How To Guide - E36 Steering Rack Swap

[equate975]

There is no high pressure hose lines with hose clamps on an E30. Only the low pressure lines have hose clamps.

Oh yes you are correct. Sorry I really suck at looking at pics lol :)

EDIT:

By the way, your oil pan is so delicious I wouldnt mind eating off it :)

[Sean]

Hey, So I'm getting a list setup of parts to buy.

It looks like you bought new hoses, but juts reused the ends. Well, for an extra $10, i can just get the new hose WITH the ends - does this sound right?

Also - that $74 high pressue line you have listed, what car is that off of? it's not showing in the ETK under my car, and BMA site shows it for Etas, which mine is an 88 Eta. Any ideas there?

Found a 1997 BMW 73 Rack for $200. That's the 2.7 radius, right? Not sure if it's a 2.8 or a 1.9, but figured they were the same?

[RobertK]

Hey, So I'm getting a list setup of parts to buy.

It looks like you bought new hoses, but juts reused the ends. Well, for an extra $10, i can just get the new hose WITH the ends - does this sound right?

Also - that $74 high pressue line you have listed, what car is that off of? it's not showing in the ETK under my car, and BMA site shows it for Etas, which mine is an 88 Eta. Any ideas there?

Found a 1997 BMW 73 Rack for $200. That's the 2.7 radius, right? Not sure if it's a 2.8 or a 1.9, but figured they were the same?

Not all Z3 racks are the same turn-to-lock wise so make sure you specify the one you want. Some Z3s came with 3.2 turn to lock ratio racks.

The high pressure line is for an E36 325i. The part number needed is listed in the original post.

As for the low pressure hoses you can go either way.

[Sean]

Not all Z3 racks are the same turn-to-lock wise so make sure you specify the one you want. Some Z3s came with 3.2 turn to lock ratio racks.

The high pressure line is for an E36 325i. The part number needed is listed in the original post.

As for the low pressure hoses you can go either way.

Thanks! I better make sure it's the right one then! ;)

Appreciate it!

[BeirBrennerE30]

why the new PS resevour??? i reused teh stock one when i did mine... iirc

[FredK]

why the new PS resevour???

I think it's just a maintenance item. The PS reservoir has a built in filter that isn't replaceable (or at least, not to the best of my knowledge). Most E30s probably already have quite a few miles on them and it's probably time to replace the filter.

[HST]

The PS res is cheep toget a new one, about $15 I think, and it does have a fliter in it. You are suposed to replace the PS res every X amount of miles, I forgot the exact milage. You can't just replace the fliter.

[RobertK]

I think you are supposed to replace the PS res. every 90k-100k miles. Once the filter wears out the dirty fluid can eventually excellerate the wear & tear your PS pump.

Clean PS Fluid = Happy PS Pump

[Mastrcruse]

I have found all the parts for this on a car that has everything gone except the front and rear suspensions. I don't know if it is good but it looks new. Is there some how I can tell that it is good without turning the steering wheel?

[RobertK]

Check the ends of the rack for leaks. If you remove the rack you can turn the spline that the steering knucle goes to with a wrench. If fluid is leaking out either end then it is fucked.

[ptownTSI]

nice write-up, definitely going in the to-do list when i change the oil pan/gaskets/rear crank seal and put a new clutch in. thanks.

[Sean]

Hmmm - well, I got a rack.

I'm going to post a picture here soon. It doesn't have that square pattern, is a smooth brass colored rack. It came out of a 2002 BMW Z3 3.0, only have 20,000 miles on it, really good shape.

One thing I noticed tonight is that it didn't have the little nubs for the locktabs - is that going to be an issue?? I'm a bit worried about that.

Also - I did some comparing of the racks - that black rubber piece used as a reference, I turned both my racks.

My e30 rack went around exactly four times, and my rack went around just under 3 - so does this mean it's a 2.7? I mean, if it was a 3.2, it would go around over 3 times.

So - do I have the right one, just a later version of it? I think it'll still work - I might just need to go without locktabs??

I'll throw a pic up here later. Let me know what you think!

(I got it for a steal, and prayed to god it was right - I picked it up in Denver when I drove thru - but they said they'd get me the right one if it was wrong)

[RobertK]

Sounds like everything should be ok.. BTW.. I replied to your PM as well.

[ldsbeaker]

I just purchased a 1996 Z3 rack... amassing all the other parts, too.
I guess I'm assuming that the E30 tie rods are being reused? Thanks.

p.s. I was going to do this while I had my oil pan off to replace the gasket and finally stop the oil slick I have going in my garage... is this advantageous at all?

[RobertK]

I just purchased a 1996 Z3 rack... amassing all the other parts, too.
I guess I'm assuming that the E30 tie rods are being reused? Thanks.

p.s. I was going to do this while I had my oil pan off to replace the gasket and finally stop the oil slick I have going in my garage... is this advantageous at all?

Yes you can use the E30 tie rods.

Any chance you get to patch an old leak is a good thing. If you are going to do this it would be better to use the engine lift method to hold the engine up. You will want to loosen the motor mounts and lift the engine up to get the oil pan out and be sure to put it back in before replacing the rack.