car? Thanks
    Jake

    Leave a comment:


  • marshallnoise
    replied
    Originally posted by aerospace_welder View Post
    Hello everyone I just pulled a rack from an e36 car at my local junkyard for $46 I am about to do this swap. But the e36 was a convertible 1/99 is this a different rack than a 98 e36?
    As far as I understand it, all non-M e36 racks are the same.

    Leave a comment:

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