Power steering problem after e36 steering rack swap.

[emi325i]

The conversion went well. No surprises, filled up the system with ATF, test drove it.. perfect... After half hour of driving, the power assist was gone.. I had to work on the steering wheel to be able to turn.

Sometimes I get power assist when I rev up the engine, but most times I do not. The car has < 100k miles, and the old fluid didn't have any metal shavings in it. The old rack is good, with no leaks, but it did require more effort than any other car i've had.


a) pump failed
b) the new steering rack is bad (maval rebuilt from bmaparts)
c) shitty ATF from ACE hardware
d) I may have run the hi-pressure line too close to a heat source, and fluid is overheating

Any other ideas?

[LovableSheep]

Check the belt, maybe it is slipping, causing the lack of power assist?

[NC325iC]

since youre getting some assist at higher revs i would assume it would be either the pump is bad or the flow is being restricted somewhere

[emi325i]

I swapped pumps with my brother. Both cars seem to work just fine, so I think it was the belt. It must have been oily (plenty of that around); it was definitely not loose. Of course, I thought of cleaning the belt only after taking everything apart, and, while test-driving my brother's car, a coolant hose cracked and started a slow leak.

That is how my weekend went... And I thought I was gonna be bored on Sunday! Thanks for the tips.