How To Guide - E36 Steering Rack Swap

[KVF]

You can pick up correctly sized spacers at Home Depot on the cheap.

[mccor023]

Just curious to see what toe others have gotten post swap and alignment.

After mine yesterday I am at LF-.14; RF-.15 for total toe .29

I'm still trying to figure out the math behind my rear toe getting worse from .11 (b/f) and now .14 total toe.

[Northern]

Should have whatever toe it was aligned to?

[FLG]

I just had my bud zero the toe.

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[mccor023]

I just had my bud zero the toe.

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Thats what I asked for, and shop said they couldnt get it any closer.

[FLG]

Thats what I asked for, and shop said they couldnt get it any closer.

New outer tie rods?

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[mccor023]

New outer tie rods?

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New inner/ outer. Rebuilt maval, new m3 offset cabs, new st sway w new end links. I could go on, but.

[FLG]

Hmm not doubting the shop but is it possible they simply were lazy and didn't Wana keep playing with it? It took us just a bit to dial it in perfectly.

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[dsphil]

I'm in the process of doing the z3 rack swap. I got a hold of the oe bmw z3 rack, part #1 092 031. not the zf. I notice that this z3 rack doesn't have the notch for the locking plate for the tie rod assembly. Is this suppose to be torqued down or use some other locking plates that I am not aware of?

[RobertK]

I've not install a Z3 1.9l rack yet but I would at least use a little blue locktite.

[JinormusJ]

How To Guide - E36 Steering Rack Swap

Have the Z3 rack; a little annoyed it doesn't have lock-plates, but eh..

I ended up just using red Loctite on my knuckle; wanted to make sure that junk doesn't come off

My only thing I'm scared about is that I ended up using the same red Loctite on my inner-tie rod. Hopefully I never have to remove it haha


Ended up doing on a non-airbag car
To further add; since there is much less info on the Z3 rack:

I HAD to buy spacers to be safe; using AKG's knuckle spacers ensure that you can use the knuckle lining notch on the rack spline to insert the locking-bolt. If you want to grind down your bolt, you don't have to buy the spacers. I am getting binding, so I suggest grinding down an rounding off the squared off U-joint parts; what I will be planning on doing once my car is back on the lift.

BOTH e30 power steering hose fit easy; all I had to do was give it a 45* bend in the HP line so that it was a perfect 90* so it would actually mount. Once I mounted it, I again bent it up, out of the way of the knuckle. The second e30 hose fit fine. Both hoses fit snuggly over the engine mount, like it does with the e30 rack, not in front of it

Ended up using e36 (actually z3, but they are essentially the same) tie rods. Fit the struts no problem

I mounted my spacers above the rack, but I am hearing people mounting them below to combat bump steer; I will be swapping them shortly after my little bugs are troubleshooted

[joncrz]

You can pick up correctly sized spacers at Home Depot on the cheap.

where specifically and how would I find it ?

[ELVA164]

I mounted my spacers above the rack, but I am hearing people mounting them below to combat bump steer; I will be swapping them shortly after my little bugs are troubleshooted

I don't have any personal experience with it, but this sounds like a good argument for putting spacers on top:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=253178&highlight=spacers+location

[JinormusJ]

How To Guide - E36 Steering Rack Swap

I ended up having little to almost no bump-steer having them mounted up top.

The fat lazy guy in me just left it since it doesn't seem to be harming anything

[FLG]

Above for me, no bump steer

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